Page 51 of Midlife Wolf Captured My Heart

“Not by herself. However, she might go with Talia. I guess I could call her and see if Sadie is with her. I know Sadie, though. She wouldn’t blow me off.”

“I agree. Let me call Talia and I’ll get back to you.”

Dakota drove back home. An icy chill flooded through him and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He knew that there was something wrong. They had parted on very good terms.

Ten minutes later, Zac called him back. “There’s something wrong. Talia didn’t answer her phone so I called Sebastian. Sebastian said that she was missing and was two seconds from calling me. She didn’t pick up the baby from Hollie and Owen like she was supposed to, and no one has seen her. He went to the mountain. Her car is there and there’s no sign of either woman.”

“Damn. I’m heading there now.”

Dakota’s heart raced as he sped toward the mountain. The fear that had taken hold early threatened to overwhelm him.

As he approached the mountain, he saw several vehicles already in the lot. Members of the Nightshade Wolf Shifter Pack, as well as members of Sadie’s clan and the dragon shifter clan, were at the base of the mountain.

Dakota walked up to the group. Zac and Sebastian were clearly leading the search and rescue operation. Matthias and Lucious stood next to the two men.

Matthias nodded to Dakota and showed him a map of the mountain. “We’re going to go to the spot where they normally shift. You and Sebastian should be able to pick up Talia and Sadie’s scent easily.”

He looked meaningfully at Dakota, who nodded. Dakota was well aware of what Matthias was implying – that Sadie was his fated mate. He could no longer deny that she was.

“We’ll move up the mountain. Once we figure out where they’ve been taken, we’ll spread out and surround them. Once the rest of us have caught them off guard, you and Sebastian can go after the women. The rest of us will make sure that this is the last time this particular group of hunters hurt anyone.”

They didn’t bother shifting in the woods. The men and women started undressing right where they were and stashing their clothes in bags.

Dakota felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. He didn’t want to be humiliated in front of everyone by being unable to shift. It took him a minute, but he focused on Sadie and soon he was in his wolf form. This was the easiest shift he had ever achieved and if the situation wasn’t so dire, he would take a minute to think about that.

They all picked up their bags and carried them in their jaws as they followed the trail they knew Talia and Sadie would have taken. Dakota and Sebastian howled when they caught the women’s fresh scent and started to run.

As they climbed the mountain, Dakota’s sense heightened. He could smell Sadie and Talia, but other scents were mixed in.

“There are five hunters,” Dakota telepathically told the others.

It didn’t take them long to find the small clearing in front of the cave where the hunters had gathered. There were seven of them just outside of the cave, passing around a bottle.

“We didn’t catch the scent of two of them,” Sebastian said.

“Good, they’re drinking,” Zac telepathically said. “That will make them even easier to take out.”

All of the shifters quietly dropped their bags of clothes behind trees.

“Zac and I will approach first. Once we have their attention, the rest of you guys move in.”

Although Dakota knew that Matthias’ orders were part of the plan, rage made him want to rush the hunters. He took a deep breath and waited for Matthias’ and Zac’s signal.

“Holy shit,” one of the hunters yelled as the large grey wolf and grizzly bear walked up to the group.

All of them jumped up, dropping the bottle to the ground.

“Robert. You said you wouldn’t call them until morning,” one of the men said.

A tall man with a jagged scar that went from his right eye all the way down to his chin, growled. “I didn’t call them.”

Matthias roared loudly and Zac bared his teeth and growled.

“You two aren’t very frightening. Shift.”

One of the hunters started reaching for his gun and then the others followed suit. Matthias and Zac shifted.

Matthias stepped toward them. “You have our family members. We want them back.”

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