Page 47 of Wolf's Fate

It was mine.

Night fell quickly.The road was eerily quiet, the moon hardly a sliver in the sky. As the car ate up the miles, the feeling of urgency began to ride me harder. Tension settled within me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Something was really fucking wrong.

With frustration, I opened the windows, letting the night air saturate around me as I hoped to catch a trail of her scent. Blue and red lights shone in the distance, and I pushed the car even faster, slowing down as I approached but wanting to run into the thick of it.

Getting out of the car, I edged closer. No one noticed me as I slipped into the trees. The smell hit me before I saw anything.

Blood.

My breath caught in my throat, the coppery tang of spilled blood burning my nostrils, making my mouth dry. Up ahead of me, I saw police and EMTs looking downwards. I was already aware that something rested at the bottom of the slight valley.

My feet slowed when I caught a glimpse of the overturned truck that lay on its roof. All the windows were shattered, and two of the doors were missing completely. The smell of gasoline, burnt rubber, and blood was a lot for my senses, but it didn’t stop me from getting closer, my eyes narrowing as I searched the scene for any signs of her. I could feel my wolf close to the surface, and I tried to control my emotions, but the scent of blood was messing with my head.

Her blood.

So much blood.

Ignoring the humans, I got closer to the truck, taking in the blood-covered leather seats. Blood on the dashboard, on the roof of the truck, I took it all in. Seeing the torn seat belt, my anger surged.

There were so many scents. Doc, I could identify, his shifter blood coming through. Willow’s scent was everywhere, but not strong enough to indicate she was nearby. I tried to siftthrough the other scents, trying to distinguish between first responders and anyone other.

Stepping back, I saw her backpack, recognizing items of clothing strewn among the wreckage as hers.

But one thing was clear. She was gone.

Circling the truck, I looked for any other signs of her or who took her. I knew she wasn’t in an ambulance. The nearest hospital was behind us, and they would have passed me on the road.

My wolf grumbled in my chest, a low growl sounding from me, hinting at how restless and angry I was.

Had someone taken her? Did they have her? Searching the ground, I looked for tracks. Where the fuck was she?

Crouching down, I dipped my fingers into the blood as I struggled to keep the wolf contained. The blood was still wet, and my instincts were telling me she was alive.

But for how long?

Why would they take Willow? My fingers curled. The need to swipe my claws across this truck and release my frustration was building.

I saw her backpack again, and at the same time, a human saw me.

“Hey! You! Get away from there!”

Snatching her backpack, I ran to the trees, the dense forest hiding me from their sight, and I knew woods much better than any of my pursuers.

Still, I moved carefully, hoping to find a trace of Willow. My nostrils flared as I caught a faint hint of fresh blood. My head whipped in the opposite direction of where the wreckwas. I was running towards it, barely taking a moment to consider if it was a trap.

The scent of another had me slow down and start to move with caution. Resting against a tree, I forced myself to quiet down and listen. Pushing past the sounds of the emergency services at the wreckage, I drilled into the sounds of whatelseI could hear.

Footsteps? Straining, I concentrated. Two sets and…there.

Willow.

I was running again. I had her scent now. It was faint, and I knew she was in trouble because I wasn’t the only shifter in the woods honing in on her.

He came at me from the side, catching me unawares. The force of his impact took both of us off our feet, and we hit the ground hard. I didn’t recognize him, but he was definitely a shifter. His punch to my gut winded me, but I didn’t have time for a fistfight. I caught his neck with my teeth, my fangs elongating, sinking deep right over his jugular, and I bit down. His blows fell across my body, but with a quick jerk of my head, I ripped his throat out. Blood poured over me, and I cursed as I pushed the lifeless body off me.

Wiping my face of the blood, I resumed my search for Willow.