Page 65 of Anders
The mate bond throbbed dully in his chest, a persistent ache that confirmed she was still alive but offered little else.The connection that had been growing stronger by the day now felt muted, distant—as if she’d purposely withdrawn from him.
Why would she run in the opposite direction?
The question haunted him as he made his way back through the wilderness.
The rational part of his mind, the guardian trained to analyze and assess, knew the answer.The files they’d discovered in the newspaper office basement had shaken her.Learning that she had been spying on the pack—even unwittingly—would have been devastating to someone with Etta’s integrity.
So when she’d escaped from the Chimera facility, she’d taken herself away from the pack she’d endangered.
But to leave without a word…
Anders pushed the thought aside.Emotional speculation wouldn’t help him find her.He needed facts, evidence, a trail to follow.
When they’d arrived at the Chimera facility in the heart of the nearby national forest, it had been empty.But it had been cleared out hastily, and Anders and the twins had retrieved several files he doubted the lead researcher—a Dr.Mercer, according to the paperwork—had intended to leave behind.
And inside the facility, Anders could still smell Etta’s scent.
He’d immediately gone tracking in wolf form, hoping to catch her scent while it was still fresh.That effort had led only to the dead end at the highway.
Now it was time for a different approach.
BACK IN HIS OWNcommand center in the Old Packhouse, the monitors flickered to life as Anders activated the systems, bathing the room in a pale glow.
His fingers moved across the keyboard with practiced efficiency, pulling up the surveillance feeds from the previous night.The network of cameras he’d installed throughout pack territory had been intended to protect them from external threats.He’d never imagined using them to track someone leaving.
The command center door opened behind him, and Anders tensed momentarily before recognizing Malcolm’s scent.
Any sign of her?the alpha asked, his voice deliberately neutral.
Anders shook his head without taking his eyes from the screen.Trail ended at the highway.I’ve been reviewing the surveillance footage, but it doesn’t tell me anything new.
Malcolm moved to stand beside him, watching the footage in silence for a moment.The council is concerned.
About Etta?
About you.Malcolm’s tone remained carefully even.The head guardian abandoning his post to search for a potential security risk raises questions.
Anders turned to face his alpha, his expression hardening.She’s not a security risk.She’s a victim.
I know that,Malcolm said quietly.But not everyone does.The information we recovered from the newspaper office is…damning, if viewed without context.And her sudden disappearance doesn’t help matters.
The implications hung in the air between them.Some pack members might view Etta’s flight as confirmation of guilt rather than a desperate act of someone trying to protect them.
I need to find her,Anders said, the words coming out more forcefully than he’d intended.The neural interface in her neck is unstable without the chemical suppressants.If what Dr.Mercer wrote in his notes is true, it could kill her.
Malcolm studied him for a long moment.How are you handling the separation?The mate bond…
Is still forming,Anders finished.It’s uncomfortable, but manageable.
That was an understatement.
The persistent ache had been growing steadily worse, a hollow sensation spreading through his chest as if a vital part of himself had been carved away.His wolf paced restlessly beneath his skin, howling for its mate with increasing desperation.
Malcolm seemed to sense the half-truth but didn’t press further.What’s your plan?
Anders turned back to the monitors, pulling up the files they’d recovered—both from the Chimera facility and from the newspaper office basement.These documents contain more than just surveillance on our pack.The Chimera Program is operating across multiple territories with multiple assets.
He pointed to a particular passage.See?Five territories, five assets.Etta was one of five shifters they successfully abducted, programmed, and placed in strategic locations.
