45. Calder
Calder
“That’s not Ethan,” I said, replacing the body bag cover and zipping it shut.
Red and blue lights painted the scene as the detectives worked over the site looking for clues.
Thankfully Ageratum had connections with the local law enforcement.
“The clothes are his, but the body isn’t. I’m sure of that.”
“Are you sure?” Trevor asked, his eyes wide. “It’s pretty badly mutilated…”
“On purpose,” Ageratum added, glancing my way. He signaled for the officers to take the body away. “No doubt as a distraction to keep you off the real trail.”
“So where is he?” Trevor asked, looking between the pair of us. “Where did the rogue take him?”
I stared at the spot where the body bag had been, my mind racing through possibilities.
The rogue had gone to elaborate lengths to fake Ethan's death—stripping him, dressing another body in his clothes, mutilating it beyond easy recognition.
That took time. Planning. Which meant this wasn't a random act of violence.
"He's keeping him alive," I said, the realization hitting me like a freight train. "The rogue wants something from him."
"What could a rogue possibly want from a human?" Trevor asked.
I turned to face him, my wolf clawing at my insides with renewed desperation. "Me possibly. He wants to draw me out, make me suffer." I paused, another horrifying thought crystallizing. "Or... he wants Ethan for himself."
Ageratum's crimson eyes narrowed. "You think the rogue has formed an attachment?"
"It's possible." I started pacing, unable to stand still while Ethan was out there somewhere.
"He's been following Ethan for years, and killed his father right in front of him. He’s had every chance to kill him, but never has. And he showed zero remorse for the other humans, all those cattle, or that farmer he murdered…”
“But you and Ethan have created a bond,” Ageratum nodded, following my every word. “Wouldn’t that cause an issue?”
“That might be why he’s made his move at last,” I said.
“After all these years of torturing Ethan from the shadows, he waited until we bonded to finally snap. That could explain all the killings, and why he’s gotten so vicious.
” I clenched my fists, feeling my claws threatening to break through.
"Jealousy. Rage. The bond between Ethan and me would drive a rival wolf insane, especially if he'd been fixating on Ethan for years. "
"So where would he take him?" Trevor pressed, his hand on my shoulder grounding me before I spiraled completely. "You know these attacks better than most thanks to Ethan. Where would the rogue hole up?"
I forced myself to think past the panic screaming through every nerve. Rogues were territorial, paranoid. They needed isolation but also familiarity. Somewhere they could control completely.
"Somewhere he's been before," I muttered, closing my eyes and trying to recall every detail from the case files. "Every kill site, every location connected to the murders."
Ageratum pulled out his phone, fingers dialing numbers quickly. "I can have the police records sent over immediately. Every location tied to the attacks."
"Wait." I opened my eyes, a memory surfacing. "The farmer. Marcus Greer. Ethan interviewed him about his cattle before the rogue killed him. All the early mutilations happened there for weeks. Everywhere else has been too public.”
"The farm," Trevor said, catching on. "It’s remote, isolated, and the rogue already knows the layout."
"It's not much, but I can’t stand around waiting for another answer. Not when Ethan’s in trouble." I was already moving toward my motorcycle. “You guys see if there’s another possibility. Call me if you find anything.”
Ageratum nodded. “Same to you.” Then he paused. “If you find the rogue, don’t confront him alone. I don’t need a dead werewolf on my hands as well.”
I threw a leg over my motorcycle, the engine roaring into life. “No promises.”
Tires screeched as I peeled out of the parking lot, racing toward the Greer farm on the north side of town.
The cold autumn wind whipped against my face as I tore through the streets of Portland, weaving between cars with reckless abandon.
Every second counted. Every moment I wasted was another moment Ethan was trapped with that monster.
My wolf was barely contained beneath my skin, demanding I shift and run faster. But I needed the bike. Needed the speed it could provide on the open road once I left the city limits behind.
The buildings blurred past as I accelerated, my enhanced reflexes the only thing keeping me from crashing. Normal humans wouldn't have been able to navigate traffic at these speeds, but I wasn't normal. And right now, I thanked whatever gods were listening for that fact.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it.
Nothing mattered except getting to that farm.
If I was wrong, if Ethan wasn't there, I'd tear apart every inch of Maine until I found him.
The Council, the pack, the entire supernatural world could burn for all I cared.
Ethan was my mate, and I would move heaven and earth to bring him home.
The city gave way to suburbs, then farmland. The Greer property was about fifteen miles outside Portland, nestled in rolling hills that would be beautiful if they weren't currently harboring a psychotic rogue werewolf.
I pushed the bike harder, the speedometer climbing well over one hundred. The farm came into view, and my heart lurched. There was a single vehicle parked near the barn—a car I recognized from the newspaper parking lot. Jake's car.
Jake. The coworker who'd been murdered. The one whose letter had driven Ethan away from me. But what was it doing there?
I killed the engine and dismounted, every sense on high alert. The farm was silent except for the whisper of wind through bare trees. Too silent. No birds, no small animals rustling in the underbrush. They'd all fled from the predator in their midst.
I approached the barn cautiously, my boots crunching on gravel that seemed deafening in the stillness. The structure loomed before me, weathered wood silvered with age. One of the main doors hung slightly ajar, and I caught a scent that made my wolf surge forward with recognition.
Ethan. He was here.
And beneath his sweet, earthy scent was something else. Fear. Pain. And the musky, rancid odor of the rogue.
My vision tunneled, gold bleeding into my sight as my wolf demanded release. Not yet, I told myself, even as my bones began to ache with the need to shift. I had to assess the situation first, and couldn't just charge in blindly.
I crept closer to the door, peering through the gap. The interior was dim, illuminated only by the orange glow of what looked like a space heater. And there, tied to a support beam in the center of the barn, was Ethan.
My heart stopped. He was naked, shivering, his wrists bound painfully behind him. But he was alive. Breathing. And standing in front of him, with a hand wrapped around his throat was…
Jake Harrison.
"See what you make me do?" Jake said, letting go of Ethan’s neck and stroking his hair. "I don't want to hurt you, baby. I just need you to understand. We're meant to be together. The mate bond doesn't lie."
"The mate bond is with Calder," Ethan wheezed, his voice hoarse. "Not you. It was never you."
Jake's expression twisted with fury. Then he took another breath before pressing his lips against Ethan’s neck, his hands sliding lower on Ethan’s body. “Then I guess it’s time we wipe that alpha from your mind forever."
The rage that exploded through me was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. My wolf howled for blood, for vengeance, for the death of the creature daring to touch what was mine. I felt my bones begin to crack and reform, my control slipping as the beast inside me demanded freedom.
Jake's head snapped toward the door, those yellow eyes finding mine even through the narrow opening. He smiled, slow and predatory.
"There you are," he said calmly, his voice carrying easily across the barn. "I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out. You’re just in time to watch me replace you."
I shoved the door open, stepping inside. Every muscle in my body was coiled tight, ready to spring. "Get your fucking hands off of him, Jake."
“Now why would I do that?” His fingers drifted down, caressing Ethan’s chest. “He’s just so… soft.”
A single claw pricked Ethan’s flesh and I heard him gasp. Blood welled up around Jake’s finger before he brought it to his lips, making a show of licking it clean.
“Don’t fucking touch him!” I cried, surging forward a few steps. Already my body was growing, the Alpha wolf inside me straining against my clothes.
“If it’s a fight you want,” Jake said, turning to face me, his body growing in response to mine. His voice deepened as his eyes went yellow. “Then it’s a fight you’ll get.”
I barely had time to process Jake's transformation before my own body exploded into motion.
My clothes shredded as bones cracked and reformed, muscle and sinew stretching as fur erupted across my skin.
The change to my Alpha form had never been faster, fueled by pure rage and the desperate need to protect my mate.
Jake's shift mirrored mine, his human form giving way to the massive beast I'd seen in the alley. His fur was matted and dark, patches missing where old wounds had scarred. He was huge—larger than any werewolf I'd encountered—but I didn't care. He'd touched what was mine.
I launched myself at him, claws extended, a roar tearing from my throat that shook the barn's rafters.
Jake met my charge head-on, and we collided with enough force to splinter the wooden floor beneath us.
His jaws snapped inches from my throat as I twisted away, raking my claws across his shoulder.
Blood sprayed, black in the dim light. Jake howled and threw me off, sending me crashing into a stack of hay bales. I scrambled to my feet, shaking off the impact, my eyes never leaving him.