Page 34 of Rejected Nanny Mate (Crystal Creek Wolves #3)

It had been a week since I'd heard from Gwen, and no matter how hollow it left me feeling, I refused to falter. The pack grew more and more unsettled that I refused to banish Gwen from the territory permanently, but I'd grown tired of pretending that fairness was all that mattered.

I was the Alpha, and I believed that she was innocent. I didn't give a fuck if it was my feelings for her blinding me. I wanted Gwen back, and I was sick and goddamn tired of waiting.

I waited for her to reach out, day after day, and still there was nothing. Samson confirmed that she was still alright, but it wasn't enough. I needed to hold her, touch her, and make her understand that I believed her above anyone else.

On the day my patience ran out, and I decided to go and speak to her, whether she wanted to hear from me or not, everything changed. I was pulling on my boots when I felt a sharp stab of distress in my mind, followed by rage, terror, pain...and then an emptiness so vast that it left me reeling.

It took me no time to figure out what was happening. I was feeling Gwen through a bond. A mate bond, the same one I’d felt her through the night Mia was attacked. And something was terribly wrong.

My gut reaction would have been to rush off and find her, but with the surges and all the weird shit going on, I knew that it would be a mistake. It was a hit to my pride, but I didn't want to take any chances. If Gwen needed rescuing, I needed all the help I could get.

Before I could second-guess myself, I grabbed my phone and, one by one, called the other Alphas in the pack alliance.

***

Scott, Samson, and Jayce arrived within an hour. I felt a swell of gratitude for the alliance and the strength it provided when I saw them all standing there, not arguing for once, ready to help me.

I laid it all out for them, and when I revealed that I'd felt Gwen through a mate bond, they'd all been shocked. I didn't shy away from it. There was no time, and no reason, to deny it anymore.

I'd known it for years, but I'd just refused to admit it to myself. Gwen was my mate. And now something terrible had happened to her.

Samson went to look for Gwen, Scott to gather our witches and other hunters, and Jayce to look for Mia. I stayed with Rose until Nayeli and Kiera arrived, and then I rushed to join Samson on the hunt for my Omega.

He hadn't found anything, but when we circled back to his home, I managed to pick up the faintest scent trail leading out the back of his house and into the forest.

“She was in wolf form,” I told him, and Samson furrowed his brow.

“She's been going on long walks lately, but as a human, not a wolf. What in the hell was she up to?”

“I don't know, but I'm going to follow it.”

“I'll come with you.”

There wasn't any time to argue. I'd reached out through the mating bond to Gwen every few minutes, but it was still silent on her end. Each time I heard that silence, the dread inside of me grew larger and larger.

We took off into the woods, following the trail. It was a good thing that I had such a strong sense of smell, because it was hard to follow her scent through the woods, even for me. We kept going until we were close to the territory line, and when I smelled blood, my stomach clenched.

“Shit,” Samson swore, “What the hell is that?”

It was a clearing, with an old cabin that looked like it was about to fall apart. “Mia's been here,” I told him, scenting the air. “The blood...fuck, I think it's Gwen's.”

“I smell surge magic, too,” Samson added, frowning. “What in the hell has been going on here?'

I moved slowly toward the cabin, ready for anything, but when I pushed the door open, there was nothing but old furniture and dust inside. No Gwen, no Mia, just the faint remnants of the stale scents they'd left behind.

“What now?” Samson asked. “Should we check in with the others?”

I shook my head. “No. We're not giving up. The trail goes on.”

I could tell the other Alpha wanted to argue, but he simply nodded stoically. I took a moment to be thankful that it was Samson with me and not Scott, who would have argued a lot harder.

We found tufts of Gwen's fur about twenty feet from the cabin, and from there, it smelled like she'd been carried away by two other shifters I didn't recognize. As we followed the trail, we got a call from Nayeli, who sounded both out of breath and freaked out.

“Guys...” she panted. “Kiera, Jayce, and I just searched Malcolm's house, and under a floorboard, in Mia's room, we found some really, really hold spell books. The magic...it's dark stuff, Joe. You need to find Gwen as fast as you can.”

“There was a spell for copying a magical signature,” I heard Kiera yell in the background. “Mia tricked us. She seems to have it out for Gwen for some reason. Hurry!”

The line went dead, and I looked at Samson. “We need to go.”

We raced back to his place, and when we burst through the door, we saw Nayeli pacing the floor and Kiera looking pale.

“Tell me what you know,” I demanded.

“Mia is working with her old pack. Her magic has been altered by them, and I think they're trying to take over your territory, Joe. They must be,” Kiera said, shaking her head.

“And Gwen figured it out and tried to get proof, I bet. She must have been caught by them, which means they might be coming here next.”

“How do you know all this?”

“It's the only thing that makes sense with all the clues we have.

The weird, defensive shell around Mia's old pack bonds was what confirmed it for me.

She had no intention of breaking those bonds.

She was just trying to get into your good graces with Rose and help take over from the inside out.

Gwen must have known she'd need concrete proof to get everyone to believe her, and since you said you found her scent trail.

..I'm worried about her, Joe. What do we do now?”

My pulse was thundering in my head, making it hard to think.

I could barely breathe past the fear I felt for my mate.

If only I'd forced her to talk to me sooner.

I was doing a shitty job as an Alpha, unable to find the words or make a decision in the face of losing Gwen, but thankfully Scott spoke up for me.

“We gather the packs and sweep the territories,” his voice was resolute. “The witches can work from the pack safehouse, but all of the able-bodied scouts and fighters will search each territory in a side-by-side sweep. It's the quickest way.”

“Agreed,” Samson said, and Jayce nodded.

“Rose is with Rhie at the Shadowbay safehouse. Kit is with them. Both the Saltfang and the Shadowbay Betas are guarding the place.” Scott added.

“But I want Kiera and Nayeli to join them. Like I said, cast spells or do research there, but this looks like it might be a way bigger deal than just a simple kidnapping. We need you all safe.” His hand landed on my shoulder, and he squeezed reassuringly. “Let's go, brother.”

***

With all the packs on high alert and our allies on hand to help, the search began.

My heart ached to go out into the woods with the scouts and shifters who were going to be searching the perimeter, but I knew I had to stay behind and keep things in order. I was the Alpha, and I needed to lead.

As each minute passed, I felt more and more desperate. There were no leads, no trace of anyone, and every second that Gwen wasn't found left me more and more on edge. I knew that I was supposed to be acting as a leader, but I couldn't think past my fear for Gwen.

She had to be okay. I would find her, and then I would make things right.

I was pacing the floor when I heard someone approach. “Anything?” I asked without looking up.

“No,” Scott replied, and I shook my head, frustrated. “But we're not giving up. We're going to find her.”

I stopped and looked at him, my friend and brother in all ways but blood. He looked concerned, and I knew why. I could feel that something inside me had broken when I'd lost the connection with Gwen, like a part of myself was gone, but I couldn't seem to bring myself to care.

“We're going to find her,” Samson said this time. “And then you need to tell her that you're her mate.”

“I know,” I swallowed. “I will. I swear.”

The phone rang, and I reached for it immediately. I'd given it to Samson, since I knew that he'd be better at coordinating the search and getting updates from the different teams. I didn't care who called as long as it was good news.

But it wasn't. The call was from Jayce, and his voice was grim. “I've got news. We've located an old underground nuclear shelter on the border between your territory and mine. Do you want us to proceed or wait for you?”

I was already on my feet, halfway out the door. “Wait. I'm on my way.”

Samson, Scott, and I met up with Jayce in the woods. From there, we crept toward the entrance of the shelter. It was in a small clearing, and from the outside, it looked like nothing more than a small cave. If Jayce hadn't mentioned it, we never would have thought twice about it.

As I crept closer, I could hear voices inside. The scent of wolves was overwhelming, and I didn’t recognize a single one of them.

We hid nearby while Jayce and Samson scouted ahead. They'd never be the best of friends, but damn, did they work well together. I had no doubts that they'd get in, assess the situation, and get back without anyone noticing.

“I've got Gwen,” Jayce said when he returned, and my heart leaped. “There's a spell on her. I don't know what it is, but she looks like she's sleeping. She's in wolf form and tied up. It's a small group in there, maybe seven or eight wolves. Two are guarding her, but they're not paying attention.”

“What are they doing?” Scott asked.

“It looks like they're going over some sort of plan.

I couldn't see much, but I heard the word 'takeover,'“ Jayce told us.

“We need to be careful here, though. Mia is there, and I believe all the magic I feel is linked to her. Kiera and Nayeli said she could be a black witch, one who increases their power by feeding off the pain and suffering of others. She might be stronger than we know.”

I didn't care who was there or if Mia could take on an army. All that mattered to me was that Gwen was here, and she was alive. I needed to get to her.

“I'll go in alone. They won't be expecting an attack from me,” I said. “Just give me time to get inside and then come in.”

Jayce looked at me like he wanted to argue, but Samson clapped him on the back. “It's his mate. He deserves to do this.”

I didn't waste another moment. I moved quickly into the cave and crept down into the shelter. There were three main rooms: one that was obviously a bunker room for the humans, one that looked like an old storage room, and one that looked like it had been converted into a war room of sorts.

I heard the voices in there, and I made sure to stick to the shadows as I crept closer.

When I peeked around the corner, my heart clenched when I saw Gwen there.

She was in wolf form, looking smaller than I'd ever seen her, and she was tied to a post with thick ropes.

Her eyes were closed, and her chest rose and fell slowly.

Jayce was right. The bastards had put a spell on her. But I'd have to worry about that later. First, I needed to free her.

“You don't need to go over the plan again, Beta,” a voice said, sounding annoyed. I looked away from Gwen and saw a man who looked like he was in his forties standing at the front of the room. “The Alpha said we just need to get it done.”

“I know,” the younger man, who must have been the pack Beta, seethed. “Mia, check the hostage again. We're going to need her to lure the Brokenclaw Alpha out.”

“Gladly,” Mia purred, kneeling in front of Gwen. I wanted to charge her right then and there, and I didn't give a damn if she was Rose's mother or not, but for the first time all night, I felt the slightest twinge across my mate bond with Gwen.

Wait, she whispered through it. Don't move.

Mia knelt closer, trying to see if Gwen was still breathing, and then closer still when it appeared that she wasn't. My brave Gwendolyn waited until the very last moment, and when Mia was in striking distance, she shattered her magic bonds with her newfound power and lunged, grabbing Mia by the throat with her teeth.

The other wolves in the room leaped up in surprise, and I rushed in, attacking anyone who dared get close to my mate. Scott, Samson, and Jayce were beside me in an instant, and the fight was on.

Mia shook off Gwen, but my mate was on her feet again, shaking off the last of the magic bindings and going on the offensive.

I was grappling with another wolf, but I watched in shock as Gwen ducked under Mia's legs at the last second, the muscles in all four legs bunching.

She then launched herself into the air, flying across the room, and this time, when her teeth sank into someone's throat, it was that of the enemy Beta.

As soon as she hit, she jerked her head to the side and tore his throat out, blood flying.

He was dead before he hit the floor.

Mia screamed in rage and charged, her emerald green power sparking in her hands, but any softness I held forever because of Rose had long fucking gone.

I grabbed her by the back of the hair, slinging her around, and just before she could hit me with the full force of her magic, I wrapped my hand around her neck, jerked her against me, and snapped her spine.

She gasped, her eyes widening with fear, then they glazed over with pain. I dropped her to the floor, feeling nothing but satisfaction that she was no longer a threat, and then I turned back to the fight.

The death of their witch and their Beta had been enough to send the other wolves fleeing. Everyone else rushed from the room to chase them down, but I stayed. My mate needed me more than I needed to kill those who stood against us.

Gwen finally shifted, and she staggered, leaning against a nearby wall. There was a horrible bruise on her forehead where something had struck her, but when she saw me, she gave me a small smile. “You found me.”

She was in my arms a fraction of a second later, neither of us paying the dead any mind. I kissed her hard, and she grabbed handfuls of my shirt, holding me close.

“I will always find you,” I swore between kisses. “Always.”