Page 27

Chapter 27

NATE

“Jesus, Nate. What is this?” Graham asks, walking up behind me. Since I discovered the bodies of Hannah and Lucca,

I've been almost paralyzed. My legs don't even feel like they're part of me. My fear for Madeline's life has increased tenfold and all I care about now is finding her safe and sound.

Luckily, Graham answered when I called. Now, he confirms that what I see in front of me isn't some sort of sick joke—it's a real murder scene.

“Do you know who did it?”

I nod, finally getting feeling back in my body. “Do you smell that?” I ask. “The mix of gasoline and—”

“Gunpowder,” he finishes. “They were killed by hunters?”

“Yes.” I point to their chests. “Silver bullets. I can even smell it from here.”

Graham takes a step forward. I sense he's about to be sick, not because we haven't seen gruesome scenes before, but because we're supposed to be the ones keeping everyone else safe. The hunters have gotten a head start on us again.

“Have you contacted Madeline?”

I shake my head in regret. “Her phone's not reachable. I have to find her.”

“Maybe Grant can help. He's at Cora's hospital now.”

“What do we do about them?” I ask, gesturing to the bodies. Madeline is going to be devastated.

“I'll handle the bodies,” Graham says. “Go and brief Grant, then find your mate. With hunters this close, we need to make sure all bases are covered. They're acting in broad daylight now, which means we're in even more danger.”

“I think it's just one hunter,” I surmise. “One hunter on a mission.” And Madeline is involved in that mission.

I get into my car and drive like a madman to the hospital. I'm surprised I didn't run any red lights or cause accidents with other vehicles on the way.

Even though there are still plenty of cars at the hospital, it's clear that many people have been discharged. The only person with this much influence is Grant.

In the hospital I nod to the clerk at the reception desk and continue my stroll. Eventually, I take a turn and see Grant standing alone in the hallway. He already sees me, like he's been expecting me to show up.

“Howdy,” he greets me.

“Grant, there's a big problem.”

He nods. “There is. First, what do you have?”

“Two wolves dead with silver bullets. They were shot in the middle of the day.”

Grant's face turns unreadable. “This is so much worse than I thought. We've discovered what's wrong with Cora—wolfsbane.”

My blood grows cold as I hear the word . “What?”

He shakes his head. “She's a strong woman. Any wolf here would probably be six feet under by now, but she's been fighting it for some time now. She probably had only a few days left if we hadn't caught it in time. I didn't tell Madeline so she wouldn't worry, but—”

“Madeline? You saw Madeline?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know where she went?”

“She said she wouldn't be transforming on land with us. She's going to the woods here in town. It's a popular spot for lone wolves.”

She must have gotten that information from her friends, and if that's the case, she is definitely not safe.

“Fuck,” I groan. “I’ll never forgive myself for this. I should've kept her in my sight. If someone attacked Cora, Madeline is a logical next target. Will Cora recover?”

Grant releases a deep breath. “Yes, she'll be fine. She’s still weak now, but we're already doing the extraction. Wolfsbane is a tough thing to handle, but we realized what affected her in time. She’ll recover.”

“Thank you, Grant. This will mean a lot to Madeline.”

Grant moves toward me. “It seems like you and your mate have been having troubles for a while. She mentioned it, but didn't go into detail.”

“She's not wrong. We've always had trouble adjusting. Well, that's not true. I'm the one with trouble adjusting.”

“Hmm …” His attentiveness makes me want to share everything.

“Even though I'm afraid we won't work out, I still want to be with her. I'm torn between fear and desire." I shake my head to get my thoughts together. “Right now, what I want is a way to keep her safe.”

He nods. “That's what matters.”

“Do we know how Cora ingested wolfsbane?”

“No,” the alpha says. “We know it wasn't a lethal dose because we'd be having a very different conversation by now. My guess is that this was an indirect attack.”

My eyes widen. “I was attacked by a hunter outside Madeline's house. He shot at me in the middle of the afternoon with a silver bullet.”

I watch Grant's face turn furious. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“I'm sorry, all of this happened so fast. The two murdered wolves really threw me off.”

“If that's the case, I need to go back to IronFangs land right away.” Grant immediately starts down the hall. I’m right by this side, feeling as much urgency as the alpha.

“Do you think they'll attack there?”

“I don't know, but we have to be prepared,” he says. “With the wolves coming for the full moon, we have no idea who could be followed and compromise our sanctuary. We have to be ready for anything.”

“I understand.”

“I'm sorry, but under the circumstances you'll have to get Madeline on your own,” Grant says, sighing. “She's in the woods there; go get her while I get the rest of the pack mobilized on high alert. I wish—”

“You don't have to explain a thing,” I assure him. “You need to make sure the entire pack is safe from possible attack. Madeline is my mate and I'll take care of her. We'll be fine. Once I find her, we'll watch each other's backs.”

Grant gives me a firm nod. “There's so much at stake, but we’ll pull through this.”

The alpha and I go our separate ways when we reach the parking lot. I hop in my car and zoom out as quickly as possible. There's only one place in the city with enough space for a bunch of shifters to transform.

The drive takes a while and during that time, I worry about Madeline. My mind wanders so much that I barely keep my eyes straight, so I call Graham to distract myself from everything that’s happened. He answers like he's been waiting for my call. “Hello, Nate; what’s up?”

“I'm on my way to find Madeline,” I explain. “Grant said she told him about going to the woods to transform.”

“It's not a full moon yet,” Graham notes. “Was she planning to stay there a few days?”

“Looks like it.”

“She’s a smart girl,” my friend assures me. “I'm sure she's fine right now. All you have to do is find her and bring her home. We'll all travel together for the full moon tomorrow.”

“Yeah … but even IronFangs land may not be safe. Grant has gone back to secure things, but I'm sure you'll get a call tonight about what you need to do.”

“Alright, man. Be safe. If you need anything, let me know.”

“I will, you can count on it.”

“One last thing. If Madeline is close by, you'll be able to feel her,” Graham notes. “It's one of the perks of your bond. You can hone in on her and use it to find her when you're in the same area.”

“I'll try it. Thank you, Graham, for everything.”

“No, don't go acting like this is goodbye. I'll see you when you get back.”

The call ends just in time. I park my car by the side of the road, not caring if it’s broken into. It's a relatively clear area, so there's not much danger, at least from humans. I take a very deep breath before entering the woods.

I sniff the air, straining to catch a whiff of anything that might lead me to Madeline. The longer I search, the more frustrated I become. I soon realize I can barely catch a whiff of anything at all.

I look up at the moon, admiring its beauty so close to me. The full moon isn't until tomorrow, but I already feel its power coursing through me. I take off my shirt and dig my fingers into the ground, preparing to turn.

My skin gives way to fur, hurting much more than it would during a full moon, but at least I can handle this kind of pain.

I fully transform into my wolf form. All my senses are heightened and I realize I wasn’t going mad earlier. There are no other shifters around.

I can't sense Madeline yet, but I can tell she isn't far away. She seems just out of reach, which encourages me to further my search.

After almost thirty minutes of running aimlessly, catching her scent everywhere, I’m getting discouraged. However, I don't let it stop me, and I keep searching.

The smell of gasoline and gunpowder soon becomes evident, and this is when I’m more worried.

There's a hunter here, but I still can't find Madeline.

I suddenly remember Graham's advice and stop my search. I close my eyes, channeling as much strength as possible from the moon.

I lock onto something. When I close my eyes, it feels like a golden thread pulls me toward my mate. I open my eyes, imagining the thread as I run toward Madeline.

I'm coming, Madeline. I'm coming.