Page 35 of Loved By the Wolf

Brandon

“What doyou mean she’s not here? This is her address,” I said.

“And who are you?” the black-haired girl said.

“Yeah, why would we tell you if she was here when we don’t even know who you are?” asked another voice.

I looked around the black-haired girl to see a blonde-haired, freckle-nosed girl walking in a not-so-straight line toward me as she waved her drink in my direction. I noticed it was splashing on the floor and made to intercept her before she tripped when an arm came down and blocked my way into the house.

“I’m sorry, what does ‘who are you’ mean to you? This is my home. You can’t just come tramping in here,” the black-haired girl said firmly.

I stopped and looked at her, remembering what Jill had told me about Becca’s new residence. “You must be Millie.”

I had cornered Jill before I left and begged her to give me Becca’s new address. She had relented after Luc told her what happened with Dad and begrudgingly gave it to me. I’m glad she also told me who the house belonged to so I didn’t look like a complete idiot right now.

Millie narrowed her eyes. “And how do you know me? We’ve never met.”

“Jill told me your name. She’s Becca’s best friend and the woman who is getting married to my brother, Luc.”

“Yes, I know Jill. Sweet girl. Well, Becca isn’t here. She went out with Thomas to see a sunset. You know, a romantic outing?”

If she said that to make me jealous, it worked wonders. My wolf immediately reared its head, and a growl came out. It produced the intended effect, if the girls’ looks of shock were any indication. But instead of being allowed entry into the house, the door slammed shut in my face.

So much for trying the honest route.

Before leaving Crystal Lake, I had made the decision to not use the necklace to track Becca down. I didn’t want to lie to her about how I’d found her, but as Millie had slammed the door in my face, that route had come to a dead end. I couldn’t think of any other way to find her, which meant there was no other option but to use the tracker.Hopefully she’s wearing it.

Pac hadn’t contacted me in a while, and I was getting nervous. My wolf was also driving me crazy, because he knew she was close and that I had finally succumbed to our fate.

I opened the app on my phone and saw her location blinking on Ocean Beach. My first thought was that she had finally let loose and was treating herself to some quiet time, but then Millie’s words came back to me . . .She’s out with Thomas on a romantic outing.

Fire surged inside me, and my fists clamped shut. Before I knew it, I had crushed my phone. Unfurling my palm, I stared at the broken electronic device and cursed, then punched the wall in front of me. A series of yelps were heard from inside the house. Realizing I couldn’t take my rage out on the house or scare the girls, I left the premises before they called the cops on me.

Walking across the street to the park, I headed toward Golden Gate Bridge. I looked down at the ring and saw it was glowing red. If I started walking in the right direction it would turn green; I just needed to work out which direction that was first.

When I made it to the end of the path and was standing under the Golden Gate Bridge, the ring turned pink, and it was when I started veering left, back inland, that it started turning a light shade of green. I ran faster, through the Presidio and the length of Golden Gate Park until I reached Ocean Beach.

The whole time I was running I kept wishing I could change into a wolf. It didn’t matter that there were humans everywhere, I knew I could travel that much faster. But there was the problem of scent. When Pac had knocked me out and taken Sandy, he’d hit my nose so hard it had cracked. It had healed so well that no one could tell my nose was ever broken, but my scent had never been the same again. Because I couldn’t smell very well, I’d had to rely on my brothers to know when danger was near. It was not something I was proud of, for it was a wolf’s greatest senses.

I looked around, hoping to see Becca’s flaming red hair, but all I saw were a couple walking hand in hand as they admired the quiet, dark, and magical scenery the beach provided.

Growling with impatience, I started walking up the hill and along the parked cars to see if she was in one of them. It wasn’t until I passed a blue colored car that I caught a whiff of her scent. I looked inside to see a man slumped forward in the driver’s seat, his arms resting on the wheel as if he was sleeping. Now, this was not something I saw every day. Dread spiraled through me. I walked to the driver’s side and stuck my hand through the open window and poked the man, but he didn’t stir.

After a couple more pokes, I placed my hand on his shoulder and leaned him back against the seat. I gasped when I saw his face.It’s Thomas!

My wolf was on instant alert. He was fuming, believing Thomas had done something to Becca. It was then that I caught a whiff of Thomas’s scent. It was the same sandalwood and citrus smell that Mom had always said was mine, a unique scent I owned. And the smell was strong—stronger than my scent had ever been.

Why did he have my scent?

The answers hit me all at once, and I let him go suddenly. Thomas fell back onto the steering wheel with a thud. I grimaced and hurriedly tilted him back against the seat till his head was leaning against the headrest.

He was still breathing by the looks of his chest, so I decided to slap his face a few times. He answered with a groan. When he began to grunt and shake his head on his own, I stepped away from the car and waited for him to wake up, aware that if he was anything like my brothers, he’d come shooting out of the vehicle to tackle me.

But Thomas only opened his eyes and stared at me. His nose twitched a bit and then he smiled. “It’s you.”

“What do you mean ‘it’s me’? Where’s Becca?” I demanded. “I can smell her in the car.”

“I don’t know. They knocked me out.” He groaned and then a look of horror came over his face. He growled and slammed his fists on the steering wheel. “She’s in danger.”

---