Lex sighed. “Violet called Grace when she got home,” he said.
“Is she hurt?” I asked, frantic at the thought that something had happened to her right when I sent her away. I should have gone with her.
Lex shook his head, but his expression wasn’t comforting. “Penelope is gone. Someone knocked out the babysitter and took her,” he said. “Violet went looking for her—to the north, Grace said.”
I felt the blood drain from my face, and the world tipped on its side. I knelt to prevent myself from falling, putting my hands into the dew-covered grass at my feet. This couldn’t be happening. The entire pack was exhausted from looking for Diana all night. How could I ask them to continue searching now?
“We’ll find her, Nile,” Lex said, placing his hand on my shoulder.
His reassurance bolstered me, and I got back to my feet with a newfound determination to face the wolves who had already given so much to my family.
“My daughter has been taken. Luna Violet has a head start on the search. Anyone who is willing and able to help would be most welcome. I’m heading north,” I said, pointing toward my mate’s last known location.
To my surprise, the entire group followed me immediately and without question. My heart was torn between pride at our packs’ ability to stick together in times of trouble and my fear for my family’s safety.
At the thought of Penny and Violet alone and in trouble, I urged my legs to go faster.
“Where to, Nile?” Jasper asked when we reached the eastern forest.
“We’re going to need our wolves for this,” I said.
I transformed into Wick, and he began smelling the air and ground around me, searching for Violet’s scent.
There,he said.
He wasted no time, immediately launching forward to follow the trail that my mate had taken. With the other wolves behind us, we careened through the trees. It didn’t take me long to realize that Violet was headed toward the cabins where Jasper and his Dark Moon Pack had lived.
I glanced at Jasper running next to me and saw in his wolf’s eyes that he knew where we were going as well.
From up ahead, I heard a high-pitched scream.
Violet.
I pushed myself even faster than before, not realizing that Wick was even capable of running at such speed. The trees blurred around us, and in a minute, we came into view of the cabin camp.
Violet was sitting awkwardly on the ground between the two rows of buildings, looking at the back of what used to be Jasper’s house. I pulled to a stop next to her and transformed so I could talk to her.
“Vi, I’m here,” I said, kneeling next to her. “What happened?”
I leaned out to unhook her leg from the rope that held it secure.
“No, wait!” she said, trying to stop my hands.
I let out a hiss of pain and pulled my hand away from the burning sensation.
“It’s a silver rope,” Jasper said, coming to a stop beside us. “I thought I destroyed it all when we left.”
“I made some improvements on your design,” a voice announced proudly.
I hadn’t noticed Diana standing there until she spoke. It took me less than a second to understand what had happened.
“Where is Penny?” I demanded, striding toward her.
“She’s inside,” Diana replied. “You might want to stop moving. You never know what kind of traps you’ll run into out here in the woods.”
I paused, glancing around at the trees and ground. I didn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean there was nothing that could hurt me. There was no telling how long Diana had been working on this twisted plan.
The door to the cabin opened, and Penny stepped outside.