Page 8 of Moon Fated

I shook myself mentally. I couldn't afford to get distracted by ghosts from my past. I had a job to do, and I intended to see it through.

I paid for my coffee and bagel and started my trek. It didn’t take as long as I thought. The weather was good, and I kept off the main roads. As soon as I crossed over, a familiar scent hit me—the earthy, musky aroma of my pack—and I nearly dropped to my knees.

Tears stung my eyes as I pressed on to the correct coffee shop. My heart quickened as I saw them waiting for me, their faces etched with a mixture of relief and worry.

Blake stepped forward first. His muscular frame engulfed me in a hug that had no business feeling as good as it did. "Evelyn," he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. "Thank you for coming."

I pulled back, searching his green eyes. "Of course. I came as soon as I could."

Celeste, Blake's mate, was next. She cupped my face in her hands, her touch gentle and maternal. "We didn't know who else to turn to. We still don’t have another tracker."

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the lump in my throat. "Tell me everything."

We went straight to their car, away from prying eyes and ears. I sat in the back, my coffee forgotten in my hand as I focused on Blake and Celeste.

"She was acting strange before she disappeared." Blake started the car and pulled out of his parking spot, his brow furrowed. "Secretive. Distant. It wasn't like her."

Celeste nodded, her sandy hair catching the sunlight. "She'd been spending a lot of time alone in the woods. We thought maybe she'd met someone, but…"

"But what?" I prompted gently.

"She seemed scared," Blake admitted. "Like she was running from something. Or someone."

A chill ran down my spine. In our world, there were plenty of things to be scared of. Rival packs, rogue shifters, humans who would never understand our way of life.

"Did she say anything else?" I asked. "Anything that might give us a clue as to where she went?"

Celeste shook her head, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Nothing. She just… vanished."

Blake pulled onto their street, and my head snapped to the end of the block. My house. Or the house Nathan wanted to be mine.

I kept my head down as we hurried inside, and I excused myself, straight into Callista's room. The scent of wildflowers, so uniquely hers, enveloped me as I stepped inside. Everything looked just as she would’ve left it—the bed neatly made, a stack of books on her nightstand, a sweater draped over the back of her chair.

But as I began to search, opening drawers and rifling through papers, a nagging sense of unease grew in the pit of my stomach. This was Callista's space, her sanctuary. It felt wrong to invade it, even if it was for her own good.

I was about to give up when a glint of metal caught my eye. Tucked in the back of her closet, half-hidden beneath a pile of clothes, was a small wooden box with a metal combination lock. My heart raced as I pulled it out, the weight of it heavy in my hands.

The lock opened easily beneath my trembling fingers. Already turned to the correct numbers, which made the whole thing seem pointless. As I lifted the lid, a gasp escaped my lips.

Inside, nestled on a bed of velvet, was a silver dagger. The blade was honed to a wicked point, the handle intricately carved with symbols I didn't recognize. It pulsed with an energy that made my wolf stir within me, hackles rising. I hadn’t felt her in so long.

This wasn't just any dagger. It was a ceremonial blade, the kind used in ancient rituals and blood oaths. The kind that could kill with a single strike.

And it was the last thing I ever expected to find in Callista's possession.

Chapter

Four

Rowan

The moon hung heavy in the sky, a silent guardian as I pressed the phone to my ear. The first ring echoed like a drumbeat, quickening my pulse. I needed to catch Mara of the Riverbend Pack, and I’d already tried three numbers.

"Rowan," Mara's voice was brisk, tinged with the wariness of an alpha who had weathered many storms. "This is unexpected."

"Don’t worry, I didn’t want to talk to you either, Mara.” I leaned against the cold railing of the balcony. That was the truth. After going into town to talk with Tori, the pack meeting should’ve been taking up all of my brain space.

But it wasn’t. Not even close.

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