Page 52 of Protecting The Gray Wolf
“If you don’t, I will. If there is anything you require, call. No charge. I want this mess cleaned up.”
“You and me both.” He had a brief thought that the broker was the kind of man he’d actually call friend, if he had them. “Thanks for the assist. That’s quite a connection you have.” If he knew who and what Stan Rostenkowski was, he likely understood what he’d be up against if he went to war with Charles.
“It’s the least I could do.” As expected, he offered no information about the Brooklyn alpha. Discretion was the cornerstone of his business. “The scene has been cleared, and I’m personally hacking cameras in the area, searching for your missing friend. If I find anything useful, I’ll message you.”
His guts clenched. Luna was so much more than a friend. She was his mate, his everything. He lightly banged the back of his head against the wall, fighting the despair that threatened to suck him down. “I appreciate it.”
After ending the call, he punched in the number for the white wolf. Devlin couldn’t leave his mate alone, and Kade wouldn’t ask him to. Bringing her to the city was out of the question, as it would put her at risk. The one thing he had that might help was information.
“What the hell happened?” Devlin wasted no time with pleasantries.
“Our safe house was compromised. Luna’s been taken.” No need to get into details. “Tell me everything about Solange and Charles.”
“This line may not be secure.”
“Fuck that.” Kade’s hand tightened around the phone. He heard a female voice in the background urging Devlin to talk.
“As I started to tell you earlier, it’s all about our blood. There are three of us, so there are three women—one for each of us who carry a single drop of our blood. Zoe has mine. Luna has yours. Who the hell knows about the black wolf? That bastard is radio silent.”
Given their unique coloring they shared with the women, it made sense, but it begged the question, “How the hell did Solange get her hands on our blood? And how did it survive outside our bodies?”
Werewolf blood dissipated quickly, disintegrating in the same way their bodies did once they died. It was part of their evolutionary built-in survival mechanism to leave no evidence of their existence for humans to find.
“Offhand, I’d say magic, but the how doesn’t matter. It just is. They’ll use her to bait a trap. As they proved tonight, it’s easier to get to her than to you. Trust your wolf. Lean on that connection.”
There was likely more Devlin wasn’t saying, personal details he wasn’t sharing. Kade had speculated, but the conspiracy went deeper than he’d originally suspected. “I’ll be in touch.” He tucked the phone away and trudged down the sidewalk.
Trust your wolf. Lean on that connection.They were more than a simple platitude. The words echoed inside him. His tattoo began to vibrate. “That’s it,” he whispered. “That’s the answer.” They’d connected in a dream.
He picked up his pace and headed into the first hotel he passed, waiting impatiently to get checked in. Keycard in hand, he went up to his room, dumped his bag, and fell onto the bed.
His wolf had been silent for hours. He wasn’t sleeping, but poised and alert, ready for action. He’d wake Kade if anyone tried to breach the room. Giving over to the exhaustion pulling at him, he embraced sleep…
The mountain region was familiar. It was from Luna’s painting, the one in her dreamscape. The night air was crisp. The moon hung low in the sky, spotlighting the imaginary world. He searched the depths of the woods for any sign of her but came up empty. An owl swooped low, scooped up a rabbit in its sharp talons, and flew away with its prey. He envied the bird.
There was no path, nothing to show him the way.
It was time to hunt. He stripped off his clothes and shifted, embracing his wolf. Senses on alert, he picked his way through the dense underbrush, working his way up the side of the mountain. Huge boulders and fallen trees rose up to block him. He went over and around them. Nothing would stop him. He’d die before he’d give up.
Hours passed, and he was no closer to the top of the peak. Brute strength he had in spades, but that wasn’t what he needed.
Lean on the connection.
Stopping, he quieted his mind and reached out to her. The black marking on his chest began to heat and tingle. Would the lone wolf be able to connect through their blood link? It was a single drop, but it had power behind it.
Luna, can you hear me?He waited a heartbeat and tried again.Luna, talk to me.She had to be asleep for this to work. Throwing his head back, he howled at the moon, releasing the pain, anger, and hopelessness churning inside him.
“Kade.” Her voice whispered on the wind.
Ears twitching, he pinpointed her direction and ran. The link was tenuous. He couldn’t lose it. Muscles burning, he sprinted straight up, digging his claws into the rock of a sheerdrop and using the momentum to propel him up and over the side of the cliff. Panting, he gained the mountaintop.
“You came.” Luna sat on the ground, face pale and drawn. Her clothes were wrinkled and dirty.
Shifting back to human, he dropped beside her and yanked her into his arms. “I’ll always come for you. Where are you? What happened?” He combed her hair away from her face with his fingers, drinking in the precious sight of her. There were dark circles beneath her tired eyes. Her expression was pinched. There was no telling what Solange had done to her.
“You need to walk away.” Her voice was hoarse. He tilted his head to one side, his gaze narrowing in on her neck. Were those bruises?
“Not happening. Not while there’s breath in my body.”
