Page 36 of Destined Mate

Wesley

“WHERE IS everyone?” Wesley muttered, glancing around.

He stepped out of the truck, his boots crunching on the gravel beneath him, and glanced around. The dense forest loomed around him. The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, and an eerie silence enveloped the place.

It felt as though a pack of wolves might emerge from the shadows, their eyes gleaming gold in the darkness.

Keith, Theo, and Duncan joined him.

No wolf pack worth its howl would allow unfamiliar werewolves to approach their pack house without issuing aformidable challenge. The very thought of such a breach sent a chill down the spine, a clear indication that something was terribly wrong.

The compound looked deserted, with not a single soul in sight. The buildings stood silent and still under the nighttime sky, their windows dark and empty.

A faint breeze rustled the leaves scattered around, creating a whispering sound that only emphasized the loneliness of the place. The air felt heavy, as if the compound held its breath, waiting for someone or something to stir it back to life.

Theo’s gaze sharpened. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

They hurried across the empty expanse, guided by instinct rather than sight or sound. Every building and home stood neglectfully silent.

“Wesley,” Duncan called, pointing to a figure barely visible beyond a cluster of trees.

A lone wolf emerged, eyes widening as she caught sight of them. “Who-who are you? Are you with Alpha Elmer?” she asked breathlessly, skidding to a stop.

Shit. Wesley recognized the young female wolf instantly. Not from any real-life encounter, but in a vision, or whatever the hell it had been. He’d seen her with the omega.

“Where is everyone?” Wesley asked.

Sweat glistened on the young wolf’s forehead under the pale moonlight. “They’re at the auction. It—it’s insane! I’ve never seen so many alphas bidding—”

“What auction?” Wesley’s cut in, demanding details.

The pack member swallowed hard, visibly uneasy beneath their collective scrutiny. “It’s an omega auction,” she stammered. “It’s Jerome. They’re auctioning Jerome right this very moment. Alpha Elmer didn’t want him.”

“Jerome?” The name flew through Wesley like a bullet.

The wolf nodded frantically. “Yeah.”

“Wasn’t Jerome the alpha mate to Li Li?” Theo asked Wesley.

“Yes, he was!” Wesley snarled. “Sorry, sorry, that wasn’t aimed at you, Theo.”

“I know. Wesley? Are you okay?”

“No.”

“And who is Alpha Elmer?” Keith asked.

“Elmer Woodhouse is a rogue who showed up and took over our pack. It’s only been about a week, though.”

Wesley struggled between the urge to howl in anger and the weight of his own frustration. Deep down, he’d sensed something was off, but he’d hesitated, questioning whether to trust his instincts or ignore them.

Now, he berated himself for not heeding the warnings of his inner wolf sooner, yet part of him wondered if he could’ve truly changed the course of events.

“Where is this auction taking place?” Wesley asked, bending down to her level. He gently tucked her hair behind her ear.

“It’s happening at the stone circle—”

“Where?” Wesley interrupted. “I’m not from around here, young one, so I need to know where. And does the alpha have any betas with him? Or did he arrive here alone?”

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