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CAMERON

When I rolled up to the White family home, I knew something was off. There was a dark aura that made me want to get the hell out of there. James Senior did his best to convince me that his son was better off with his family and his new alpha, Rod Northpaw.

But I wasn’t that stupid.

I was polite as I walked through the house and into Jamie’s bedroom. He’d left everything neat and clean, so I pulled a business card off his desk and grabbed his pillowcase and a heavy coat from his closet, something I knew probably hadn’t been washed since he last wore it. Then I headed out with a few school photos and handwriting samples from the guy.

“I’ll call as soon as I know anything.” I nodded to Mr. White and got the hell out of dodge.

As soon as I was a good distance from the pack lands, I pulled over and inspected the business card I’d pocketed from Jamie’s desk. Jamie’s Digital Designs. Logos. Websites. Collateral.

Okay, so Jamie had a design business. That could work in my favor. It was a bit of a longshot, but I sent an email and told him I was looking for a website.

The cab of my car was already saturated with the scent of the omega, but I grabbed the pillowcase and took a big whiff. He smelled surprisingly…good. Unlike anything I’d scented before. Weird.

Suddenly, being cooped up didn’t work for me, so I headed to a rest stop a few miles off the highway and went for a run. My wolf needed some space, and I needed to think. There was no trace of the omega in the direction I was running, so I crossed a river and doubled back on the other side.

I didn’t realize how long I’d been gone, but it was after ten at night when I got back to my car. The first thing I did was check to see if Jamie had responded, but there was no message. “Fuck!” I had no service, and the email was still sitting in my outbox.

With an annoyed sigh, I started the engine and headed to the nearest town. Maybe he’d respond in the morning. If not, I’d run in the opposite direction I went tonight and create a perimeter until I picked up his scent. He was believed to have left on foot, so tracking him would be easy enough now that I knew what I was looking for.

There was a vacancy sign at a no-tell motel, so I got myself a room for the night. Before stripping out of my clothes and taking a shower, I checked my email one last time and saw a response from Jamie’s Digital Designs. That was quick.

I was careful not to sound too eager when I responded to a bunch of questions about the job. Fortunately, I really did need a new website for my tracking services, so his questions were all things I’d already put some thought into. After a few messages back and forth, he finally sent me the address of a Starbucks and said he’d meet me there.

For the first time in days…maybe even weeks, I felt excited. Like this was the beginning of something way more interesting than just meeting up with an omega on the run.

After cleaning up and eating a bag of chips and some jerky from the vending machine, I passed out with the scent of my newest target filling my mind.

The next morning, I left early for the long drive to the west. There were a few mountain ranges and valleys I had to pass to get to the city he wanted to meet me in. The kid was smart to choose a place with a lot of people and witnesses. Unfortunately, it also meant a lot of smells to contend with. If he got cagey and bailed, I’d be hard-pressed to catch his scent before he was miles away.

The hum of the highway filled the silence when the radio didn’t have a frequency and there was only static coming through the speakers. The drive allowed me time to come up with a plan for how to approach the weary omega. I’d get to the coffee shop early, order a variety of food, and help him figure out his next move. If he wanted to go back home, I’d take him back. But if he needed help to start over somewhere safe, I’d do my best to help him with that too. Either way, I just needed to get to him and let him know he had someone in his corner.

I was less than fifty miles away when fate stepped in and derailed everything I’d been plotting. While on a windy road in the middle of a snow-covered mountain pass, my car let out a sputtering groan and decided to break down in the most isolated location possible. I was barely able to roll off the road onto the shoulder before it just stopped moving and the steering wheel locked up. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I slapped the wheel and then bounced my forehead off it. I still had a few hours before I needed to meet him, and if I ran at full speed to avoid humans, I might make it in time.

Knowing I didn’t have time to sulk about my shitty luck, I gathered my gear and stashed it in the trunk. My phone didn’t have a signal, so with no way to call for assistance and a growing irritability bubbling up inside me, I stripped down to bare skin. I rolled my clothes into my heavy coat and then shifted, letting my wolf emerge.

Instantly, my senses sharpened and the world around me transformed into a bouquet of aromas that I’d missed as a human. Deep in the woods, my wolf was the more powerful tracker, so I let him take over, propelling us forward by instincts that flowed deep in our veins.

My heart pounded with a mix of adrenaline as I navigated through the underbrush with ease and precision. As I ran, the forest blurred into streaks of greens and browns. I was focused on getting to the city when a scent hit me and made my wolf stumble to a stop. It was a familiar and unexpected aroma that was entirely unmistakable. Jamie.

Why the hell was he out here, far away from the city we were supposed to be meeting in?

I circled around cautiously, each step deliberate and measured to make sure I didn’t rustle leaves or snap a twig. Jamie obviously wasn’t as far away as I’d assumed, which was worrisome. Was he hurt or in danger and had resorted to hiding in the wilderness where he and his wolf would be safe?

Scanning the terrain carefully for threats, I considered my next move. Every muscle in my body was taut and primed for action as I edged forward. With a deep inhale, I was able to pinpoint the exact direction of his trail. The cool mountain air filled my lungs as I prepared to intervene.

I could practically hear my pulse pounding in sync with my heart as I inched closer to the scent that unmistakably belonged to the subject of my manhunt.

There was an outcropping of rocks up ahead with a clear opening in the ground. A small cave or den was exposed, and that’s where Jamie’s scent was concentrated. He was in there.

As I edged forward, the pull to find him and make sure he was safe changed from a financial obligation to…something more.

Something that felt urgent and desperate inside of me.

Something I’d never felt before.