Page 14 of Ruthless Reign

Through the trees, I spot color in the shadows before wolves emerge. Next to me, Daxton straightens up, ready to brief them.

We wait until they have reached us, Daxton directing them to where they can change, and before long, I'm face to face with Wyatt.

"This is not the visit I was hoping for," he says warmly. "And so soon."

Daxton nods, taking charge—probably because he knows if either myself or Maverick speak right now, we're going to air our dirty laundry. Wyatt is no stranger to our unusual situation, but we don't have the time to exchange blows, nor will it reflect well on our respective packs. So, I stay quiet for now, listening to the conversation.

"We've been reaching out to nearby packs to ascertain if any rogue wolves passed through their land. So far there's been no sighting, but they can't have just gone through unseen with an unconscious girl in tow."

At the mention of Nyx, my neck stiffens which is quickly noticed by Wyatt. He gives me a sympathetic smile.

"How are you holding up, Lex?"

"I'll answer that when we get Nyx back," I answer sternly but with politeness.

He nods, flicking his gaze over to Maverick. "And you?"

"I'm fine," he replies, and the urge to punch his smug face returns. But one look from Wyatt has me reconsidering—albeit only just.

Daxton is right though. Someone had to have noticed their presence. We know that Nyx was knocked out cold. She was calling for us before it suddenly went quiet. But I try not to focus on the fact that apparently it was Maverick who heard her and not me. When he filled us in on the situation, I was already holding myself back from going feral. But when he said he heard her screaming, callingmy name, I was floored. Something obviously happened for them to suddenly be connected, but that's not important right now. The only thing that matters is getting her back.

"Well, we are ready when you are," Wyatt answers, gesturing to his pack behind him. He's brought around a dozen wolves with him which will help.

Knox has not long returned from home with Alix and gathered my own pack members. Beau is ready too, helping Knox get everyone in place.

In addition, Maverick called for back-up, and just before Wyatt's pack arrived, a dozen or so of his members entered Shadow Creek to join the others. Between all of us, we easily have at least forty wolves ready to spread out in search of her. The question now is how to disperse them.

It would make the most sense to spread out, cover more distance. But once we find the pack responsible, it's going to get messy, and the more wolves we have ready to fight, the better.

If we can pinpoint a pack or location, it would make everything easier. But so far, our inquiries have come up short, much to my frustration.

I almost want to say that she couldn't have just vanished into thin air—except, there's always the possibility that she could have.

As much as I want to assume she'd be safe if the pack responsible suddenly vanished because she's tied to all of us, we still don't know what we are up against. If it isthe universe, then what exactly can we do to stop it?

But the mate connection is still strong, so I know she's okay. It's just a race against the clock.

"We'll head to my office first to look over our information once more," Daxton says to Wyatt, but addressing the whole group. "Your pack can head to our training field where the others are waiting."

Wyatt nods, giving the go ahead to his pack, as we turn and head back into town.

Once the four of us are in Daxton's office, we quickly run through everything again, hoping that another set of eyes might pick up on something we've missed.

"And you definitely ruled out the neighboring packs?" Maverick asks, glancing at Daxton.

"Yes," he confirms. "And I think it would be suicide to have her so close by. But they are checking their perimeters for any evidence."

Wyatt sits in Nyx's usual chair, flicking through the pile of books that she had borrowed from the library. "She had quite the collection here," he murmurs. "Mainly material relating to the Great War."

"We've been trying to find ties to what happened last time," I chime in, brows furrowed as I hold up a piece of paper and scan it. "But we're still not sure if it's related."

"I don't believe in coincidences," Maverick grumbles. "Especially since she spoke to the witch."

Daxton nods. "I agree. If packs and other species are disappearing, it has to be a bigger force than anything we could do."

"So, it's safe to assume that the disappearances are a part of something bigger," I confirm. "But that still leads us to the question of who took my mate."

I don't miss the way Maverick stiffens, avoiding my eyes. I'm on the verge of going feral, and to be honest, part of me wants to. But I do my best to ignore the feelings, knowing if I act on impulse then we'll have no chance of finding her.

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