Chapter 0151
Damien
A chill runs through me as he speaks her name. He was after her again.
"Dane and Klaus are already on their way, but you know him better than any of us," Eric says.
"Alpha Neah?" I murmur, torn between protecting her or going after my mate. This could be a diversion—a way to draw us away from what my brother wants.
"I’ll handle Neah. Go," Eric offers.
"If it shows up here, link Dane. I’ll be with him," I snap before bolting down the stairs and out of the house.
The hospital isn't far, but far enough that he could have already done something to her. By the time I arrive, Dane and Klaus are already searching.
"She’s gone," Dane growls, his frustration palpable. "Whatever it did to her, she’s out cold. I can’t link her."
"We checked every room. No blood, no signs of a struggle. Even Raven’s scent fades to nothing," Klaus reports grimly.
But I can still smell him.
Moving toward the small desk in the center of the room, I catch a faint trace—strawberries laced with fear. She was here. Hiding.
"How long?" I mutter.
"For what?" Dane snaps.
"Between her linking you and you getting here—how long?"
"Just a few minutes. I came immediately. Why?"
Had she known it was in here? Is that why she was hiding?
I scan the room. He had been standing just on the other side of the desk, taunting her.
"He wouldn’t have taken her through the front door. Too risky," I say.
"The back entrance has been locked since we had issues with the other Lycans," Klaus mutters. "It leads straight into the forest. There’s no other way in."
"There’s always a way," I counter.
"I’ll link my men. We’ll sweep the forest," Dane says.
"No," I snap.
His eyes flash. "She’s my sister."
"And if you want her alive, you won’t send more men. He’s baiting me. If you flood the area with warriors, he’ll kill her—and everyone else. I told you, they like to play with their food. But when faced with too many targets, they just slaughter everything in sight. And like you said, Dane—you can’t scent him."
I push through the hospital, reaching the back door. Just as Klaus said, it’s locked. No sign of forced entry.
Then, movement.
A curtain shifts by a closed window. My eyes narrow. Claw marks line the edges. A small gap where the frame wasn’t properly refitted lets in a faint breeze.
"He came through the window," I realize.
"He dragged her through?" Dane demands, his fists clenching. "She would’ve fought."
"She’s unconscious. You can’t fight if you’re out cold."
I ram my shoulder against the back door. The frame splinters on the second hit, the door crashing inward.
Stripping off my shirt, I feel my bones crack and shift. It’s been too long since my last transformation.
"We’re coming with you," Dane growls, yanking his shirt over his head. "This is my pack. My sister. You don’t get to order me around!" His crimson eyes burn with fury.
I remove my belt and boots, meeting his gaze. He won’t like what I’m about to reveal. I had hoped to keep it a secret longer than this.
"You can’t track them," I say. "But I can."
Then, I shift.
Fully transformed into my Lycan form, I stretch my limbs, feeling the power ripple through me. Dropping onto all fours, I lower my snout to the ground.
His scent is still fresh. And beneath it, hers.
"I can still smell Raven," I growl. "Enough to find her."
"Then lead us," Dane insists. "You don’t have to do this alone. That’s not how we work!"
I let out a low, menacing growl.
"I can—because I was like him."