Page 35 of Wolf Trapped
She tried to use me.
Rage fills me as I stomp down the stairs and out of the house. I blow out a breath, the cool evening air filling my lungs and calming me slightly. She doesn’t understand. I can’t let anything happen to her.
I storm through the forest to check on the patrol when I scent smoke in the breeze. “What the fuck is that?” I race through the woods, not caring that branches are scratching at my clothes and face.
Another scent hits me, moving in the opposite direction, and I growl, indecision warring inside me. The rogue hasn’t been scented in two fucking weeks, and I smell it at the same time as I smell smoke? Is it a coincidence? I doubt it.
The need to chase down the threat to my pack rages inside me. My wolf is practically thrashing to get out and chase the fucker down, but the fire is the most pressing threat to our safety. Fuck. Why did I have to smell him now?
The smell of smoke becomes stronger, and I make my choice. I need to find the fire and alert the pack that we need to put it out before it becomes a fucking problem. It's not just a danger to our village and homes but will bring attention that we don’t need.
Should I shift? Some of the wolves will be shifted, and we will be able to communicate but will it take too long to get to the fire?
Fuck. What is going on in my pack? I pick up my pace and race through the trees until the forest fills with smoke. The smell of smoke gets stronger as I run toward the clearing close to the Packhouse. Fuck.
Did it spread to the house from the clearing, or is it really even at the clearing? The smoke is so thick I can’t see two feet in front of me, so I can’t be sure where it is yet. I pray to whatever gods are listening that it’s not the pack house where my mate is locked inside.
I cough and cover my face with my shirt deciding to shift. Smoke rises, so the closer I am to the ground, the better. I strip and shift quickly, calling out through the pack link to whichever shifters are patrolling in wolf form—firein the clearing. We need water immediately.
Yes, alpha.Several wolves chorus through the link. The panic is palpable. The heat is nearly unbearable as I get closer to the clearing.
The fire rages in the clearing, eating up grass and spreading to the forest. Shouts come from the path leading to the forest as a truck engine roars close by. The pack has a small fire truck in case of forest fires. We don’t need humans catching on to our existence by letting fires get out of control.
Alpha, we can’t find Carter. He was patrolling with us, but now he’s gone.Patrick calls through the pack link.
Let’s get the fire out, and then we will look for Carter.
I can’t smell anything but burning grass and leaves, but if I had to guess, I would say this is the work of the rogue.
Yes, Alpha, but what if he’s badly injured?
I hope that’s not the case, but we could lose the entire pack if we don’t deal with this first.I snarl through the link.
Yes, Carter going missing is terrible, and I hope he’s just on the other side of the territory. Still, the safety of the entire pack is at risk, and sometimes being the alpha means making the tough decisions for the good of everyone, not just one pack mate.
Understood, Alpha.Patrick’s voice in my head is sad, and I feel guilty for the guy. He holds some guilt over what happened to Jacob no matter how often we tell him it’s not his fault for not getting there in time.
The truck comes to a stop a few yards away, and Alex and John jump out of the truck running around to get the fire hose. I shift back to human and sprint to the men. Opening the truck's back door, I pull out the shorts we keep stashed in there for emergencies.
After John’s two days in the cells, he returned and hasn’t been defiant again. He even doubled his number of patrols in the last few days. I wish I didn’t have to do that to get them to see what’s happening here, but I will do whatever is necessary to keep the pack safe.
“We need to stop it from spreading to the forest. It seems to be contained to the clearing, but I don’t want to take any chances.” I call out to them.
“Do you smell gasoline, Alpha?” Alex wrinkles his nose. My nose is so full of smoke and ash that I don’t smell anything.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if this has something to do with the rogue. We just need to put it out.” I shout, and the men stop talking and start moving. The hiss as the water hits the flames fills the air, contrasting with the crackling flames from before.
“That’s weird,” Alex says as some flames are extinguished. “It looks like a pattern of some kind.”
“What the fuck?” I step forward, but it’s still too hot to get close. “Did they pour gas in some kind of pattern?”
“It looks that way, Alpha,” John says, never taking his focus from the flames.
Running feet pound down the path behind me as Patrick and a few other wolves rush up with buckets of water. Angela is right behind them.
“Angela, go check on Jara. This could be some kind of distraction to get to her. It’s too close to the pack house for comfort.” I shout, and she sprints in the other direction.
If I were the rogue and out to hurt Jara, that’s exactly what I would do. It’s a good thing she’s locked in the bedroom, and the only people who have the keys are Angela and me. No one can get in there, but if the rogue is committing arson in my pack lands, what’s to stop him from burning down the house with Jara in it?
