Page 25 of Rogue Wolf

Kodiak threw the paint brush into the pot, then glared at Onai, who stopped in his tracks. Tiredness weighed on his shoulders and fogged his mind. “I’m aware.”

“I mean, shouldn’t we go to the hut now?” asked Onai. He stood firm, maintaining eye contact for a moment before showing his submission to the alpha-to-be.

The anger that burned within Kodiak morphed into a tightness in his chest. It was time for the ceremony that would mark him as the new pack leader. And Tamaska wasn’t there.

“Where’s your would-be mate? ” Onai asked softly.

“With your car,” he said.

Kodiak’s phone beeped again, but he ignored it. Tamaska had left her phone behind, so it wasn’t her. He didn’t have time to answer messages. Everyone had received their instructions, and they just had to get on with it.

If he stuck to routine, then things would calm.

“She’s not back with my car?”

Kodiak growled under his breath. “No,” he said.

“But we need it to get to the ceremony.”

“Onai, she’ll be back. Grab a brush and help finish painting,” Kodiak said.

His phone beeped again as Onai nodded. “I’ll start in the front room. It won’t take us long.”

“Kodiak, where are you?” Channing burst into the room looking about frantically.

“What the fuck now?” Kodiak asked.

“Didn’t you get the notifications on your phone?” asked Channing, nearly knocking Onai over.

“What are you talking about?” Kodiak ran his hand through his hair, unease spreading through his bones. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Tamaska…apartment…phone…images.” Channing breathed quickly, his words jumbling.

“Slow down,” said Onai.

“She’s getting carpet cleaners for us. She’s not at her apartment,” said Kodiak, relaxing a little. Fuck, he needed a shower. He needed not to worry. She…she wouldn’t fucking defy him would she?

His pulse increased. It was Tamaska. Of course she fucking would.

“No, she’s in her apartment.” Channing’s breath slowed, but the panic remained in his eyes. “I saw. I think she’s in trouble.”

The worst-case scenario played out in Kodiak’s head. “Vampires?”

Kodiak snatched his phone from his pocket, fingers shaking as he flipped to the latest footage.

The bottom dropped out of his world at the image. Nothing moved. But there, on the floor, lay Tamaska.

“Fuck.”

The place had been torn apart. And she— He had to go, now. But he stopped himself. This could have been hours ago or minutes. He needed information, so he forced himself to calm.

“The footage stops there. I don’t…I don’t know if she’s still there, Kodiak,” Channing said.

“When did they first go to her apartment?” asked Kodiak, his throat constricting. “And I don’t see a time stamp on this footage.”

“The vampires went there on the night of the attack, before they came here. And it has the date, not the time stamp.”

He gritted his teeth. “Why didn’t I see it?”

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