Page 2 of Moon Fated

I knew all too well the darkness that could drive someone to such desperate measures. The scars on my own soul were a testament to the battles I hadn’t fought. The bully I tore myself away from. Maybe I couldn’t go back and kick the hell out of Nathan Black, but I could show up night after night and fight for people who couldn’t fight for themselves.

Something nobody did for me when I needed it most.

Exhaustion hit me like a freight train as I stumbled into my apartment, the weight of the day heavy on my shoulders. The silence that greeted me was a stark contrast to the chaos of blaring sirens and shouting voices still echoing in my mind.

I leaned against the door, closing my eyes momentarily as I settled my breathing. The solitude was both a comfort and a curse, a reminder of the emptiness that trailed me like a lost puppy. I wanted this. I chose this.

With a heavy sigh, I pushed off the door and went to the kitchen, my feet dragging with each step. I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water.

When I first started renting this place, I’d planned to replace the 1970’s curtains that hung like a pair of bloomers over the window above the sink. That was overly ambitious of me. As was the idea to purchase a new light fixture to replace the boob light over the kitchen table. That one had grown on me, though.

I sipped from the glass, the water cooling my parched throat, then jumped out of my skin as my phone vibrated on the counter. My cell, not my work phone that always sat in my back pocket.

Nobody ever called my phone.

I hesitated, a sense of unease washing over me. I had a feeling that whatever was waiting for me on that screen wouldn't be welcome news.

With a shaking hand, I reached for the phone. My heart pounded in my chest as I unlocked the screen. And there it was. A flood of missed calls and two text messages, all from the same person.

Blake Ash. My best friend's brother and the last person I expected to be reaching out to me. Could I call her my best friend anymore? I hadn’t talked to her in over a year, but I certainly hadn’t made any better relationships to take her place.

She was one of two people with this number, so if Blake was calling…

I scrolled through the messages, and my stomach dropped.

Hey. It’s Blake. Emergency. Call me.

Evs, not joking. Call now pls

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves as I hit the call button. The phone rang once, twice, before Blake's gruff voice answered. "Evelyn?"

"Blake, what's going on? Why are you calling on Callie’s phone?" My words tumbled out in a rush.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and I could hear the tension in Blake's voice when he finally spoke. "Callie's missing."

My heart stopped. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. "What do you mean, missing?" I managed to choke out, my voice barely above a whisper.

"She didn't come home last night, and no one's seen her since yesterday afternoon.” Blake’s voice caught. "I've been trying to track her down, but obviously her phone is here."

I closed my eyes, trying to process the information. Callista was the most reliable person I knew, always checking in and letting someone know where she was going. For her to disappear like this? It was unthinkable.

"Do you have any idea where she might be?" It was a stupid question. If he had her phone and had resorted to calling me, he’d likely exhausted his other options. Why had she left her phone? My mind raced with possibilities, none of them good given my profession.

Blake sighed heavily. "No, nothing. That's why I'm calling you. I thought maybe she might have said something to you, given how close you two are. Were."

Ouch. That stung. I shook my head, even though he couldn't see me. "No, I haven’t heard from her."

The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken fears. Finally, Blake spoke again. "I don't know what to do. I've never seen anything like this before. It's like she just vanished into thin air. And with the others?—"

“What others?”

“You don’t know?”

“How would I know, Blake?” I snapped, then pursed my lips. “I’m sorry. No. I haven’t talked to anyone from Kitimat since last September.” That was the last time Callista and I talked.

“She’s not the first.” I could hear the desperation in his voice, and it mirrored the growing sense of dread in my own stomach.

“What are you saying? There are more members of our pack who have gone missing?”

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