Chapter 18 GRANT
GRANT
For the first time, I watch Leena transform on her own. It's every bit as painful to watch, but there's a small tinge of pride in seeing her take such a monumental step forward.
Leena howls in agony, and I feel like running to her aid, even though the best thing I can do for her is let the transformation run its course.
Her bones constantly break and reform as the thick black coat of fur appears and covers her entire body.
It takes a while, but the transformation finally comes to an end. Leena lies there in a heap, breathing heavily as she tries to recover.
I approach her, running my fingers through her fur to help soothe her. She continues to pant before finally regaining her normal breathing rhythm.
Once she has enough strength, Leena gets up, shaking off my hand before sprinting into the woods. I try to run after her. “Leena, wait! Let's just talk about this!”
She's far too fast in her wolf form for me to catch her. Even if she wasn't, it's clear that Leena is done listening to me. I rub both hands on my face, sighing.
How didn't I notice her earlier? I should have known she was at the door.
My stupid mistake has caused another rift between us. It's not my fault. I know next to nothing about fated mates. It's a topic I've tried to avoid as much as possible because I never thought it would happen to me.
However, in the woods, I had felt our bond snap into place, plain as day. There was no denying now that Leena is my mate. The problem now is that I may be about to lose her.
I wait most of the day, but Leena doesn't return. By evening, I decide that it's time to look for her. However, as I go to open the back door, I hear the front door give way.
I rush in that direction, but only end up seeing Molly there. “Oh, it's you,” I say.
“Well, I can't say I'm happy to see you either,” she retorts.
“Sorry, I thought it was Leena.”
“Where is she?” Molly asks, her eyes lighting up. “I have a new recipe I want us to try together.”
“That may have to wait. She's in the woods right now.”
“Woah, you got her to transform without a full moon?” I can tell how impressed she is from her voice. “How did you manage that?”
“Not in the way I'd hoped,” I confess. “We'll talk about it later, though. For now, I'm going to try to find her.”
“Oh, okay. Bring her back soon, please.”
If she lets me.
I head out as planned, transforming when I get close to the woods before running inside like she did. I pick up on Leena's scent almost immediately.
I guess this bond has its benefits. I eventually find her, finishing off a small animal in a clearing.
She turns to me and snarls. “It's just me,” I assure her. She stands over the carcass, almost like she's guarding it. Her eyes watch me carefully.
Leena stares at me like she's mesmerized by the view. She licks off some of the blood from her mouth before stepping away from the dead animal. Before I can move, Leena sprints into the forest again.
Here we go.
She howls as I chase after her, running with as much force as her legs can muster. I tear after her, avoiding the trees in my way, almost bumping into one or two because of how fast we're going.
When did she become this quick?
I double down on my speed until I'm very close to her again. Once this happens, I lunge forward and catch her, sending both of us tumbling to the ground.
Leena wiggles around in my grip, but doesn't try very hard to escape. I know it would be completely different if she was actually trying to get away from me.
The bond between us is powerful, almost making it impossible for me to want to be anywhere else. Leena moves on my body, taking comfort in my fur, and we bathe under the shade of trees that protect us from the sun.
After a while, Leena gets up, ready for another run. We spend a lot of the day together, until it's time for me to return to the house. Even then, Leena is not ready to shed this form and go back to normal.
I let her be, but the same goes for the next few days. Leena doesn't even come close to the pack house. Each time I find her, it's deep in the woods, far from where anyone should be.
“You're going further and further,” I tell her on one occasion. “You'll be off the IronFang's land if you keep exploring like this.”
I walk beside Leena, but this time, I'm in my human form. She maintains her wolf form, but I can already tell that weariness is starting to seep in. She's built up more strength than last time, but it'll only buy her a few more days.
“Would you like to come back to the house with me?” I persist. “I'm going into town today. It'll be nice to have my assistant back. It'll be nice to have you back with me.”
Leena's response to this is to run away again. It's clear that my meeting is meant to happen on my own. I sigh, watching her run away.
I hike back to the house, get my things, and head out, driving back to the city so I can take care of work. Thirty minutes out from my destination, I get a call from Graham.
“I'm already on my way,” I inform him, the second I answer.
“Oh, okay. I was just making sure. You'd said you had a situation to handle first.”
I scoff a little. “I don't think it’s handled, but it'll be fine. I'll see you soon.”
“Alright, we'll be fully set up by the time you're here.”
I end the call and press down on the pedal. My mind keeps returning to Leena, who's probably still in the woods.
The further I move away from her, the more strongly my connection feels like it wants to yank me out of the car and send me back into her arms.
My feelings for her are definitely there, only strengthened by this bond we now share. Sadly, Leena doesn't believe that what she feels comes from her own mind.
I park the vehicle in front of the huge office building, as some of the employees who see me in the parking lot scramble to greet me. I remember most of their names—wolves who share the pack house during the full moon.
I hustle through the large entryway, walking uninterrupted until I reach the elevator. It takes me right to the highest floor in the building, where I step out and head to my office.
The space is exactly how I left it; in pristine condition. It almost feels too formal, and I begin to miss being in the home office. That spot was cozy and inviting—and it had Leena.
Thankfully, I’m not alone in the office for long. I hear the usual ding of the elevator outside, followed by two sets of heavy steps coming my way.
I'm in my seat when the door opens. Graham and Nate walk in, with the former holding a laptop in his hands.
“Welcome back,” Nate says. “Where's Leena?”
“Occupied,” I respond. My tone informs them that there will be no further questions on the topic. Luckily, they get the hint and we proceed with the business of the day.
Graham sets up the computer for the call I'm about to have while Nate takes his seat. “Do you really think we'll be able to pull this off?”
“I hope so, Nate. Shifter packs are not the most…organized, but our unity is definitely better than whatever the hunters have going on. If we can get the jump on them, then we'll be able to pull it off.”
“We're good to go here,” Graham says, tapping the computer. “We've got a few minutes before the call starts.”
“Alright then, give me a rundown of everything again, just so I'm clear.”
“Well,” Graham starts, “other than the fact that the other alphas are considering mass execution of hunters, we have some stuff going on right in the city.”
“We've gotten reports of hunter activity in the forest where the lone wolves change,” Nate confirms. “Right around where Madeline was attacked months ago.”
There's a bit of anger at the recollection of what had happened to his mate. I can't blame him. I'd feel the same way–maybe even worse–if Leena was in danger.
“How many confirmed sightings?”
“None yet,” Graham confesses, “but this is in line with some suspicious activity that has been happening since certain people of interest came into town.”
I'm surprised by the sheer amount of new information I'm just learning.
My focus has shifted slightly over the past week, and, while I hate to admit it, I've grown to rely on Leena more as my assistant. It isn't easy to fully get back into the routine of doing everything on my own.
“These people of interest, why do you have eyes on them?”
“They've been buying up a lot of silver,” Nate explains. “I know this isn't a lot to go on, but it's enough to warrant keeping an eye on them. But we lost track of them a few days ago.”
“What about the shooting ranges? Any activity?”
“Not from this couple,” Nate answers. “That's admittedly odd, but not enough to rule them out of our radar.”
“Hmm, I agree,” I state. “Do you have pictures?”
Graham brings out his phone and hands it to me. I stare at the two people there without recognition. They look like any regular man and woman, but I can't shake the feeling that there's something sinister just below the surface.
“Grant, the call is about to start.”
I give Graham a nod, and he begins the conference call. Various alphas pop up on my screen, spanning the entire country. We waste no time diving into the main points of the day.
“I understand that we want revenge,” I say. “A lot of your packs have been hurt or worse. My people have also had numerous altercations with the hunters. I just want you to know that if we move forward with this mass eradication, there's no going back. Are we aware of the risks?”
The men on the screen nod. However, one of the alphas speaks up. “I'm sorry to interrupt, but I've been asked to share this picture with you all.” He shares a picture of the couple that Graham had just shown me.
This image looks a little older, probably by a few years, but there's no mistaking them.
“Where did you get this?” I inquire.
“It's from Tom's pack. These are the people who attacked their alpha and left him wounded.”
I glance up at Nate and Graham, who've listened to every word, before directing my eyes to the computer. “Passivity has been our downfall for years now. We've feared these hunters, and rightfully so. They're ruthless, they're dangerous, but so are we.”
The alphas nod in agreement. “We need a plan of attack.”
“Yes, we do,” I concur, “but for now, let's gather with our packs and make sure we're united enough for the fight that's coming.”
There's a bit of muttering, but ultimately, there are no arguments.
“This meeting will reconvene later,” I state. One by one, the alphas log off the call.
Once the call ends, I turn the screen over to Graham and Nate, whose eyes widen in surprise. “It's them!” Nate declares.
“Looks like you were right about these two being hunters,” I state. “We need to find them as soon as possible.”
“The fact that they haven't done anything recently makes me think this city may not be their main target,” Graham muses. “I've been thinking about this for a while, but if they're not in the city, where would they be?”
Realization suddenly hits me like a city bus. “Oh no.”