Page 31 of Midnight Hunt (Wolves of Midnight #4)

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GRIFF

“Griff. Griff! ”

As darkness lost its grip on me, the first thing I did was lash out. My fist solidly connected with flesh, and I was rewarded with a pained grunt.

“What the hell, Griff? Wake up!”

I threw another punch, but an arm blocked me this time. As my blurry vision began to clear, a familiar face materialized before me. In a flash, I tackled him to the ground and shouted, “Where is she?”

“Get off me, man. I don’t know!” my brother shouted back.

Yanking Mason up by his shirt collar, I brought his face so close to mine that we were nose-to-nose. “Tell me what you did with her, or you’re a dead man,” I said, my deathly soft tone promising violence.

Something flashed in his eyes, something that looked a lot like fear, but he replied, “Jeez, Griff, snap out of it. Do you seriously think I would take Vi from you?”

“You’ve tried before.”

“That was seven years ago, and I was desperate . What happened yesterday had nothing to do with that. She was in heat, confused about you, and needed a ride. I swear nothing else happened.”

“ Then where is she? ” I roared, shaking him until his teeth rattled. All I remembered was someone reaching for her before everything went black. I must not have been unconscious for long, because I was still in the ditch with the flipped-over truck and the police hadn’t arrived yet. But it was a busy enough intersection that they’d probably be here soon, which meant that I needed to wrap this up fast.

It was hard to think straight, though. Vi was gone. Someone had taken her from me. And the only one here to question and take out my anger on was my brother.

“Answer me!” I barked, shaking him a second time.

Whiskey’s desperation intertwined with mine, and Mason’s eyes widened as he no doubt saw my irises flash bright yellow.

“I swear I had nothing to do with it, Griff,” he said, raising his hands placatingly. “By the time I got here, they were already gone. When I found you still in the truck with blood everywhere, I thought they’d killed you. I thought they’d killed my baby brother, and I never . . . I never made things right between us. I’ve been such a dick to you all these years and made your life hell, and . . . and I’m sorry , okay? I’m just . . . I’m sorry.”

Stunned that he’d apologized to me, something he’d never done before, I simply stared at him. Without a word, I let go of him and stumbled to my feet.

“We need to go. The cops are here,” I said, hearing the wail of sirens in the distance. As he picked himself up, I added, “I need a ride back to the estate.”

“Sure thing,” he replied, his voice devoid of its usual snark.

“Why are you even here?” I questioned as we made our way out of the ditch. A few humans had stopped to check out the accident, but I didn’t pause to reassure them. I no doubt looked half dead with blood coating my face, neck, and hair. Whoever had knocked me out probably intended to cave in my skull, but I had an exceptionally hard head.

“I never left, actually,” Mason admitted, and I shot him a sharp look. “Hey, I almost got you kicked out of the Alpha Meeting and unknowingly triggered your PTSD. I didn’t enjoy being beat up by my little brother, but I understand why you did it. You and Vi have been through a lot together, and I felt bad for making your trauma worse.”

“So, you decided to stalk me?”

Scoffing, he slid into his Rolls-Royce on the driver side—now doorless, thanks to me. As I did the same on the passenger side, he replied, “No, I was trying to act like a responsible big brother for once. After all the talk about the rogues, I was worried they would hunt you down while Vi was in heat, so I parked my car about a mile away to keep a lookout. I even called Kolton and told him where I was so he wouldn’t have to worry that you two were out here alone. Unfortunately, I fell asleep about an hour ago. By the time I woke up, you two were gone.”

I didn’t respond, comparing the words to the male who’d persecuted me more than helped me over the years. His story made sense, but a scarred part of me still questioned his motives. He could have easily contacted the rogues and told them where we were. He’d always liked Vi, but if it meant getting under my skin, he wasn’t above using her. He’d tried pursuing her seven years ago when he’d known how I felt about her, after all.

I couldn’t just forget two decades of abuse simply because he’d apologized.

As he started the engine and left the crash site just as the cops arrived, I fished in my pocket for my phone. Relieved to find it in one piece, I quickly called Kolton and told him what happened. He remained calm despite the dire news, but I knew he was as terrified for Vi’s safety as I was.

“Contact our allies,” I said, reining in my panic so I could focus on what needed to be done. “I know how to find Vi and the other missing females.”

“How?” Mason asked, unapologetically listening in to our conversation.

Instead of answering him, I grinned. Not a pleasant grin, but a dark one. A grin filled with malice and deadly intent.

“They never should have taken her,” was all I said. “They have no idea what hell they’ve just unleashed.”