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JACOB

T he second I walked through the front door, I knew Kelly wasn’t at my condo. This didn’t feel right. She’d promised she wouldn’t be gone for long. The girls were supposed to grab a drink at the coffee shop on Main Street, then Kelly would return home.

“Babe?” I called, stalking through the living room to the main bedroom. My ears perked for any slight sound, but the silence was deafening. “Kelly, are you here?”

My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out the low hum of the fridge in the distance. Was I overreacting? Were they caught up in conversation? They had plenty to talk about, especially since they didn’t meet the other day like Kelly had led me to believe.

I wished I knew what was going on.

I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and called her. No answer. I dialed her number again. Nothing. After the third try, my wolf’s hackles were on the rise. Something was wrong. Was she hurt, or had she lied to me again?

Relax, Jacob. Don’t act like a jealous jerk.

But where the hell was she? Each unanswered ring felt like a hammer to my skull. What if I couldn’t find her this time? I didn’t even know where to begin looking.

While I was still upset with her for visiting the Dean of Students without talking to me, most of that frustration melted away as my fear for her safety skyrocketed. Minutes ticked by on the wall clock as I paced the living room with my phone in hand, ready to answer on the first ring.

I was angry, frightened, and helpless all at once. I’d never felt more out of control. Not with anything. The thought of losing her—or worse, her falling into the scientists’ hands again—left a deep ache in my chest. Who else would have her? A niggling sense told me to not forget the Pack, but I pushed that thought away.

Minutes became almost an hour. I couldn’t handle this anymore. Maybe Emma had her phone’s sound on. Enough time had passed, and I was starting not to care if I looked like the overprotective boyfriend or not. My worry had reached its boiling point.

“Oh, hey, Jacob. It’s good to hear from you. I tried calling you during finals week, but I didn’t?—”

“Sorry, Emma. I was pretty slammed.” Finesse? Who had time for that? “Are you still with Kelly?” My voice cracked, betraying the fear I’d tried to suppress. The words felt clumsy and desperate. I should’ve approached the conversation more subtly, but my heart couldn’t take it right now. I needed to know where she was. Losing her wasn’t an option.

“Huh? She’s not at your place?” Emma’s casual tone made my stomach knot tighter. “No, we parted ways almost two hours ago.”

“What?” I felt the blood drain from my face as the words sunk in. She’d been gone for hours. Hours. My hand balled into a fist, and the urge to punch a wall grew with each passing second. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah. Maybe there’s a logical—” Her words cut off in a groan. “I wonder if she’s trying to work up her courage to tell you something. Normally I wouldn’t go there with this, but she’s pretty nervous you’ll be upset.”

Could this be just a guilty conscience regarding the dean’s meeting? Was she at her apartment? If so, I was almost certain she’d answer her damn phone.

I plopped down on my couch and leaned my head back, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “Whatever she’s nervous about doesn’t matter. Right now, I just want to know where she is and that she’s safe. Do you have any idea where she could be?”

Emma sighed. “The last time I saw her, she was in her car.” Silence blanketed the line for a few heartbeats. “Oh no! What if she’s been in an accident? Should we call hospitals? I’ll do it. I’ll let you know if I hear anything. Call if you hear from her.”

Before I could reply, she hung up. This wasn’t good. Unless the worst had happened, Kelly could survive many things because of her resilience as a werewolf. If her phone was broken, it might explain why she hadn’t answered, but the device had rung. It was powered on.

Who the hell else should I contact?

Before I could answer that question, my phone vibrated. Chad’s number lit up my screen.

“Hey.”

“Jacob, get to Pack HQ right now.” Chad’s voice sounded urgent. “The enforcer spotted a wolf girl downtown. He thinks she’s one of Jared’s. The Council is considering executing her as a show of force for his supporters.”

My breath caught in my throat. Execute her? It didn’t make sense. None of this made sense. “I can’t get a hold of Kelly.” Numbness washed over my body. This couldn’t be happening. “I’ll…” I didn’t have a car. What could I do? A taxi ride to Pack HQ was a terrible idea, and Brax had taken one of his horses to a veterinarian appointment after dropping me at home. “I’ll come as quickly as I can.”

“Shit… I’ll be here and try to act as the voice of reason, but my influence isn’t great right now. Get here soon, man.”

“I will.” I disconnected and stared at my phone. My hands shook as I tried to process Chad’s words. A sense of disbelief hit me first, followed by the cold grip of panic. My worst fear was unfolding right in front of me. They were going to execute her. This was all my fault.

Who to call? Wait, he’d mentioned The Council… Mom!

I tried calling her, but after several attempts, it went straight to voicemail. Part of me wanted to believe she would help, that she’d see Kelly as mine and step in. Deep down, I knew she might use this as an opportunity, a chance to push her own agenda. She’d wanted me to be mated to a born wolf like Alayna. The thought disgusted me. I couldn’t trust her. Not anymore.

This situation sucked. What made it feel worse was I couldn’t trust my own mother to help me.

That left Shane. Would he come through for me this time? He was the only one I could turn to now.

With trembling hands, I dialed his number. The phone rang a few times, and I almost wondered if he would answer. But his voice came over the line.

“Hey. What’s going on, Jacob?” His voice held a confused edge, like he couldn’t figure out why I was calling. Fair enough. Guess he hadn’t heard about Kelly’s situation. Or maybe he hadn’t connected two and two yet.

“Can you drive me to the Pack’s headquarters? It’s…” The words died on my tongue. What I’d done had only made things worse. I’d put Kelly in danger. If something happened to her, this would be all my fault. “The Pack has her. They?—”

“I’ll be right there, man. We’ll get this straightened out. The Pack’s about justice and law. They can’t just?—”

“They think Jared changed her, so they want to make an example of her for his supporters.” A low snarl ripped from my throat. “Fuck! I was such an idiot, and now she might die.”

“No way. That won’t happen, bro. It won’t.” His key jingled over the line. “What the hell? I’ll be there soon, I promise.”

The moment Shane hung up, I raced to my closet. Neither of us had touched the research folder since we brought it in from Kelly’s trunk. But I knew exactly where it was. If the Council needed to understand what had happened to us, I’d bring them the truth. Every fucked-up detail was in that folder. It might be the only thing that could save her life. I tugged on a jacket, then tucked the folder away inside.

Taking the stairs three at a time, I hit the building’s entrance fast. My gaze kept darting to my watch, ready to hop in the car the second Shane showed up.

He was true to his word. Minutes later, his muscle car screeched to a halt in front of me. Before I could even process it, I was in the passenger seat, buckling my belt. His presence was the only steady thing in my world right now.