Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

GARRETT

We had to leave our van miles outside of town. There was no way we could have driven any further in with the flooding. Gnat dressed in high rubber boots and a heavy rain coat. She did some sort of spell to make it look like she was getting wetter than she was. It would look odd if she was walking through rain and flood water while remaining dry. Rodger, Dameon, and I were just in our regular clothes. The water didn’t bother us in the slightest and additional gear would only slow us down.

We followed our noses to the woods outside of town. Our boots sank heavily in the mud as we trekked on, but there were too many news cameras and eyes on the area for us to risk shifting. Dameon especially. It would definitely be noticed if an elephant started walking through town.

Dasher was the head of the local skulk. His anxiety gave the air a sour note the closer we got to where the skulk was hiding out. I could also smell the man’s fresh blood. It had been over a day since the hurricane had touched the area. The male should be healed by now and it made me wonder why he wasn’t.

The large beam currently impaling him gave us an immediate answer as we approached. Gnat rushed forward to lend her assistance.

A female approached us. She was lean with flaming red hair that she, based on the scent coming off of her, dyed gray. Likely, living where they did, she did so to avoid humans noticing how she looked forever a young woman.

Female shifters stopped aging in their early twenties while male shifters stopped in their late twenties. Regardless of when we stop aging, we’re treated like teenagers until we hit our first century. Though it’s rare for someone to scent their mate as a child, it does happen. While it’s not a law and some packs do otherwise, the general rule of thumb for a mating age is twenty-five.

Based on scent, this female was the mate of the injured Alpha. She was so tiny compared to Rodger, Dameon, and me. We were all over six-five, broad shouldered, and packed with muscle. While Dameon was clean shaven, Rodger and I had full beards.

“We appreciate you coming,” she rushed through any pleasantries. “We’re missing five members, including my daughter and granddaughter.”

“Any dead?” Rodger asked, taking the lead.

Her face fell. “My granddaughter’s only three. If my daughter didn’t find her…” Her voice trailed off. There was a high possibility her granddaughter did not survive.

I spotted a couple near the Alpha. The female was crying hysterically into the male’s arms.

“Do you have anything with their scents?” Rodger asked. He wasn’t being heartless but practical. The sooner we got started, the sooner the skulk would know what happened to their members.

I rubbed my chest as an odd twinge overtook me.

The female did not waste any time. She immediately waved over a male. He was taller than his Alpha Female, but nowhere near our height. Lean, I could see him being a very fast runner. Even for a shifter.

“This is Ethan. He’s one of our enforcers. He’ll take you in. I don’t know what your Alpha told you. We were very near a gas station that blew. Most of our senses still have not recovered. My mate was injured rescuing several of our members. We will join you as soon as your witch is through healing him.”

Even with our senses not being compounded by a gas station explosion, it was still going to take time to find them. The devastation was massive, and there was a good chance they were buried beneath rubble that could be blocking their scent. Additionally, the sewer, gas, and smoke around made it harder for us to track. More often than not, we follow the generic scents of blood, urine, or fear to lead us to someone. Our hearing was heightened but was limited in these conditions.

As we walked away from the skulk, Ethan opened up a backpack he’d had slung over his shoulder. The zipper was barely open when I caught the sweetest scent. It was extremely earthy, mixed with berries, and, fuck me, honey .

Without thinking, I ripped the backpack from Ethan’s hands and shoved my face into it. Other scents bombarded me, including the scent of a little girl I knew belonged to the missing three year old. Ignoring all the other distractions, I inhaled that berry and honey scent.

Someone put their hand on my shoulder. I turned my head, snapping my teeth and growled low in my throat.

Rodger was not perturbed. The look he gave me held surprise but also understanding. “Who?” he asked me simply.

I reached inside and pulled out a pink tank top with a picture of The Golden Girls on it.

Rodger nodded once. “She’s yours?”

I brought the shirt to my nose, unable to quit breathing in the sweet scent. “Mine,” I growled.

“That’s Odette. She’s the Alpha’s daughter.”

The Alpha’s daughter… My brain had a hard time comprehending that. Because it meant that my mate had a daughter. That shouldn’t be possible. Female shifters were only fertile with their mate. They could have all the sex they wanted, but they didn’t begin ovulating until after they met their mate.

How then did my mate have a kit?

I pushed that thought aside for the time being. It wasn’t important. I needed to find my mate. She was out there somewhere, possibly wounded.

Hold on , I thought as loudly as I could. We weren’t bonded yet, but I prayed she somehow was able to hear me. I’m coming, my love.