Chapter Three

Pausing a few feet within the tree line, knowing he was out of sight, Valentine eased onto his butt. He cradled his left foreleg to his chest, pain radiating through the limb and into his body. Even with the ripples of agony pulsing through him, Valentine couldn't believe what had just happened... and it wasn't because he'd just been hit by a logging semi.

The scent that was wafting through the trees called to Valentine on a visceral level. His bear desperately wanted to go back to search for the source. Even his mouth salivated with a desire to taste the owner of that scent.

There could be only one reason for that.

My mate's here.

Peering through the trees, Valentine watched as a redheaded man paused in front of the semi. He glanced at the damage and plucked what Valentine assumed were a few of his hairs from where they must have been pinched when he'd been hit. Valentine noticed that the man kept most of his attention on the forest around him.

Valentine also noticed the gun in the man's hand.

He's understandably wary, considering he must have seen a sleuth of bears cross the road and he hit one of them.

Staying put was one of the toughest things Valentine had ever done. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to go confront the human. Except, Valentine knew he couldn't do it as a bear.

I should shift.

With that thought in mind, Valentine reached for his human form. He'd just started the change when he heard the sound of the semi firing back up. Even knowing it was probably too late, he pushed to become human even faster, pain from his limb shooting through him.

A low growl sounded in Valentine's ear, and Valentine recognized it as his cousin. Ignoring him, he continued to reach for his human form, his change slower than normal due to the damage to his limb. As soon as Valentine attained his bipedal state, he began pushing to his feet.

Hands grabbed Valentine, forcing him to stay on the ground. Snarling, he glared at Congo. His cousin just frowned back, shaking his head. Acting on instinct, Valentine ducked his head in submission to the shifter who was his alpha.

"What the hell are you doing, Val?" Congo demanded softly. "You just got hit by a freakin' semi."

"I smelled my mate," Valentine blurted swiftly, looking in the direction of the road. "Someone in that semi is my mate."

"Really?" Eurik appeared at his side, having also shifted. Kneeling beside him, he had a definite look of disbelief on his face. "How do you know?"

"First, when I entered the roadway, a smell teased me, distracting me," Valentine did his best to explain. "That's why I think I got hit. I heard the truck, but I was too busy trying to figure out where the smell was coming from to look for it." Frowning in the direction of the road once more, Valentine muttered, "Then there was the pain, and I knew I had to get away, but I couldn't make myself go far." Concern flooded Valentine, and he rubbed the back of his neck with the hand of his good arm. "I-I saw that hot redhead get out."

Even as a bear, Valentine had liked the way the human looked—broad shoulders that he wanted to nuzzle, a muscular neck he wanted to lick and bite, and short red hair he wanted to sniff.

Valentine's human brain had a few different ideas. He wanted to thread his fingers through those short, spiky red strands and check to see if they were soft or stiff with product. While Valentine had never given it much thought before, he wondered what kind of truck driver worried about style like that.

I'll find out before too long.

"What's going on, guys?" Zion asked as he crouched near them. The other shifter glanced between them all. His brows furrowed in obvious concern. "You okay, man? You're holding your arm."

"Val thinks his mate was in the truck," Eurik answered for him. "Anyone in there other than the driver who got out?"

Zion shook his head, his expression turning concerned. "No. I only smelled the one guy." After following Valentine's focus to the road, he stared at him again. "Um, he's gone." His troubled expression intensified as he looked toward Congo. "How the hell are we going to find him?"

"The man had a shirt on that read Stone," Zhaul pointed out. Congo's mate had also shifted to human form. He blushed a little as he added, "Uh, and with a haircut like that, I bet he had it professionally done. Are there any salons or barbers in Stone Ridge or the surrounding area?" When everyone glanced from the panda shifter, then at each other, Zhaul added, "We should ask Alpha Kontra or Alpha Declan and then ask about him there."

"Okay." Valentine's gaze strayed back to the road even though the sound of the truck engine was long gone. "Um, yeah."

Stone. What an awesome name for the muscular-looking male.

Valentine had noticed the guy's masculine frame and muscular arms. He would bet there were more muscles hidden under the human's dark-blue polo shirt. The way he filled it out had been a dead giveaway.

I want to see all that.

Anticipation caused his blood to heat and flow south.

Scoffing, Eurik grumbled, "None of whatever you're thinkin'." He rolled his eyes. "You're naked. Remember?"

Fighting back a blush, Valentine claimed, "At least the sensation of arousal beats out the pain in my arm." He sighed as he finally focused on his damaged limb. "Truck fender must have gotten me just right. I think it's broken."

That caught everyone's attention, and they all seemed to snap their attention to his left arm. Several of his buddies looked worried. A couple appeared troubled. Madagascar and Ishmael were still in bear and wolf form, but their concern was still evident by scent.

Congo growled, cuffing Valentine upside the head, albeit gently. "Gods damn it," he grumbled. "And you still shifted?"

Valentine curled his lip in a sneer. "Of course I did," he grumbled, even though he kept his eyes lowered. Congo was his alpha, after all. "He's my mate. I needed to try to meet him."

"Yeah, a naked man in the woods," Eurik teased, bumping his shoulder. "That'd certainly make a unique first impression."

Before Valentine could think up a reply—with his mate's scent having dissipated, he no longer had a distraction from the pain—Congo ordered, "Mads, will you and Ishmael run back to the cabin and see who's around?" He frowned as he added, "Maybe we can get a vehicle brought out here to get you, Val, so you won't have to walk all the way back."

Madagascar dipped his bear snout in a nod before turning and heading between trees and out of sight, his wolf shifter mate galloping after him.

"Hopefully, they'll be able to find us on this logging road," Eurik commented, rubbing the back of his neck. "How long do we wait?"

"They'll find us," Congo stated confidently, a smirk teasing at the corners of his lips. "The local wolf pack is run by park rangers. They'll sniff us out easy."

Several other men chuckled, as Valentine smiled vacantly.

"Congrats, man," Eurik murmured, patting him lightly on the back. "I'm damn happy for you." With a wink, he added, "And a little jealous. That truck driver was a hottie."

Valentine growled at his fellow bear shifter. "Eyes off. He's mine."

Lifting his hands in placation, Eurik grinned at him. "I know, man. I know." He laughed at him as he told him, "If you weren't injured, I'd smack you upside the head. Shifters don't poach."

"I know. Sorry," Valentine muttered with a deep sigh. "The ache in my arm is getting to me."

Not to mention the fact that he'd seen and scented his mate, but now the human was long gone.

Somehow, I'll find him, even if I have to stake out these logging roads.

"I wish we had a medic in our sleuth," Zion muttered, settling his bare ass on the ground. Resting his forearms over his knees, he stated wryly, "But if any of us were to examine you, we'd probably do more harm than good."

Their medic had been a man named Solomon. The bear shifter hadn't even made it through the attack when the witches had captured them. For a long time, Valentine had thought that had made him one of the lucky ones.

But now Fate is rewarding us for all our torment.

Valentine just had to believe the tales that his friends' spirits were reincarnated, and they would find their mates next time around.

"It's bearable," Valentine claimed, even though he was damn glad he was sitting down. He could already see that his forearm was beginning to swell. "I'll be fine."

Bumping his shoulder into Valentine's, Zion winked and asked, "Are you sure it's not bear-able?"

Valentine snorted and rolled his eyes. "Very funny."

Shifting to the left, Valentine leaned his back against a tree. He tipped his back against the trunk and did his best to ignore the pain as he listened to his sleuth-members chat.

*

Stepping out of the SUV, Valentine glanced up and down the street. He took in the sight of the small town, enjoying the quiet feel of it. Considering their sleuth had still been under spells when they'd first passed through Stone Ridge, they hadn't ventured into town. Valentine liked the look and feel of the place.

"You coming?" Congo asked, touching Valentine's upper arm.

Valentine turned his attention to his fellow shifter and nodded.

After giving him a smile, Congo slung his arm around Zhaul's waist and started down the sidewalk.

Looking through the window, Valentine saw the traditional chairs and sinks one would expect to find in a salon. There was a young man smiling and chatting as he cut a woman's hair. He sported eyeliner and a stylish hairdo.

A sudden surge of jealousy flooded Valentine at the thought that the young pretty human could have had his hands in Stone's hair.

"Hey, you okay?" Zhaul asked quietly, sounding concerned. "You're growling."

Rubbing at the cast on his left forearm, Valentine managed to cut off the sound. "Just dumb thoughts," he muttered with a scoff. "Uh, let's go."

Zhaul still looked worried for a second, but Congo had already opened the door to the salon. He was looking back at them with one black brow arched. Congo glanced back and forth at them, appearing questioning.

Valentine shoved his jealousy down deep and offered his cousin a wry smile. "Nerves, I guess."

"How's the arm?" Congo asked, holding the door open for him. "Feeling okay?"

Nodding, Valentine headed through the open door. "Lark's meds have done the trick," he told him.

Their group in the woods had been picked up by Alpha Declan and his human doctor mate, Lark. Several of their wolf shifters had been running beside the SUV, tracking for them. Evidently, Madagascar and Ishmael had noticed a logging road letter sign on their run back, giving the wolf shifter alpha a pretty good idea of where they'd been.

They'd taken Valentine—along with Congo and Eurik—back to their lodge-like home. The rest had run back to the large A-frame they were staying in, which had been built behind the big farmhouse that Kontra's people were staying in. At the lodge, Lark had the ability to X-ray, set, and cast his arm, and Valentine had learned that his arm had suffered a break in his radius. Fortunately, with his shifter healing, he'd only have to suffer through the indignity of the cast for a week or so. The doc had also supplied meds that worked on shifters, which was a very nice change.

"Glad to hear it," Congo told him with a pat to his shoulder while releasing the door. "Let's see what we can find out."

"Good afternoon, guys," the man who was styling the woman's hair greeted. "I'll be with you in just a sec." Offering them a wide smile, he added, "My receptionist just stepped out for lunch."

"No worries," Zhaul replied with a smile. "We have time."

Valentine wondered if the guy would be disappointed when they weren't really going to give him any business.

"Hi, handsomes," the man greeted as he headed over to them a few minutes later. Looking over them with a speculative gleam in his eyes, he smiled widely. "Can't say I think you're here for haircuts."

"Afraid we're not," Zhaul confirmed with a smile that appeared apologetic. "I'm looking for a friend. His name is Stone." Lying through his teeth, Zhaul told him, "I was supposed to call him when I arrived in town, but my phone was damaged, and I've lost his number." With a wide smile, Zhaul laid it on thick and told the guy, "Stone sent me a picture of himself with his new haircut, telling me how much he liked it. Seeing your place, I was wondering if you gave it to him?"

"Oh, yeah. Stone?" The stylist began to gush, obviously appreciating the compliment. "He'd totally been hiding his hotness under his long hair."

Hearing the guy talk about his mate, Valentine kept his mouth shut. Fortunately, with Zhaul's fast-talking, he was able to sweet talk the stylist, getting him to look up Stone's number from his records.

Totally unethical, but whatever works.

Zhaul sent Stone's number to Lamar to look into, and anticipation filled Valentine.

Then how will I wrangle a meeting?