For once in my life I was stunned into silence. I knew he was telling the truth; I could see it in his eyes. As soon as he stopped at a gas station, I jumped out of the car and rushed inside to the bathroom. I didn’t care what time it was, Bailey was going to talk to me.
She answered on the second ring, her voice groggy from sleep. “Tyla?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about Sebastian? I can’t have him as my protector. He’ll drive me insane!”
“That’s what mates do. Stop fighting it and give in. You’ll be much happier. Besides, he could’ve easily picked another wolf to protect. How would you have felt then?” Angry. Pissed. Infuriated. “That’s what I thought,” she said at my silence. “Not to mention, he went to your parents and asked permission.” She snorted. “He’s so old-fashioned.”
“Oh my God,” I groaned. Even my parents knew? It felt like the whole universe was against me. I leaned against the bathroom door and bowed my head. “Have you ever been in love before, Bailey? With someone other than Ryker, I mean.”
“No, why?”
“That’s what I thought. Well, I have. Twice. And both of them were taken from me. I just can’t do it again.”
“I’m so sorry, Tyla. I know you don’t want to lose another love, but Sebastian is your true mate. You’re not going to lose him.”
No one could say that for sure. “You don’t know that. I’d rather not get attached.”
She huffed and I could tell she was getting angry with me. “Suit yourself, but one of these days he’s going to lose his mind to the rage. I care about him, Tyla. If you don’t want him going off the deep end and possibly being killed by another pack, you’re going to have to help him.”
“He says he hasn’t been with anyone since he’s been in Wyoming. What if he’s lying to me?”
“What if he’s not? You should be able to recognize the truth.”
He was telling the truth, but it was so hard to believe. This was Sebastian we were talking about, one of the most highly sought after wolves in our pack. Everyone wanted him. “It’s much easier to think of him as a dog,” I replied.
“Well, he’s not. Wait, scratch that, we all kind of are, just a different breed. He’s a good guy though, and very strong. The perfect mate, actually.”
“Better not let Ryker hear you say that,” I said. Sebastian would be the perfect mate. That was what made everything so difficult.
Someone knocked on the door, so I flushed the toilet and turned on the water. “Almost done,” I called. “Bailey, I have to go. I’ll call you as soon as I figure out what’s going on.”
“We’ll be here.”
Hanging up, I hurried outside to where Sebastian stood, waiting by the car. He opened the door for me and stepped out of the way. No matter what, he was always a gentleman.
“How long until we get there?” I asked.
“About an hour, depending on traffic.”
Nodding, I got into the car. Before he could shut the door, I stopped it with my hand. “I’m sorry,” I blurted out, meeting his gaze.
“For what?”
“For being such a bitch. I know my attitude doesn’t help our situation and it definitely won’t help us find my family.”
His brows furrowed. “What are you saying?”
I shrugged. “I’m saying that from now on I’ll stop with the snide comments, unless you deserve them. We need to get along if we’re to help my family.”
“That’s it?” he asked, temper flaring. “You have nothing else to say now that you know the truth?” The last thing I wanted was to infuriate him more, but I couldn’t offer what he wanted.
“I don’t want to argue, Sebastian. Thank you for clearing up the air, but it still doesn’t change anything. I’m not ready to be your mate.”
Huffing, he averted his gaze, gripping the edge of the car door. “Something tells me you won’t ever be ready.”
***
The tension in the car was so thick it could be cut with a knife. His wolf wanted to claim me and mine wanted to be claimed. My fingers ached to touch him and my body yearned to be beneath his, but I knew if I gave in, I wouldn’t be able to stop.
We were almost to my aunt and uncle’s house, cruising down their mile long gravel driveway. When their cabin came into view, we saw two cars parked out front. Judging by the car tracks, neither one of them had been moved recently.
I typed Amelie’s address into my GPS and waited for it to load. “It says we’re two miles from Amelie’s.”
Sebastian nodded and parked the car. All I wanted was for him to talk to me; he hadn’t since we’d left the gas station. He got out of the car and I followed suit. “If they’re not here, I say we go through the woods. Their cars haven’t been moved in days.”
“I noticed that when we pulled in,” I said.
Dread settled into the pit of my gut. My aunt and uncle were always traveling, going from place to place. There was no way they’d stay put for a long period of time without driving somewhere. We got closer to the cabin and I picked up both my aunt and uncle’s scent, along with a trace of Amelie.
“I don’t smell any wolves, other than my family,” I pointed out.
Sebastian nodded, then looked toward the door. “Want to go inside?”
There was nothing out of place on the front porch, no smashed windows or signs of forced entry. “Yeah, let’s take a look.”
He turned the knob and the door opened right up. Sarah and Benjamin’s scents were in there, but not strong. My eyes burned when I walked into their living room. Nothing was out of place. Their whole house was filled with nothing but Benjamin’s handcrafted furniture, and Sarah’s paintings hanging on the wall. I missed them so much.
Sebastian came up behind me. “They don’t have any enemies do they?”
On the coffee table sat a wooden wolf figurine. Picking it up, I inspected it and shook my head. “Not that I know of. They’re the kindest-hearted wolves I know. They’d do anything to avoid a fight.” Benjamin loved his artwork more than fighting and Sarah was the same with her paintings. They were the perfect match.
“Unfortunately, there are a lot of wolves who prey on people like them,” Sebastian murmured. He headed toward the back door and took a deep breath when he opened it. “Their trails are stronger out here.”
He took off out the door and I rushed after him. He was right. Their scents were stronger, especially in the direction toward Amelie’s house. Sebastian stopped at the edge of the woods and waited for me.
“You ready?” he asked, rolling his sleeves up.
I nodded. “Let’s go.” We took off into the woods, and he stayed by my side as we ran. The closer we got to Amelie’s house, the sicker I became. The scent of blood permeated the air and was almost overwhelming as the house came into view.
Sebastian stopped and held out his arm. “Wait. I don’t like this.”
Neither did I, but I had to get to my family. “They’re hurt,” I cried, dread settling in the pit of my stomach. “I don’t sense any other wolves around.”
Taking a deep breath, his eyes flashed as he scanned the area. “I don’t either. Stay close.”
We approached the cabin, and unlike my aunt and uncle’s place, there were definitely signs of forced entry. We walked inside and the place was ransacked, blood everywhere. And not just Amelie’s. But I couldn’t smell the other scents.
“She didn’t make it easy on them, whoever they are,” he mentioned.
The splatters of blood trailed out the back door, which was wide open. “Should we shift?” I asked.
He peered into the woods and shook his head. A look crossed his face but I couldn’t decipher it. “Not yet.”
“You know something, don’t you? What are you not telling me?”
Sighing, he looked down at my hand and grabbed it. “Are you sure you want to go out there?”
By the look in his eyes, I knew what he was thinking. “You’re wrong,” I growled in denial. They were still alive; they had to be. I squeezed his hand and he squeezed back, his gaze sad. “Either way, I have to see for myself.”
He nodded once and guided me down the patio stairs. I didn’t even bother letting go of his hand. I needed his touch, especially now. The smell of blood grew thicker the farther into the woods we traveled. We were close.
“Why would anyone want to hurt them?”
Sebastian shrugged. “I’m guessing they were after Amelie. Maybe a wolf wanted her as a mate and she refused?”
Memories of the battle against Vincent’s wolves flashed through my mind. I’d barely gotten out alive. “I know all too well about that,” I whispered softly. Brows furrowed, he glanced down at me and started to speak, but then stopped, quickly turning his attention to something in the distance. “What is it?”
His royal abilities far outstretched mine. Everything I could do, he could do three times better. “Death,” he said. “Why don’t you stay here while I take a look?”
I shook my head, eyes burning. “They’re my family, Sebastian.”
Still holding my hand, he pulled me the rest of the way. I could hear the bugs flying and the vultures ripping away at flesh. If there was ever a time I didn’t want wolf hearing, it was then. Swallowing hard, I averted my gaze, knowing their bodies were right under my nose.
Sebastian blew out an angry breath and bowed his head. “I’m so sorry, Tyla.”
The vultures scattered and I gagged. My eyes were blurry, but I could see the carnage as if I was looking through a microscope. Slapping a hand over my mouth, my body shook and I fell to my knees. So many emotions whirled through me, I didn’t know which one to hold on to. “Oh my God.”
There were four wolves, all dead; pieces of their bodies strewn about. Whoever had killed my family had enjoyed it, and made sure to make them suffer. I prayed Karma would be a bitch.
My aunt and uncle were on the ground. Still in wolf form, they were barely intact and gutted, their insides stretched across the dirt and leaves. The only relief to be found, was that my cousin was not there. It looked like after my family ripped the others apart, there were more that came in and devoured them. I could see their tracks, but couldn’t smell them.
“Why can’t I smell the other tracks? Is it just me?” I asked.
Sebastian let go of my hand and kneeled, touching the tracks. “No, it’s not just you. But there’s a reason why.”
I turned to him. “Why?”
He huffed, jaw tense. “Magic. Whoever did this doesn’t want to be found.”
“Magic? Are you talking Maret kind of magic?” Maret was a powerful witch I’d helped kill just a few months back. It had happened during a rescue mission for Bailey. I could still taste the foulness of her blood in my mouth. When Sebastian nodded, I groaned. “I didn’t think there were any other witches out there like her.”
“There must be.”
“Why are they trying to hide?” It made no sense. Wolves were all about territory and making themselves known.
“Don’t know, but I sure as hell don’t like it,” he growled.
“What about Amelie? If she’s not here, they had to have taken her. How are we going to find her?”
Amelie wasn’t a fighter. When we were younger, she’d been the soft-spoken one who chose to pick flowers and search for beautiful rocks instead of climbing trees and playing in the mud. We were the perfect balance together, and the best of friends. The thought of what was being done to her made me sick. It felt like a rock was being wedged in my throat. I couldn’t breathe.
Sebastian clutched my cheeks in his hands, turning my face to his. “Calm down, Tyla. We’ll find her, I promise. We just need to track her scent.”
I tried to turn to the carnage, but he held me firm. “What about my aunt and uncle? We can’t just leave them here.”
“We won’t. But every second matters. We need to see if we can pick up Amelie’s scent and find out where she was taken. We’ll have to come back and bury your family later.” It was a long shot, considering we couldn’t even track the other wolves’ scents. But we had to try.
I didn’t want to leave my family rotting on the ground, but what choice did I have? Nodding, I placed my hands over his. “Okay, let’s go.”