Page 2 of An Unending Claim

“Agustin, would you like me to call his family first? I can give them the basics so you can give them comfort without having to relay the painful information.”

The tiger chuckled. “And they say you are heartless. I know different, friend.”

“Don’t spread it around,” I grumbled.

“No. No, I’ll call Beau’s wife, but I appreciate the offer. Leadership isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, is it?”

“It certainly isn’t,” I agreed, grim once again.

Jase stuck his head out of the double doors leading into the patient area and jerked it toward the room before going back inside.

“Speaking of…”

“Thank you for calling directly, Nate. I appreciate it.”

“Give his family my sympathies.”

“Absolutely. Chao.”

“Chao.”

I hung up and put my phone away as I stalked back into the room where my enforcers were standing in a huddle near Fenn’s bed.

Jase spotted me and frowned. “Word has already reached Aubrey. He’s decided to come himself.”

“Fantastic,” I grunted.

The Fae were very frustrating creatures. They were smug, self-righteous, and tended to try to take control of every situation. They believed themselves to be the most superior race in existence. Not to mention the fact that not one of them was unattractive and, like vampires, they drew you in, making you want them, willing to give them anything they wanted.

However, they weren’t all bad and could be reasonable if you didn’t let them fuck with you. And since the Fae had never been able to ruffle my feathers—so to speak—I’d gained their respect. And many had earned mine, no matter how much of a pain in the ass they were. Aubrey was king of the Dark Fae, and I frequently wanted to put his head through a wall in hopes of deflating his ego. But he was also an excellent leader, renowned for being hard but fair. His people feared and respected him. They trusted him because despite being an arrogant, deadly asshole who had a soul nearly as dark as the devil’s, he gave them no reason to doubt his loyalty and had always protected them fiercely. This also meant that if someone fucked with one of his people… well, it was just a really bad idea.

I was currently out of his favor and rescuing Fenn wouldn’t do much to help once the king saw Fenn’s condition.

“I don’t have time for his tantrums,” I growled. “I need to get home to Peyton.” It was just after three in the morning, and we had a four-hour drive back home. I’d been away from her for too long. My wolf and I were both anxious to make sure she and our cub were safe. And we missed her. “I brought in KBO security to watch over Fenn until his people come for him. Let’s roll out.”

The Council member was in good hands so we left, piling into a couple of SUVs to make the trek back to Silver Lake. As we left the city behind, the surrounding area became more and more rural. Most of the property around our land was undeveloped or state parks. Due to the size of the pack, which was larger than most, we couldn’t all coexist on a compound like many others did. So, we used other measures to keep the pack, and town, safe.

There were only four main entrances to the town, which we had to pass through to get to the area around the lake where most of us lived. We had guard stations built at each entrance, but they looked like small houses because we didn’t want to draw the attention of the humans who also inhabited Silver Lake. Some of them knew who they lived beside, especially if they had a family member who mated someone in the pack.

As we drove by one of the guard stations several hours later, the pack member on duty popped his head out and nodded in greeting. I stopped to get a quick report from him, but my wolf and I felt unsettled and anxious to see Peyton. Her emotions were a mess, jumping around wildly, and I couldn’t make heads nor tails of what she was feeling. The only thing I knew for sure was that something was wrong.

After a quick goodbye, we drove into the quaint little downtown area complete with a town square sporting a gazebo and small amphitheater. A few minutes later, I turned onto the main road that circled the lake. We passed cabins, houses, and driveways to properties that were kept private by their landscaping. Glimpses of the lake shimmered between the trees as the sunlight reflected off its surface. Eventually, I exited the main road onto a smaller one that led to the more private and remote area where I’d built my home.

We were less than five minutes away when I was overwhelmed with pain and fear.Son of a bitch, that’s intense. I breathed deep, trying to concentrate, and reached out to Allison.

What the fuck is going on there?

Something’s happened.

Peyton?My heart rate accelerated, and blood rushed into my ears. I yanked out my phone and called Allison, who immediately picked it up.

“She ran off again.”

I was stunned by her news. “Peyton went off on her own?” No, I didn’t believe it. She’d promised me, promised to protect herself and our cub. But her emotions definitely seemed to support Allison’s story.

“She was out for a run with Sabrina, Lincoln, and me. Everything was normal; then, around ten minutes ago, she froze for a half-second before taking off like a bat out of hell. We tried to keep up with her, but she’s so damn fast.”

“Why? There has to be a reason.” I tried not to assume Peyton was simply being defiant and reckless. I’d told her I’d be patient and wait for an explanation before flying off the handle.