Page 39

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

K NOX

My mouth turned dry. Missing omegas?

Garrick juggled his tray of coffee, trying to get to the radio. I took the tray from him, freeing his hands, and he snatched the radio off his belt, raising it to his mouth.

“Knox and I will meet you there,” he said.

“Garrick?” It was Zander. “Why are you on this frequency?”

Garrick didn’t answer. Nor did I. We legged it back to the station, dumped the coffees in the break room, and rushed out the back door to Garrick’s vehicle. The car beeped as he unlocked it with his key fob. I jumped in the passenger side and he slid behind the steering wheel and started the engine.

We arrived at the Omega House at the same time as Zander and Clay. The manager was pacing outside, his hair standing on end as if he’d run his hands through it over and over again.

“They’re gone,” he cried as we got out of the car. “We have to find them. What if the alphas they were running from came for them? What if they’re hurt… or worse? ”

Garrick went to the man and placed his hand on the back of his neck. Perhaps it was because he was the Clan Alpha’s son, or just because he had a reassuring presence, but the manager began to calm down.

I looked over at Hawk, who was standing at the base of the front porch.

“Let’s see what Hawk has to report,” Zander murmured.

I stuck close behind him and Clay as they approached their colleague. Technically, I had no official reason to be here, but I hoped they wouldn’t send me away.

“What do you know?” Zander asked.

Hawk glanced at the manager and then back to Zander. “The two missing omegas are Hannah Warren and Jessie Tate. According to Hamish, he didn’t realize they were missing until ten minutes ago when he entered their room. He thought they’d overslept, and since Hannah is a recent addition to the house, he didn’t want to disturb her.”

“So, Hamish thought they were sleeping but eventually went to make sure they were okay and found them gone?” Zander clarified.

Hawk nodded. “That’s correct.

“He’s certain they haven’t left for a walk or something?”

“He says they have to sign in and out every time they leave the house, and they haven’t done that.”

“Are the beds disturbed?” I asked, unable to help myself. I pretended not to notice when they all turned to me.

Don’t mind me. I’m not here.

“Jessie’s bed has been slept in. Hannah’s is untouched.”

“That’s not unusual.” The house manager—Hamish, I assumed—had collected himself enough to join the conversation. “When new omegas join us, they often suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. Hannah probably slept with Jessie for comfort. ”

“I see.” Zander’s eyes were calculating. “Can you show me the room? Knox, you can come too. I want to know if you can sniff anything out.”

Hamish led us inside and down a long hall with faded pink carpet and lined with plain white doors. None of them were labeled, but he knocked once on the fourth one and turned the handle.

Zander went inside first. I leaned against one side of the doorframe, waiting for him to complete his preliminary check.

As he did, I studied the interior myself. The left side of the room was probably Hannah’s because the bed was turned down but unused, the nightstand bare except for a cell phone and charger, and her clothes were packed in a duffel bag on the floor.

By contrast, the right side of the room looked homey, with cozy, colorful blankets, clothes strewn about, a stack of books beside the bed, and the trash bin overflowing with chocolate wrappers. Whoever occupied this half was clearly more comfortable in their surroundings, and perhaps more certain of their place here.

Zander looked over his shoulder at me. “Knox.”

“Want me to shift?” I asked. I’d pick up more scents in my wolf form.

“Yes, please.”

I stripped off, dropping my clothes in the doorway. As my shift rolled over me, I padded to Jessie’s bed and sniffed. A bubblegum-sweet scent was embedded in the sheets and pillow. Probably hers. Another scent, crisper and cleaner, like the grass after a rainstorm, was present but less enmeshed. That must belong to Hannah.

I circled the room, breathing in deep lungfuls of every scent present until I found something that didn’t quite fit. It was faint… more of a memory of a scent than a scent itself. Most shifters would never notice it.

I drew in a long, slow breath, pulling more of the scent into my lungs. Still, I couldn’t place it.

Frustrated, I shifted back. Hamish tossed me my clothes and I put them on, aware that a large naked alpha might startle the other residents.

“There’s a foreign scent,” I said as I tugged the T-shirt over my head and shrugged on the jacket. “I can’t tell what it is though.”

Garrick’s eyebrows rose. “But your nose is the best.”

I grimaced. “I could be wrong, but I think it’s being hidden by something.” I hesitated, reluctant to voice my suspicions. “Like, perhaps by a warlock.”

Hamish stiffened and his face blanched. Garrick swore.

Zander just adjusted his hat and eyed me curiously. “You think you could follow the foreign scent?”

I chewed the inside of my cheek. “I can try.”

I didn’t think I’d get anywhere, but it was worth a shot.

“Clay will accompany you.”

Clay jerked his head toward the front door and I followed him out. I stripped off again, handed him my clothes, and shifted.

I roamed the grounds, searching for that strange foreign scent with the tiniest hint of ozone that usually signaled the use of magic. It took only seconds to find a trace of it.

I changed back. “Got it. But first, I need to make a call. Can you give me my phone?”

Clay dug into my jeans pocket, withdrew my phone, and passed it to me. I ducked behind a bush, hoping not to startle any passersby with my nudity, and pulled up Danny’s number.

When he didn’t immediately answer, nerves began to jangle in my gut, but thankfully his voice came onto the line before I panicked.

“Are you in the bakery?” I asked.

“Yeah.” His tone was confused. “Why?”

I lowered my voice. “Two female omegas are missing from the Omega House. We don’t know what happened or where they’ve gone. Please don’t go anywhere alone, and pass the message along to Skye, Milo, and any other omegas you see to stay in pairs.”

“Oh, my gods. Those poor girls. Are they…” He trailed off, as if too scared to ask for more information.

“There was no blood at the scene.” Hopefully that would ease his nerves. “We’ll do everything we can to find them. In the meantime, please stay safe.”

“I will,” he promised. “Good luck.”

I came out from behind the bush, passed the phone to Clay, and allowed my wolf to take control.

I found the traces of ozone and bubblegum quickly and began to follow. Clay jogged to keep up. The scent rounded the corner and then vanished.

I growled. Damn it. I’d lost them.