I could feel Nick's confusion, but as I sensed him moving back to the house, my concern for him faded, leaving me focused on the fire somewhere in front of me. The rest of the pack was on their way, but I had been significantly closer. When we had first moved into this area, we had met as many of the other local shifters as we could, making sure we wouldn't be stepping on any toes. This hawk family lived on the top of a hill, which was definitely straining my muscles, but the adrenaline pushed me through it. I could see the glow of the fire shortly long before I reached the house, the bright orange and yellow stark in the swiftly darkening evening, flashing between the bare trees. 

I put on a last burst of speed as I neared the house, bursting from the tree line in a sudden rush, right behind the young omega, holding his son. He startled, his face streaked with tears, and I quickly shifted into human form. "Is your mate still in there?"

"He is," the omega yelled over the roar of the fire, which already covered the entire top floor. "And our seven year old."

Fuck. Asher was going to kick my ass for this, but I couldn't do anything else before doing my best to rescue them both. "Do you have an outdoor pump?"

The omega ran and I followed. The water was icy cold and painful, but even so, I wished I had clothes on to hold that cold closer to my body for longer. "I'll be right back. Is there an open door?"

The omega pointed to the back door and I sprinted. I couldn't spare a single second. The smoke was heavy, and I ducked down. My bear would have been lower and my fur held more water, but I probably wouldn't have fit. And if I did find the alpha or the child, I wouldn't be able to carry them. 

I didn't have much time; the heat and smoke were intense. I grabbed a towel off the oven handle and dunked it in a bowl of dirty water in the sink. There was no time to be picky. I held it to my face, and it helped me breathe through the smoke. I ran through the living room, but it was equally empty. I found the alpha laying at the bottom of the stairs, though. The fire was crawling down the walls of the stairs, and something crashed with a giant plume of sparks, landing on me and the alpha, bright pin pricks of pain on my skin. I was nearly out of time. 

I tied the wet cloth around my head and threw the alpha into a fireman's hold and tried the front door. It was locked. I didn't have time. I'd have to make it back through the living room and kitchen. Half-way through the living room, there was an ominous creak. I froze instinctively, and as the creak grew louder, I scurried backward, nearly throwing myself over a coffee table as the ceiling came crashing down. 

Move. Move. I needed to move. I had lost my hold on the alpha, and was laying on my side, my legs twisted on top of the coffee table, staring at the giant wall of flames that blocked the path to the kitchen. Up, up. I forced myself up, feeling the heat crisping my skin. I grabbed the alpha again, he'd been thrown back toward the front door, and ran full force at the giant glass window in the front of the room. I jumped right through it, shattering the window first with my free shoulder, and then with the rest of my body. Glass shards sliced through the skin on my head and my legs, and I fell to the grass outside, landing without grace, the air snatched from my body as I hit the ground with a solid thump. 

Hands were on me in seconds, pulling me up and away from the house. I saw Kurt grab the hawk alpha, and they pulled us to safety. I groped at the wet rag covering my mouth and nose, needing free flowing air. Ryan, who had pulled me away from the house, helped me untie it.

I lay gasping, my limbs weak. When I caught my breath, I turned to check on the Alpha. "Is he okay?

Kurt turned to me, his expression unreadable as he shook his head. 

"No," I croaked. I crawled over and placed my fingers on his neck. Nothing. I collapsed backward as the omega ran up and fell against his mate's chest. I couldn't stay here and listen to his sobs. I lurched to my feet. "What are the others doing?"

I lurched to my feet. "What are the others doing? "

"They are searching out scents," Ryan answered.

"One of us should stay with him," I said nodding at the newly widowed omega. 

Surprisingly, it was Kurt who said, "I will."

It was a relief to shift into my bear, to fade into his black and white senses of right and wrong. My bear didn't care that I had failed, only that I had tried. In his eyes, that was enough.

Any luck? I asked Asher.

I'm afraid so, he answered cryptically.

I traced his scent, and quickly found the trail that he and Simon were following. It was a coyote all right, and fresh. Underneath his scent was the faded, mixed scent of the family, but the scent of one young hawk was as bright and fresh as the coyote. There was something else, something strong and fresh that tingled like mint, but I had no idea what it was.

You're injured, Asher said, nosing my leg. It hurt where he pushed, and I winced.

I'll be fine until we get home.

Definitely the skip, Simon said, padding back to us from the woods. I hit some four-wheeler tracks and it faded, though. We're too far behind to catch him now. 

Our ears perked up at the sound of sirens in the distance.

We'll trace the trail in daylight. For now, we need to make ourselves scarce. Simon and I will run home and grab clothes, then come back and deal with things. The rest of you keep an eye on things from a distance.

Simon and Asher took off immediately while Ryan and I hurried back to the omega and Kurt.

Kurt was holding the three-year-old while the omega cried on top of his dead mate's body.

Kurt, we've got to hide. Not all of the firefighters are shifters.

"We can't just leave them," Kurt growled.

We won't, I promised, wondering where this sudden burst of empathy was coming from. I shifted so that I could speak and leaned down to pull the omega up, ignoring Kurt's growl. "I'm sorry, sir—what's your name?"

"B-Benjamin," he managed to get out between sobs. 

"Benjamin, we need to hide now, but we'll be right here, in the shadows. You need to take your son, okay? He needs you."

Benjamin whipped around, perhaps suddenly realizing that in his grief, he had forgotten his son. The terrified child nearly leaped out of Kurt's arm into his dad's. They both looked so lost and broken.

"We'll be right here, and our alpha will be back soon to help you with the humans." 

Benjamin nodded, stroking his son's hair. "I can't—Evan shouldn't see his father... like this." His eyes darted around, too overwhelmed to make a decision.

"You should go to your car," Kurt said in a soft voice I had never heard before. "You'll be safe from the wind that way. The firefighters will have blankets for you."

Benjamin nodded and headed numbly to the parked cars. I hoped they didn't lock them at night, but we didn't have time to stick around. Either way, the firetruck would be here soon, and someone would take care of them. Kurt immediately trailed the omega, though he stuck to the shadows of the woods, so I didn't fuss at him. Ryan and I stayed closer to the house, simply waiting.

As the cold seeped in and the adrenaline wore off, I began to feel the extent of my injuries. Everything ached, and my right side felt too-warm. I'd probably got a little singed, but it didn't feel like anything that wouldn't heal up in a week or two.

I hadn't seen Caspar, I realized, and the big bear was hard to miss. Perhaps Asher had told him to stay behind with our omegas. That would be a good plan going forward, knowing there was a family burning, child stealer on the loose.

The burning house seemed to tilt before me. Was the whole thing going over? I heard Ryan whispering my name frantically, but it was as if from far away, or like a dream. The fire of the house faded, and I wondered how the firefighters had put it out so quickly... I hadn't even realized they had arrived...