Chapter 6 Nathan
Nathan
I stepped onto the training field behind our house and watched Elle pace back and forth, her shoulders tense with frustration. She'd been trying to shift for weeks now, but it still hadn't happened.
Elle crossed her arms tightly. "This is ridiculous. Every other kid my age is shifting already."
I motioned for her to take a breath. "You're close, sweetheart. Rushing it won't help."
"Easy for you to say," she muttered. "You shifted young."
I studied my daughter carefully. She was trying to hide it, but something else was bothering her, beyond the shifting. I gestured to the grass. "Come on. Run some drills with me."
We moved through basic stances and techniques, focusing on strengthening her connection to her wolf instincts. But after several minutes, Elle let out a growl of frustration when nothing happened.
I gently nudged her shoulder. "Your body knows when it's ready, kiddo. Stop trying to force it."
Elle exhaled sharply and rolled her shoulders. "I guess."
I squinted at her, unconvinced. "That's not all that's on your mind, is it?"
She hesitated. "It's nothing."
"Elle," I pressed, my tone firm but understanding.
She huffed and kicked at the dirt. "I saw Rissa at school today."
I tensed at the mention of my niece but tried to keep my tone neutral. "And?"
Elle looked anywhere but at me. "She's fine, I guess."
I frowned. The truth was plain to see. "You don't like her much, do you?"
Elle's jaw tightened. "I didn't say that."
I tilted my head knowingly. "You didn't have to."
She looked away, her young face clouded. "I just don't get why everyone is making such a big deal about her being back."
I watched Elle carefully as I processed her words. This was about more than just Rissa rejoining the pack. I crouched down beside my daughter so we were at eye level and rested my forearms on my knees.
"You know you can always talk to me, right?" I said gently. "About anything."
Elle shook her head, her brown hair swishing. "It's stupid."
I nudged her knee with my own. "Try me, kid."
Elle was quiet for a long time, staring at the ground. Finally, she spoke in a whisper. "It just feels weird. She's back, and everyone's acting like it's this amazing thing." Elle's shoulders slumped.
I sensed there was more bothering her, but I let it sit for now. Elle needed time to sort through her feelings. Pushing her would only make her shut down.
"Give Rissa a chance," I said gently. "You don't have to like her, but don't shut her out either. She's still part of this pack, which makes her part of our family. Did she do something to upset you?"
“No.” Elle shrugged, clearly done talking about it. "Whatever."
I wasn’t sure what to make of her reaction. Elle had always been a bit reserved, but this was different. Rissa's return had shaken something loose inside my daughter. I just wished I could figure out what.
I clapped Elle on the back, letting the subject drop for now. "Let's call it for today, all right? We can pick this up tomorrow."
Relief flickered across her face. She turned and headed toward the house without another word, leaving me alone on the training field with my thoughts.
I exhaled sharply and scrubbed a hand down my face. Rissa. Just the mention of her name stirred up a storm of emotions inside me.
I had to admit the truth: Rissa was messing with my head in more ways than one. As alpha, I needed to keep a level head for the good of the pack. But as a man? I was lost. Utterly, completely lost.
Fur rippled beneath my skin, my wolf clawing to break free. I let the shift overtake me, bones cracking and realigning as I dropped to all fours. The relief was instantaneous, like shrugging off a heavy weight.
I sprinted through the woods, paws kicking up dirt and fallen leaves. The wind whipped through my coat. For a moment, my mind cleared, consumed only by the joy of the run.
But the reprieve was short-lived. Thoughts of Mira crept in, her absence as keen as ever.
She would've loved seeing Elle grow into her wolf and would've been there every step of the way.
My chest ached with the memory of her. The warmth in her eyes, the certainty in her smile.
She had been mine, completely and utterly. My fated mate, my great love.
Then, just as quickly, a different image took her place. Rissa. The pull toward her was undeniable, a tether that transcended reason or choice. And it made me furious. I didn't want this, hadn’t asked for it. Fated mates or not, I couldn't just forget Mira, couldn't replace her.
My wolf growled quietly, torn between the echoes of my grief and the insistence of instinct. By the time I reached the pack house, I was no closer to sorting myself out.
I shifted back and grabbed a pair of shorts from the pile we kept outside for post-run meetings. As I tugged them on, I saw that Kendrick, Caleb, Marcus, and Ula were already waiting.
Kendrick smirked. "You're late."
I grunted. "I'm the alpha. I'm on time whenever I get here."
Marcus snickered. "Fair enough."
A minute later, Gavin arrived, looking like he'd been dragged through hell backward. I frowned. "You look rough, man. What's going on?"
Gavin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm dealing with that missing person's case. And it's... Well, it's weird."
Caleb folded his arms. "Weird how?"
Gavin pulled a photo from his pocket and set it on the table. The moment I saw it, my stomach clenched. The woman in the picture looked exactly like my niece. Same delicate features, same tumble of honey-blonde hair.
Ula whistled. "Damn. That's eerie. She looks just like Krystal."
Kendrick shook his head. "She's human?"
"As far as we know," Gavin said. "No connection to Krystal or the pack that we can find." He flared his nostrils. “I already checked as soon as I got a look at this photo.”
My wolf stirred uneasily, hackles rising. "What happened to this Krystal doppelg?nger?"
Gavin exhaled. "She was staying at a cabin with her parents up near Blackwood Falls. Last night, she left to grab dinner from the diner in town. Never made it there."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
I folded my arms, meeting Gavin's gaze. "What do we have to go on?"
Gavin tossed a plastic evidence bag onto the table. Inside was a shirt, the fabric rumpled and stained. "Got this from her parents. Figured Ula could give it a once-over."
Ula picked up the bag, her nostrils flaring as she took a deep inhale. Her expression hardened, a frown tugging at her mouth. "I'll track it."
I got a big whiff myself. "Behind the diner, right? That's where you said the scent disappears."
"Yeah," Gavin confirmed. "Trail goes cold in the parking lot. Like she just vanished into thin air."
I glanced at Kendrick and Caleb. "We're running patrols. If there's anything suspicious out there, anything at all, we find it."
Kendrick saluted sharply. "Got it, boss."
Caleb cracked his knuckles, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Let's hope it's nothing."
But I didn't believe that for a second. My gut told me this was just the calm before the storm.
We moved on to other pack matters, border disputes with the pack to the north, and a recent string of rogue sightings along our eastern boundary.
But, even as we discussed patrol schedules and resource allocation, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the missing woman was connected to something larger.
Call it intuition, call it paranoia, but I'd learned to trust my instincts over the years. And right now, every fiber of my being was screaming that danger was on the horizon.
I just hoped like hell we'd be ready for it when it came.
As the meeting wrapped up, Gavin stood to leave. I caught his arm, pulling him aside. "You really think there's no connection between the two?" I searched his face for any hint of uncertainty.
Gavin hesitated, his brow furrowing. "I don't know, man. But it's too damn weird. A woman who looks just like Krystal, vanishing into thin air? What are the odds of that being a coincidence?"
There was no fucking way it was a coincidence. "My thoughts exactly."
Gavin clapped me on the shoulder, his expression grim. "We'll get to the bottom of it. One way or another."
I watched him go, his words echoing in my mind. My gut was telling me the same thing, that this was just the beginning of something much larger, much darker.
As the others filed out of the room, I lingered behind, drawn back to the picture on the table. The woman's face stared up at me, her eyes haunting and accusatory.
Inside me, my wolf paced restlessly, hackles raised and teeth bared. It sensed the same thing I did: a looming threat, a gathering storm on the horizon.
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. Something was coming. I could feel it in my bones, a deep certainty that set my nerves on edge.
And I had a bad feeling it was only getting started.