Chapter Nine
Toby
It took twelve grueling hours for Toby’s CIA team to find him.
Thirteen hours had passed since he’d been separated from Harper, and two hours had passed since he had nearly lost his mind, deciding he would comb every inch of the rainforest alone.
Mateo had barely managed to talk him down from that particular ledge, and Toby had come close to lashing out at the jaguar shifter for even suggesting they wait for his friends’ arrival.
By the time his team finally showed up, Toby was half-crazy with desperation and fear.
Toby and Mateo had circled back to the old ruins to meet up with the team, as it was an easier landmark for the group to find.
But even backtracking that short distance had infuriated Toby’s coyote for moving further away from their mate’s last known location.
Toby had been fighting a relentless internal battle with his coyote half for hours, the animalistic urge to find Harper not showing any signs of letting up.
FIND MATE! his coyote bellowed within him.
Toby knew that if they didn’t make progress soon, his coyote side might try to force a shift, and that wouldn’t be pretty.
There was no way he could take on a pack of wolves alone.
Hell, even with Mateo at his side, they had struggled.
If he was going to rescue Harper, he needed to keep a level head.
And that was the only thing holding his coyote in check. Just.
Fortunately, the bond he shared with his CIA teammates meant they understood the urgency of the situation. When they arrived, they didn’t waste time with long greetings or unnecessary platitudes of comfort. Instead, they did exactly what Toby had hoped they would do: got straight down to business.
As Toby’s teammates gathered around the center of the ruins, the urgency was palpable.
“Guys, this is Mateo, our guide. He’s a jaguar shifter Harper and I hired to help us find Jack. He fought at my side against the wolf shifters, and he helped me to track Harper. Mateo, this is Max, Carter, Seb, Arlo, Logan and Ezra,” he said, nodding to each man in turn.
“Good to have you with us,” Carter said, extending a hand to Mateo with a respectful nod. His stance, poised and ready, mirrored his feline instincts, always prepared to leap into action.
Toby turned to his team, his voice taut with anxiety. “We need to move fast. It’s been half a day since I last saw her.”
Seb put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “We’re going to get her back,” he promised.
Toby swallowed down the lump in his throat and nodded.
Ezra, a stocky man with an air of steadfast courage, stepped forward.
“There’s no time like the present,” he said. “Let’s do this.” Without waiting, he started off, cutting through the dense foliage with surprising speed and agility for his build.
Toby was grateful for his friend’s haste and hurried after him. He and his team had worked together for so long that they were like a well-oiled machine and didn’t need to waste time discussing tactics. They all knew what was as stake and what was needed to get the job done.
Logan fell into step beside Toby. “You know I’ve got a good nose for other wolves,” he said. “I can track them better than anyone. We’ll get them, Toby.”
Toby nodded then handed him a piece of cloth he had found earlier, one he was certain had come from one of the wolf shifters. Logan sniffed it deeply, then nodded, pressing ahead.
Arlo was known among his team for his ability to detect blood even in the most challenging environments. He took Jack’s bloodied T-shirt from Toby and handed it to his friend.
“This belonged to Jack,” he said simply.
After a deep inhale, he pointed to the same direction that Logan was headed. “Blood trail goes this way. It’s faint, but it’s there.”
As they progressed, Max used his heightened tiger senses to listen for any signs of movement or distress from Harper or Jack.
His ears twitched at every rustle, his eyes scanning the undergrowth for any sign of disturbance.
Seb leveraged his bear shifter strength to push aside heavy underbrush and fallen branches.
The team moved quickly but cautiously, with Ezra still leading the charge.
The jungle was treacherous, and suddenly, a snake lashed out from a low branch, striking Ezra’s leg.
He stumbled, but to even Toby’s astonishment, he grabbed hold of the snake and tossed it away into the trees, looking down at the bite on his leg with a glare.
Any of them would have been downed by such a bite, and in excruciating pain, but Ezra seemed completely unaffected. It was a testament to his shifter half.
“I’m fine,” he assured the group, his tone unshaken. “Let’s keep moving.”
Toby watched him for a moment, amazed. Judging by the expressions the rest of the group were wearing, he wasn’t the only one.
“Don’t we have a damsel to rescue?” Ezra asked, raising a brow.
The group continued on, each member using their unique abilities to close in on the wolves’ location. The sense of teamwork was palpable, each shifter bringing a critical skill to the fore.
Ezra’s fearless energy pushing them onward at a relentless pace, but it was Logan, with his acute wolf senses, who suddenly halted, lifting his nose to the air.
“Wait,” he whispered sharply, his nostrils flaring as he scented the air. A moment later, his eyes narrowed. “I’ve got something. It’s faint, but I can definitely small wolves.”
Toby moved closer, his own senses on high alert, his coyote baying for blood. “Can you tell if she’s with them?” he asked urgently.
Logan concentrated, his brow furrowed in concentration. “I’m not sure, I’m only getting the wolves right now. The scent is heading northeast from here, toward that denser part of the jungle.”
Max, who had been scouting the perimeter, nodded in agreement. “The trail looks fresh. They can’t be too far ahead.”
With renewed urgency, the team picked up the pace, following Logan as he led them down a narrow, winding path that seemed to bore deeper into the heart of the jungle. The vegetation grew thicker, the shadows longer, and the sense of impending confrontation heavier with each step.
Seb’s massive form was a reassuring presence beside Toby, his large eyes scanning the surroundings for any hint of movement or danger. Meanwhile, Arlo kept his focus on the ground, pointing out disturbances in the foliage and footprints that confirmed they were on the right track.
The path soon opened up into a smaller clearing, ringed with dense underbrush and towering trees. Toby’s pulse quickened as he approached, every sense strained for any sign of Harper or Jack.
Suddenly, a low growl sounded from the underbrush. Before Toby could react, a figure burst from the foliage. A wolf shifter, his eyes wild and his lips curled back in a snarl. Without hesitation, Ezra charged forward, meeting the shifter head-on with a ferocity that matched his opponent.
As they grappled, more rustling came from the surrounding trees. Two more wolf shifters emerged, their focus locked onto the fight. Toby and Max were quick to engage, their bodies moving with the honed precision of seasoned operatives.
The fight was chaotic, filled with the sounds of growls, snapping twigs, and the heavy breathing of men exerting themselves to their limits.
Toby managed to land a solid punch on one of the shifters.
Beside him, Max used his agility to dodge a swipe, countering with a swift kick that sent another shifter reeling.
Just as the tide seemed to turn in their favor, a sharp cry split the air. It was unmistakably human, filled with fear and pain.
“It’s Harper!” Toby recognized her voice instantly, his heart leaping into his throat.
Adrenaline surged through him, and with a powerful roar that blended human anger with coyote aggression, he redoubled his efforts. The team rallied around him, their combined force overwhelming the shifters momentarily.
Pushing through the underbrush where the cry had originated, Toby broke into another small clearing. There, standing in front of a tree, was Jack whose eyes widened in alarm at the new arrival. Toby scanned the area for his mate.
“Toby!” she cried out again, her voice hoarse.
Toby’s heart thundered in his chest as he sprinted forward, every instinct focused on finding her.
But just as he neared Jack, another wolf shifter emerged from behind a thick tree trunk, his claws extended menacingly and pressed against Harper’s throat.
Harper’s eyes were wide with fear, her body rigid.
Jack hesitated, seeming unsure of which direction to turn or even if he should move at all.
Toby’s gaze flicked to Harper and he took a step towards her but stopped abruptly, his gaze locked on the claws at her neck.
Terror froze him in place. His own life being at risk was one thing, but he couldn’t risk anything happening to Harper.
The wolf shifter’s eyes gleamed with malice as he addressed Toby, his voice low and threatening. “He owes us a lot of money. And we’re not leaving here until he finds that treasure. Make one move, and she dies.”
Harper sucked in a sharp breath. Toby’s muscles tensed, ready to spring forward, but he knew one wrong move could cost Harper her life.
Toby had never felt as helpless. His eyes darted around, seeking an advantage, when he noticed movement behind the wolf shifter.
Logan, with the stealth characteristic of his own wolf form, had circled around to flank the enemy, his body low to the ground, prepared to strike.
A tense silence hung in the air, thick with danger and uncertainty.
Toby weighed his options, his mind racing for a solution to save both Harper and Jack without triggering the shifter to fulfill his deadly threat.
As his gaze flicked between Harper, Jack, and Logan, he searched desperately for a sign of when to act.