Chapter 13
Thirteen
Baylin
Something’s wrong with our omega. I know it before I even open my eyes. Her scent hits me first…wrong, off, threat. My wolf surges up immediately, snarling, and I’m halfway to shifting before I’m even fully conscious.
Hilda’s standing at the window, staring out at the gardens. Still beautiful, still the most tempting female I’ve ever seen, but…
I force myself to stay human. For now. But my wolf is pacing, hackles raised, every instinct screaming danger.
Because something is very, very wrong.
The scent coming off her isn’t right. Underneath her usual omega sweetness, underneath our pack scent, there’s something else. Something that makes my wolf snarl.
I don’t speak. Don’t make a sound. Just move across the floor on silent feet.
She doesn’t turn. Doesn’t acknowledge me even though she has to know I’m there. Mates always know when they’re close.
My wolf doesn’t fucking like that one bit.
I reach for her through our bond and find… nothing. Just emptiness where she should be.
A low growl rumbles out of my throat before I can stop it.
She finally turns, and that’s when I see it.
Her eyes are different. Still big and brown, still beautiful, but there’s something in them that’s wrong. Cold. Distant.
Not our mate’s eyes.
“Baylin.” Her voice is flat. No warmth.
I move closer, breathing her in, trying to understand what I’m sensing. The wrongness gets stronger the closer I get.
“You sick?” The words come out rough.
“I’m fine.” She turns back to the window.
Lie. I can smell lies. This is a lie.
I grab her arm…not gently…and turn her to face me.
She jerks away. “Don’t touch me.”
The snarl that rips out of me is loud. Feral. Mates don’t say that. Mates don’t pull away.
Fuck, something is very wrong!
Callum wakes behind us. “Bay’? What’s going on?”
“Something’s wrong with Hilda.” I don’t take my eyes off our omega. “Can you smell it?”
I can tell the second he does. His whole body goes rigid.
“What is that?”
“Don’t know.” I’m starting to shake. My wolf is clawing to get out, demanding I deal with this threat. “It’s all over her.”
Arkan sits up, instantly alert. He breathes deep and frowns. “That smell… it’s familiar.”
Hilda backs up a step, and my wolf latches onto the movement. Prey behavior.
My instincts scream to chase.
“You’re all being ridiculous,” she says coldly. “I’m fine.”
“No.” I follow her retreat. “You’re not.”
I move fast…too fast for her to react…and pin her against the wall. My hand goes to her throat. Needing to feel her pulse, her heat, bask in her scent. But none of it feels right.
“Where’s our mate?” I demand.
For just a second, I see something flicker in her eyes. Fear. Pain.
Then it’s gone, replaced by that cold emptiness.
“Let me go, Baylin.”
“No.” I lean closer, breathing her in, trying to understand. “Not until you tell me what’s…”
Then magic explodes from her hands.
The force slams into my chest and sends me flying. I hit the opposite wall hard enough to crack stone.
Doesn’t matter. Pain doesn’t matter.
I shift mid-lunge…full wolf, massive and furious.
Hilda…or whatever’s wearing her face…stares up at me with those wrong eyes. No fear now. Just cold calculation.
She raises both hands. More magic crackles around her fingers. Dark. Rotting. Wrong.
When did our omega go back to dark magic?
“Stay back,” she warns. “I will hurt you.”
I snarl. Every inch of me screaming threat threat threat.
“Baylin,” Callum snaps. “Stand down. That’s still her body.”
I know. My wolf knows. But something has our mate and I need to rip it out.
“I have things to do,” Hilda says, backing toward the door. “Stay away from me. All of you.”
No.
I lunge…
Arkan catches me, wrapping his arms around my massive wolf form. “Easy, brother.”
Hilda slips out the door.
Gone.
I howl. Long and furious.
Arkan slowly releases me, and I shift back to human, though every instinct in me screams to stay wolf.
“What the fuck was that?” Callum demands.
“Don’t know.” I’m pacing now, unable to stay still. “But something’s wrong. Something has her.”
“The magic,” Arkan says slowly.
I shake my head. “That’s not her. Can’t you feel it?”
Callum reaches for her, and I see understanding dawn on his face. “There’s nothing there. It’s like she’s… gone,” he stutters, eyes wide, face pale.
“Not gone.” I’m moving toward the door. “Trapped. Something’s trapped her. Taken her.”
“But how?” Arkan asks.
“Don’t know. Don’t care. Need to get our girl back.”
“We need to figure out what’s happening first,” Callum says.
“No.” I’m already at the door. “We need to track her. Follow her. See what she’s doing. Then we figure out how to save her.”
My brothers exchange glances.
“He’s right,” Arkan says finally. “Whatever’s wrong, we need to know what we’re dealing with.”
“Fine,” Callum agrees. “But we stay hidden. We don’t attack until we understand what this is.”
I don’t answer. Just head out into the hallway, following Hilda’s tracks.
Whatever has my mate, whatever’s wearing her skin and using her body…
I’m going to hunt it.
I’m going to find it.
And when I know what it is?
I’m going to kill it.