Way Of The Wolf: Endeavour (The Wulvers Series Book 3)

by Rebecca Anne Stewart

  “He didn’t hurt anyone, did he?” I asked quietly, allowing myself to lean into my mate.

  He shook his head. “His objective was to escape. Fighting would have taken up more energy than I think he has. He’ll be easy to find.”

  “That’s what Cat said.”

  “You don’t think so?” he replied, shifting so he could see my face.

  “I think we all underestimated him. Greatly. And I think we’re going to pay for it. You should have killed him when you first found him, I see that now.”

  Quillan looked shaken by my words, his body tensing. I wasn’t sure why I’d said what I did, especially when it sent an icy shiver up my spine.

  “The storm will slow him down. He’ll want to find shelter and our scouts won’t stop moving,” Quillan comforted.

  I nodded, watching lightning flash outside, illuminating the forest in brilliant white. We’d caught him once so we would catch him again. “What about the police?”

  “Flidais said they’re following other leads. One of the bodies had connections to drugs or something, they suspect it might have been murder with intent now. They’re looking at some sort of wolf dog hybrids owned nearby so they’ve stopped looking here.”

  I snorted. If only the police knew the truth. Though I had the feeling Flidais and other supernaturals involved in the police might have helped put that lead in place. Rubbing my face, I fought back a yawn.

  “Why don’t I run you a bath and grab some wine?” Quillan suggested, making me smile. There he went, trying to make up for it. Who was I to refuse such a tempting offer?

  “That would be lovely. If you could steal some of Arianna’s chocolate cake too, that would be even better.”

  Quillan chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do. Will you be okay here alone while I get it?”

  My gaze flicked outside again before I looked back at him. “I think so. He can’t be anywhere near the house.”

  ***

  My mate was snoring softly next to me, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I didn’t know what had woken me up, but the wind seemed infinitely louder now. Frowning, I sat up and Quillan mumbled sleepily, his hand sliding over my thigh.

  “What’s wrong, my mate?”

  Before I could answer, a scream like I’d never heard before tore through the house. Goosebumps covered my skin and Quillan jerked upright.

  “Cathwulf,” I whispered, shoving myself out of bed to run up the stairs with Quillan hot on my heels.

  Barging into my Alphas’ room without knocking, it took my brain a while to completely comprehend what I was seeing in the dark. A flash of lightning revealed a broken window that let in the rain. Little glass was strewn over the floor, which meant it had been broken from the inside.

  Roarke was searching wildly around the room while Cathwulf knelt sobbing on the floor, mumbling the same thing over and over again until I thought I was going to be sick.

  “She’s gone, she’s gone…”

  Chapter 29

  Duty

  Quillan had practically torn apart the bedroom for clues while I cleaned up the little pieces of jagged glass, listening to the commotion outside the room. Roarke had gone after my father once I’d gotten Cathwulf onto the bed, but he returned not long after. The rain had been too heavy to catch any scents and the feelings of panic coming from Cathwulf through their bond had drawn him back.

  When Cathwulf had seen him come in without their pup, something snapped inside her. She’d shifted to her fur before I could even blink, her grief-filled howl bringing me to my knees.

  I paused in my work, sniffing to stop myself from breaking down again. My hands were shaking but I forced myself to stay strong. I was the leading female of the pack while Roarke fought with Cathwulf’s fury. I couldn’t let myself break too.

  “He’s left his scent, we’ll be able to follow him and Raeghan once the rain has stopped. Mud will have kept his tracks fresh too. With a pup, he won’t be able to shift, that’ll slow him down.” Quillan said, staring out the window. “If we can’t find him within the day, we’ll have to think about having Flidais let the police know there’s a missing baby. Human or not, everyone will be on the lookout for her.”

  I nodded, picking up the bucket I’d put the shards of glass in. Blood stained a few bits, leaving the taste of pennies on my tongue. Most of the glass was outside, glittering in the snow as the sun slowly rose. I’d been right, Quillan had noted, the window had been broken from the inside. That meant my father had already been in the house when he’d taken Raeghan.

  A shiver went up my spine. I’d been feeling off the day before, had that been why? Had he been here, watching us all? There were so many wolves in the house now, that might have been why nobody had been able to pick out his scent. But I doubted that, Quillan and Flidais were hunters, they’d have been able to find it.

  Quillan placed a hand on my back, guiding me towards the door. His face was tense, almost expressionless, but I could see the rage under the mask. When Quillan found my father, he’d be given no mercy. I looked towards the white painted cot, the light pink blankets that were in a bundle at the bottom. He’d taken her quickly, not bringing anything to keep her warm against the icy winds that blew.

  “We’ll get her back, Oria. I promise,” Quillan vowed, his own gaze drifting painfully towards the cot. “If he planned on harming her, he wouldn’t have bothered taking her. That was a big risk.”

  Another half-hearted nod. She was too young, too fragile. She hadn’t even shifted to her fur yet, though that would be any day now. Raeghan was strong, I reminded myself. My father would pay. My wolf rose, a growl ripping past my lips and I only calmed when Quillan tugged me into his side. Taking a deep breath, I forced instincts back.

  Stepping out into the hall, I gasped at the mess. Claw marks raked across the wall, peeling wallpaper hanging off. One of the tables had been knocked over, a lamp laying smashed across the floor. A russet wolf paced the halls, snapping and growling at anyone who got too close. Roarke did his best to try and calm her down but this was a mother-wolf’s fury that wouldn’t be calmed until her pup was safely with her again. He’d done his best to keep her upstairs and hidden from view but there was no containing her now.

  Quillan kept his body between Cathwulf’s fur and I, his eyes never leaving her. Her eyes were a bright glowing gold, wild and furious, lost to instinct. Everyone was a threat to her right now. Her mind was narrowed to only tearing the world apart for her pup.

  “You can’t leave her like this, she could hurt someone,” Quillan warned, blocking her from the view of high-ranked wolves, scouts, and warriors that Roarke had called to the house.

  They stayed at the bottom of the stairs, the buzz of their whispers reaching my ears. They were waiting for orders, watching their Alpha Female come undone. Something they shouldn’t see—it caused panic, unrest. Ben was doing his best to herd them into the living room, I could hear his voice above the rest. Peering over Quillan’s shoulder, I spotted Liam acting as a huge block at the first step. If packs had bouncers, Liam would get the job.

  “What do you want me to do with her, Quillan? Chain her up outside? Our pup is missing!” Roarke snapped, his own eyes swirling with the green of his wolf.

  I looked between him and the snarling she-wolf at his side. As horrible a thought as it was, it might have been the only option. Misbehaving wolves got chained up until they calmed down, and though she wouldn’t mean to, she could hurt someone. Cathwulf whined at the sound of her mate’s panicked tone, her big body bumping into his side, her tongue sweeping over his hand.

  “I need to help look for her,” Roarke said, his fingers curling into his mate’s fur.

  I knew what he’d left unsaid. He couldn’t leave Cathwulf. He was the only one strong enough to keep her in line.

  “I’ll leave right now with some wolves. I’ll find her. I’ll bring her back,” Quillan promised fiercely, straightening up. “Flidais and Glenn can lead others so we cover the whole t
erritory.”

  That was a lot of ground to cover. The inner border that was constantly patrolled, circled around the heart of pack land, but that was but a small percentage of the actual land belonging to the pack. The true border was only patrolled once a day, my father wouldn’t have been able to reach the edge quite yet. He had to still be on pack land, unless he sought refuge in human cities and towns…it would be harder to catch him there.

  Roarke looked torn between his need to help hunt and his duty to remain here but we all knew he was trapped in the house for now. Until Cathwulf calmed down at least. I couldn’t imagine how he felt, knowing his daughter was out there with a feral wolf whose intentions were unclear. I could only hope and pray that my father wouldn’t hurt Raeghan. I wasn’t sure why he’d taken her, it made no sense.

  A brush of lips against my cheek and a whispered goodbye drew me out of my thoughts and I grabbed Quillan’s hand before he could leave. “I’m coming with you.”

  “No. You’re staying here. It’s not safe for you out there and Cathwulf is going to need you by her side,” he argued, cupping my face in his hands.

  I swallowed, tears brimming. I couldn’t tell him of my fears for his safety, he’d take it as an insult, as me thinking he was weak, so I bit my lip and nodded slowly. He leaned down, his forehead against mine as we breathed each other in.

  “Promise you’ll come back,” I whispered, not quite sure why I was feeling so panicked about him leaving.

  He smiled before stealing my breath away with a passionate kiss. I kissed him back, my fingers tangling in thick hair to keep him close until he pulled back to answer, “I’ll always come back to you, my mate.”

  ***

  Cathwulf looked as if death had touched her. She was pale, her eyes rimmed in red as she rocked herself in her mother’s arms. Roarke paced the length of his office, his face tense as fury glittered in his eyes. Hours had passed and nothing had been found. My father and Raeghan had disappeared without a trace. There had been no sign of any locks being broken, no other windows were smashed. Nobody knew how my father had gotten into the house.

  My stomach twisted almost painfully. Guilt and fear mixed together until I too began to rock in my chair. I hated myself for ever protesting against my father’s death. Now I wished that Quillan had executed him as soon as he’d been found. Kerra had already warned me about holding any blame against myself for this but despite understanding that this hadn’t been my fault, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders.

  “I just don’t understand,” Roarke muttered again, bracing himself against the desk. “He must have gotten into the house another way. He must have taken her for a reason.”

  But my father was beyond reason, I wanted to argue. Who was to say there was a logical plan behind his actions?

  The smashing of the window had been what had woken everyone up. That action in itself spoke of his madness, his lack of logic. He’d jumped out with the most precious of cargo and Cathwulf had driven herself wild with thoughts of broken glass piercing her daughter’s skin.

  My father had disappeared into the storm like a ghost.

  “She could be dead already,” Cathwulf mumbled brokenly, staring blankly out the window as her mother stroked her hair.

  “Don’t say that,” Roarke growled, the desk creaking in protest as his skin shimmered.

  “But she could be. He could have killed her before he took her, she could have died when he broke the window, he could have killed her in the woods, she—”

  “Enough, Cathwulf! Enough!” Roarke demanded, his hand hitting the desk.

  I flinched. His body was trembling, eyes closed as he tried to rein in control that slipped from his grasp. Cathwulf broke down again, her broken sobs shattering my heart. I couldn’t watch her mourn. Squeezing my eyes shut, I took a deep breath, tasting the salt of tears on my lips.

  “We would have known if she was dead. We would have felt it. The pack would have felt it,” Roarke soothed once he’d managed to calm down, tugging his mate into his arms, holding her tight.

  Though he was right, it did little to settle her. She clung onto Roarke, her breathing heavy and erratic.

  “Quillan will find them,” I added quietly.

  “His scent disappeared. The scouts have been searching blindly for hours now!” Cathwulf cried, shaking her head.

  “You know your father better than anyone, Oria. Where would he go?” Kerra asked softly, coming to sit by me, to offer me a mother’s comfort.

  That was something I’d been torturing myself over since Quillan had left. Where would he go if he had a pup to look after as well? I shrugged helplessly, wishing that I could contribute. Most of the pack, at least those old enough, were out scouring pack land. Kerra even had her own pack on watch.

  It had been agreed that we’d involve human police if we hadn’t found her by dark. Her picture would be circulated on the news and the eyes of everyone in the country would be on the lookout. We’d bring her home.

  Home.

  Stiffening, my head lifted slowly. I cursed myself for not having figured it out earlier. There was only one place I could think of him going. He’d felt like he’d lost everything, his pack, his mate, his daughter…so of course he’d go back.

  I looked up at my friends, my sister, my brother. They’d send the full force of the pack after him if they knew, I was sure of that. My father was unstable, if he felt threatened, I didn’t doubt he would hurt Raeghan. But if he got the one thing he thought he wanted? Perhaps he could be persuaded to give her back to her parents. Surely he didn’t want the responsibility of a pup, nor the blood of a one on his hands.

  Standing, drawing the attention of the room, I fumbled for an excuse.

  “I’m going to see if there’s more news,” I said quickly, forcing a tight smile that must have been more of a grimace towards Kerra.

  Cathwulf sniffed and looked up at Roarke. “I want to go help. Oria is Beta, she can look after things here while we go. Please. I can’t be trapped here while she’s out there. I feel calmer now, I’m in control.”

  I watched as Roarke seemed to debate with himself, studying his mate carefully before he relented. A thrum of energy buzzed through the room, the couple allowing their fur more control as they prepared to hunt.

  “Okay, my female. You must promise to stay by my side. Oria, are you sure you can handle things here?”

  I nodded, hoping he wouldn’t see through my lie, That the tremble in my voice would pass as simple worry and concern. “Of course, Alpha.”

  Only Kerra kept her gaze on me, sharp and knowing, yet she said nothing.

  Cathwulf and Roarke left quickly to help the pack in their search. I gave Cathwulf a quick hug as she passed by me and she squeezed my hand. I watched them go, holding my breath, listening as Roarke informed Ben and whoever else was still in the house of where they were going. It wasn’t until I heard the front door click that I let out the breath.

  “Don’t do anything rash, Oria,” Kerra warned from behind me.

  “I’ll do what I have to, to protect my pack. Isn’t that my duty?” I asked, turning to meet her gaze with my head held high.

  “Not if it’s going to put you in harm’s—”

  “Don’t even try to tell me that you’ve never done something that could have gotten you killed to protect those you love. I know if you were in my position, you wouldn’t give it a second thought,” I interrupted.

  She sighed, studying me. “You know where he’s gone?”

  “I have an idea and I promise if he’s there, I’ll get word back to the pack. I think this is the way it needs to be, especially in his state of mind. I can do this,” I stated confidently, feeling my resolve strengthen.

  She opened her mouth but whatever she was going to say got lost in the hitch of her breath. I fell into her arms, allowing her to hold me tight. I could smell the sickly scent of worry coming from her. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared but the truth was th
at I would do anything to save my niece. She cupped my face in her warm hands. “You know I love you as much as I love Cathwulf, don’t you? You’re mine as much as she and Everett are. I would lay down my life for all of you.”

  A flash of bright green in her eyes, fangs peeking from behind her lips and I knew she was telling her truth. I smiled, brushing my cheek against hers.

  “You’re my mother, Kerra. But please let me do this,” I begged quietly.

  She chuckled, looking up at the roof. I could see the shimmer of tears. “I’ve always had to be careful with my words around you. You hear too much.”

  I laughed, unable to help myself. “I simply know you too well and you taught me to listen for more than what was simply said. Please stay here for Cathwulf and Roarke. I’ll find a way to get word back to you, but this pack needs you to be here.”

  “I’ll stay here,” she promised. “But how will you get in touch? If you run in fur, you can’t take a phone. Take my car, it might be easier. You’ll save energy.”

  Either way it would take a few hours to get there. I didn’t want to waste energy that I might need to defend myself if my father attacked. Before I could even answer, Kerra was handing me the car keys. “Be careful.”

  “I’ll try,” I replied steadily, curling my fingers around the keys, patting my jean pocket to make sure my phone was safely tucked away.

  With a gentle push, she urged me to go and I marched with all the confidence I could muster towards the front door. I pretended not to hear my mother break down into soft cries as she shut the door. Ben stepped out of the kitchen, frowning at me. I gave him a small smile, hoping my heartbeat wasn’t giving away my nerves.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, eyeing the keys in my hand.

  “Sam’s,” I answered quickly. “To get supplies in case Raeghan or anyone else is hurt. I don’t want to get caught in the rain, so Kerra is lending me the car.”