Page 15 of The Wolf's Kidnapped Mate

Why would I do that when there was nothing I could do to fix the situation? Liam had said to protect his sister at all costs—and occasionally that costmightbe her emotions. Alright, so maybe Liam hadn’t said to hurt his sister’s feelings, but what was I supposed to do instead? Coddle her?

Go after her.

I shrugged off the whispering palm and got to the greenhouse door, looking back at the five rows of perfectly prim plants. Every single one of the whispering palms got back into place like they had never moved.Good. I didn’t need them acting up too. I had bigger vegetation to worry about cutting down.

Like Bernadetti.

My burner phone buzzed in my back pocket. I whipped it out as I pushed out the greenhouse door. A giant ray of sunlight like a spotlight smacked my vision, making me cringe. Nothing like the sunny disposition of the daytime to get on my nerves.

I jabbed the green button and held the phone to my ear. “What?”

“Well, hello to you too, sunshine.”

I grimaced. “Shut up, Liam. It’s your sister.”

“What’d she do now?” His tone was playfully expectant.

“She’s just being Kylie.”

He chuckled. “Well, let her be Kylie for a little longer. We got coordinates.”

I stopped in my tracks. Could it really be over so quickly? “No shit.”

“Bernadetti was spotted at a gas station just outside of Beaufort. Looks like he’s heading into town.”

“Fuck.”

I picked up my pace again, easily trailing after the scent Kylie had left behind. My nose twitched at every turn. It was hard to ignore the distinct scent of rose that carried me toward the community center. In the lobby, the scent faded. A few passing shifters gave me curious eyes with plastic grins. I tried to smile. The shifters briskly walked past me while huddling closer to each other.

Well, gee, it seemed my smiles weren’t looking too realistic these days. After brushing off the awkward encounters, I jogged down the hallway to the right, following the faded rose scent. She had been here at one point, but she wasn’t here now. Maybe she’d run home.

“Fred,” Liam said into my ear. I nearly dropped the damn phone that I’d forgotten I was holding. “Yeah, what?”

“I sent the coordinates to Blake with an update. He knows what’s going down.”

“Time for a ride?”

Liam coughed and hacked. Must have been that cold again. “10-4.”

I nodded curtly, ended the call, and headed back to the lobby. Empty couches, empty desk. Not much happening in the way of community these ways, eh? This was Kylie’s world, not mine. I didn’t care much about the children’s paintings on the wall or the mural just behind the welcome desk. It felt weirdly polished in a marigold color with white stripes.

Hell, everything did when I spent most of my time in a cubicle with a crowded loft above it. Space felt strange when there was so much of it. And in here, with the scrubbed white tiles and tan walls, I felt like I was suffocating. Like the walls were closing in on me.

Like I was exposed.

I darted out the door and took a left. More of her rose scent in this direction. I could catch Kylie before she ran off for the beach or took her bike. The thought of shifting into my wolf form wasn’t particularly appealing because then I would have to shift right in front of her, and then I’d benaked, and then we’d really have a problem on our hands.

My thoughts jumbled up.I’ve never been worried about being naked around her. Why am I worried about it now?

No, we didn’t have to worry about things like that when our special black ops units were made entirely of shifters. Wolves had mostly been the top choice for a long time, but we had a few bears and lions as well. Shame didn’t come easily when shifting would save the lives of many. Nope, not a damn bone in my body carried any hint of bashfulness about being naked to shift.

But the thought of being naked in front ofKyliemade my stomach knot.

At all costs, I reminded myself as my pace quickened.Don’t get shy about shifting in front of her just because she’s gonna see your junk, man.

The dirt path forked ahead—to the left was the bustling neighborhood and to the right was the path leading to the fields. I could cut past the cornfields, duck into the woods, and cut Kylie off before she hit the sand.

Easy.

---