Page 59 of Half Wolf Mate
Adam smirked. “My point is your Alpha’s sense of smell is as good as mine. He should have known.”
“He hasn’t been around me much the last couple of weeks. He usually gets home late when I’m already asleep.” In the guest room rather than his bedroom. “He’s been really busy. Distracted.” Which was why I felt so guilty about bringing more trouble to his doorstep. “You have to help me, Adam. Take me back to Cole’s so I can tell him what’s going on. I’ll still help you with Benjamin, I promise.”
Adam held my gaze for a moment as if trying to gauge if I was serious. Finally, he sighed. “All I wanted to do was find one man and get my revenge. Suddenly, I find myself in the middle of your and Cole’s relationship drama.”
“But you’re going to help me?” I asked hopefully.
He gave me an annoyed look. “Sure, whatever.”
I bit my lip to hide my smile. Adam tried so hard to be the bad guy when he was actually kind.
Chapter 25 Cole
“I have to find her.” I paced my living room, shoving my fingers through my hair with growing agitation.
“Cole, calm down.” Damian eyed me warily.
“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down!” I roared. My wolf was dangerously close to the surface. It wanted to burst free and go on a killing rampage until Sydney was found. I’d never felt anything like it. This level of fury and terror rolled into one. I’d never had something as precious as a mate taken away from me before.
The thing is, I wasn’t aware of how important Sydney had become to me until she was gone. Guilt pricked me in the chest for pretty much ignoring her the last couple of weeks. I’d taken the cowardly way out, putting distance between us because I felt myself getting too emotionally attached to her.
“You have to deal with this as you would with anything else,” Damian said. “With a cool head. If you lose it now, we won’t get anywhere with the search.”
Taking a deep breath, I looked at my Beta and nodded. “You’re right.”
Dominic, Stephan, and Alex were in the room. I noticed they kept their distance. They’d never seen me this close to losing my shit before. I imagined it was uncomfortable for them. It was unfair of me to lash out when all they’d ever done was show me loyalty. None of them hesitated to help me keep Sydney safe, even though the elders and the rest of the pack would frown upon my actions.
“I’m sorry, guys,” I said. I didn’t apologize often, but they deserved one. “I’m just worried.” It was hard to forget the picture of the blood I’d seen in the alley between the apartment buildings a block from my place. I’d come home to check on Sydney instead of sending Alex back, and she was gone.
As I’d tracked her scent toward the park, I was livid. I had plans of lecturing Sydney when I found her. Of course, with the blazing passion between us, my lecture would likely turn sexual fast. When I smelled her blood and saw the evidence of a fight, my fury dissipated, leaving in its place sheer terror. I didn’t remember ever panicking about anything before seeing Sydney’s blood on the pavement.
Most of it wasn’t hers, but she was still injured. On the ground were her broken cell phone and the dagger I’d given back to her. There was blood on the knife, and I knew she’d taken a slice out of at least one of her attackers. I felt a sliver of pride about that. Sydney was fierce. That was a tad comforting. Wherever she was, I knew she’d fight.
“Of course, you’re worried. We all are.”
I glanced at Alex, who had stepped forward. He didn’t meet my gaze.
“This is my fault. I left her—”
“No, the blame falls on me,” I interrupted. “I ordered you to join the rest of us. I should have let you stay with her.”
Alex sighed and continued to study his boots. “Still, I feel responsible. I’m going to go back out and double-check the park. Maybe we missed something.”
Knowing that Alex just needed to keep busy because of his unnecessary guilt, I nodded. “Sure. Go ahead.”
When he was gone, Stephan stepped forward. He’d been the calmest out of all of us. He was usually back at the pack’s compound and hadn’t gotten as close to Sydney as the rest of us. So, he wasn’t feeling the level of concern we felt.
“I know you’re not in the space to discuss pack business,” he said. “But we haven’t discussed that the blood in that alley belonged to werewolves and not hunters.”
I scrubbed my face. That was crucial information, but I couldn’t care less with Sydney missing. Once I found her, I’d worry about everything else.
“Not a good time,” Damian said between clenched teeth.
Stephan blinked, glanced at me, and backed off. “Of course.”
Dominic gave Stephan an annoyed look. “Alpha, Stephan, and I should get that alley cleaned up before a human sees the substantial amount of blood and reports it or something.”
“Right.” Massaging the bridge of my nose, I said, “You do that. Thanks.” Usually, I’d be the first to recommend that, but my mind was out of sorts.