It was the sound of heartbreak, and I felt it lash through me with the fear that was taking hold. Someone took my mate. Someone hurt her, and I could lose her. Forever. Roaring again, I dropped my chin to my chest and growled through the anger and self-hatred.
“She isn’t upstairs!” Trey growled, running back into the kitchen where Cole was kneeling beside me and yelling into his phone.
“I don’t know, Walker. There’s a lot of blood and a slight scent, but it isn’t strong. Whoever took her knows what he’s doing, man. No! Fuck, he’s already starting to lose it. You need to get out here now and call the males to start scouting the woods. Everyone!” he yelled into the phone, sounding panicked.” Caleb, brother, hold on.”
But I couldn’t. I couldn’t think clearly as my bear paced in my mind, his growls turning anguished when it all hit me. I loved Ren. Jesus. I loved that female, and she was gone. Someone fucking took her from me, and she could be—
“She’s not dead. Don’t think it.” Cole barked, his hand tightening on my shoulder when I groaned, the old stirrings of hopeless rage trying to come forth.
Been here before, but this time, it wasn’t pride or anger or the hopelessness that came with rejection. What hit me was the loss, and I knew Ren was gone. I wouldn’t just go feral. I would die. I wouldn’t want to live, wouldn’t want to continue because, without Ren, nothing mattered.
“Oh, Jesus. I didn’t tell her.” I choked, agony coursing through me.
“You will. You will when we find her. We’re going to find her, and she’s going to be okay.” Trey whispered, his eyes turning a dark, nearly navy blue when I met his stare.
They couldn’t hide his panic, though, and even as I nodded, I felt fear slam into me.
I was panicked, too, and my mind raged, racing, screaming at me to find Ren. When I felt a hand on my shoulder, I turned to see Walker leaning over me, his stare hard and intent. Realizing I had been sitting here in a daze and silently staring at Ren’s blood on the floor, I shook myself and swallowed a growl.
“We have males all over the territory, and even the pack females are out scouting. We’ll find her, Caleb.” He said softly, yanking me up and keeping me standing when my knees buckled.
“Someone hurt her.” I grated from between clenched teeth, the haze of grief lifting now as my bear got angrier and demanded action.
“I know. Thought it was the Sheppard brothers, but they were as pissed as I was. Trust me, whoever did this is in a world of trouble. They’re out there now, helping the Enforcers scent a trail—” Walker muttered, his words dying when four males rushed in, took one look at the blood on the floor, and paled.
“If you did this—” I snarled, my body vibrating with the need to shift and tear them apart.
“It wasn’t us. I swear. Fuck man, we stopped bugging Ren a few weeks back when we realized how wrong we’d been.” Josh Sheppard sighed, his mouth growing tight with guilt before he swallowed and met my eyes. “We should never have…I was just so pissed after Shane and mama, she kept going and going and going until we all lost it. Took me a while to realize that even if Ren had killed that asshole, he deserved it.”
“Yeah. Didn’t think about it too clearly until I mated last month.” Brock Sheppard mumbled. “Then all I could think about was my mate being hurt and harassed, and it all came crashing down.”
“What he did was wrong, and we were even worse for not helping her.” The youngest Sheppard spat, his jaw tight. “We should have kicked his ass instead of letting him do what he did. The way he made her live in that trailer in the middle of nowhere and work two jobs when he could afford to take care of her better…”
They all shook their heads and cursed when they saw the blood again.
“Why are you telling me this? Why now?” I demanded, still wanting to kill them as Cole and Trey stepped up beside me, thrumming with rage.
“Because that scent y’all can smell but can’t place? That’s a Tracker scent.”
“What?” Cole asked, sounding astounded.
“We know that kind of scent. Shane had it too. He’s a Tracker. Always could make his wolf mask his scent. It’s how he was able to surprise Ren the night he tried to kill her.” Josh says softly, his jaw ticking while mine grinds down to withhold a roar.
“You’re telling us he could keep his scent hidden? Are you saying whoever took her is a Tracker too? Fuck!” Cole yelled, losing it because this was bad.
And it got worse when Josh Sheppard shook his head and met my gaze.
“No. I’m telling you a Tracker took her, and I know this because we recognize the scent, Caleb. It’s Shane’s scent.” He said softly, his jaw ticking when I frowned.
“It can’t be. He’s dead.” Walker scoffed, but he was pale too.
“Never did confirm I saw Shane’s body in the gorge,” Josh said softly, grimacing when my bear rumbled out a growl. “It’s Shane’s scent. I’d know that stench anywhere, and if he has Ren…”
Throwing my head back, I howled.
And then I prayed because this animal had my mate, and there was no telling what he was going to do with her.
Chapter 25 Ren