Page 44 of Lycan Prey (Little Secrets Duet #1)
As Damian exits, leaving behind a charged silence, I can’t help but feel the weight of his warning. But my gut tells me Bree’s secrets aren’t the kind that should cast her out into the cold—not yet, not without proof.
I settle back to work behind my desk for the next couple of hours until my mother pops her head in to tell me dinner is done.
Dinner is quiet without Bree, just silverware clinking against china.
My parents exchange measured conversation over the roast, but their mild conversation is a distant hum against the buzz of my own thoughts.
Max, my little shadow, seems to sense the tension; his fork pushes around the peas on his plate more than it brings them to his mouth.
His usual chatter is absent, and he keeps glancing at the empty chair where Bree would normally sit.
Every so often, his eyes meet mine, filled with unspoken questions and a hint of worry. His silence only worries me more.
“Can I be excused?” His voice cuts through the polite veneer of dinner, small and somber. It’s a mirror of how he sounded last month when Bree had to leave then, too.
“Of course, buddy.” I glance at his half-eaten meal and offer a soft smile. “I’ll come up soon to tuck you in and read to you.”
He nods, a flicker of relief in his eyes, and scampers away from the table, his chair scraping lightly against the wood floor.
I try to focus on the remaining courses, engaging in the necessary chatter, but my thoughts chase after Max, looping back to Bree and snagging on the ragged edges of Damian’s warnings.
The meal ends but not soon enough, and I excuse myself from the table with a feigned weariness that isn’t entirely an act.
The weight of Damian’s warnings clings to me, amplifying my anxiety with every passing moment.
Climbing the stairs, I rehearse the bedtime story voices Max likes me to read in. I promised to read to Max one of his favorite books about knights and dragons, hoping to distract him from the hollow space Bree’s absence has carved in the castle tonight.
As I reach his room, I see he isn’t there.
I move to his small ensuite to see if he is in there.
It’s empty, also. The gentle breeze wafting through the window carries the scent of pine and a hint of the lightning storm approaching.
His bed is untouched. I take a deep breath, a feeling of dread growing in the pit of my stomach.
I scan the room, looking for any sign of his whereabouts; I find nothing.
“Max?” My voice is steady, controlled, except it rings hollow as I hope he is just fooling around playing hide and seek. No response comes, only the rustle of leaves outside, where the curtain gap reveals an open window.
Panic surges through me, and I rush to the window, leaning out into the cool night air.
My gaze frantically scans the ground below, searching for any sign of him.
The darkness outside feels oppressive, my heartbeat thundering in my ears as I call his name again, louder this time, hoping for a response.
All I find is the darkening sky before the sound of howls ring loudly through the night sky.
My sight sets on the forest surrounding the property, and I try to open the mindlink to Max and get nothing, which I find odd.
I try to force the bond, despite knowing doing so might cause him pain, yet it's almost as if he has blocked me or…
There is no way he could block me out except…
My heart races faster as fear slivers through my veins.
The only other logical way he could block me is if his adrenaline was pumping because he was scared.
“Bree!” I gasp.
Opening the mindlink, I pull on the link to every person within the pack.
“Max is missing; find him and lock the castle grounds down now!” The link snaps shut, and I can feel the energy of the pack shift as they all spring into action.
I don’t bother waiting; instead, I jump out of the window, knowing I need to find him before anything else does.
My feet hit the ground with a jarring thud, sending a shockwave through my legs.
The impact rattles my bones, though I barely notice the pain. Adrenaline propels me forward. The cool earth beneath me feels solid and unyielding, a stark contrast to the chaotic storm brewing inside me and above me as lightning flashes across the sky in angry streaks.
The forest is dense and gloomy, shadows dancing between the trees as the wind howls through the branches.
Leaves crunch underfoot, and the scent of damp earth mixes with the sharp tang of rain from the impending storm.
Fear and desperation claw at my insides, each step through the forest amplifying the dread that something terrible is going to happen.
My breaths come in ragged gasps, the cold air burning my lungs as I push through the underbrush.
The thought of Max out here alone, vulnerable, makes my heart ache with a fierce, protective urgency.
Each step feels heavier as the darkness closes in, the only light coming from intermittent flashes of lightning that momentarily illuminate the twisted, gnarled roots and low-hanging branches as my pack races to catch up with me.
Still, I have a one-track mind at the moment, and that is I need to get to Max before he gets to Bree.