Page 8

8

JONATHAN

R ubbing my chest hard, I struggle to push down the rising worry gathering like a knot in my chest. Driving far too fast, I pull up outside the packhouse and curse. My car isn’t here.

I’d been trying to convince myself that I was being ridiculous, that I was just finding it hard to be away from her. Maybe with my mark on her neck I’d be more relaxed. But the fact that she hasn’t returned, far too long after we’d said goodbye, tells me something is wrong.

Ignoring the paranoid wolf inside my head that fears she’s gone back to him, I race inside and toss the keys to the van at the first wolf I see.

“Bring the new luna’s things to my quarters.”

Not wishing to alarm anyone else unnecessarily, I mind-link just my beta and my brother, both of whom charge into the hallway to meet me, with keys to the fastest vehicle in hand.

JONATHAN: Let’s go. Now.

With a brusque nod at an uncomfortable looking pack member who’s flattened themselves against the wall as we pass, sensing the tension radiating from our angry wolves, I hurry outside. Every second counts. I’ll come back and make sure they’re okay once I know Marie is safe.

“So, she went to have a peaceful conversation, and now we’re on the brink of war?” My beta is the only person who could get away with making such a comment, but he gets a snarl for his attitude anyway. This is no time for jokes.

“If I’m wrong, and we piss off the Reynolds, we might end up in some hot water. I’ll totally understand if you want to stay out of it. Hopefully a show of force will be enough.” I drum my fingers on the dashboard and stare through the windscreen, unable to shake the guilt gnawing at my gut.

I shouldn’t have left Marie to go on her own to meet Graham, even if she wasn’t happy about me tagging along. And I shouldn’t have to drag my friends and family into this mess.

My beta, Michael, scoffs.

“When I found my mate, you worked for a month straight in the hotel covering for me so I could go to her pack and convince her family to let her come live here. I’m not leaving you to deal with this dickhead alone.”

He glances over at me, looking irritated that I’d even dare suggest he wouldn’t help my mate.

“This is a little different than picking up a few extra shifts, Michael. This could be getting into a fight with a dangerous alpha who doesn’t give a shit about social norms or how pack leaders are supposed to behave.”

That’s the most concerning part. I can still see the genuine fear in his father’s eyes when he realises Marie and I were fated mates. How deranged is he, that his own father is afraid of him?

“Doesn’t matter. She’s our luna, and we’re going to escort her home safely. Simple as that.”

Timothy, my brother, squeezes my shoulder from the back seat. “She’s one of ours now, Jonathan. We’re not going to let anyone hurt her.”

I drag a ragged breath through my lips and let the rage that I’ve been trying to quell slowly simmer to the surface. If Graham has touched my mate, even just to kiss her goodbye, I’m going to tear him apart, limb by limb.

Yet even as we approach the bridge, the border between the Grey Ridge pack and the Silver Creek pack, I know that Marie’s meeting didn’t turn into a friendly chat with him wishing her well for the future and expressing his happiness that she met her fated mate.

The bitter taste in my mouth and the bile rising up my throat tells me that wherever my mate is, she’s not having fun. My wolf paces inside me, growling and whining, wanting to be let off his leash so he can deal with this challenger the old-fashioned way. Being stuck in this tin can isn’t helping.

As soon as the car rolls to a stop at the foot of the bridge, I’m shoving the door open and jumping out, dragging in a deep lungful of fresh air, hoping to pick up her scent close by.

“She was here, and so was Graham. But they’re gone.”

Walking slowly from the side of the road to where the trail runs cold, ice fills my veins. I was expecting a showdown. Somehow, I never considered that he’d take her.

Timothy’s gaze locks with mine as he takes in the marks on the ground where Marie’s feet dragged along the dirt, not making it easy to take her.

She didn’t go willingly. I bet she gave them hell.

“I can scent three of them. Plus Reynolds,” my beta says, confirming what I thought.

Nodding, I stand, hand on hips, and stare across the bridge into Silver Creek territory. It’s forbidden for an alpha to cross into another’s territory without announcing themselves in advance. Yet somehow, I have a feeling Graham knows I’m coming.

In fact, I’d wager he’s looking forward to it. Otherwise, he might have made it less obvious that he’d kidnapped Marie.

“What now?’ Michael and Timothy stand on either side of me and follow my gaze to the far side of the bridge where Graham’s car, and my mate, have disappeared.

“Now we go get ourselves into some trouble,” I say, a grim determination settling over me as I stare into the dark, ancient forest beyond. “And no matter what, you get Marie out of here. Leave Graham to me.”

My brother growls, but nods. Both men have mates of their own. They understand. There’s no point in me surviving if she doesn’t. Saving my mate is the most important objective. Me getting out alive would be nice, but it’s not absolutely necessary. Timothy can lead the pack. Michael can be his beta.

“Do we take the car?” Michael asks, tipping his head toward where his vehicle sits abandoned at the side of the road.

“No, my wolf’s waited long enough. He knows how to find her.” I can feel it, an invisible pull, a tug deep in my belly that’s telling me where to go, where she is.

Ripping my shirt over my head and kicking off my shoes, I let my wolf burst free, my vision changing as he surges forward, my eyes shining with his presence. The transformation washes over me, and fur pushes through my skin, my bones stretching and adjusting to create my new form in the blink of an eye. When I touch the ground, landing on four paws instead of two feet, two dark grey wolves flank me, lips pulled back in a snarl, vicious growls filling the air as they prepare to go into battle at my side.

Even though she can’t hear me because our bond is incomplete, I try to reach out to Marie via mind-link and push my words toward her with all that I have.

JONATHAN: I’m coming, Marie. Hold on, I’m coming.