Page 24 of A Wolf's Treasure
“She’s no’ one o’ them, Duncan. She’s no’an olc.”
He scrubbed his face with his hands, then dropped them to his hips as he thought about what Cedric was saying. “I dinna think it matters. My head does no’ differentiate between th’ tribes. No’ when it comes tae something so personal as trusting her with my heart and soul.”
Cedric laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Ye may no’ have th’ choice, my friend. Th’ heart wants who th’ heart wants, and I feart yers has already made up its mind.”
“Och, Cedric.” He tried to lighten the mood. “My heart kens nothing o’ th’ sort. Ye ken it’s a fickle beast.”
But his alpha knew him best of anyone and wasn’t taking the bait. “I dinna want tae see ye alone th’ rest o’ yer days. If ye feel pulled tae this lass, ye should at least give her a chance.”
Duncan placed his hand on Cedric’s shoulder, mimicking his alpha’s pose. “I will no’ be alone. I have ye.” Giving him a wink, he grinned.
“Hmph,” Cedric chuckled. Then he grabbed Duncan by the back of the head and touched their foreheads together briefly before releasing him. “In any case, we can no’ let th’ prince find th’ lass before we do. Let’s call th’ rest o’ th’ pack in. We will only tell them aboot last night, no’ th’ rest o’ it. We will take shifts searching th’ forest, and ye can keep an eye around th’ club.”
“Even ye, Cedric?”
“Aye. Even me. After all, I can no’ let anything happen tae my bestmukker’smate.”
“Och. She’s no’ my mate.”
Cedric smiled, but only briefly. “Just…think aboot what I said Duncan.”
Another joke hovered on the edge of his tongue, but catching Cedric’s steady stare, Duncan let it die. “Aye. I’ll think on it.”
“Good.” Cedric smacked him on the ass. “Now, get out yer cell and round up th’ others. I want everyone here in ten minutes.”
Duncan pulled out his phone, but paused with his thumbs above the keyboard. If they pulled everyone in on the search, it would alert the lass for sure. She might even run before he could warn her. “Cedric, I’d like tae have the chance tae try finding her on my own first. I dinna want her tae get spooked.”
Cedric gave him a thoughtful look. “Aye, ye might be right there.” He gave Duncan a nod. “Ye have four days. If ye can no’ find the lass by then, I’m calling in the others tae help ye. In the meantime, I’ll double up the patrols around the area and be sure tae tell everyone tae keep an eye out for any strange wolves.”
“Thank ye, Cedric. I’ll find her.”
“Ye better,” his alpha told him.
Aye, Duncan thought. He didn’t know how, but he would find the lass before the daft prince.
He had to.
Chapter 8
Ryanne swore to herself she would leave the wolf alone. And she never broke her promises to herself. Not ever.
Except, apparently, just this once.
From the cover of the trees, she watched him climb up into his vehicle and drive away. And by the way he was dressed, she could guess exactly where he was going.
But why would he be going there? It was only a week ago they’d made their great escape from those non-resident wolves. Surely, they were still lurking around.
However, she was not a female who cowered from danger—or who liked to miss out on the fun. Especially when it could help her find out why her father was hanging around with werewolves when the war had been over for years.
Lucky for her, she’d left her cozy, little cabin and had gone shopping in the city the day before, so she had just the thing to wear.
Ryanne backed away from the tree line carefully, eyes and ears alert to any unexpected company. Duncan’s pack had been more active than normal, roaming the forest every hour of the day and night until a Faerie could barely move without tripping over one of them.
Once or twice she thought maybe she’d been scented, but she didn’t worry overmuch about it. They would never see her unless she wanted to be seen.
The three they’d seen last week, however, had been conspicuously absent from the area. She wondered if this was why Duncan was heading back there. Did he think it was safe? Or was he hoping to find them?
If it was the second option, Ryanne was definitely joining him. And this time, if the humans would behave, perhaps she could find out what it was they wanted from her. Although it was possible they were just extremely anti-Faerie, and she’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, somehow she seriously doubted that was the case, and this was what she needed to find out.
