Page 16 of Rugged

I needed to convince Lyssa to return to Wolf Ranch with me, but she was a human. She felt our chemistry, but she didn’t know about fated mates. It was one thing to hop into bed for a fling, it was another to ask her to pack up and leave after meeting her a couple of hours earlier. It felt a little rushed. Maybe a little too reckless for a human female.

Instead of saying I was leaving, I’d flirted some more with her, saying I thought my truck tire might have caught a nail and gone flat.

She’d smiled and said she guessed I’d have to stay the night, and that’s how I secured a place in her bed.

But now playtime was over.

I had a duty to my pack that I’d been shirking in the most pleasurable of ways, and I could start by investigatingthe property. To ensure Chapman really wasn’t here and to see if there was any evidence about his actions on the ranch. First, I texted Rob, figuring it was too late to call. He was pissed already. If I woke his mate Willow, I’d never hear the end of it.

Sorry,Alpha. I was getting to know my mate. I found her. She’s human–Chapman’s caretaker. Going to search the property now.

He immediately buzzed me back.

Call me now.

Maybe it wasn’t too late afterall. Naked, I slipped out one the back doors we’d opened earlier to get rid of the smoke, shutting it softly behind me and taking a moment to listen to the night. I didn’t catch a scent or hear anyone nearby. I was alone.

I dialed Rob.

“I was ten minutes away from sending a goddamn search party for you,” he said. His words meant he caredabout me, but his even-tempered voice didn’t hide his annoyance. Even though he wasn’t here, I instinctively bared my throat and lowered my gaze. “Sorry, Alpha.”

“For fuck’s sake, Johnny. It’s your second job, and you go off the rails. I thought maybe Chapman killed you, and your earlier text was his fuckery.”

I never considered that. I knew I had a lot to learn about being an enforcer beyond killing. I had that down, but the rest? Clearly, I needed some work.

“I messed up,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry. It’s just–”

“You really found your mate?” Rob’s tone softened.

That same sense of exaltation I’d felt the moment I first scented her burst in my chest. It was one part celebration, one part homecoming. The sense of being lost and found at once. “Yeah. I’m sure. My wolf wanted to mark her the second we touched.”

“And that’s what you’ve been doing all night?Touching?”

I cleared my throat and tried not to smile. “Uh, yeah, pretty much. I wasn’t sure she was ready for me to haul her off the property yet although that’s my plan come morning.”

“You’re sure he’s not there?”

“She says he’s out of town. Hasn’t been here for a few weeks. I’m gonna shift and search the whole ranch now, though, just to be sure. Even if he told her he was leaving,the place is huge, and he could be hiding, and she’d never know it. From what I can tell, her job keeps her in the main house.”

“Yeah. No telling who or what’s on that property. If he’s trafficking females, they could be kept there.”

I didn’t like that idea. Especially now, with Lyssa that close to something so evil. “I’ll find out.”

“I want a full report before you go back to your mate. No matter the time. Got it?”

I nodded and scanned the darkness. It was a perfect place to run, and now I had a purpose to do so. “Yes, Alpha.”

“Good. You’re still in the doghouse with me.”

Sighing, I said, “I know, Alpha. I should have called sooner. I fucked up.”

“Damn straight you did. Now get searching.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll text you when I’m done.”

I hung up and set my phone down on a chaise lounge by the pool. Then I shifted and dropped to all fours.

The only way to investigate at a time like this was in wolf form. My sense of smell was better. I could see in the dark. I had endurance and could run for miles. Plus, I trusted my wolf instincts would bring me wherever I needed to go. I took off, trotting with my nose to the ground, picking up the varied scents on the property.

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