“Let’s not jump ahead of ourselves,” Eli insisted. “First, we need to find out if she came home last night.”

“And what do we do if she didn’t?” I asked. It was time we let his dad know what was going on. Violet was only sixteen. She was a kid.

“We’ll figure it out when we cross that bridge,” Eli said as he took a bite of his grilled cheese.

I couldn’t believe he was eating at a time like this. I wouldn’t be able to do anything until I knew whether Violet was safe. “Let’s swing by her place and see if she’s there.”

“Right now? Okay, sure.” He dusted his hands off on his shorts, sending buttered crumbs flying through the air, and headed toward his front door. “Let’s go see if she’s home, then.”

My heart pounded against my rib cage as I followed after him. Before I reached the door my cell buzzed with a new text. It was from Gracie.

Callie just called me. Violet didn’t come home last night. No one has seen her since yesterday afternoon. I’m going over to sit with her. Gran left to pick Dad up from somewhere. Let her know I’m probably spending the night with Callie, okay?

I reread Gracie’s text, focusing on the sentence where she said Violet didn’t come home last night. Dizziness swept through me. I gripped Eli’s shirt to steady myself.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he paused and glanced over his shoulder at me.

“That was Gracie. Violet didn’t come home last night. No one has seen her since yesterday afternoon. She’s missing,” I whispered.

The floor beneath me spun as my heartbeat continued to thunder in my ears. I released my grip on Eli and thought I might crumble to the floor.

Violet had been abducted. She’d been taken in my place.

Eli shifted to face me. His hand gripped my hips as he pulled me into him. My skin tingled where his hands touched me.

“We still don’t know she was taken by Shane and his brothers. We have reason to suspect, don’t get me wrong, but we don’t know for sure,” he insisted.

“Are you kidding me? What more do you need?” I maneuvered my way out of his grasp. Why didn’t he just call a spade a spade? We both knew who’d taken her.

Eli ran a hand through his hair. “It’s time we take this to my dad. I’m sure Violet’s parents have already let him know she’s missing, but in order to find her as soon as possible, he’ll need to know everything we do.”

A lump formed in my throat. Would we be reprimanded for keeping so much information to ourselves? I forced the thought away before it could truly take hold. It didn’t matter. Not now. Violet was missing. Glenn was missing. Who would go missing next if we didn’t say something?

“Let’s head to my parents’ place. We need to tell my dad before he sends out anyone to search for her.” Eli exited through the front door. Thick, humid air wafted inside the trailer. It smothered all the cool air inside, making my skin feel sticky with sweat instantly.

I started through the door behind him, taking my time on the wooden steps because my legs felt like Jell-O since learning Violet was missing. Eli reached for my hand. His fingers intertwined with mine, and the familiar rush of electricity I always seemed to feel at his touch flowed across my skin. The sensation rolled over me like a sedative.

Neither of us spoke as we started toward his parents’ trailer. Guilt ate at me from not having made sure Violet had gone home after I spotted her in the woods. I could have done something. I was there.

When we were nearly at his parents’ front door, Eli glanced at me. His hand squeezed mine. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get Violet back. She’ll be fine.”

“I hope you’re right,” I said.

I paused once we reached his parents’ porch and messaged Gracie back, letting her know I’d tell Gran where she was. I also mentioned how sorry I was to hear about Violet.

“Ready?” Eli asked as he stepped onto their porch.

I shoved my cell into my back pocket and nodded.

Eli rapped his knuckles on the door twice before turning the knob. I climbed the stairs and stepped in behind him, my body a bundle of nerves.

A shiver slipped through me. The place was like an icebox. Cold air blasted through the vent above where I stood. Eli stepped farther into the living room and I followed. My flip-flops slapped against the laminate wood floors as I walked.

“Hey, honey,” Eli’s mom’s soft voice floated to my ears. “To what do we owe the pleasure of this surprise visit?”

June Vargas was a sweet woman in her mid-fifties who was absolutely stunning. She was short and slender with dark hair down to her waist. It was her bright green eyes each of the Vargas boys had inherited.

“Hey, Mama,” Eli said in a voice that sent goose bumps prickling across my skin. He was a mama’s boy at heart. I could tell from the way he talked to her, and I thought it was the sweetest thing ever.

“Is that little Mina Ryan behind you?” Mrs. Vargas peeked around Eli to get a better look at me. “How have you been, sugar? That daddy of yours doing okay?”

“Hi, Mrs. Vargas. I’ve been good. And yeah, Dad is okay.” I stepped around Eli so she could see me better. She sat on the couch, folding clothes while the TV played softly in the background. From the few seconds I’d heard, it sounded like a daytime soap opera.

“That’s good. What about your grandmother? She doing all right?” Her hands continued to fold laundry as her gaze remained on me.

I nodded and tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear. “She’s good.”

“That garden of hers still doing well? I thought I saw your sister out there last week with her. I just love that Gracie likes to garden. It’s so sweet.”

“Gran’s garden is her pride and joy. She’s out there every chance she gets,” I insisted. “And Gracie does like it. She soaks up Gran’s knowledge whenever she can.”

A wide smile stretched across Mrs. Vargas’s face. “That’s good. Hobbies are good things to have. They keep people out of trouble.” She reached for a fluffy towel and folded it in half. “So, what are the two of you stopping by for?” Her eyes shifted from me to Eli.

“We have something pack related to share with Dad. Is he around?” Eli asked.

“He is. He’s in the back bedroom. Let me get him for you.” She laid the towel she’d folded on top of the stack beside her and stood to walk toward the back of the trailer. Her footsteps made little noise across the laminate flooring when she started down the hall.

“You can sit down if you want.” Eli motioned to a recliner. “I’ll do all the talking.”

“Okay.” I stepped toward the recliner, deciding I had no qualms about him doing all the talking.

“He’ll be out in a second. Let him finish up with the call he’s on,” Mrs. Vargas said as she positioned herself in the same spot on the couch from before and resumed folding clothes. “He’s been so busy lately. I don’t know what’s going on, but it must be serious. He’s been under a tremendous amount of stress. I’m presuming whatever the two of you have to say is going to add to it, am I right?” Her gaze drifted between the two of us.

“Yeah, but I don’t have any choice,” Eli said.

“Oh, lord. I’m not mad at you. All I’m saying is he’s been under a lot of stress lately. I’m hoping everything will mellow out again soon.”

“It will. It always does,” Eli insisted.

“I know.” She sighed. “He’s getting too old for this, though. I keep telling him he needs to give the alpha responsibilities to you. The man needs to retire. He needs a dang break.” Her full lips twisted into a frown as the area between her brows creased with worry. “You’re old enough to handle everything. Heck, you’re a year older than he was when he took over for his father. He’s such a control freak sometimes.”

I pretended I was invisible. Never had so much pack information been said in front of me before. Being privy to it felt like I’d invaded their privacy somehow. I forced my eyes to take in the inside of their trailer. It had been years since I’d been inside.

The last time cream-colored wallpaper had decorated the living room walls. I remembered it had tiny blue and pink flowers on it. I wasn’t sure if it had come with the trailer or if it had been something Mrs. Vargas had added to give the place a touch of femininity. While I wasn’t a fan of wallpaper, it had been nice. Now, it was gone, though. Soothing gray walls were in its place. The beige carpet I remembered had been ripped up and replaced by light colored laminate. Even the kitchen cabinets seemed to have undergone a makeover from where I sat. Instead of the dark wood they used to be they’d been painted a smoky blue.

“You’ve done so much to the place since the last time I was here,” I said once I realized everyone had lapsed into silence.

“Thank you.” Mrs. Vargas smiled. “It’s been a labor of love for years. We’ve had the storage shed outside slap full of things Wesley’s picked up from carpentry jobs over the years. I finally got him to put some of the items to good use.” She finished folding the dishrag she held and stood. “Come look at this bathroom. It’s the only room in the house we’ve completely finished.”

I stood and followed her down the narrow hall.

“The last time I was here, I remember the cream-colored wallpaper you had with the blue and pink flowers. This gray looks great, though. I love the color.”

“Thank you. I think it makes the whole place look bigger.” She swung open the third door on the left. I’d never been this far into the Vargas trailer. In fact, I’d never made it past the kitchen and living room area. “We finished this room a couple weekends ago. I don’t know if you ever saw it before, but everything in here was a god-awful pink. The sink, the toilet, the bathtub. It looked like somebody vomited Pepto all over the darn room.”

I wasn’t surprised. Some of the trailers Bobby rented out where what some would call vintage. I called them ugly. Thank goodness Gran’s trailer hadn’t been one of them. It was decent. Not completely updated on the inside but decent.

“This looks great,” I said as I took in the small room. The walls had been painted a light coffee color that matched the tile in the shower and the light-colored flooring made the room seem larger than what it was. There was a rustic farmhouse vibe I found appealing. “I love those wire baskets on the wall.”

“I found them at a thrift shop in town and painted them myself.”

“Crafty.”

Male voices sounded from the living room. Our alpha seemed to have finished his phone call. Suddenly, I found it hard to breathe.

“Oh, sounds like Wesley finished his call,” Mrs. Vargas said as she closed the bathroom door and started back down the hall. I followed after her, my nervousness coming back full force.

“I know I should come by more often,” I heard Eli say as we stepped into the living room.

“Dinner once a week with you would be nice,” Mr. Vargas insisted as he positioned himself in the recliner I’d been sitting in previously.

I couldn’t believe Eli had let me sit in his dad’s chair.

Mr. Vargas’s eyes bypassed his wife and flicked to me as I stepped to Eli’s side. The corners of his lips twisted upward.

“Mina,” he greeted me. His rich voice rumbled through the trailer, bouncing off the thin walls and causing my heart to pound ferociously inside my chest. So much power emanated from him. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been well,” I said, trying my damnedest to hold his gaze. “Thank you.”

“Good, and I presume your family is doing well also?”

“Yes, sir.”

Mr. Vargas’s eyes shifted back to Eli. “Then to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

Eli cleared his throat. “Have you heard about Violet Marshal?”

“What about her?” From his tone, it was clear he knew something but he wasn’t willing to give away any details.

“Did you know she’s been missing since yesterday?” Eli asked.

Mr. Vargas nodded. Sadness drooped his expression and weighed down his shoulders. “Yes, her parents came to me early this morning with the news. Do either of you know anything about her disappearance?”

“Unfortunately, we do.” Eli scratched the back of his neck while I shifted on my feet. “We have reason to believe there are poachers abducting wolves from the pack.”

“What led you to believe this?” he asked.

Eli glanced at me and then back to his father before speaking again. I wasn’t sure if he was checking to see if I wanted to tell his dad what I’d found in the woods, or if he was making sure I was still breathing. When I barely acknowledged him, he continued talking. “Mina has seen some interesting things in the woods lately. She thought she witnessed Glenn in wolf form running through the woods the night he disappeared. A couple of days later, she stumbled upon an area in the woods that looked as though a struggle had taken place. There was blood on the ground and some scratch marks.”

“Did you see the area where a struggle happened with your own eyes?” Mr. Vargas asked Eli. He wasn’t calling me a liar but instead seemed to be making sure there was a witness for what I’d seen all the same.

“I did. Mina brought me to the area later that night. While we were there, we heard a couple of guys—humans—talking about needing to abduct a female wolf. They were making a deal with someone for money in exchange for the wolf.”

“And, you think Violet is whom they decided to abduct?” Mr. Vargas asked. “You think someone is targeting our pack for their gain?”

“I do,” Eli insisted.

“What proof do you have? I don’t mean to discredit what you’re telling me, but I know from years of experience that when young ones become moon kissed they don’t always stay with their pack. Sometimes they move on to find new places for themselves and carve their own paths. Others venture into the woods and become lost, exhilarated by the feel of the change and forget to double back when they’ve gone too far.”

“That’s not what happened to Violet.” The words propelled themselves passed my lips without thought. I’d promised Eli I would let him do all the talking, but I didn’t like the implications being placed on Violet. She hadn’t run away to carve a new path for herself. She hadn’t ventured into the woods and gotten lost either. “She was taken. I can feel it in my gut.”

Mr. Vargas’s eyes locked on mine. “While I am generally a firm believer in intuition, I have to say, in this situation I need more proof than that. There are bigger issues I’m dealing with at the moment. Ones that involve the pack as a whole. I don’t have the time, or the man power, to shift my attention to one particular girl who may or may not be truly missing. Same goes with Glenn.”

“This isn’t just about one particular girl, Father. It’s not about Glenn either,” Eli insisted. “This involves the pack as a whole. Who’s to say the same people won’t take another member?”

“I understand your cause for concern, son. I truly do,” Mr. Vargas insisted with a nod of his head. “But I cannot push the matter I’m currently dealing with aside to focus on this one. It’s of too much importance.”

My heart deflated. Coming here had done no good. We had no tangible proof. All we had was what we’d witnessed. Unless Tate had something to add. Maybe he’d seen who shot him with the tranquilizer. Maybe he’d heard something.

“What about Tate? Did you know he was shot with a tranquilizer last night, the same night Violet disappeared?” I asked ready to lay everything on the table. Eli stiffened beside me, and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to divulge that information. If I wasn’t, it was too late now.

“I’ve heard nothing of the nature. How do you know this?” Mr. Vargas asked. His intense gaze pinned me in place.

“Eli told me. Tate was watching over me last night while I camped with my boyfriend and some of his friends.” I swallowed hard, hating having used the word boyfriend in reference to Alec in front of Eli and the alpha of the pack. There didn’t seem to be a better label to place on Alec, though. He wasn’t a friend. I didn’t kiss my friends the way we’d kissed in the lake last night. Yet, the word boyfriend didn’t seem to fit either. Not really.

I guess I wasn’t sure what we were.

“Why would you need my son to watch over you while you camped?” Mr. Vargas asked. It was a valid question.

“One of my boyfriend’s friends happens to be one of the guys who abducted Glenn. And since I’ve been moon kissed and am what they’re looking for next, Eli figured it would be best to have someone watch over me while I camped.”

“Why would you put yourself in such danger? Why spend the night in the woods with them at all?” Mrs. Vargas asked. There was a wild note whirling in the pitch of her voice.

“I wanted more information. I wanted to find out where Glenn was. If he was alive. Taryn deserves to know what happened to him.”

“Did you find anything more out?” Mr. Vargas asked.

“No.” I pulled in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I did happen to see Violet in the woods, though. She was running in wolf form. Alone. I didn’t think it was wise for her to be there, considering what I knew, so I sent a message to Eli. He said he’d message Tate. Unfortunately, Tate was shot with a tranquilizer and passed out. He was never able to help Violet home safely. I was warned by one of the Caraway witches on the camping trip that I needed to be careful that night. She had a gut feeling something was going to happen to me. I think it was Shane and his brothers planning to abduct me.”

“You think they took Violet instead of you. Why?” Mr. Vargas asked.

I could feel everyone’s eyes boring into me. Unease prickled across my skin.

“She was a weaker target than me,” I whispered.

Mr. Vargas seemed to consider what I’d said.

“I think you’re right,” he said after a few minutes had passed. “Eli, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to speak to you alone.” He stood and walked toward be back of the trailer.

A loud sigh rushed past Mrs. Vargas’s lips once they were gone.

“I hope you’re wrong. I’ve been praying all morning that little girl would find her way back home on her own, that maybe she got turned around in the woods or wandered too far,” she said. “But now, I can’t help thinking you might be right.”

“I was hoping I was wrong too.”

Mrs. Vargas stood and crossed to where I was so she could pull me into a hug. “I’m glad you weren’t taken, Mina. I know it’s sad Violet was, but if it had been you, I don’t know what Eli would have done. He would be beside himself if something ever happened to you.”

My breath hitched in my throat as I awkwardly returned her hug. Did she really think Eli cared for me that much?

“My heart is breaking to pieces for Violet’s family,” she insisted as tears glistened in her eyes. “I can’t imagine.”

Silence built between us as we both became lost in our thoughts.

“How rude of me. Can I get you anything to drink? I’m not sure how long they’ll be talking,” Mrs. Vargas said.

I shook my head. “I’m okay.”

“Well then, at least have a seat. You’re making me nervous standing there.”

I crossed the room and sat at the end of the couch opposite her. It didn’t feel right sitting in the recliner now that I knew it was the alpha’s seat.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Mrs. Vargas had gone back to folding laundry. Her attention zeroed in on the couple arguing on TV. I caught the tail end of the dramatic scene. They seemed to be fighting over something that involved the woman’s younger sister.

“I can’t believe Scarlett did that. Now her husband knows she knows. I’ve been waiting for five episodes to find out when that all would come out,” Mrs. Vargas said. She’d somehow managed to submerge herself in her show even after everything we’d just talked about.

When Eli and his dad came back, I was ready to get out of there. I’d listened to all of the soap opera drama I cared to.

“You ready?” Eli asked. Tension swirled through his green eyes. It had me guessing the conversation with his dad might not have gone well.

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’m glad you stopped by, Mina,” Mrs. Vargas called out to me as I followed Eli toward the door. “Swing by anytime. It’s always a pleasure to have you over. Oh, and tell your grandma I said hello.”

“I will, thank you.”

“And, Eli,” she lifted her voice, giving it a motherly tone. “You better stop being so scarce around this place. We would love to see you more, especially the boys. You know how much they all adore you.”

“I know,” Eli said. His cheeks tinted pink, and I had to hide my grin. “I’ll try to swing by at least once a week for dinner.”

“You know, you could also offer to let us take a gander at your place. I know I speak for all of us when I say we’d love to see what you’ve done on the inside,” Mr. Vargas chimed in.

“I will.” Eli gripped the handle to the front door and twisted. Once we were outside, he glared at me. “What are you smirking at?” The corners of his lips twisted into the ghost of a smile, letting me know he wasn’t as irritated with me as he pretended to be.

“I told you to stop by your parents for dinner once a week, didn’t I? You should have listened to me,” I said as I nudged him with my elbow.

“That you did.”

My cell buzzed in my back pocket with the new text as we headed toward his place. It was Gracie again.

Can you take Winston for a walk, please?

I rolled my eyes and let out a puff of air. How had I known I’d end up being the one to take care of that stupid puppy? And Winston? When had she named him?

“What’s wrong?” Eli asked.

“I have to swing by my place to take Gracie’s puppy for a walk.” I sighed. “I’ll come to yours when I’m done.”

“Oh, so you do still want to have dinner with me tonight?” A satisfied look glimmered in his eyes.

“Actually, I wanted to hear what your dad said. You looked irritated when you came back from talking with him.”

Eli crammed his hands into his front pockets. “And here I thought you were all about enjoying my company tonight.”

I shoved him playfully. “Will you stop? We have serious matters to talk about, and don’t think you’re getting out of keeping me in the loop on it. Whatever it is, I want to know.” Even if it went against his father’s orders.

Pack law was pack law, though. When the alpha said it couldn’t be repeated, that was it. Mum was the word.

“Get the dog. We’ll take it for a walk together. I’ll fill you in on everything then,” Eli insisted, surprising me.

“Okay.” I darted up the stairs to my place, eager to get the little runt so Eli could tell me everything his dad had said.