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Chapter Six

Dom

I burst from the forest at a dead run, the motel a beacon in the night as every light blazed. Trent stood motionless, waiting for me, and I wanted to snarl at him. Why wasn’t he hunting for her?

I sniffed the air as I came to an abrupt stop in front of him. I didn’t have the control to shift back at the moment so I let out a wordless growl.

“She’s not here,” he answered, working hard to keep any emotion off his face as I paced in front of him, too restless to remain still. If I stopped I was afraid I’d tear his throat out for losing her. “The strongest scent is from her window to the parking lot. After that it disappears. There was no sign of a struggle or any indication where she went or why.”

I headed for her window, needing to verify what he was telling me with my own senses. Each sniff sent a pang through me as her scent saturated the air. She’d taken a shower, I noted, and as I glanced in the room I knew she’d chosen to wear her flamingo pajamas. They were her favorite and a go to when she was stressed. I cursed myself for being gone so long. She’d been alone, and after the events of today, no doubt uneasy. I should have been here to comfort her.

“Don’t blame yourself,” Trent spoke behind me, his voice full of blame. “I lost her. I was patrolling. It’s my fault.” Guilt coated his words and as I swung my head around, I could see him holding a sucker in his hand, the wrapper still on, and I knew he was struggling.

I couldn’t ease his mind because I blamed him too. I trotted around the motel, following the scent path. There was another scent mingled with Jess’ scent, but it didn’t make any sense. It was not human and it burned my nose. In fact, it made me want to back away, but I pushed through unwilling to lose the only link I had to her.

The scents ended at a parking spot in the back corner of the lot. I circled the space, but didn’t pick up any other clues to where they went. The only conclusion I could come to was that she was put in a car. Whether it was by force or she’d gotten in willingly, I didn’t know.

Trent trailed after me as I verified what he had said. “Can you reach her through the bond?” He questioned and this time I did snarl at him, forcing him to jump back as my teeth flashed. “I’m sorry,” he shouted, the sucker falling from his hand and rolling away. “I’m so fucking sorry I lost your mate. But I’m trying, God, I’m trying.” He fell to his knees, breathing heavily, and a flicker of shame went through me. I knew what this was doing to him and it didn’t matter how badly I wanted to tear into someone…anyone….at the loss of Jess, I was his Alpha and he deserved better from me.

I can’t reach her, I admitted. The bond is intact, the link is there, but it’s silent. I thought she was sleeping, I confessed, hating the fact that I couldn’t talk to her, reassure myself that she was okay. The bond let me know she was alive and that was the only thing keeping me sane.

“Maybe she is,” Trent mumbled under his breath and I tilted my head. “Sleeping,” he elaborated. “Maybe she is sleeping.” He pushed himself up. “Come sniff this and tell me what you think.”

He headed back to the motel at a jog, and I reluctantly started after him, not wanting to leave the last place Jess had been, at least not without finding some clue to her where she’d gone. I paused, turning back to sniff out the sucker Trent had dropped, and carefully picked it up with my teeth. A faint flowery scent drifted against my sensitive nose and I inhaled deeply, trying to place it. Nothing came to me, but it felt familiar, and I filed it away as a clue, not willing to let any scrap of potential evidence escape.

When I came back to Jess’ room, Trent stood stock still in the center, waiting for me. I leaped through the window and studied the room, both relieved and disturbed to find no signs of a struggle. Part of me wondered if she’d gone of her own free will, but it didn’t explain why I couldn’t reach her through the bond. I bumped my nose against Trent’s hand and dropped the sucker into his palm. He squeezed his hand around it and I felt a rush of gratitude through our bond as he accepted my apology.

Her quilt was mussed, telling me she must have been in the bed at some point. I padded over, my nose almost buried in the pillow as I inhaled her scent, a strand of her hair caught under the pillow.