Page 69 of Cursed
Ryland laughs, thinking his wolf is seriously overreacting. “OK. I can be done for the day.”
The entire walk back to his quarters, his wolf’s agitation increases. When he enters his rooms, Ryland doesn’t immediately hear her, and he still can’t sense her emotions. His pulse ticks up a bit as he moves from the sitting room to the bedroom and lastly, the bathroom. When he discovers that she’s not here, he tells Bade, “Do not panic yet.”
He walks back to the double doors and sniffs all around the entryway and the sitting room. Her scent has faded. She hasn’t been in here for a while. He picks up the faint smells of Adele and the other two women. Smelling a male he doesn’t recognize, Ryland’s body becomes rigid, and he releases a menacing growl.
Bade’s gravelly voice rumbles loudly through Ryland’s head. “Who is the male?”
Ryland mind-links with Adele, his voice laced with worry. “Is Nori with you?”
Adele, startled by the question and her brother’s tone of voice, replies, “No. We left a few hours ago.” She bolts from her room, running up the stairs to Ryland.
“When exactly did you leave? What time, Adele?”
She bursts through the doors. “It was around 1:00 p.m. I don’t know exactly; we were drinking champagne.” Adele smells around the room, just as Ryland had done. Her heart skips a beat when she asks, “Who is the male I smell?”
Ryland’s heart thunders in his chest. He lets out a vicious roar. Adele shrinks back into the corner, away from him. “HOURS! SHE’S BEEN GONE FOR HOURS!”
The air around Ryland shimmers, preparing for the transformation to his wolf form. Claws extend from his fingers; his eyes turn black. He drops to the floor on his hands and knees, and his body quickly reforms itself.
Growling and snarling, his face elongates into a snout, and wolf ears extend from his head into points. His shoulders and rib cage grow wider in a burst of power, ripping the clothes off his body. Bones shift to form front and back legs, and a tail grows from his backside. Hands and feet turn into paws, and finally, fur rolls over his body. Taking less than a minute, the shift from Ryland to Bade is complete.
Bade, a monster of a wolf, is covered in thick, jet-black fur. His sheer size is staggering—easily twice as large as any other wolf. Bade’s very presence radiates dominance; his growls are harsh and guttural. He lets out an ear-splitting howl and pounds out of the room, tracking his Mate through the castle.
Adele quickly grabs some extra clothes for Ryland and Nori and runs to catch up with Bade. She follows the mammoth black wolf down the stairs and through the halls of the castle. Any pack members in the vicinity run to get out of the way of the snarling, furious beast.
Her mind races through all the possible scenarios for Nori’s disappearance. She’s hoping they are getting all worked up over nothing. However, her heart races, and dread settles over her when Bade leads her toward a set of stairs that only end in an exit out of the castle.
She instantly reaches out to both Garek and Zayne in a panic. “Run! Run to the stables. Get three horses for us, plus Ryland’s warhorse. Grab weapons for both of you and for me, too. There was a strange male scent in Ryland’s room, and Nori is missing!”
Garek replies, “Moving now! Let us know where to meet you.”
Zayne says, “I’m on my way!”
She tells the two men exactly where they are going to exit the castle. At the bottom of the stairs, Bade knocks the door off its hinges and bursts outside, sniffing the ground. He crouches on his back legs, ready to launch into the woods after Nori.
“WAIT! Just wait. Please, Bade.” Adele screams at him, hoping to stall him until Garek and Zayne can catch up.
The giant wolf swivels his head and snarls loudly at her.
Palms facing Bade, Adele holds her hands out in front of her. “Garek and Zayne are on their way. We’ll follow you on horseback. They’re bringing weapons.”
Bade paces and growls while they wait. The moment he hears the horses' hooves pounding the ground, he takes off into the forest, continuing his hunt for his Mate.
Zayne follows after him, towing Ryland’s horse, and Garek slows long enough to pass a horse to Adele. She leaps on and races after Garek.
Adele stows the clothes in a pouch on her saddle and pulls her hair into a ponytail as she catches up with Garek. “She’s been gone for hours. Bade followed her scent out of that exit back there.”
Garek passes her a crossbow. “And neither of you recognized the male scent in Ryland’s room?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Adele frowns.
“She only knows us. Who would she trust enough to leave with?”
Adele thinks about it for a moment. “That’s the question, isn’t it? Best guess? Maybe a Guard or Enforcer. Someone wearing the uniform.”
“Well, that’s a problem.” Garek mind-links to his Chief Enforcer. “We have enemies in the castle. We believe a pack member has kidnapped Ryland’s Bonded Mate. We think she would have only followed someone wearing a uniform. Someone who looks official, like he belongs.”
“What do you need from me? You want a team to track her?”
