Missing Mate (O'Neil Pack Series)

by Roxanne Witherell

  Looking in the back seat she saw the twins still asleep. Maybe she can get Madison in before Michael wakes up. As quietly as she could Jessica got Madison out of the car and closed the door. Once she laid Madison on the couch she went back out for Michael. He looked as though he was still sleeping but when she opened the door Michael jumped up and bolted out, running straight for the woods beside the cabin.

  “Damn it, Michael!” Jessica took off in a run after him. “Michael come back!”

  When she entered the woods, she realized it’s too dark for her to see anything let alone a small brown wolf.

  “Michael come back and we will get you some candy.” She offered hoping he would come running back.

  Jessica didn’t see her little wolf pup running back to her. She did however hear a small whine coming from deeper in the woods. Looking back at the cabin, Jessica took a deep breath. She will only be gone a few minutes Madison will be okay. As long as she stays asleep. Taking out her keys, Jessica pressed the button on her small flashlight keychain. It didn’t give off a lot of light but it was better than nothing.

  Jessica followed the sound of the small whines and whimpers. She found Michael laying under a thorn bush. Reaching in to get him, thorns pricked her hands and arms.

  “Now aren’t you in a pickle.” Jessica said pulling her arms out. “How in the world did you get in there?”

  There is no way she would be able to reach in and pull him out without them both getting all cut up. She needed to break a few of the branches to get him out. After many pricks and several broken branches, she’s able to pull him out. Scooping him up in her arms, she carried him back to the cabin. Jessica fussed at him for running off like he had. Michael whined a little in response, so Jessica took that as an apology. She gave him a kiss on the top of his head between his floppy ears and he licked her face.

  “Now when we get in here I want you to stay with your sister, okay?” She held him up so that he was face to face with her.

  She tried to be stern with him, but he is so cute, she may not have sounded as hard as she had hoped. He licked her nose and she hugged him tight while she opened the door. Thankfully, Madison is still asleep on the couch. Jessica placed Michael down beside Madison. He curled up beside his sister and closed his eyes. Jessica waited there for a minute to ensure that he wasn’t going to jump down and run off again. After Michael snuggled closer in behind Madison’s knees, Jessica knew it will be safe for her to run out and get the rest of their stuff from the car.

  For once Michael listened. Jessica worried that he would be waiting on the other side of the door when she came in, but he’s still curled up with his sister. Jessica brought everything in and started to unpack while the kids were sleeping. She needs to get some sleep herself, but her mind is wide awake. Thoughts of Michael were at the front of her mind. Never could she have imagined this would or could happen to them.

  Jessica had been unpacking for about an hour before she heard the thud of Michael getting off the couch. The sound of his paws hitting the floor as he walked through the cabin gave Jessica a little relief. At least she will be able to hear where he is around the cabin. Hopefully when he is like this he has his own mind and won’t go digging through the trash like a dog. Michael seems to know what is going on and understands what Jessica is saying, so she isn’t too worried about that. Michael came into the bedroom, where Jessica was putting away clothes, and he let out a small whine.

  “What is it, Michael?” Jessica closed the drawer and turned towards Michael. He came over to her and bit onto her jeans, pulling her towards the door. Jessica wanted to make a Lassie comment, but he would have no clue as to what she was talking about.

  “Okay. Okay, I’m coming.” Jessica followed him out and to the living room.

  Michael pawed the couch where Madison is sleeping.

  “Stop! Don’t wake her up.” Jessica fussed, Madison needs all the rest she can get.

  He whined again as he came to sit by Jessica’s feet. Suddenly Madison leaned over the edge of the couch and started coughing. Jessica quickly grabbed the trash can that is tucked under the end table. She managed to get it in front of Madison just in time for her to get sick again. Jessica looks over at Michael; he tilts his head to the side then runs off through the cabin. Her eyebrows scrunched in when she was thinking about what he might have been thinking. She believes that was a ‘told you that was going to happen’ look.

  Figuring there isn’t anything for Michael to get into, Jessica focused her attention on Madison. She isn’t running a fever now. Madison continued getting sick for the next hour. Michael hardly sat down the entire time. He must find it amusing to run into the kitchen and slide across the floor into the cabinet.

  “Michael, you need to settle down. You are going to get hurt.” She warned him.

  Clearly, he didn’t hear her or just ignored her completely. He just kept running. Once Madison fell back to sleep, Jessica got up to chase Michael. Madison needs to stay asleep this time and Jessica is exhausted from driving and dealing with everything in the last twenty-four hours. Michael is the only one that has plenty of energy. Jessica couldn’t understand it because he has been up almost as much as she has. He only slept a couple hours in the car on the way here. Usually he would be out for the rest of the night by 11:00 p.m. Michael has no intention of being caught. He is so small and quick that just when Jessica thinks she is about to lay her hands on him, he goes into overdrive and shoots out like a rocket.

  “Michael, please stop running.” Jessica is nearly out of breath. “Dang it, stop!”

  Would it be cruel to threaten him with a leash or a timeout kennel? This is really going to stretch her patience. Finally, Jessica just gave up, he will get tired eventually. She grabbed a blanket from the closet in the main bedroom, and curled up in the chair beside the couch. She is looking forward to being able to sleep in a bed again. Just as she started to get settled in, Michael came walking up to the chair jumping up to get in. Now that he is in the chair with her, maybe she can get a few hours of sleep.

  Chapter 4

  Alexander

  They ran the course of the resort, checking the boundaries as they went. No one sensed any shifters in the area, so everything is in the clear. Although with the amount of the de-scenting spray they had found, Alexander wonders how many others have the spray. It is nearly impossible to detect someone using the spray. You may catch a hint of scent but it won’t last long enough to get a trail. Alexander wants to go back out to the main cabin on the smaller mountain. He had a feeling they didn’t get to search everywhere. They had been rushed earlier; next time they will take their time.

  Logan had mentioned that he had put the guest into cabin three. They had run through that area earlier and checked to see if the guest had arrived but no one was there yet. Alexander decided to run back down there before he headed home. Even though he isn’t sure who Jessica Sarone is, he is still intrigued as to why she asked about him. It was strange to even feel intrigued. He hasn’t felt much at all in a long time. He hasn’t even glanced twice at a woman in years. He has seen beautiful women but none that he would waste his time on.

  Once they arrived at Sebastian’s, everyone howled a farewell and went in their own directions leaving Sebastian and Makenna at their place. The rest of the pack traveled together back down the mountain until Caleb, Bri, Jayden, and Abby turned off to go to their cabin. Logan and Chloe branched off and headed towards the cabin they shared with Alexander. Alexander followed Liam further down the mountain but Liam turned off to go to the cabin that until yesterday he shared with Caleb and Jayden.

  Alexander stayed on his course, heading to cabin three. He would head home once he made sure the guests have arrived. He is hoping to catch a glimpse of this Jessica Salone maybe it will jog a memory. The cabin is near the southeast corner of the property. A little while later he came up behind cabin three. There’s a light on in the kitchen but he couldn’t see much else. Walking around to the front Alexan
der came to an abrupt halt. Sniffing the air Alexander followed the scent into the woods. He was sure it was a wolf shifter that he smelled. He didn’t know why it was here. They had just been through this area a few hours ago and there wasn’t a shifter scent then. The trail led to a group of bushes. Alexander laid down to see into the bushes. The bushes were full of briars. He doesn’t see how or why anyone would go through there, they would get snagged on the briars for sure. There were several broken branches and a light scent of blood came from a few of the branches on the ground.

  Alexander turned and headed back to the cabin. He noticed another scent, this one is human and it’s much stronger than the shifter scent. The two scents were mixed together and led straight back to cabin three. Why is there a shifter here? Is the shifter the woman that asked about him? Is this a trap set by someone who knows those men that took the women? Alexander knew he’s going to have to be cautious. Why did she ask for him in the first place? Hopefully it’s not one of the girls that he had set William up with a few years back. Alexander knew that would come back to bite him in the ass. Then again, he doesn’t remember setting William up with a human, either.

  Slowly walking up to the cabin Alexander could hear the thudding of someone running through the cabin. A moment later he heard a woman fussing after a child to quit running. He smiled at the thought of a child getting the best of their parents. Sounds like a chase down going on. Alexander tried to peek through the window by the front door but the blinds were closed and the curtains were pulled closed. Alexander heard another sound but couldn’t make it out. Moving to the other window in the living room the noise became clearer. It’s the sound of someone getting sick. Slowly he backed up so he didn’t disturb anyone and walked back into the woods. The sound of someone being sick is not a sound he wants to stick around for. He decided to come back tomorrow and check everything out again. One way or another; he had to find out why a shifter is here without proper notice for them to be in the area.

  Alexander only slept for a couple hours before he shifted back at dawn. It’s too early to go knocking on anyone’s door, especially if they were up most of the night. He didn’t try to get anymore sleep, his mind is too cluttered with thoughts of who this Jessica is. After a quick shower, Alexander put some clothes on and went out to join the twins, Logan and Chloe in the kitchen.

  “Alexander, good you’re up.” Chloe poked her head around the corner of the kitchen. “We’re going over to Sebastian and Makenna’s for breakfast. Do you want to come with us?”

  “I’m always ready for breakfast.” Alexander agreed to go with them.

  Chloe drove her jeep while Alexander rode with Logan in his truck. Breakfast was already done by the time they arrived at Sebastian’s. Makenna was setting plates at the table when they walked in the front door.

  “Just in time, come have a sit. I already have everything set out.” Makenna told them.

  Once again, the newlyweds stayed home. Must be nice, Alexander thought. Alexander hasn’t really thought much about a mate. Although after hearing the commotion going on at cabin three last night, he had to wonder if he will ever have a family of his own. He isn’t getting any younger, and there aren’t many shifters around here. Alexander isn’t going to rush things. The right one will come along when it’s time. He just hopes it wouldn’t take as long as it took Makenna and Sebastian. They were well into their 40’s before they even met.

  Once the food was placed on the table everyone piled their plates up high and ate in silence. Shifters can pack down some food and today wasn’t any different. Everyone piled on second helpings as Chloe was finishing her first.

  “Thanks for breakfast,” Chloe said getting up from the table.

  “Don’t you want more? You still need to build your strength up.” Makenna suggested.

  “No, I feel much better than yesterday.” Chloe took her plate to the kitchen and rinsed it off. “Besides, I need to go to the office to see what kind of mess Logan left for me.”

  “Hey, it’s the same as you left it.” Logan assured her.

  “When have you ever not made a mess?” She asked smiling.

  “Okay you got me there.” Logan admitted. “There may be a cup on your desk.”

  “That’s fine as long as you put the toilet lid back down.” Chloe laughed. “See you guys later.” Chloe walked out and left in her jeep.

  “Well, she won’t be very happy then. She should know by now I always leave the seat up.” Logan laughed.

  Makenna shook her head at Logan. Some things will never change. Once breakfast was over Logan helped Makenna clean up while Alexander had a cup of coffee with Sebastian out on the porch.

  “I’m going back out to the other mountain today.” Alexander took a sip of his coffee. “I want to do a better search at the main cabin.”

  “I was going to suggest that. They had to have I.D.’s or something that says where they came from. I haven’t found much in those files but then again, I haven’t been through much of them. Hopefully today will be more successful.” Sebastian sounded optimistic.

  “Do you think there will be a missing person’s report on them?” Alexander asked.

  “Not sure, probably depends on what they were doing. One thing is for sure; whoever they were sending packages to will notice they aren’t getting them.” He replied. “Be careful while you are out there. Why don’t you take Liam with you?”

  “He has to cover a survival class and a hiking guide.” Alexander stated looking over at Sebastian. “Before you ask, Logan will be at the zip line before and after lunch. You should stay here and finish with those files.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to take charge.” Sebastian gave him a soul glaring stare. “But since I know you aren’t I will let that slide. Go up there and find out what you can. If you run into trouble call us. Do not go in without backup.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  They sat drinking coffee and talking for nearly an hour before Alexander decided to head out. Liam had left thirty minutes before hand. Logan had been inside most of the time. The twins, Logan and Chloe, are particularly close to Makenna so they tend to stay around her. Logan dropped Alexander off at their cabin before heading to the zip-lines. Alexander didn’t even bother to go inside. Instead he got in his car and headed for cabin three.

  Chapter 5

  Jessica

  Once again Jessica is awoken by the popping sounds of Michael shifting back to his normal self. She hoped he wouldn’t be shifting every night. She doesn’t know how she will ever get any sleep if he does. After two nights of running after her little pup she is exhausted to say the least. Jessica needed to talk to Alexander, now.

  She fed the twins and got them ready to head to the resort office. Jessica didn’t know exactly what she would say to Alexander but she needed to gather all the information she could on shifter children before they head back home. Thoughts of home came rushing in on her. Jessica covered her face for a moment and took a few deep breaths. Living in a townhouse in a gated community with barely any yard to speak of didn’t seem like the ideal place for someone like Michael. A wolf running around in the neighborhood will definitely be noticed. She may need to put her house on the market and find something else, like a place out of the city with a big yard. The bigger issue is how is she going to explain this to her mother? Her mother has never liked animals. She even told Jessica that she was allergic and that’s why Jessica had never had a pet when she was growing up. For the time being this is probably best left hidden. It’s going to be hard to hide this from her but Jessica will do whatever it takes to protect her children at all cost, even from her own mother.

  Jessica was relieved that Madison had awoken feeling much better. She is in a cheerful mood. Jessica had a feeling that Madison will continue to get sick. So anytime she is feeling better is a blessing. Today Madison seems to be feeling good enough to run around with Michael. You wouldn’t know by looking at Madison that she has been sick the
last two nights.

  As she opened the back door of the car for the twins to get in Jessica remembered Michael shifting in his car seat. Looking at Michael’s car seat she groaned to herself. The right shoulder strap is ripped in half.

  “Ugh, that’s not going to work.” Jessica looked at Michael. He had his sad look on and Jessica couldn’t get mad. “It’s okay baby. We can get you a new one.”

  Jessica pulled out as much slack as she could from the ripped strap. After Michael got in she tied the two pieces in a knot. She knew this is only temporary, and the resort isn’t too far. Jessica drove straight to the resort office to see if Alexander is around today. There were a few vehicles in the parking lot. When Jessica parked the car, she started getting nervous. What if Michael shifted in front of someone? Should she even take him in? She couldn’t leave him out in the car but how would she explain it if he did shift. She thought for a moment about going out to the zip-lines, but there is no guarantee that Alexander will even be out there. Jessica looked in the rearview mirror at Michael before turning around to face him.

  “Okay Michael, you need to be on your best behavior. No turning into a wolf.” Jessica warned him. “Remember no one can know how special you are.”

  “Why?” Michael replied with his favorite question.

  “Because if someone found out, they would take you away from me. That would make momma really sad. You don’t want someone to take you away from me, do you?”

  “No momma.” Michael said sadly looking at his knees.

  Jessica was nervous not knowing what her three-year-olds may say. She took a deep breath before opening the door and getting the twins out of the car. To her surprise, Michael didn’t try to run off. He is usually the first one to leave her side. Instead, he stayed right behind her. If he were any closer, he would be trying to climb back in.

  “Back up a little Michael.” She told him since it was hard to walk with him right up under her.