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Story: Hunter's Sky

“Which is where we get to the third incident,” Raschid said. “And why it’s urgent.”

Zack narrowed his eyes. “Go on.”

“One of our kids didn’t come home from school yesterday.”

Zack frowned.“Yesterday?”Why the hell had it taken this long for Raschid to reach out? Asher was a talented tracker, for starters.

“Yesterday,” Raschid bit out. “Amelie Connors is fourteen. Her only living relative is her father, Kenneth Connors. He was too drunk last night to even realize she wasn’t home. He’s a hybrid and obviously, so is she.”

Zack breathed out.Fuck.He knew Raschid was having trouble integrating the hybrids. The cubs whose mom or dad was human.

The cubs like Matthew.

The more traditional members of the pack disapproved, and in certain circumstances could easily shun them. It was something Roxanne was trying to fix, but trying to correct even an unconscious bias was hard. He also knew that in any other scenario, Amelie’s no-show would have been noticed immediately. Noticed and acted upon.

“We can start with Asher—” But he cut off at the flare in Raschid’s eyes. The anger. The frustration. The sense of failure. And he knew it was too late.

“She’s dead.” Riley said very quietly.

“She was found in what looks to be a human campground,” Victor said. “Tourists, mainly. But less than ten miles from our lands.”

Raschid carefully picked the label off his beer. “And Kenneth Connors is passed out drunk. The only ones to get angry at a fourteen-year-old’s death are sitting in your yard.” Raschid pinned them both with a gaze. “And I need your help.”

Chapter Two

AttheprecisesecondVictor smelled an unusual scent, about another six shifters all stilled and raised their heads. He’d registered the noise of a car a few minutes ago, but knew the five wolves outside would have as well. He also knew there were many shifters that lived here, and the sound of a car wasn’t unusual.

The scent of blood, however, definitely was.

At the same time that he took off for the gate at the end of the yard, Zack, Asher, and Riley did as well. And his fucking alpha. He had a second to snarl at Raschid, who insisted on putting himself in danger when it was his fucking job to keep him safe. The squeal of tires also registered, and Victor snapped out orders for two of his gammas to follow the black car currently disappearing around the corner like a road rocket. Jem and Ike obeyed immediately and ran to the truck but Victor knew it was already too late.

Then he looked at what he’d smelled. At first, he thought it was a heap of rags on the ground, but as Riley and Zack both bent down, he smelled human. Or what was left of one. There were way too many heartbeats out here for him to know if he or she was still alive.

Then Zack stood and Victor saw the person he was carrying, or what little he could make out under the blood.

“Take him inside,” Riley ordered. “I need to see what I can do.”

“Maintain the perimeter,” Victor ordered the other three gammas. “Let me know the instant Jem and Ike return.” And because his alpha followed the others inside, so did Victor.

There were too many people to crowd around the small ground-floor room where Zack had taken the human, but because Raschid did, again, so did Victor.

Victor stood and watched as Riley and Zack carefully peeled away blood-drenched clothes. Riley looked over and spotted Alex. “Alex, get me some water. I need to get this blood off.” Alex dashed away, and Victor watched carefully as Zack and Riley worked in unison.

“His arm’s broken. Wait a moment.” Zack stilled and Riley closed his eyes for a moment in concentration, then winced. “Shit, his spleen.” He immediately left the arm and placed his hand on the upper side of his abdomen, and the human was definitely ahe. Victor swallowed hard as Zack simply ripped the human’s shirt open and Riley laid his hand on bare but incredibly bruised skin. He had a second to register a growl before he realized it was coming from his own throat at the same time that he heard a second noise from Zack. He pressed his lips together, but then the smell hit him.

At first, he thought he was back home in his mama’s kitchen watching her stir the rum and coffee into her Torta Barozzi, but then he realized the sweetness was coming from the man Zack was hunched over.

Touching.

Jealousy and anger hit Victor like a freight train, and a snarl started in his chest, erupting from his throat as he took a threatening step toward the bear shifter. How dare he—but then Zack looked up from where he was crouched over the man on the bed and a deep warning rumble came from the bear. Victor felt his alpha’s restraining hand on his arm, but for the first time since he had met Raschid, his wolf ignored the command to stand down. Victor’s wolf was incensed. How dare the bear shifter touch his mate? He would rip off the hand that thought it could, and crush—

“Victor—”

The alpha command hit Victor’s wolf hard, but his animal still fought for dominance.

“Zack,” Riley commanded, sharply. “Stand down. I can’t sort you two out and heal your mate at the same time. Do you want him to die?”

Victor seemed to jerk back to awareness as horror hit him hard. “No,” he whispered. Zack’s mate? He looked at the human lying on the bed and knew it was only his alpha’s grip keeping him from rushing over and sweeping him up into his arms.