Page 67 of Hunting Their Omega

They were claiming her as one of their own.

The beast in me saw an opportunity to look for outliers. As much as I hated to admit that we had a traitor among us, there was no other explanation for her disappearance.

I studied the faces of my pack, discerning genuine emotions from forced ones. I’d dedicated my entire life to the people of Hidden Creek, fighting by their sides and caring for them like family. Who was capable of such betrayal? If traitors hid among the pack, I would find them—and I wouldn’t show mercy when I did.

Alaric called for us, and Wynn and I were by his side in an instant.

“I picked up her scent. It’s faint, but if we’re quick, I can track it.”

Without another word, we followed Alaric through the packed square, nodding at Enforcers as they ushered people into their homes.

A glimmer of hope spilled through the bond, and I felt my unit’s heartache as keenly as my own. We longed for our mate.

Alaric led us eastward, tracking Isolde’s fading trail. Confusion wrinkled our brows as her scent pointed toward the forest, a place she had no reason to visit alone.

“Why would she go into the forest? If she wanted to run, she would have visited the glade behind the house,” I said, glancing at Wynn.

Alaric sniffed the air. “There are no other scents, so she came alone.”

“Until we can confirm who saw her, we have to assume she came of her own free will,” Wynn replied.

Unlikely.

“Coercion,” I suggested.

Wynn’s face turned grim, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was.

There was a snake in the wolf’s den.

My heart hammered in my chest as Alaric picked up the pace. We arrived at a small copse of trees near the lake. Isolde’s sweet scent hung in the air, but it was muted, suffocated by terror and the unmistakable odor of sterilizing spray. Only Enforcers had access to the scent-masking spray we used for infiltration and intel missions. A howl tore through the air as Wynn confirmed my worst fear—the danger was inside our walls.

And it had its claws in our mate.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I scanned the area. My wolf pushed to the forefront, and my senses sharpened as I gnashed my teeth together, tasting the air. The ground was softunder my feet, and my eyes shot to a flattened section of the path. Horror struck me like a thunderbolt when I noticed drops of blood.

Signs of struggle.

“No . . . Isolde,” I whispered. Our panic surged anew, the weight of the unknown crashing down upon us. My mind raced with unimaginable scenarios, each more terrifying than the last.

Alaric clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. “We need to find her. Now.”

He knew better than anyone that the chances of finding her alive diminished with every passing hour.

Wynn’s hands trembled as he clenched his fists, his eyes reflecting my turmoil. “We’ll find her,” he swore, trying to anchor our resolve. “Round up the Enforcers. I want every inch of our territory searched, starting with the eastern section. Look for disturbances at the border. I have a feeling they took her off pack lands.”

I stared past the border to the craggy gray mountains of unsanctioned territory.

Alaric made the call as Wynn inspected the abduction area. My heart ached at the void in our bond where Isolde’s reassuring presence once thrived.

“It’s done. We’re rounding up the pack for questioning,” Alaric said.

Wynn nodded, and Alaric headed for the security building. Fear gnawed at my insides. Isolde was in danger, and if thekidnappers took her to unsanctioned territory, we were running out of time.

My comms unit rang, and I snatched it out of my pocket and placed it to my ear.

“Bishop,” I barked, not bothering with greetings.

“Beta Bishop,” Councilman Raza said. “We had some difficulty reaching Wynn this morning.”

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