Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
I spun around, searching for the source of the noise. My heart pounded so hard my ears rang, and I sniffed, searching for any scents outside the norm.
Nothing.
Needing to make sure, I slowly walked to the tree line…and a faint scent of musk tickled my nose. However, it wasn't strong enough for someone to have been there moments ago. This scent was a few days old, probably from whoever had cleaned up the pack neighborhood. A squirrel or something must have run by and caused the disturbance.
Is something wrong? Griffin asked as he made his way toward me, following my gaze into the woods.
That was a tricky question, even though he hadn't meant for it to be. I heard a branch snap, but it must have been an animal. I forced myself to turn back to the house that I dreaded entering. I was tempted to say we needed to scout out the area more, but that would only prolong the inevitable. Searching the house was the best bet for finding clues or, at least, something that could point us in the right direction.
Putting one foot in front of the other, I made it to the sturdy, red chestnut door of my childhood home, but the door was already slightly ajar. I pushed the door open the rest of the way, trying not to freeze. If I paused, there was no telling when I'd finally get going again.
The living room looked the same as it had that morning when I'd left to walk to the river. The beige, cloth couch sat against the tan wall with Dad's brown, leather recliner in the corner. The news flickered on the television with the sound muted, and the remote control sat on the arm of the recliner. That was where Dad always sat.
Sadness tugged on my heart, but I pushed it away. If I started crying now, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever stop.
I entered the house, stepping onto the dark walnut floor. The scent of lavender—Mom's favorite fragrance—overwhelmed me.
My throat went dry as I held back the tears burning my eyes. I didn't want to break down in front of everyone.
I had to be strong.
Sierra stepped beside me. "This is kind of creepy."
That was one way of putting it. "It feels like they should be somewhere in the house." I tried to keep the emotion from my voice, but it leaked through, so I pushed forward through the room and toward the hallway.
The three of them followed me, and I paused at the large eat-in kitchen on the right. All of the maple cabinets were closed—which was the norm—but the large empty pot on the black stove and a sink full of washed-off dishes made it clear that something was wrong. Mom hated a cluttered kitchen and always told me that the trick was cleaning as you cooked.
Just another reminder that they were truly gone.
"What time of day did they attack?" Griffin asked as he took my hand.
"Midday on the new moon." I noted that two of the chairs at the round table were pulled out; probably due to Mom and Dad sitting down with their coffee. When we are at our weakest, I linked with Griffin. I got that Killian trusted Sierra, but I didn't yet. Trust had to be earned at this point.
"New moon?" Sierra parroted. "I guess that's one way of remembering the date."
I wasn't going to touch that comment. Anything I could've added would have exposed me further.
Killian cleared his throat. "So, where should we begin looking?"
"Why don't you and Sierra search the woods and see if they left something behind or, at least, find what they did with the de—" I couldn't finish the sentence. I wanted to know where the pack was buried…or if they even were.
Sierra grimaced. "Yes, we can do that."
She understood my meaning, which relieved me. I didn't have to say it after all.
Needing to change the direction of the conversation, I said, "Griffin and I can search here." I wanted to be the one who went through Dad's stuff—there was no telling what I might find.
"Are you sure?" Killian asked. "We can help—"
"No, I need to do this." I had to. Depending on what I found, I might need to process it a little while on my own.
"You heard her." Griffin stood behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "If you guys need anything, we're only a phone call away."
"That sounds like a plan." Sierra saluted. "We can circle deeper in the woods and see what we find. They had to leave something behind."
"Let's hope so." I needed answers.
The two of them headed to the door as Killian called out, "We'll be back soon."
When the front door closed again, I spun around, placing my head on Griffin's shoulder. I needed a moment to brace myself for what came next. It was hard enough being in the house, but going into Dad's study and my parents’ room would make things even worse.
I'll be right here with you the entire way. Griffin pressed a kiss to my forehead. We can take as long as you need.
But the longer I put it off, the harder this would be. No, let's get moving before Sierra gets back. I headed back down the hallway, straight to my room on the left. I wanted to look in there and make sure nothing had been left behind by the hunters.
Going through my own room shouldn't be as hard as the others, so it made sense to start there.
I stepped inside, and the scent of unfamiliar shifters hit my nose. I hadn't smelled anyone until this room, which meant they’d spent a lot of time in it. The silver walls of my room felt as though they were mocking me—like I'd tempted fate by matching them to my hair.
The collage of me and the pack was missing, and the teal sheets of my bed were crumpled. Mom had been a drill sergeant when it came to cleanliness, so it was another sign that people had gone through the house.
"This is your room?" Griffin asked, as he stepped in behind me.
"Yeah. It was." It didn't feel like home anymore. There were too many horrible memories for that...at least, for now. "Our pack has lived in this town ever since we left Shadow City."
"Why did the silver wolves leave Shadow City?" Griffin asked as he walked to my small bookshelf, scanning the titles of the classics that I loved to read.
"Honestly, I'm not sure." Dad and I had assumed we had so much more time for him to teach me things. "I know we were in danger there, but I have no clue why, or from who."
"It's strange that my dad knew that you existed." Griffin slowly turned, taking in the room. "He never told me about you all, either, but your dad did come and visit. I vaguely remember him."
I walked to my closet and looked through my clothes. Nothing seemed to be missing, except for my pictures, which made sense. They’d probably taken them back to wherever they were based to get additional resources looking for me. "I think we're good here. Let's go look at Dad's study. I'm assuming that's where they did most of their searching."
He followed me into the study, and I took in the scattered papers on Dad's huge mahogany desk. "This was the third bedroom. He converted it into his office." I flipped through the papers, finding bills and other records, but nothing substantial. Yet, I knew he hid stuff somewhere.
Griffin walked to the filing cabinets that lined the wall. "I guess I'll start here, and you search his desk?"
I didn't have a better suggestion. "Sure." I opened the top drawer of the desk, expecting to find the cabinet keys, but instead, I found it bare. Yet another sign that someone had searched the house.
However, Griffin was able to open the cabinet drawers without any problems. Whoever searched it hadn’t taken the time to lock it and put the keys back. Either they didn't care if someone figured out that they'd been here, or they thought no one would show up and realize what had happened—beyond someone from the electric or water company looking to get paid or turn off the water.
Either way, we had a lot to dig through. I sat in my dad's chair as a heaviness seemed to press on my shoulders.
My entire life, I’d known that I would be sitting at my father’s desk one day, but I could never have imagined it like this. He'd been taken from me far too soon, and I didn't know how to recover. A piece of me had died that day—along with him and the others—but I refused to cower. Whoever was after me wanted to break me and have me as his own, personal breeder. But what he didn't know was that silver wolves reproduced slower than normal wolves. Dad had explained that our slowness to reproduce was due to our stronger powers—that nature had a way of balancing power so that it didn't swing in favor of one race alone.
That didn't matter. The man hunting me didn't give a damn about the logistics. He wanted control, or at least the illusion of it.
So, I did the only thing I knew to do.
I rolled up my sleeves and began digging.
The entire day had been one emotional ride.
The four of us sat around my kitchen table in silence. Killian had run out to get some all-meat pizzas, so I choked down a slice—only because both Griffin and Killian kept watching me. But the food sat uncomfortably in my stomach.
"Are you sure you're good staying here tonight?" Griffin asked, for the fifth time.
"It's the safest place for us." And it would keep us close to Dad's study so we could continue our search in the morning. "I have everything I need here." Except for my pack.
Killian and Sierra hadn't found much in the woods. They’d searched about half the neighborhood’s perimeter before calling it a day and going to grab the food for dinner.
If I hadn't known better, I would've thought I got run over by a train. I felt incredibly hungover—probably from the drugs—plus, my emotional well-being was subpar. Every so often, I thought I heard Dad's footsteps coming down the hall, and the realization that I would never hear that again slammed into me.
"Since that's settled, let's get you to bed." Griffin's face creased with concern. "You've had one hell of a day."
Bed did sound nice. I stood and glanced at Sierra and Killian. "Let me get you two some sheets for the couch and recliner."
"Nope, we're good. I saw some blankets in the hall closet." Sierra waved me off. "You go get some rest. I'll take care of it."
I sort of wanted to argue but just didn't have it in me. "If you do need something, just let me know."
"Will do," Sierra said as she pointed at Griffin. "Now go get your mate in bed."
"Yes, ma'am." He chuckled and took my hand.
When the two of us entered my room, I climbed into bed, not even worrying about changing clothes. My body seemed to weigh a ton, and the thought of standing any longer didn't hold any appeal.
Griffin lay down next to me and pulled me into his arms. His fingertips brushed my arm, making me sigh. I rolled toward him and stared into his eyes.
I'd never get tired of looking at him, and I wasn't sure what would've happened if he wasn't here with me. A part of me knew that I wouldn't have been nearly as strong.
He kissed me gently, parting my lips with his tongue.
I responded to his kiss in earnest, needing to feel him.
Hey, you need your rest. He pulled back a little. You almost passed out while eating.
I did need my rest, but I also needed him to help me feel alive. I want you to make me forget this shitty day. I kissed him eagerly, making my intentions clear. I need you.
Why don't you take a nap first? he growled, trying to remain strong.
My hand unbuttoned his jeans as I deepened our kiss. No. I slipped my hand inside his boxers, stroking him.
Dammit. He groaned as his hands gripped my waist and pulled me on top of him.
I rocked against him, needing to feel the friction. I grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head; then, clawed down his chest, enjoying the feel of his skin.
His hands slipped under my shirt and removed it from my body. He reached around me and unfastened my bra, and my breasts fell right into his face. He captured a nipple between his teeth, flicking it with his tongue.
The ache grew deeper inside me as my body warmed. He rolled me off him and stood at the side of the bed. Then he grabbed my jeans and panties and dragged them off my body.
"You're so damn beautiful," he rasped as he kicked off his jeans and boxers. He leaned over me and kissed me to the point that my head grew dizzy.
The scents of our arousal mixed, making the room smell intoxicating. I tried getting up, wanting to take control, but he grabbed my arms and held them at the sides of my head.
We're supposed to be going slow, he chastised me, as his fingers pinched my nipples.
A low moan escaped as my body caught on fire. This is slow.
He chuckled, sounding so damn sexy. No, it's not.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, enjoying the feel of him rubbing against me.
He groaned huskily, nearly making me come unglued.
Please. I begged, not even embarrassed.
Fine. He placed his hand between us, positioning himself, and thrust into me hard.
Pleasure rocketed through me as he lifted my hips, hitting deeper inside. With his free hand, he rubbed circular motions between my legs, making every cell in my body ignite.
He surrounded my senses; every smell, touch, and taste belonged to him. I opened myself up, wanting him to know everything I felt—between everything that had happened that day, and this moment. The words I love you passed through my mind.
His emotions poured into me like a dam breaking. I love you too, he linked as orgasms surged through both of us.
We breathed out together and stilled. My body was completely satiated, and finally, a sense of peace settled over me.
Eventually, I stood and put on my pajamas. Griffin followed my lead, and soon, we both crawled back into bed. He cuddled me in his arms, and my eyes closed of their own accord. Within seconds, I began dozing off. My body relaxed, but before sleep completely overtook me, a memory popped into my brain.
I sat straight up in bed and clenched my teeth. "I remember who drugged me."