I didn’t know how long I ran, but it felt like a long time. Every part of my body ached. Even though it felt good to be in bear form, the whole process of changing had been tiring and hard on my body. The run itself had wiped me out, too, of course. I hadn’t been allowed to exercise in weeks, and it showed in my heavy breathing and rapid heart rate.

I paused to catch my breath, but also because I’d picked up a strange scent. A human one—from no one I recognized—which wasn’t strange in itself, but out there, it was. I was getting close to the spot where the walkie call had come from.

I approached the area with greater caution. If someone was around, I didn’t want them to be aware of me. I needed to be able to see, hear and smell without being seen, heard or smelled myself.

As I walked through the tall brush and attempted to move my huge bear body without much sound, I picked up an unmistakable scent. Animals and people had their own sort of scents. Animals, of course, smelled wild and earthy; the larger the creature, the stronger the scent, in most cases. A wolf would have a stronger smell than a rat, for example. Shifters had a unique blend of human and animal, so it was easy to tell who we were if you were close enough to get a whiff. Humans could smell like flowers and spices, but also like dirt, cigarettes or paint; baby spit-up, pizza or body odor…

What I smelled at that moment was the scent of a structure, but not just any structure: one full of rot, mildew and bugs. Bugs had their own scent, too: a sharper smell than most animals. Tangy, even. There were bugs, and there also had to be some sort of old home, garage or other building in the near vicinity. I followed the scent closer.

Before long, a cabin came into view; just the roof and chimney at first, then the walls and front door. I stayed well hidden, watching.

The place must have been abandoned years ago, based on how the green shrubs had grown up and around it. The trees hung too low, the path leading to the cabin was only faintly visible between the growth that had taken over. The rot I smelled was the cabin itself, its wooden beams and walls decaying. And whatever was inside must have been the source of the other nasty scents I’d picked up on. It was a set piece right out of a horror scene.

I had to watch the place for a while before I could make any sort of move to go in. But I knew I had found her. It was the location that matched where the walkie call had originated from. Gabby had to be inside or in the area.

I walked the perimeter, sniffing hard. There was strangely little scent of humans around the cabin. I dared to move closer and came into the range of being able to smell more in the cabin. When I realized there were multiple people in there, my heart raced and my hands shook. Are all of the missing women right here inside this cabin? I shouldn’t have been alone. I knew that. I should have called Jace to help me. I should have, at the very least, let someone—anyone—know where I was.

Gabby had been out doing her job. I was doing the same thing she’d been doing when she went missing, only she had backup, a walkie and a belt full of gear. I had none of that. I had my bear claws and teeth, along with my animal speed. But even with all that, I was slower than I’d been—and weaker. I was in no position to fight. What I did have was intense determination and the motivational love of a long-time friendship.

While I watched, I planned. Was there a way I could sneak in? A way I could get closer without being seen? If only I’d brought a gun. A knife. Something. How stupid of me to run out here like this.

But I knew why. Gabby needed me. I drew in a slow breath, tinged with her scent, and I nearly threw up. I was getting anxious, ready to dash right in and break her out, when the front door opened.

The man was gray-haired and scraggly looking; his clothing, torn and ratty. But it was his scent that was by far the strongest and most offensive. He looked like a bum, hiding out in this rundown cabin. And, apparently, collecting women—and doing who knew what with them—to pass the time.

When he stepped out onto the front porch to light a cigarette, the door didn’t close fully behind him. I moved to the right and got a view of the crack left by the open door. In that little sliver of the inside, I saw many things. First, the dirty wooden floor. But on that floor, a shoe and a leg. A person sat against the wall. Gagged. Her hands tucked behind her back in a way that seemed like she was bound.

It was when I saw the blood that I sucked in a gasp, which came out like a growl since I was still in bear form. I couldn’t help it, though. Beside the leg, a pool of red. The woman—what I could see of her—wasn’t moving. Could I be looking at a dead woman? I shoved my paw over my mouth to keep from screaming.

The man looked right at me. He’d heard my growl; he must have. He narrowed his eyes at me, and I barely breathed.

He turned and walked back inside the cabin, and I felt a tiny twinge of relief. The reality of what I saw slowly settled in. At least one of the women was dead. I couldn’t swallow. It became too much and I turned to throw up. Gabby couldn’t be dead. I couldn’t even think it.

But I had a decision to make. How would I go about this? I needed a good plan that would get the women out and have the man taken down—while remaining safe. I wasn’t sure how to make sure all of those things happened.

Then the man, who I’d assumed went back inside because he was finished with his cigarette, came back out. He carried a gun in his hands. And he came right for me.

I could smell that he wasn’t a shifter. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t see or hear a bear in the woods a few feet from him.

The ground crunched under his feet as he approached, and I knew I had to move. If I waited any longer, he would get too close for me to get away. I backed up slowly so that I didn’t make any noise, but it wasn’t easy. Dead branches covered the ground, and in the shade-covered spots, small patches of ice still remained. Every sound felt amplified.

The man picked up his pace, taking several more steps in my direction. My backward movement halted. My fear became too intense and I couldn’t move. Then, to my right, I heard someone else approach.