Page 42 of Loved By the Wolf

We all laughed, and Thomas looked at us like we had gone crazy.

Climbing across the fences seemed to take forever this time. When we dropped into Pac’s backyard, my nails had elongated, and I could feel my fangs piercing my lips. We sneaked up to the door, and I shifted. It felt so good to be back in my wolf form. He was fired up and raring to fight.

Luc crept up behind me, ready to pick the lock. He stopped when we heard the scraping of a chair. I growled, but Luc gave me a shove, motioning for me to be silent.

There was something nagging me, a prickle on my neck. I paused and listened, searching my senses for what was out of reach. I realized there was no sound coming from the television, no voices talking. There was nowhere they could have gone; we had them surrounded. And yet, everything seemed too easy. Something was wrong. By now, the hairs on my neck were standing up straight. It should just be me going in, not my whole pack. What if—?

“Now!” Miti yelled from the roof.

Luc, Thomas, and Dredge shifted, and we charged into the house, ready to tear everyone apart. But the seven of us met in the middle of the hallway and heard and saw nothing. It was dead quiet. Too quiet. Thank goodness my family could still communicate in wolf form. Thomas, unfortunately, was the only one blocked from hearing our minds.

Dad took charge and said,Brandon, Luc, and Thomas; go upstairs and check every room. The rest of you check this floor.

I nudged Thomas to follow me. The three of us ran upstairs and started exploring the rooms upstairs, all of which we found empty.

One of the rooms had a door that led upstairs, and I rushed to the top when I caught a whiff of Becca’s smell. I was panting from anticipation, but when I reached the top floor, all I saw was an empty attic. There was a bed in the corner that looked like it had been dragged a couple of feet along the dusty floor, a two-drawer dresser on the side, and what looked like a speaker in the corner. Her scent was everywhere.

My love, my mate. Gone.

My breathing was coming out in stuttered gasps now.

I vaguely sensed Luc behind me before I heard him.Brandon, they didn’t find her downstairs either.

This wasn’t happening. My head was getting muddied. Where was she? Where could they possibly have taken her? Then it dawned on me—it was when I had broken down. They’d taken her out of the house when I’d been unconscious. They’d moved her.

I had failed again!

I howled and started tearing the bed to shreds. Every last piece of it. Cloth caught in my teeth, and the sound of bars bending under my paws gave me great satisfaction. It wasn’t until the last of the wooden dresser was in pieces that I stopped and noticed Luc was still standing at the top of the stairs, waiting for me.

You done?he asked.

This can’t be happening. She was here not that long ago.It was then that I realized the whimpering sounds were coming from my lips. My heart was breaking at the thought I was too late.

That was when Luc came at me full speed and slammed me into the wall. I pushed him away and lunged for his neck. What did he think he was doing attacking me like this when I was at my lowest? Before I could get a bite in, he was on top of me, holding my neck in his mouth. If he added a bit more pressure, he would puncture my vein. Calling his bluff, I twisted to get out from under him, but this time he didn’t let go. He started sinking his teeth into me at the same time his claws dug into my side.

I stilled.

Are you done?Luc growled.

All I could do was grunt.

If you had asked, I would have told you they didn’t find her downstairs, but they did find a secret door under the television.

I twisted my head to look into his eyes. He better not be getting my hopes up for nothing.

Yes, that’s right. And if you’re done feeling sorry for yourself, we thought you’d like to come down with us.

I blinked in assent, and he let me go. I immediately stood up on all fours, only to see my entire family staring at me from the doorway.

Deciding to ignore them, I ran to the stairs, only to be headbutted by each of them as I passed by. Aside from the reminder of what a dunst I was being, a part of me was glad they were here.

Once in the living room, I noticed the television had been moved to the side and the carpet was rolled up. Luc was right—there was another door in the floor. The trapdoor had been opened, and Miti was sitting there waiting for us.

“Took you long enough,” she said with a scowl. “Your mate could be far gone by now, thanks to you wallowing in your own self-pity.”

I wanted to growl at her but, being my grandmother, I smothered it, and it came out as more of a huff. She only gave me a stare before shooing me down the stairs. The rest of my family followed, conscious we were walking into a dark tunnel where not a single light could be seen.

Becca

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