Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
The following afternoon, Gavin stood in the doorway of their bedroom, leaning against the frame. He watched Sadie as she sat on the edge of the bed with her new phone in her hand. It tugged at his heart to see her so concerned for her mom.
She’d reached out again that morning by text and email and hadn’t heard anything. After lunch, she’d come into the bedroom and sent another text message. He knew how much her mother meant to her and how upset she was that her mom hadn’t returned her messages. He wished he could comfort her and take away her pain and worry.
Just as he was about to step into the room, the phone buzzed in Sadie’s hand. She nearly dropped it in her haste to answer.
“Mom?” she said, her voice a mix of relief and apprehension.
Gavin stayed where he was, giving her space, but he kept his eyes on her.
“Sadie,” her mother’s voice crackled through the speaker. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner.”
Sadie’s shoulders drooped. “I was getting worried.”
Her mom sighed. “After the hunt, Alpha Halloway told me that he suspected I was in touch with you, and that he will allow it but I needed to come to an understanding about a few things.”
“What things?” Sadie asked. She glanced at Gavin and he could see the worry on her face.
“He won’t let me leave to come visit you. I’m not allowed to leave Ironwood, period. And he still won’t let you return to the pack. You’re exiled and if you come to town, he would at the very least throw you in a cell as a trespasser.”
“Geez, Mom. Why won’t he let you leave to come see me? You’re my mom and we’re each other’s only family.”
“He’s just being an alpha.”
“There’s an alpha here who isn’t an asshole like him,” Sadie pointed out.
“I know. But it’s about his authority, and I must do what he says. If I left, if people thought there were better things out there like what you’ve found, then his authority might come into question.”
“You could leave, you know. I could help you. You could come here and stay with me and Gavin. I know his people would welcome you.”
The hope in Sadie’s voice made Gavin’s chest hurt.
The long pause made Gavin certain that he knew what her mom would say, and he wasn’t surprised when she said Ironwood was her home and she wouldn’t leave.
“I’m so happy you found your mate, honey. And I’m so glad you’re building a life with him, but my life is here. We can keep in touch, and maybe video chat too. We’ll be close even if we’re far apart.”
“I understand,” Sadie said. Her voice cracked and she looked at Gavin with tears in her eyes. She opened and closed her mouth a few times and Gavin joined her on the bed and put his arm around her.
“Hi, it’s Gavin,” he said. “It’s nice to talk to you. Sadie’s just having a hard time.”
“It’s nice to talk to you too, Gavin. I’m sorry for that, but I’m glad she has you.”
“You have my number from when Sadie used it before she got her own phone, so you can reach out to me if you need to.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“I miss you, Mom,” Sadie said.
“I miss you too, every day.”
They said I love you, and the call ended. The screen went dark as Sadie’s hand tightened on the sparkly gold case she’d picked out. She rested her head on his shoulder and cried, and he held her until her sobs softened and eventually stopped.
“I’m sorry, Sadie,” he murmured.
“It’s not your fault. I knew in my heart she wouldn’t leave. I just couldn’t stop myself from asking. And then it hurt my feelings all the same.”
He held her tighter. “I know. But you’re not alone, and we’ll get through this together.”
“Thank you, Gavin. I mean it.”
He kissed the top of her head as his cat let out a soft, comforting purr. “I’d do anything for you, Sadie. Whatever you need, I’m here.”
He held her close for a long time in the silence of the bedroom as she worked through things. Eventually, she was tired of feeling sad, so they made popcorn and found a comedy movie to watch on a streaming service.
As they snuggled together on the couch, he promised himself that no matter what, she’d never feel this lonely and sad again. He’d do whatever it took to keep her safe and happy forever.
Gavin and Sadie spent the rest of his time off getting to know each other. She’d hung out with Nora and Maya, and the other females in the pride had made her feel really welcome. His sister wanted them to come downtown to visit, and he promised to bring Sadie once they were sure things were safe.
Once his time off was over, he had to get back to patrolling. He’d sort of missed the work, but he definitely didn’t like leaving Sadie all day in the house.
“I promise I’m fine,” she said, settling on the couch with a book she borrowed from Nora about the pride’s history. “You’ll stop by for lunch?”
He let out a soft purr. “You know it.”
She smiled, her eyes darkening. “I’ll be here. With bells on.”
“Those heels too.”
He wiggled his brows and she giggled. Giving her one last kiss, he headed out the door into the late morning sunshine. He had four hours until his lunch break. He was already counting the minutes.
After checking in with Ryan, he started his patrol duties for the first half of his shift, walking the perimeter of the territory. After their first date when he’d been sure they were being watched, the patrols had turned up nothing out of the ordinary, but Gavin hadn’t been able to shake the strange feeling. Patrols stayed ramped up just to be safe. He hoped nothing came from it, but he couldn’t stop the gnawing feeling in his gut that something was coming.
He stopped near the edge of the territory. Behind him was the street he and Sadie lived on. It was nearly time for his mid-shift break and he couldn’t wait to see his sweet mate again. He inhaled and sorted through the scents on the light breeze that rustled the trees around him.
His ears prickled as a noise that was out of place caught his senses. Putting his hand on the walkie on his belt, he inhaled again, turning slowly as the breeze brought a strange scent to him.
Humans!
It was faint, but it was there on the breeze, mixed with a strange chemical smell.
Lifting his walkie to his mouth, he slowly followed the scent of humans and chemicals and radioed Ryan.
“I’m near the street I live on,” Gavin whispered. “I smell humans, I think they’re covered with some kind of chemical masking scent, but I picked it up.”
“Shit, I’m sending reinforcements to you right now. Do you see anyone?”
“No. I just passed this point forty-five minutes ago.”
He reached a house across the street from his own and saw footprints that had mashed down the grass in the yard. He lifted his head and looked toward his home, and panic struck him.
Sadie!
“It’s my house, they’re there! Hurry!” he shouted into the walkie as he raced toward the house. He knew he’d locked the doors when he’d left, but if someone was determined that might not stop them.
He barreled around the corner of his house but found nothing. No people trying to break in or sign of anyone near. The back door stood unharmed. He stared into the thick trees behind his house and felt like he was being watched.
Then a branch cracked.
“Sadie!” he yelled, banging on the door, “Stay inside. I’ll be back!”
He raced off toward the sound of the branch, shouting into the walkie that he was certain people were in town. In moments, he was joined by other security team members, but after a half hour and no sign of anyone, they stopped searching.
He would have thought he was nuts and paranoid if it weren’t for the fact that one of the security team tripped over a pair of binoculars in the tall grass near the far edge of the territory. Gavin took it from Mia and inhaled, picking up the scent of humans and chemicals.
Adrian and two other team members walked toward them from outside of the territory. “There were tire tracks on the dirt road for several vehicles, including single marks, which I think were probably electric bikes. They’re pretty fast and silent.”
“How did they get into our area without triggering the security cameras?” Gavin asked.
Ryan joined them. “The security cameras were hacked, the footage was looped to keep anyone from knowing what was going on.”
“Damn it,” Gavin said.
Devon gave Gavin a curious look. “Why do you think they were at your house?’
“I don’t know,” he said.
“At least they didn’t get inside,” Ryan said, clapping him on the back. “Be thankful for small miracles.”
“I am. What are we going to do?”
“I’m going to meet with Midas. You go be with your mate.”
“I’ve still got half my shift.”
“I’ll finish for you,” Devon said. “We need to figure out a way to keep our cameras from getting hacked. It’s bullshit they got into the territory.”
Gavin agreed one hundred percent.
Ryan walked with him as the rest of the team split to patrol and check on the security cameras. Gavin was thankful that Sadie was still in the house, but he was baffled why—out of all the houses in town—he had felt the presence of someone at his.
His phone buzzed and he was surprised to see Brick’s name on the screen.
“Hey,” he said, about to tell him he was busy and would call him back.
“Listen, you’ve got a problem.”
Gavin stopped and lowered the phone, turning on the speaker so Ryan could hear. “What? I have a problem?”
“Yeah, sorry to be blunt. We’ve got a couple of wolves in the pack who are great hackers and they’ve been looking for anything out of the ordinary online, particularly news about that asshole Brent and his anti-shifter people.”
“What did your hackers find?” Gavin asked.
“One of our guys discovered a large delivery of bear traps. That’s pretty out of the ordinary, so we checked the hunting stores and discovered the traps were ordered from one of them in Harper’s Point. We hacked their security footage and computer systems and found who ordered them: Victor Hawthorne.”
“I don’t know who that is,” Gavin said.
“I do. Fuck,” Ryan said.
“Clue me in, guys,” Gavin said.
“Victor Hawthorne is a poacher, but he doesn’t hunt natural animals, he hunts shifters. Unique ones. He’s the best of the best when it comes to hunting shifters and he has a client list full of wealthy, vile people. Hawthorne hunts, captures, and sells unique shifters to the highest bidder.”
Gavin looked up from the phone. Across the street was his home, where his mate was waiting for him.
Unique. Shifter.
Holy shit.
A bolt of fear ran straight through him. Her rare albino fur made her a target of her alpha, who considered her cursed. But others wouldn’t see her fur as a curse, they’d see it as a rarity to be exploited.
“I didn’t know there was a shifter poacher,” Gavin said.
“I’m sure there are loads of them,” Brick said. “But Hawthorne is the nastiest of the bunch. When we realized it was him, I called you immediately because of your mate.”
Gavin relayed what had just happened in their territory.
“Damn it,” Brick said. “But I’m glad she wasn’t harmed. He’s not a careless guy, so I doubt he was one of the people that came into the territory.”
“Does he normally work alone?” Gavin asked.
“Yes,” Ryan answered. “I’ve heard of him and he works by himself. But, I think if he’s here and there were people at your house, then it’s pretty easy to figure out that he could have teamed up with others, maybe those Humans Against Shifters assholes.”
“I agree,” Brick said. “And so does Adam and our security people. Hawthorne was not alone when he picked up the traps, and one of the people with him was a member of HAS. Brent has manpower and knows the area, and Hawthorne knows shifters. They’re a deadly combination.”
“Thanks for letting us know,” Gavin said.
“We’re going to keep searching online for them and I’ll let you know if anything comes up. Keep your girl safe.”
“I will, thanks.”
When the call ended, Gavin looked at his boss and friend. “What can I do?”
“Well, first of all, get Sadie and come with me to Midas and Maya’s. There’s safety in numbers. We’ll have a security meeting and figure out a plan to keep her safe.”
Gavin nodded. He went to the house and knocked on the back door. “Sweetheart, it’s me. Open up.”
The lock clicked and Sadie opened it. She fell into his arms. “I swear I felt like someone was near the house and I got so scared but I didn’t see anyone, and then you were banging on the door! Are you okay?”
He took her hand and said, “I’m okay, but we need to go to Midas’s. I’ve got a lot to tell you and it’s not going to be good.”
Ryan walked with them as they made their way to Midas’s and Gavin told her what Brick had shared.
“Oh gosh, someone thinks I’m valuable as a trophy? That’s sick! What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to Midas’s house and then we’ll figure things out. Your safety is the most important thing to me, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re safe.”
Gavin squeezed her hand as uneasiness settled over him like a wet blanket, his mind already turning to the next steps. Danger was closer than he’d imagined. Her safety was the only thing on his mind. He just found her and wasn’t about to lose her to some asshole shifter poacher.
“I’ll keep you safe,” he said.
“I know you will.”