Page 40 of Claimed by the Pack

I heard a loud sob before I realized it was coming out of me. “Oh Myrna! He's gone!”

“How? Was he there when you left?”

“Yes.”

“Then he has to be there still...no one has been in the apartment, have they? Does it look like we were robbed or something?” I looked around me then. I'd been searching for Gray but hadn't even thought to really look at things. Nothing looked out of place. I sobbed again.

“The door was locked. Nothing is out of place. He's just gone!”

“I'll come home and help you look.”

A surge of guilt assaulted me. “No. It's Brett's birthday. You two have a good night. I'll look for him...maybe I left the door open and Mr. Balik came by and closed it. I'll check with him.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I'm sorry to bother you.”

“Please. You never bother me. I love you, girl. Good luck with the dog.”

I smiled and wiped the tears off my face. “Thanks. Love you too.”

I hung up and went to change clothes. I took off the sun dress I'd worn on my date and put on a pair of sweats and tennis shoes. Then, I found our flashlight and went out to look for him. I stopped by Mr. Balik's apartment first, but he hadn't seen him, or been by our apartment. Disappointed, I started searching for him around the complex. I walked around the front of the apartment complex with tears streaming down my face, calling his name. I made it to the end of the building and as I turned into the dark, a shadow appeared from between the buildings. I put the flashlight on it and saw that it was a man, a young man...with intense blue eyes.

“I'm sorry,” he said. “I didn't mean to startle you.” I'm not sure how he knew I was startled. My heart was racing, but I hadn't reacted. Ridge could do that, sense what I was feeling. A chill ran through me. I wasn't afraid of Ridge, but the idea of being face to face with a stranger who could morph into a wolf, while I was alone, in the dark did frighten me.

“It's fine,” I said, “Excuse me.” I turned and started back around the front of the building where there was light, and someone could hear me scream if it came to that. I heard him move behind me and I moved faster. Then suddenly he said,

“Cheyenne.” That stopped me in my tracks. If I was smart, I would have run, but if he was a wolf, and he wanted to assault me, running wouldn't do any good. I thought about just walking away again when he added, “Please don't cry, Cheyenne.” My name on his lips a second time did it. I snapped. I spun around and put the light in his eyes and said,

“Who are you and how do you know my name?”

Softly, and in a voice that sounded like he was trying to make it non-threatening he said, “My name is Grayson. I'm a friend of Ridge's. I live at the compound.”

“Grayson?” A tickle of fear, or horror, began in my belly and slid around to my spine. It climbed up slowly, touching every nerve transmitter along the way like a set of long, cold fingers. “No,” I said, shaking my head from side to side. “No way.” I was looking at his eyes. I knew what he was. I knew who he was, but my mind didn't want to accept it.

“Cheyenne, it's okay. It's going to be okay...”

“No!” I screamed at him. “No! You're not him. You're not my Gray!” He was staring at me with those eyes...the blue eyes that belonged to the “dog” I'd fallen in love with. I felt sick and dizzy.

This was a sick joke.

As I clutched my stomach to keep from vomiting it occurred to me that he said he was a friend of Ridge's. Ridge had seen my Gray multiple times.

He had to know! He knew? Oh my God...what kind of twisted animals were they? Was I just one big joke to them all?

I thought about the kiss I shared with Ridge just minutes ago and I felt sick again. I had to get out of there. The world was spinning too fast and I wanted to get off.

I turned away and started running, but “Gray” was right beside me, matching me step for step without breaking a sweat. Of course I couldn't outrun him. He was a freaking wolf for crying out loud. “Get away from me!” I screamed. Gray opened his mouth, but whatever he was going to say was cut off. I saw a flash of fur out of the corner of my eye and suddenly Grayson the human was on his back and a large, black wolf stood on his chest on all fours, snarling at his face. The strangest thing about it was that Grayson the human, didn't look at all distressed, only pissed.

“Get the fuck off me, Chase.”

“Chase? Oh dear God.” The wolf stepped off of Grayson's chest and in seconds he transformed into the man I knew as Chase...and he was naked. It wasn't the first time I'd seen him that way. He'd been naked that day at the cabin too.

“What did you do to her? Why was she screaming?” Chase was in Grayson's face. Neither of the men seemed to notice that Chase was naked. I looked around to see if there was anyone else around, but we seemed to be alone. I didn't know whether to be relieved by that, or not.

“I didn't do anything to her,” Grayson said.

“Nothing but pretend to be my dog for two weeks and...” I gasped. Chase had seen him too. They were all in on whatever this twisted little game was.

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