Page 89 of A True Mate Bond

“I’m so sorry!” Tristan’s voice shook. “I saw Niev this morning and she asked for the truck. I didn’t think anything of it and told her she could have it. I should’ve told her to wait for you.”

His wolf’s anger now was directed at Tristan, growling and wanting to be set free to make Tristan pay. Blake tightened his jaw, his hands forming hard fists as he pushed his wolf further back down his mind. If they wanted to bring Niev back, they needed everyone who was willing to help, and Tristan was the most loyal man Blake knew, especially when it came to Niev. He would’ve never let her go if he knew what would happen. Blake’s muscles started to shake violently as he fought his wolf for control.

Seth tensed up next to him, his tone carrying a warning. “Blake, Tristan didn’t harm Niev. She would’ve gone out there no matter what.”

“I know.” Blake had to press the words past his clenched jaw as he was still fighting his wolf for control. He concentrated on his breathing, taking slow, deep breaths to calm himself.

“You’re doing good, my love.” His mother’s voice was near. He looked up to see her slowly coming closer with a plate of food in hand.

Her encouragement seemed to do the trick and helped his wolf calm down. He nodded and reached for the plate, his hands steadying themselves with each heartbeat. She handed him a glass of water before sitting on his other side and soothingly running her hand through his hair.

“Do we know who they are and what they want with Niev?” Blake asked between bites.

Seth shook his head and seemed to relax a little. “No.”

“Why was Julius there?”

“We’re not sure. Father is talking to his mother right now. Maybe he was just out for a run and got in their way.”

Every puzzle piece but Julius’s fit into the picture. Julius and Niev hadn’t seen each other since she’d healed him. He’d barely showed up in time for the merging ceremony. He’d always seemed hesitant but followed his mother’s lead and joined anyway.

They sat in silence until his father returned with Bill by his side. Blake quickly got to his feet, expecting his father to tell him they could launch the search.

“Sit.” His father pulled a chair closer and gave Blake an intense look. “Your wolf is still fighting you.”

“Yes.”

“If you cannot control him, I’ll control him for you, and you won’t be part of this conversation.”

“Yes, Father.”

His father’s gaze fell on his mother. “I’ve talked to Kai’s family and have sent Lyliann to console them. Please do the same with Julius’s mother.”

She nodded, gave Blake a kiss on the forehead, and left the room.

As the alpha’s mate, it was her duty to care for each pack member as if they were her children. Blake also knew his father didn’t want her to be part of the conversation that would follow.

“Bill has tracked Niev south on the highway but the further he got, the more her scent mixed with other humans and his wolf had nowhere to hide. She seems unharmed. There was no trace of blood and from what I’ve seen from Callum’s mind they didn’t seem to have harmed her either.” He paused and gave Blake another intense look as if he was trying to figure out what was going through his mind. “From what I could gather from Kai’s last thoughts, he seemed to believe that the wolves were different. He couldn’t quite explain it but they seemed to be stronger than an average wolf, much like an alpha without the authority.”

“How is that even possible?” Seth seemed concerned, but all Blake could think of was the increased danger that Niev was in.

“I’m not sure, but I trust Kai’s experience. He made it clear to Callum to let us know that they were different, and he wouldn’t have done so if he didn’t think it was important.”

“What do we do now?” Blake’s voice was shaking as he tried to keep his wolf at bay.

“I’ll contact other packs and will ask about suspicious behavior. I want them to keep their eyes and ears open for anything that could help us.”

“That is all we’re going to do? Niev might be getting tortured as we speak and all we’re going to do is ask others to keep their eyes open?”

It got harder for Blake to keep his wolf calm, especially now that a picture of a scared and injured Niev popped into his head.

“Blake,” his father warned with a stern voice.

“That’s unacceptable!”

Blake stood up, his whole body shivering. His wolf roared in his head, overshadowing anything else. Blake could feel his bones break and his skin tear. The pain of the shift was so intense that he was barely able to stay conscious, not giving his wolf full control. He felt something hard hit his head, but the pain was nothing compared to his bones slowly rearranging, his muscles ripping apart and very slowly fusing back together as they grew to a size to fit his wolf. His transformation felt like fire burning within him, turning him into ashes only for him to rise as a wolf.

He could hear things break around him as his wolf grew too large for the house. His father’s alpha voice commanding him to shift back was barely a whisper as Blake was pushed into the back corner of his wolf’s mind. As his wolf searched for Niev, his instincts took over.

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