Page 59 of His Wild Mate

Pulling into the driveway brought a little relief. The house looked no worse for the wear than it had since the attack.

I grabbed the pizzas I'd had Will run and pick up for me in town and walked quickly to the door.

I was pathetically whipped. But even that realization couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

“Sweetheart, I'm home,” I yelled, as I opened the door.

I stepped inside and froze. The pizzas slid from my hand and in slow motion, they dropped to the floor. One box top flew open and the pizza slid out onto the hardwood. I didn't care as I stood there in shock.

The place was a disaster. The couch was overturned, cabinets were opened, and their contents spewed out across the room.

“Paige!” I screamed as I stepped over the rubbish and ran back to the bedroom.

The closet door was open, but I knew she wasn't there even before I looked inside. Even her favorite blanket where she nested down when she was scared was gone.

“Paige!” I yelled, grabbing my phone and calling James.

“Hey man, what's up?”

I was running from room to room finding each as much a disaster as the last.

“Emmett?” he said when I didn't immediately respond.

“Help,” I managed to get out before the phone fell from my hands and I slid down the wall with my hands in my hair.

James found me there half-shifted. My arms were covered in fur and my feet and claws were out, but I hadn't fully shifted into my wolf either. I was suspended in some weird state.

“Shit! Call Sam!” I heard him yell to someone, but I couldn't respond.

My mate was gone.

“Emmett, snap out of it,” James said before ice cold water slammed against my face.

I jumped up and growled.

“What the hell?” I asked as my teeth rescinded and my fur disappeared.

Austin threw his arms around me, followed my Thomas, then Clay, James, and Wyatt joined us.

“When did you guys get here?”

“You were in shock,” James explained. “What the hell happened here?”

I looked around the room as it all came flooding back to me.

“Paige is gone.”

“No shit, dude. Looks like she cleaned you out too,” Austin said.

I growled at him. “She wouldn't do that,” I insisted.

I'd caught her running away and she hadn't taken a thing with her. This couldn't have been her. I knew in my heart she wouldn't just leave me without saying goodbye and breaking the bond.

“Smells like she took off toward the range,” Thomas said. “But there's another scent in here. Male. Pack, but not one I'm overly familiar with. Looks like he ran into the woods. It’s fresher than Paige's though. I don't think she was here when he came in.”

“He was inside?” I growled.

“Sorry man. I have those cameras you requested, but it's been a busy week, and I haven't had time to get out here to install them. I'll make that a priority right away.”

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