Page 76 of Alpha Fate
I duck through the doorway, my eyes quickly adjusting to the dim interior. There’s dust in the air; the concrete floor is littered with rubble – scraps of rusted machinery, piles of rotting wooden pallets, shards of broken glass.
And pawprints. Many of them crossing this way and that.
I pad slowly along Savannah’s trail, muzzle to the ground. There’s no sound except the scuff of my paws and the occasional drip of water. Too quiet. My hackles are still raised, my muscles tensed and ready for anything.
Up ahead, the trail ends at a door swinging precariously from one hinge. I pause, scenting the air again. Beyond that door, her scent is stronger, mixed with something that puts my wolf on high alert. The musk of an unknown male.
Alpha.
And…blood. Just a trace, but it’s there.
A snarl rips from my throat before I can stop it.
If he hurt her, I’ll rip his fucking throat out!
I barrel through the door, wood splintering around me. The room beyond is some kind of office, furniture overturned and paperwork strewn across the floor. Signs of a struggle.
There, by the smashed window!
There’s blood smeared on the remaining shards of glass. Not much, but enough.
Rage surges through me. I throw back my head and howl, the sound echoing through the empty building.
The scent. The Alpha’s scent is stronger now. As my howl fades, I realize why it seems familiar. I’ve smelled this wolf before. Recently.
In the cells at Leadmills.
Rack.
It has to be. He’s taken her again. Rage burns through my veins like liquid fire. I barely stop myself from tearing the room apart in fury.
Wind it in, Heller!
I force my wolf to be patient. If I lose control now, I might lose the trail. Jaws open, I draw in deep breaths of air, sorting through the scents.
There, past the blood and fear, is the trail… It’s leading out the back way, through a busted door.
Bursting back into the sunlight, I’m running full tilt again. The trail heads out of the lot, back to the crumbling roadway. Here, tires have ripped through the weeds and crushed gravel. I can smell the reek of exhaust fumes mingling with Savannah’s scent as it grows fainter. They must have had vehicles nearby.
They’ve taken her.
But to where?
The road curves out of sight up ahead. I pour on more speed, paws kicking up dirt. As I come around the bend, I spot them – two pickup trucks speeding away, almost out of sight already. I can just make out figures in the back of one…
Savannah!
No!
I snarl in fury and run harder, faster than I’ve ever run in my life. It’s no use. They’re too far away. I’ll never catch up.
In desperation, I lift my head to the sky and howl again. The sound is plaintive in the silence of the night, not hinting at the rage and frustration behind it.
Fuck! Fuuuuck!
My howl tapers off as the trucks disappear from view. Chest heaving, I lower my head in despair.
You can’t give up!