Page 63 of Rejected Nanny Mate
Samson went to look for Gwen, Scott to gather our witches and other hunters, and Jayce to look for Mia. I stayed with Rose until Nayeli and Kiera arrived, and then I rushed to join Samson on the hunt for my Omega.
He hadn't found anything, but when we circled back to his home, I managed to pick up the faintest scent trail leading out the back of his house and into the forest.
“She was in wolf form,” I told him, and Samson furrowed his brow.
“She's been going on long walks lately, but as a human, not a wolf. What in the hell was she up to?”
“I don't know, but I'm going to follow it.”
“I'll come with you.”
There wasn't any time to argue. I'd reached out through the mating bond to Gwen every few minutes, but it was still silent on her end. Each time I heard that silence, the dread inside of me grew larger and larger.
We took off into the woods, following the trail. It was a good thing that I had such a strong sense of smell, because it was hard to follow her scent through the woods, even for me. We kept going until we were close to the territory line, and when I smelled blood, my stomach clenched.
“Shit,” Samson swore, “What the hell is that?”
It was a clearing, with an old cabin that looked like it was about to fall apart. “Mia's been here,” I told him, scenting the air. “The blood...fuck, I think it's Gwen's.”
“I smell surge magic, too,” Samson added, frowning. “What in the hell has been going on here?'
I moved slowly toward the cabin, ready for anything, but when I pushed the door open, there was nothing but old furniture and dust inside. No Gwen, no Mia, just the faint remnants of the stale scents they'd left behind.
“What now?” Samson asked. “Should we check in with the others?”
I shook my head. “No. We're not giving up. The trail goes on.”
I could tell the other Alpha wanted to argue, but he simply nodded stoically. I took a moment to be thankful that it was Samson with me and not Scott, who would have argued a lot harder.
We found tufts of Gwen's fur about twenty feet from the cabin, and from there, it smelled like she'd been carried away by two other shifters I didn't recognize. As we followed the trail, we got a call from Nayeli, who sounded both out of breath and freaked out.
“Guys...” she panted. “Kiera, Jayce, and I just searched Malcolm's house, and under a floorboard, in Mia's room, wefound some really, really hold spell books. The magic...it's dark stuff, Joe. You need to find Gwen as fast as you can.”
“There was a spell for copying a magical signature,” I heard Kiera yell in the background. “Mia tricked us. She seems to have it out for Gwen for some reason. Hurry!”
The line went dead, and I looked at Samson. “We need to go.”
We raced back to his place, and when we burst through the door, we saw Nayeli pacing the floor and Kiera looking pale.
“Tell me what you know,” I demanded.
“Mia is working with her old pack. Her magic has been altered by them, and I think they're trying to take over your territory, Joe. They must be,” Kiera said, shaking her head. “And Gwen figured it out and tried to get proof, I bet. She must have been caught by them, which means they might be coming here next.”
“How do you know all this?”
“It's the only thing that makes sense with all the clues we have. The weird, defensive shell around Mia's old pack bonds was what confirmed it for me. She had no intention of breaking those bonds. She was just trying to get into your good graces with Rose and help take over from the inside out. Gwen must have known she'd need concrete proof to get everyone to believe her, and since you said you found her scent trail...I'm worried about her, Joe. What do we do now?”
My pulse was thundering in my head, making it hard to think. I could barely breathe past the fear I felt for my mate. If only I'd forced her to talk to me sooner. I was doing a shitty job as an Alpha, unable to find the words or make a decision in the face of losing Gwen, but thankfully Scott spoke up for me.
“We gather the packs and sweep the territories,” his voice was resolute. “The witches can work from the pack safehouse, but all of the able-bodied scouts and fighters will search each territory in a side-by-side sweep. It's the quickest way.”
“Agreed,” Samson said, and Jayce nodded.
“Rose is with Rhie at the Shadowbay safehouse. Kit is with them. Both the Saltfang and the Shadowbay Betas are guarding the place.” Scott added. “But I want Kiera and Nayeli to join them. Like I said, cast spells or do research there, but this looks like it might be a way bigger deal than just a simple kidnapping. We need you all safe.” His hand landed on my shoulder, and he squeezed reassuringly. “Let's go, brother.”
***
With all the packs on high alert and our allies on hand to help, the search began.
