The Lost Wolf's Destiny

Chapter 13

A scream woke Lucas from an erotic dream featuring Blythe. He sat up in bed, heart pounding. He grabbed his boxer shorts from the floor, yanked them on, then tore off toward the living room.

Incoherent and on the verge of hysteria, Blythe stood shaking, pointing at the empty couch. “Hailey, Hailey, Hailey. She’s gone.”

“Hang on.” He grabbed her, pulling her close. “Maybe she just went to the bathroom.”

“I checked. I called her and when she didn’t answer, I searched every square inch of this house. She’s gone.”

Releasing her, he crossed to the front door and tested the dead bolt. “It’s unlocked, from the inside.”

Blythe stared at him in shock and slowly shook her head. “She couldn’t have left. Why would she?”

“Where would she have gone? It’s cold outside.”

“She didn’t leave willingly,” Blythe said, appearing unaware that there were tears streaming down her face. “She was taken.”

Christ. Despite the growing certainty that she was right, they had to be certain. “You don’t know that,” he insisted, mind racing. “There’s no sign of a break-in. Maybe she just took a peek outside and forgot to relock it. She’s got to be here, somewhere.”

Still violently shaking, she nodded.

“Come on.” He held out his hand. “Let’s check again, both of us. There’s got to be some explanation.”

Watching as she visibly pulled herself together, when she grabbed his hand, it was as if she grabbed on to a lifeline. He closed his fingers over her icy ones and found himself uttering a silent prayer that little Hailey was merely hiding and had fallen asleep.

Both silent now, they went through the cabin, room by room, which didn’t take long at all. Beside him, Blythe grew increasingly more frantic, barely holding on to the edge of control, squeezing his fingers so tightly they went numb.

He didn’t blame her. By all appearances, her daughter had mysteriously vanished. With the front door unlocked from the inside and all the rest of the cabin secure, she could have gone of her own free will.

To be certain, he began checking the windows. “Locked, locked and locked,” he said out loud. “There’s no way someone broke in here.”

She nodded and then faced him, her expression blank. “Did you check the back door?”

About to tell her he had, he closed his mouth without saying anything. He had given it a cursory look, in passing. At first glance, the door appeared locked. Rattling the knob, he double-checked. But then as he was turning away, he saw the small, perfectly shaped circle that had been cut in the glass. Someone had cut it out and reached a hand in to unlock the door.

They’d come in through the back, grabbed Hailey and gone out the front.

“Blythe...” he began. “Come here.”

All the blood drained from her face as she instantly assessed the situation. “Hailey, oh, my God.” She swayed. “It has to have been Jacob. Somehow he found us. He’s taken Hailey.”

The outline of her body shuddered as her wolf wanted to force a shift. Fighting this, she swayed again, staggering so badly he thought she might fall. Then, just as he reached for her, she forcibly snapped herself out of it, as though a wire had been pulled from above to straighten her spine. Leaving him standing, empty-handed, wondering why he’d even thought he could help.

She yanked the front door open and rushed outside. Hurrying after her, he followed.

The sky had barely begun to lighten. The area around the cabin appeared virtually unchanged.

“Damn it all to hell,” she said. Expression furious, she pushed past him and rushed back inside. Locating the cell phone, she snatched it up. Before he could ask what she meant to do, she’d scrolled through the recent calls, located a number and pushed Send.

Watching, he stood back, making no move to stop her. He knew she was either calling the Protector or calling Jacob Gideon. He wasn’t sure which.

“Jacob,” she practically spat the word into the phone. “What have you done with my daughter?”

Listening for a moment, she closed her eyes. “But—”

She mustn’t have liked whatever else Jacob had to say, because she ended the call without saying another word.

Holding the cell phone, she stood motionless, a statue with a downcast head. Whatever emotions she felt, he could only imagine.

Chest tight, Lucas moved closer. When she raised her gaze to meet his, the terrible bleakness in her eyes hit him like a punch in the gut. He coughed, to cover this. “Did Jacob admit to anything?” he asked.

“He claims he doesn’t have her,” she said, her voice shaking. “If he doesn’t, then who does?”

“I don’t know,” he told her. “We’ll find out, I promise you.”

“It has to be him. It has to.” She shook her head, her eyes wild. “Hailey,” she cried, before crumpling. Somehow, Lucas managed to catch her, holding her against him and trying to soothe her.

“You’re probably right. If Jacob took her, we’ll get her back.”

“And what if he didn’t? What if it was someone else?”

“Who?” he asked, his tone fierce. “Who else would go through the trouble to locate us, all the way up here, and break in just to take a little girl? It has to be Jacob.”

“He claims he doesn’t know anything about her being abducted,” she continued. “He also said he didn’t order anything and as far as he knew, she was with me and that he had no idea where we are.”

“Did you believe him?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. But he sounded pretty damn shocked.”

The steel had come back in her voice. He admired her ability to snatch herself back from the edge and to try and think rationally, despite her fear and worry for her daughter’s safety.

“Jacob is the type to boast,” he said slowly. “He’s supremely confident in everything he does. Look how he acted before, after you escaped. If he took her, why would he lie? I’d think he’d want to rub your face in it.”

“Exactly.” While he held her against his chest, she inhaled deeply several times, an obvious attempt to clear her head. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe he’s afraid we’ll come after her again,” he offered. “That’s the only reason for him to lie.”

“No.” She shook her head violently, still pressed against him, her shoulders shaking though she didn’t make any sounds to let him know she was crying. “I believe him, hounds help me. I actually believe him.”

Lucas let this sink in for a moment. “Once again, if Jacob didn’t take her, who did?”

“I don’t know,” she said, pushing away from him to go stand in front of the window. “I have no idea.”

Leaving Blythe in the kitchen with a warm cup of cocoa, Lucas did a walk around on his perimeter. The ground was too hard and dry to yield any clues, but the gravel on the driveway about halfway between the house and the road showed signs of a vehicle turning around. Obviously, whoever had driven it hadn’t wanted to park too close to the house and take a chance of waking anyone.

That meant he must have been a large man—or more than one person—because they’d carried Hailey a good distance. Lucas figured they’d probably knocked her out, using chloroform or something, to make sure she didn’t scream or put up a fight.

As he turned to head back to the cabin, he saw something else. The tires on Lucas’s pickup truck had been slashed, all four of them. This had been done for insurance to make certain if they had awakened, they couldn’t pursue Hailey’s abductor.

Everything had the appearance of a well-planned, professional job. If Jacob hadn’t ordered this, then who? And why? No one even knew they were here, other than the Protectors. He froze as a thought occurred to him. Blythe had said they’d take Hailey. What if they had?

Returning to the cabin, he told Blythe what he’d found.

Then, swallowing hard, he continued, “What if it was the Protectors? You said they might want to take Hailey.”

She shook her head. “No one knows she’s a Griffon. That would be the only reason they’d take her and, as far as I know, they haven’t stooped so low to sneak in and abduct children in the middle of the night. I still can’t let go of the idea that Jacob’s behind this. He’s the only one who would want her.”

Listless, she sipped on her cocoa. “Unless it was some other sort of predator. One who preys on children.” The darkness to her tone matched her expression.

“Don’t think that,” he ordered. “I need you sharp and focused. Do you think you can do that?”

Her eyes widened. Sitting up, she rolled her shoulders back and straightened. “I’ll try.” Her voice sounded much closer to normal. And, he noted with approval, the steel was back. Hopefully to stay this time.

“Good. If it wasn’t the Protectors, then I don’t understand how anyone was able to find us,” he said.

“True, since the only one who knows we’re here is that Protector you spoke with on the phone.”

“Martin Hunter.” He cursed. “Was he for real, or someone acting as a Pack Protector in order to learn our location?”

“It seems a bit far-fetched, but maybe you should call him again?” Blythe suggested, her voice vibrating with anger as she finally gave credence to the possibility that the Protectors had actually been the ones to steal her daughter.

Nodding, he pulled out his phone and scrolled to recent calls. After barely half a ring, the call went directly to voice mail. “His phone is off. He’s probably en route.”

She didn’t respond. Because he didn’t want her slipping back into whatever kind of self-protective purgatory she’d found, he moved closer and jogged her arm.

“We’ll find out soon enough—if he doesn’t arrive today.”

While they waited, he went to his storage shed and located his snow tires. Jacking his truck up, he changed the shredded tires one by one until he had a drivable vehicle.

Inside, Blythe sat with her still-full cup of cold cocoa, staring at nothing. She put down her cup and stood. “I’m going to go outside and change. Maybe I can pick up her scent or something—I don’t know.”

“Would you like me to go with you?”

“No. But thank you. I need to be alone.”

He nodded, aching for her but knowing there was nothing else he could do. This time, she walked out wearing her clothing. A short while later, he heard a mournful howl coming from the forest. The achingly bitter beauty of the sound made the hair on his arms rise. The sound continued, echoing off the mountains, for several minutes, before dying off into silence.

Throat tight, Lucas found himself listening for more. The grief-filled howl had touched something inside him, deep within his soul. His wolf had become agitated at the sound. Despite Blythe’s request to be left alone, if he hadn’t needed to remain to listen for the phone, he would have joined her. As wolf, not man.

Ninety minutes passed before she returned. Fully dressed, she seemed more tense than ever. Neither mentioned the howling. “Have you heard from this Protector guy?” she asked.

He shook his head no. He didn’t know how he’d forgive himself if it turned out he’d given information to someone who had been responsible for invading his home and stealing Hailey.

Together, they waited in apprehensive silence. He didn’t have a television—there was no reception in these mountains without satellite, which he didn’t want. He spent his nights reading or sketching, or walking in the woods. Always alone since Lilly’s death, he’d become skilled at entertaining himself, even though he always felt his twin with him.

He wished he could think of something to distract Blythe. But then, he wasn’t sure she wanted to be diverted.

Finally, three hours after Lucas had changed his tires, Martin Hunter called to let them know he was on the ground and about to begin the drive south.

Using a few terse words, Lucas explained the situation.

“She’s gone?” Martin sounded stunned. “How is that possible?”

“That’s what we wanted to know. Who did you tell?” Lucas demanded. “It had to be you.”

“I told no one,” Martin protested. “No one except my supervisor. Oh, and his secretary. She’s the one who booked my flight.”

“Where is your supervisor located?”

“I work out of the Dallas office,” Martin said.

Texas. Jacob Gideon’s home base. It was a long shot, but still...

Eyeing Blythe, who watched him silently, Lucas grimaced. “Sorry, but I have to ask. Is the secretary Shifter or human?”

“I don’t know.” Martin honestly sounded puzzled. “I’ve never met the gal. She just started last week.”

Damn. Lucas would be willing to bet she not only was human, but that she was a member of Jacob Gideon’s church and Sanctuary.

“But I do have to ask you something,” Martin said. “Is your phone line secure? You know cell phones are particularly vulnerable to being intercepted, with the right equipment.”

Lucas cursed. The second possibility worked in theory—if someone even knew how to find his remote cabin.

“Check and make sure it wasn’t your people who grabbed Hailey,” he ordered.

“Will do,” Martin promised.

“Good.” Hanging up, he relayed to Blythe what Martin had said about their phone line being hacked by Jacob’s people.

“I suppose that’s possible,” she said, still sitting as if there was ice in her spine. “But the only thing that doesn’t add up is why isn’t Jacob bragging about it.”

Lucas considered. “Maybe one of his devout followers is trying to gain brownie points by surprising him with your daughter.”

She winced, and then jerked her chin in a facsimile of a nod. “Stranger things have happened.”

“At this point we have to consider all possibilities,” he told her.

As he watched, her lethargy dissolved into rage. “This is ridiculous. We need to do something. I hate just sitting here and waiting, while Hailey is...”

“I know.” Gathering her close, he simply held her while she wept.

As the day dragged on and the light faded, the air grew cooler and crisper. Full darkness fell and Lucas built another fire in the fireplace, unable to even look at the sofa where Hailey had slept.

Evidently Blythe had the same problem. She remained in the kitchen, having exchanged her cocoa for a glass of wine, which again, she barely touched.

Unable to stand it anymore, Lucas went outside to wait. Finally, he heard the sound of a vehicle making the ascent up his long drive. A moment later, he saw headlights.

“Blythe.” Just her name, but an instant later she joined him. “We have company,” he said.

Blythe blinked twice, willing herself to find her focus. She couldn’t fall apart, not now. Once again, she’d failed Hailey, true. But she refused to believe she wouldn’t get a second chance to rescue her.

This Martin Hunter, Pack Protector, had better be good. Because she was counting on him to help her save her daughter.

Standing side by side with Lucas on his wooden porch, she watched the car—obviously a rental compact—approach. She stood unmoving, as did Lucas, while the driver parked the vehicle and shut off its engine.

A short, heavyset man climbed from the car. Opening the back door, he grabbed an overnight bag, then turned and made his way over toward them.

Every instinct went on full alert. He didn’t look like any Pack Protector she’d ever seen.

Not that she’d actually seen one, but still. The Protectors were the law enforcers of the Shape-shifter world. She’s expected someone along the lines of a toned, navy SEAL–type guy, not an I-ate-too-many-doughnuts-stereotypical cop.

Beside her, Lucas stiffened. Evidently he too felt that something might be off.

“Lucas Kenyon?” the man asked, his deep bass voice rumbling.

Lucas nodded. “And this is Blythe Daphne, the missing girl’s mother.”

Missing girl. Hearing the words out loud stabbed her heart. Determined, she lifted her chin and stepped forward, holding out her hand. “You must be Martin Hunter.”

She waited until they’d shaken hands before clearing her throat. “I’ll need to see your credentials, please.”

Clearly surprised, Martin narrowed his eyes. Blythe sensed Lucas was ready to draw his weapon in the event there was trouble.

Evidently Martin noticed this, too. Letting go of his overnight bag, he raised his hand to his shoulders. “Easy, there. I’m getting my ID badge,” he said.

Procuring this from a shirt pocket, he held it out toward Blythe. She took it, not entirely sure what to look for, and carefully studied it, before passing it over to Lucas.

“I suppose if he was here to try and kill us, he wouldn’t have gone through all the bother of printing up a fake Protector badge,” Lucas murmured.

“Fake badge?” Martin raised his rather bushy eyebrows. “Look, I’ve come a long way. I’m tired, hungry and cold. Plus I need to use your bathroom. Can we please take this inside?”

Ignoring him, Lucas continued studying the badge. Finally, he shrugged and handed it back to Martin. “Sorry. We’re a bit suspicious.”

The other man accepted his badge and stuck it back in his pocket and nodded. “Understandably so.”

“Come on,” Lucas said, touching Blythe’s elbow, the gesture apparently to let her know it was okay. “Let’s go in the cabin and talk.”

Still unable to shake her foreboding, she led the way.

Just inside, Martin dropped his bag and excused himself to hurry to the restroom. The instant the door closed behind him, Blythe and Lucas looked at each other.

“Well? What do you think?” Lucas asked. “Is he for real?”

She shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ve never met a Pack Protector. It’s a little early to tell.”

“Let’s give the guy a chance,” Lucas said. “The first thing we need to ask him is if his organization is behind this.”

Swallowing back impatience, she nodded.

When the Protector returned, Blythe fidgeted, waiting until he’d taken a seat. “Did your people have anything to do with this?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” he answered. “I’ve put in a request for information, but haven’t heard anything yet.”

“Bureaucracy,” Lucas muttered.

Martin nodded, his focus still on Blythe. “Why don’t you tell me what you know?”

She glanced at Lucas before launching into the story. Martin took notes, which made her feel slightly better. He stopped her when she got to the part about other children.

“Pack children, you said?”

Glancing at Lucas, Blythe nodded and took a deep breath. “Not just Pack. At least one of the children is a Griffon.”

This surprised him, she could tell. Though his expression remained for the most part unchanged, a quick flicker of interest flashed into his eyes before he looked down to shield them.

“How do you know?” he asked, his pen poised over the notebook.

Swallowing hard, she glanced at Lucas who nodded silently. “Because my daughter, Hailey, is one—she’s a Griffon. And I don’t believe Jacob Gideon has any idea exactly what he has.”

Grim-faced, Martin stood. “I’ll have to call this in. Shifter children are bad enough, but Griffons...” He glanced at them both, frowning with preoccupation. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a walk outside and make a few calls.”

“Of course.” Both she and Lucas watched him go.

“I don’t get it,” Lucas said, frowning. “What difference does it make if the children are Shifters, Griffons or anything? They’re children, for Pete’s sake. We’ve got to help them.”

“I agree,” she began, but he pushed to his feet.

“I hate to tell you this, Blythe, but I think your Pack Protectors are worthless.”

Suddenly furious, she stood, too, crossing over to stand toe-to-toe with him. “First off, they’re not my Pack Protectors. And right now, they’re all we’ve got. They should be able to help. If not, we’re no worse off than we were before we called them.”

Though he narrowed his eyes, he didn’t argue. But a muscle worked in his jaw, a hint of some strong emotion that might have been anger.

She knew exactly how he felt. All that emotion and nowhere to channel it.

Except, she knew exactly where she wanted to expend it and how. Rage and grief made her reckless. The moment she had the thought, electricity arced between them. She felt it, and she saw it affect him, too, in his deeper, faster breathing, his enlarged pupils and the way he flexed his hands as if he were stroking her overheated skin.

He took a step back, away from her.

“We’ve got to do something about this,” he said, his expression pure pain. “Maybe not now, but soon.”

The Protector’s return saved her from responding. “Excuse me,” Martin said, looking from one to the other.

“First up, I have good news.”

Blythe narrowed her eyes. “About Hailey?”

“Yes.” He glanced at Lucas. “Did either of you happen to meet up with a Shifter named Kane?”

“Yes,” Lucas answered. “He’s the one who hired me to work at Sanctuary as a guard. He also helped Blythe and Hailey escape.”

Martin nodded, as though he’d expected no less. “He works for us. He’s deep undercover. And it was hinted that headquarters is aware of the situation at Sanctuary.”

“They know about what’s going on and they haven’t intervened yet?” Lucas said. “While Shifters are being tortured?”

“I’m sure they’re working on getting them out,” Martin said.

“What about my daughter?” Blythe grabbed his arm. “You said you had good news.”

Martin turned to her, his expression relieved. “Yes. Your little girl is safe.”

Blythe tightened her grip on his arm. “Where is she? What happened to her?”

Again, the other man glanced at Lucas before removing Blythe’s fingers from his arm. “Kane’s been tracking you.”

“How?” Lucas interrupted. “I made sure we weren’t followed.”

“Best guess, some sort of GPS device.” He took a deep breath, then faced Blythe fully, his resigned expression letting her know he expected an explosion. “I’ve been told his people were the ones who came and took your daughter.”

Stunned, her first instinct was to punch him. Her second, outright disbelief. “That makes no sense. He helped us escape. If he wanted Hailey, why wouldn’t he have taken her then?”

She had to give him credit. This Martin Hunter didn’t back down. “He got new orders. He’s trying to get the children out one by one. The Society wants to make sure they are all safe.”

Clenching her teeth, conscious that she’d balled her hands into fists, she glared at him. “She was safe. She was with us.”

“She needs access to medical facilities.” Something flashed in his eyes—pity? concern?—and she knew he was about to tell her something she wouldn’t like. “There is some concern that whatever experiments this Dr. Silva performed on her might have stressed her heart.”

Just like that, all the air went out of her. Somehow, she made it to the couch and sank down. “How do you know this?” she asked quietly. “And how certain are you?”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry.” Martin shook his head. “I can only report what I’m told.”

“Fine.” She struggled to understand. “But why take her this way? Without telling us? I’m her mother. I want to be with her.”

“That’s one reason why,” Martin said promptly. “Kane has reported that Jacob Gideon has worked himself into a frenzy. He’s vowed to get you and Hailey back, no matter what it takes. He also seems especially interested in your friend, Lucas, here. Of course, now that you’ve told me Lucas is his son, I understand.”

Glaring at him, Blythe crossed her arms. “So the stories are true. The Protectors have gone beyond a simple request that Griffon children be raised by them. You’ve now resorted to stealing them.”

Her statement appeared to anger Martin. “That’s completely uncalled for,” he said with quiet dignity. “This is a special case. Our job is to protect, not cause harm.”

About to respond, she swallowed her words when Lucas squeezed her shoulder, giving her a gentle reminded that none of this was Martin’s fault.

Martin grimaced, showing he understood her frustration. “Look, I know you love your daughter. Believe me when I say the best thing for her right now is to stay where she is.”

“At least tell me that,” she pleaded. “So I can go find her when this is all over.”

But both Martin and Lucas were already shaking their heads. “It’s better if you don’t know. If Jacob finds you... We’ve got to take every precaution. When this case has been closed, you will of course be allowed to go to her.”

Though Blythe nodded as though it all made perfect sense, as if she understood, her heart was breaking. If Hailey’s condition was weakening, who knew how much time she had left? Blythe wanted to spend every possible moment with her daughter, right up until the end.