Page 83 of Drive me Wild (South Island Shifters)

“Thank you, my love.” This burns my heart to say these words to another who isn’t my mate. Inwardly, I whisper to Winter those exact words, hoping like hell she hears them. “So, you’re still under the control of my potion, that’s good. It’s specifically designed for your DNA and works only on you. I figured that rather than attacking your clan with force, I’d take it, using the oldest magic in the book—love.”

I nod my head, listening to every word she says. It’s clever; I’ll give her that. I wish I’d never doubted Amanda or her brother, let alone my mate and mother. They were telling the truth the entire time. They had their doubts.

“So, tell me, are you ready to hand your clan over yet?”

I snap my eyes up to meet hers. “Never.”

Her eyes darken as rage spills over onto her facial expression, and she screams, lashing out at me. Blood runs down my neck as she grabs the needle. “Maybe another dose will have you coming to your senses.” The plunger goes in, my body burning as whatever she’s injected me with pulsates through my veins. My last thought is of Winter’s gorgeous face, a face I’m terrified I’ll never see again.

* * *

WINTER

It’s been days since we’ve seen Declan, and there’s still no sign of him. He hasn’t tried to reach out to me again, making me think that perhaps I was dreaming that last ‘I love you’ from him.

Most of the clan members have been searching for him, and I feel so helpless. I got put on stress leave by my boss when I tried to return to work, and I spent every day since willing for my transformation to happen, even going as far as to wish upon a star. Nothing has happened.

I’m sitting outside, drinking a cup of coffee, thinking about the last time I was out here with Declan. What a magical night it was. Our first date. We have had many since, but he made it so special. Silent tears fall down my cheeks.

Hearing the sound of Declan’s door to his dining room being opened, I wipe the droplets away. Glancing up, I see Zane walking towards me with two coffee cups in his hands.

“Hey,” he says, taking a seat and handing me one of the hot drinks. “Liliana made you a fresh one since you’ve been out here a while.”

If I’m honest, this is awkward as I haven’t spoken to Zane since he told me he didn’t believe me when I said Declan had told me he loves me. Honestly, I’m not sure I believe myself anymore either.

“Thanks,” I say.

He exhales. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you in front of the clan the other day. My emotions are high, and I’m just as worried about Declan as everyone else. Honestly, Winter, I’m also not used to not being Declan’s first point of call. I’m his second in command, so I was surprised when he reached out to you, but as Nana explained, Declan would, of course, reach out to you first. You are his Luna, and that connection is the strongest out of all connections.”

I snap my head to look at him. He looks drained, both mentally and physically. “Zane, I never want to come between you and your brother.”

He takes a sip of his coffee. “I know. Listen, he’s dated other women before. Well, when I say dated, they were merely some fun between the sheets for a few weeks or so but always would kick up a fuss when he wanted to meet me for drinks or dinner. I hated them all for that. The shifter life isn’t easy, and Declan has always put it first. Even our family bond came first, but I fear now you are here that everything will change.”

I reach over and clasp his hand. “You listen to me. I will not ever change him. I love him how he is. And as for clan stuff, it’ll remain the same. I might be his Luna, but you have been Beta a lot longer than I have been around, so I promise, when we get him back, I’m going to have some words about him keeping you in the loop more and keeping everything as it currently is. I want to shift into a wolf to help with the searches, but I don’t want your current way of doing things to change.”

He smiles and squeezes my hand. “Thank you. I didn’t see it before, but I see it now. You are going to be a great Luna. Tammy wants to be a Luna so badly, I know if she got her claws into Declan, the whole system would crumble.”

“Declan would lose all his loyal members. Why has he kept her around?” I ask.

Zane shrugs. “She isn’t wrong when she says her tracking skills are the best. But I have to wonder if she is trying to find Declan on her own and lying to me about not finding his scent.”

Suddenly, the door bursts open, and Liliana is standing there. On her face is a look of pure horror. “Jason is here,” she announces.

“Let’s go, Winter. Jason is a friend of ours. He’s an orca whale shifter, and…” He pauses as a look of horror washes over his face.

“And what?” I ask.

“A firefighter,” he replies grimly.

We make our way inside the house, my heart hammering within my chest. Have they found him? Is he okay? Or is he…? No, I can’t think like that. Surely, if he were anything more than okay, I wouldn’t be so sane.

Entering the house behind Zane, he greets a tall man with jet black short hair and turns to me. “Jason, this is Winter, Declan’s mate.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Jason says, holding out a hand to me. He smiles softly. “I have news for everyone. So if you could sit down.” I take a seat next to Liliana as Zane remains standing. “I can confirm that earlier today, Declan’s car was found abandoned and completely engulfed in flames on the outskirts of town. It took several hours to douse the fire, and we have only just dampened down any hot spots.”

I sit; numbness sets in before he continues speaking.

“I also can say that no human remains were found within the vehicle or the surrounding area. I did, however, locate Declan’s melted wallet, keys and phone.”

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