Page 78 of Shrouded in the Dark

Chapter 17

Seth

When we got to the location that Gary had given us, it was apparent that the rogue wasn’t here. His scent was everywhere, at least we confirmed this was where he’d been hiding. Jasper had the best nose, so he was put in charge of looking for clues before we left the area to search for him in the surrounding area.

It’s strange. His scent just ends in places. It’s not natural. He doesn’t get into the trees. It’s just like he stepped into water to disappear.Jasper was calculating as he thought deeply.

Perhaps he has some kind of technology or magic.Cody chimed in as he circled the area we determined the rouge was sleeping.

This guy is smart.Axel growled through the connection.

He is. Cody, I want you to go north for ten miles. Axel, go east. Jasper, stay here and see if you can find anything. I’ll go west. We need to sweep the whole area. This fucker needs to die.

I raced off to start sweeping the area. Where was this guy if he wasn’t here? The Rocky Mountains were huge. Without anything besides his scent that kept disappearing, it was like finding a needle in a haystack. Cody was most likely correct that this rogue was using technology of some sort or magic.

Magic was rare for shifters outside of an Alpha’s pack magic. We knew some humans possessed it and vampires tended to have a little bit of it. If this rogue had it, we could be in for a long haul. This sweep of the area would most likely lead to nothing, based on our experience so far, but I wanted to make sure that he hadn’t killed again near his location. It could lead to more deaths if the authorities came here. They wouldn’t stand a chance if he attacked while they tried to do their job.

A sudden panicked thought ran through me. My paws dug into the forest floor as I rode out the feeling.

Report. Who’s hurt?There was silence. I couldn’t be that far from my pack that they couldn’t hear me.

BECCA!Axel’s roar of rage that was underlined with fear shattered our connection, giving me a sharp headache that would fade in minutes. That had never happened before.

What’s happening? Tell me!Cody’s voice sounded like an echo through the broken connection.

I had to shake my head to get the echoes to dissipate as Jasper joined in with Cody as they demanded an answer from Axel.

ENOUGH!My tiger and I sent our alpha power through to all of them. My power slowly pieced back the connection.Axel, what is going on?

Becca… hurt… cabin… rogue…Axel’s reply faded in and out. He was getting out of range of our connection.

I threw my head back and roared out my fury. Becca was hurt. The rogue was at the cabin? HOW? How did he get around us?

Get to the cabin.I clipped out as I started to sprint as fast as I could to get back to our girl.

I refused to let the fear that I felt control me. My tiger bristled as he gave me more speed. We weren’t going to lose her. It wasn’t going to happen. I’d be damned if I let it. We hadn’t been gone that long, yet it felt like an eternity as I raced to the cabin.

Cody and Jasper met up with me just as we saw the cabin in the distance. Axel was running around the back to the front. The cabin looked secure. All the screens were down. What the hell was going on? Why hadn’t Becca turned on the noise alarm?

Axel’s roar echoed through the clearing as we ran around the house.

SHIT!Cody snarled.

The front door was open. Scratch that. The door was halfway across the clearing, near the road. He’d gotten in somehow. That would explain why there was no noise alarm.

Need help, guys.Axel grunted just as I burst through the doorway.

The place was trashed. The sight of all of Becca’s artwork littered around the ground in pieces, torn apart, or covered in claw marks fueled my rage. Axel went flying into the far wall as the rogue appeared in the hallway.

He was big. Much bigger than any wolf shifter should be. He looked deformed as one shoulder was larger than the other. His muzzle was crooked and bleeding. He turned his attention when he caught sight of the three of us.

Axel?I couldn’t take my eyes off the rogue. He was getting ready to attack.

I’m good.

Good.I snarled, showing all my teeth at this invader.I want us all to surround him. Cody, his right. Axel, left. Jasper, get behind him.

I would go at him from the front. There would be no one on one fighting. We were going to take this asshole down and quickly. We needed to find Becca. I let my claws out as I hunched down as the rogue tried to stare me down.