I'm almost relieved when I don't see Saffy in this room. But that relief is short-lived. If she's not here, then where the fuck is she? I briefly consider what I'll do if she's in Jonah's hot tub, but I try to squash the thought down because I need to control my wolf. I can't afford to lose my mind—I'm the head of an international company. Sure, I've buried scandals before, but I'll be damned if I'm going to cause one in my own hometown, where it might affect Annie.
As I storm up to the penthouse’s upper levels, I'm surprised to find I can still trace Saffy's scent despite the magnitude of other wolves and humans here. She's been here, but the scent is faint and hard to track.
Finally, I spot Jonah spinning some girl around to the music on the balcony. I don't even pause before rushing toward him and yanking his arm away.
"Whoa! What the fuck, man!" Jonah snaps. He spins around but pauses when he sees me, probably for the same reason the server backed off, too. He gestures to the girl to give us some space. "What's going on, Cole?"
"Where is she?" I demand, trying to keep my voice measured.
"Look," Jonah says, holding his hands up, "I don't know. She's here somewhere. I'm sure we can find her, okay?"
I run my hand through my hair in growing frustration and lean against the glass and metal railings. "I've already looked, dammit."
"Okay, okay,” Jonah says appeasingly. “Look, I don't know what's going on with you two, but let's go see. We'll find her. My penthouse is huge, but I haven't lost a girl in it yet."
I don't laugh, just turn and walk to where I know the guest bathroom and the hallway that leads to the rear balconyare. I can feel Jonah close behind, and as soon as we step into the lower hallway and turn toward the bathroom, I can sense Saffy is near. For a moment, I assume she's in the bathroom, but then Jonah grabs my arm.
"Did you hear that?" he asks, his voice alarmed.
I listen, the deafening noise from the party overwhelming my senses. Suddenly, I hear an unmistakable cry.
Help!
Jonah is by my side as I kick in the nearest door. My shifter sight needs no time to adjust to the dark as I see two figures on the bed. At first, they look like they're locked in a passionate embrace, but as the male figure turns, I see it's Terrance. I look at Saffy, and the first thing I notice is that her eyes are glazed over, but she's still trying to push him away.
"What the fuck have you done to her?" I bellow.
Terrance jumps back slightly, and I see the top of Saffy’s dress is ripped, exposing her bra. Her skirt has been pushed up to reveal her underwear. I look at Terrance again, and he's gone as white a sheet. He looks nervously between me and Jonah as Jonah steps forward with a blanket and wraps Saffy in it before pulling her to the other side of the bed away from Terrance. At first, she even fights Jonah, but he calms her, holding her tight. The thought of any man touching her right now makes me feel uncomfortable, but the way Jonah does it tells me he's done this before. Taken care of someone.
My attention is pulled back to Terrance as he tries to step around me. One push sends him flying against the wall.
"Look, we were just fooling around,” he sputters. “Okay. I'll go. You can have her. She not even worth it."
My fist connects with his face before he's even finished speaking. Once he's on the floor, I land another couple of blows to keep him down.
"Enough, Cole!" Jonah shouts, appearing behind me. "Get Saffy out of here. She wasn't drinking, so I don't know what he gave her. She needs watching tonight. Take her down the service elevator. No one will see. I'll get rid of this piece of shit."
"He was going to rape her," I snarl, glaring down at a semi-conscious Terrance.
Jonah nods somberly. "That's what it looks like. We need to talk to Saffy in the morning to know more. I'll have someone from his pack pick him up. We'll deal with this however she wants."
Saffy is quietly sobbing where Jonah left her on the small sofa. As much as I want to kick the shit out of Terrance, my wolf is insisting that we get Saffy away from this room. For once tonight, I'm in full agreement.
I scoop her into my arms, feeling relief wash through me that she's safe.
"Are you going to call her brother?" Jonah asks as I'm about to walk away.
"I'll message, but she's not going home. I'm looking after her."
Jonah nods, but he looks a bit unsure. I won't justify my actions to him, not when I'm still furious about everything to do with this party. But I can't focus on anything but Saffy right now and making sure she's safe. She's murmuring something against my neck, and I'm trying to ignore the way the tickle of her breath shoots straight to my cock. That's the last thing she needs right now.
By the time we exit the building, with her still in my arms, I've already come to the realization that I'm never letting her go after this.
Chapter 16 - Saffy
There's a heavy fog lingering, and I'm dimly aware of a soreness in my joints. I stretch, keeping my eyes tightly shut. I never feel stiff, even after the longest of pack runs. I also have the ghost of a headache. Strange, as shifter healing makes them rare.
Another unfamiliar feeling settles within me. I dreamed of Cole again, but that's nothing new. But this time, it's like I couldfeelhim.