CHAPTER THREE
Kyle
I struggled to catch up on my sleep. I was too worried about Crystal to be able to relax to get much rest. Before the sun was up I decided to get up. Rubbing my eyes I stood up and walked through to the bathroom. I flipped the switch and flooded the room with light.
Yesterday I had gone over our plans to tighten up security around the compound. I had also discussed plans with Uncle Nate and James.
My thoughts went to Claire. She had been brought safely back to the compound. I made a point of reminding myself to check on her at some point during the day to make sure she was settled in.
While I showered, my mind ran over possible reasons for the murders and who the culprit was but with each and every scenario there were doubts. It was like trying to complete a puzzle with two sets of puzzle pieces mixed together. There was more going on here than I knew about.
I got dressed and left my room, striding to the meeting room so I could look over the maps again. To keep everyone safe, including Crystal, I needed to figure out who was behind the killings.
It didn't surprise me when I descended the stairs and could see the light was on in the study. The familiar face of my Uncle Nate looked up from the map as I entered the study. He was sitting behind the desk with a cup of steaming coffee in his hand.
"And?" I asked, hoping he had figured out something, but he shook his head.
My eyes went to the map of our territory and the surrounding ones. I leaned my hands against the table, peering over the map. For each murdered werewolf there was a red pin in the exact location. I stared at the pins hoping to see a clearer picture but I saw nothing.
"I'm worried about her," I said, telling him my biggest fear out loud. I felt his eyes on me.
"We'll figure out who is behind this," he said, trying to reassure me.
I looked up at him and he held my stare. He knew me well.
He had raised me from the age of five when my parents had gone on the run to save the pack from the clutches of Victor, an evil alpha and Keri's father, who had only one goal on his mind and that had been to make my mother his mate at any cost.
In the end he had found them and he had murdered them without remorse. I had felt some sadness for what had happened to them but it hadn't been the grief of a child who had lost both of their parents but more of the loss of what could have been.
"Why don't you go and investigate the scene closest to us?" he suggested as he set his cup down on the desk and stood up.
"Do you think something could have been missed?" I asked, looking at him.
He shrugged. "There's a possibility."
At least I had something constructive to do. Staring at the map wasn't going to give me the answers I needed. I had to find the murderer. If Crystal was anywhere in the vicinity, she was in a lot of danger. As her mate, even though we had not yet sealed our connection, she was the most important person in my life.
Finding her was strengthened by the need to keep her safe. I didn't want to think about the last two weeks I had spent looking for her and I had come up with nothing. It was disheartening to think about. I had to stay positive. I would find her and when I did she would be alive. There was no other acceptable alternative.
"Take James with you," my uncle instructed.
James was my beta, and my best friend.
"You think I can't take care of myself?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
He shook his head at me with a knowing smile.
I was an alpha, stronger than most werewolves. If I crossed paths with the murderer, I could hold my own. I wasn't scared.
"He might catch something you miss," he answered.
It made sense. Two sets of eyes were better than one.
"I'll take him with me." I pushed away from the desk and walked out of the study.
James? I called out via the mind-link while I headed through the house.
What's up? he asked.
You ready to go out? I asked. It was still dark outside when I exited the house and walked down to the compound where the majority of the pack lived. I had a similar setup to Cade with the main house in the front and apartment blocks in the back yard where the pack stayed.
Yeah, I'm up and ready to leave, he replied. I'll meet you at the gate in five.
There were a few people already up and getting ready for the day ahead. As I strode to the gate I glanced around and the figure of Claire caught my eye. I stopped. She was standing in the doorway of the room that had been assigned to her. She had a shawl she hugged around her body as she stood with her eyes fixed on the gates.
The sight of her pulled at fond memories of my childhood. She was the old lady who always had time when the kids of the pack stopped by. The smell of freshly baked cupcakes pulled at childhood memories at her cottage. Seeing her also reminded me of a younger Crystal with pigtails, who had always been happy and smiling. Different from the scared and nervous one I had last seen.
I had asked myself the question so many times and I was no closer to answering it. I had no idea what had changed. I was determined to make things right but first I needed to find her. The nervousness in her expression made me walk over to her. I had been meaning to check on her and now seemed as good as any to do just that.
"Claire," I said softly, pulling her gaze from the gate to me. She gave me a weak smile.
"Kyle," she greeted, smiling fondly at me.
"You settling in okay?" I asked. She nodded her head.
"Is it bad?" she asked out of the blue. "What's going on out there?"
Powerful male rogue werewolves are being murdered one by one without any clues to who is responsible, I told her through the mind-link. She swallowed hard and I frowned as I took in the action. Wanting to soothe her fears, I reached out and touched her arm.
"It'll be okay," I assured her. "Everyone has been brought to the compound. We'll catch whoever is responsible."
Her hand touched her forehead nervously as her eyes dropped to the ground. I studied her, finding her reaction a little strange but I brushed it aside.
"We're going out now to investigate one of the murder scenes," I told her. I wanted her to know catching the person responsible was one of my top priorities. The most important was still reserved for finding my mate.
Her eyes met mine. My words had done nothing to ease her fears.
"I'll let you know if we find anything," I assured her, hoping that would make her less scared.
She gave me another weak smile before I left her. The sooner I investigated the scene, hopefully the sooner I would have some more information to give her and to get one step closer to figuring who was behind it.
Just as I stopped in front of the gates, James appeared by my side.
He was slightly taller than me and bigger built. His coloring was similar to mine except he had brown eyes and his hair was longer than mine. Just his size was intimidating to most but to me it didn't mean a lot. As an alpha, I was stronger despite our difference in size.
"So where are we going?" he asked as we stood facing the gate.
Open them, I commanded. The guards began to open the metal gates.
"We're going to investigate the murder closest to us," I explained.
"You think they missed something?" he questioned as he gave me a side glance.
"I don't know," I replied.
At the moment we didn't have a lot to go on and I hoped by going over the scene I would discover something that hadn't been picked up.
He gave me a nod just before we both transformed into our wolves. His dark brown wolf followed my midnight black one into the forest.
Crystal
Peering out through the opening in the curtain, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. The sun was just starting to rise behind the mountain. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach that I couldn't stop. Another scan of the surrounding scenery told me there was nothing to worry about.
Despite not being able to spot any dangers, I knew I had to get my stuff together and leave before there was a chance I was discovered. If I were found now, everything I had done to keep my secret would be for nothing.
Stepping back from the window I went back into my room to finish packing a couple of clothes into my backpack. Inside my small cabinet in the bathroom were the precious vials of wolfsbane. I carefully packed them along with some syringes I had stolen. I only had a few days' supply left. After that I would have no way of hiding my scent. I would have to be long gone by then.
I would be leaving soon. I hated the fact I never got to stay in one place for long. I couldn't stop myself from taking a moment to wonder what it would be like to be a normal werewolf. My thoughts turned to Kyle and I gave in to my longing thoughts of what it would feel like to let my hand reach out to his. Our touch would pull our destinies into one.
I had been told what it felt like to touch your mate for the first time. One girl had used the word magical to describe it. But no matter how badly I wanted it, that could never happen. That wasn't a choice for me. I got my backpack and hitched it over one shoulder while I did one last scan of the cottage to make sure I hadn't left anything behind.
For a few seconds I lingered before I found that determination that had kept me going for so long and I left the house, closing the front door behind me.
I surveyed the forest one last time before I left the safety of the cottage to my unknown destination. The sunlight didn't ease my fear of the dangers I could encounter.
The slight heat in the back of my neck made me stiffen. I strained my ears but I didn't hear anything. I had learned to trust the warmth that throbbed at the back of my neck, even if it was faint. There was a werewolf nearby.
I stopped behind a tree, pushing my back up tight against the trunk to keep myself hidden. It wasn't much of a hiding place but it would have to do. I strained to hear the faint sounds of a couple of wolves running nearby. It was probably a couple of scouts patrolling the territory, I told myself, trying to ease the fear that made me hesitate. Even though I was in no immediate danger, my heart hammered loudly in my chest, echoing in my ears.
I waited until the throbbing at the back of my neck eased. My cool fingers soothed over the raised skin. It was a constant reminder of why I could never allow Kyle to find me. Feeling like I had been on an emotional roller coaster, I let out a heavy sigh and slumped against the tree. It took me a couple of minutes to pull myself together.
Trying to keep a calm head, I moved forward, stopping every few minutes to ensure there were no foreign sounds that signaled danger. I headed to the border not sure what I would encounter. Avoiding the scouts was possible because of the sensitivity of my sixth sense that heated a circle at the back of my neck. I was more worried about the threat to the rogues. Being unable to shift put me at a disadvantage and my increased strength, which made me stronger than female werewolves who hadn't mated yet, was weakened by the wolfsbane I was taking.
Every time I heard a noise over my thumping heart I would still and strain my ears to determine if it was a threat to me, hiding behind a tree until I could determine if it was something I needed to fear. The forest seemed inviting and the noise of harmless animals inhabiting the surroundings echoed in the cool damp air.
I was about to take a step when I felt the telltale heat that alerted me to the fact I had werewolf company. Hiding behind the tree, I listened for any clue to where they were. The heat throbbed with warning. The werewolf was closer. I had no idea how many there were.
It could be the scouts or it could be a rogue, I reasoned with myself.
My fear increased when I couldn't pinpoint the location of the werewolf. I tried to quiet my breath. If I couldn't tell where the werewolf was, I was in a dangerous situation. How could I avoid a threat I couldn't see?
Adrenaline pumped in my veins when I heard the slight sound of a footstep. My eyes swung in the direction of the sound but the there was nothing other than a thick forest. No movement. I held my breath.
My instinct screamed for me to run. I was being hunted.
Fear held me in my place. I only had one chance to get out and I couldn't screw it up. Without moving my head, my eyes went to the opposite direction and I tried to figure which way was the best way out. I couldn't outrun a werewolf but I couldn't just wait for them to attack, either.
One, two, three, I counted down in my head. I pushed away from the tree and ran as fast as I could. Hearing the noise behind me propelled me forward but a heavy weight launched against my back and I fell forward. The breath was knocked from me as the heavy weight impacted with my body when I landed on the ground.
Winded and unable to move, I began to panic. The heavy weight moved off me and I was able to draw in a breath. My backpack had fallen beside me. Groaning, I pushed up onto my knees and looked up to face my attacker.
It was a huge male werewolf. His amber eyes fixed on me as he stood a few feet away. I didn't recognize him but that didn't mean he wasn't a scout.
I got to my feet and raised my hands in surrender. My heart was beating so fast it was hard to catch my breath. He took a few menacing steps closer and growled at me. That wasn't a good sign.
"Please don't hurt me," I whispered.
The werewolf growled louder.
Well, that didn't work, I thought. A scout wouldn't have been openly hostile toward a human. He had to be a rogue. Could he be the murderer? The reason why werewolves on the territory were being evacuated to the main compound?
The werewolf launched at me but I wasn't fast enough to avoid the powerful body that slammed into me. I felt his powerful jaws sink into my arm. A cry of agonizing pain wrenched from my lips. I struggled against the razor-sharp teeth tearing into my flesh as my body hit the ground.
I was about to push the rogue from me but I didn't get a chance. In a blink of an eye the werewolf was ripped off me and flung against the trunk of a tree. He yelled out in pain before falling to the ground.
Confused and in pain, I tried to figure out what was going on.
Trying to make sense of what had happened I took in the dark form that stood in front of me. Through the tears, my eyes cleared as I watched a figure dressed in black bend over the injured werewolf.
"How about picking on someone your own size?" the stranger said in a dark voice as he bent down to pick up the wolf like it weighed nothing.
Shock set in. Then the fear washed over me. Despite my pain all I could concentrate on was the scene in front of me.
My mind couldn't process what I was seeing. I sat up and held my injured arm protectively against my chest as I watched the unbelievable scene play out.
Blood seeped from my wounds but I ignored the throbbing pain as I watched a man slam the injured werewolf against the tree.
My mind screamed for me to get to my feet and to try and escape but fear kept me frozen in place.