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Chapter Eighteen

“I can’t wait to see it,” one of the girls squealed and I winced at the piercing sound. “I heard there’s several nude scenes.”

“Serves you right for eavesdropping,” Anna teased, but I ignored her as I glanced over at Jess.

I sensed her discomfort as she kept her eyes glued to the table, ignoring my stare. I chuckled mentally at her squirming, but relented and turned my gaze back to my plate after verifying she would not be joining her friend, Leah, at the movies in High Valley.

After the bell rang, fear spiked through me and my gaze jerked to Jess. Her fearful gaze met mine, but students streamed toward the exits and I couldn’t easily reach her. She shook her head and I wished we shared the telepathic link of mates. I wanted to know what had caused her fear, and as I rubbed my chest, how I’d felt it like it was my own.

The fifth period bell ring, indicating class was over and I headed to the Field House for sixth period.

“Jess isn’t in class,” Anna reported over the link. I paused, remembering Jess’s fear earlier.

“Trent, is Jess or her Dad at the motel?”

“Her Dad,” he answered. “Why?”

“He hasn’t left?”

“No.”

A girl ran across the field, headed straight for the Field House and me. It took me a second to place her, but as soon as I did my blood ran cold.

“Anna, Caleb, Field House, now.” I snapped over the Pack link. “Trent, stay with her Dad.”

“Is she okay?” He asked me, and as I stared at the desperate face running toward me, I knew she wasn’t okay.

“No,” I answered hollowly as the back door of the school slammed open and Caleb and Anna raced toward me.

Leah stopped in front of me, gasping, as she pointed to the front of the school. “Took her,” she managed, not seeming to notice when Anna and Caleb came up next to her. “Said you’d know what to do.”

“Who took her?” I barked and she stared at me, shrinking at my expression. “Please,” I said, the word barely audible.

“Sheriff,” she whispered, confirming my worst fear. I didn’t wait, running for the Jeep, until Caleb tackled me.

“What are you doing?” I snarled, throwing him off of me. “They have her!”

“Saving you from yourself,” he grunted, hanging on to me as I stood back up. “Remember, when you did this to me?”

“It’s different,” I growled, trying to shake his tenacious grip. “They would have killed you.”

“And you don’t think they’ll kill you?” he argued, clinging to my back. “You can’t go in half cocked. Let’s make a plan.”

“We don’t have time,” I roared, needing him to understand. “They won’t hesitate to rape her.” The thought of what they would do to her gave me the strength to toss him off me and he landed on the ground with a thud.

I was at the Jeep when I heard Anna come up behind me. “Don’t try to stop me,” I warned her, yanking open the door.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she replied, her voice clueing me in and I paused. “Sorry.”

I didn’t have time to react as she hit me with the Taser, a few thousand volts of electricity doing what Caleb hadn’t been able to. I hit my knees but she didn’t stop until I lost consciousness, her apologetic expression the last thing I saw.

***

I woke with a jerk on the middle of the floor, my hands and feet bound. A deep breath told me I was in the Pack House, surrounded by the Elders and several shifters. A growl vibrated deep in my chest and someone twitched.

“Dominic,” Dad spoke quietly and I stopped growling. “We’re going to get her back.”

My chest heaved with each exhale and I finally said, “How?”

Dad’s silence spoke volumes and I surged up, as the restraints holding me snapped. Hands reached for me, but I shook them off. I had only one goal and it was to reach Jess. I didn’t know how long I’d been out, and I’d go through anyone who tried to stop me.

“Dom,” Caleb’s desperate voice managed to penetrate the haze, and I hesitated for a split second. “We just need a plan. We need you.” Part of me understood and even agreed with Caleb, but there was no reasoning with my wolf. Jess was in danger and I had to protect her.

Dad managed to get his arms around me and I struggled until the Alpha roared, “Enough.”

The force of his command dropped me and I sagged in Dad’s grip. “You will not leave Pack lands without my permission, Dominic Navarre,” he ordered, the double cadence echoing strangely in my head. My teeth gnashed together as I fought the command, desperate to save Jess, but it was futile.

“Dom?” Trent’s worried voice came over our link and I grasped it like a lifeline.