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I 'm still trying to wrap my head around how perfect last night was with Leera as I pull our car into the arena's parking lot.

It's strange to think that this is the same lot that fills to capacity on game nights—people cheering and hollering all over the place. During the day, it's calm, quiet, and desolate. The only cars parked here now are my teammates and a few abandoned cars, usually from responsible drivers who had too much to drink at the game last night and had to snag a ride home. I pull the car through to the other side of the aisle so that when I'm ready to leave, I can just drive out of the spot; not that it matters since the lot is practically deserted. It's mostly a reflex for game days.

I grab my bag and check my phone to see if Leera has texted me yet, but she hasn't. Being the impatient and slightly obsessed man that I am, I shoot her a text to let her know that I can't get her off my mind.

But just as I hit send, I hear the chirp of her phone, here in the car somewhere. She must have dropped it in her scramble to get out of the car.

Benny, tell Coach I'll be late. I don't care what you tell him. Leera left her phone in my car, so I’m going to run it back to her.

Ten-four, Boss.

Tossing my gym bag back onto the floorboard, I scoop up the sparkly pink cell phone and keep it clutched in my left hand. I turn the car on, put it in gear, and take off back towards the college for one more moment with my sweet little mate.

This wasn't part of my plan to spend more time with her today, but I'm definitely not mad about it.

Her phone dings and rings a few times as I make the quick drive back to campus. It’s Zoey’s name that pops up continuously, and while I’ve crossed some boundaries, answering her phone or reading her texts with her best friend is crossing another kind of line, and I don't want to upset her. Her friend is probably wanting some girly gossip about last night anyway.

Bringing my thoughts back to last night sends sparks shooting through my blood stream. The way her body answered mine. The way it felt to sleep with her in my arms. Knowing I have to take my time with her makes every moment that much sweeter. Knowing as I claim her body, in every way it can be claimed, that I will be the first and only person to bring her body pleasure, is enough to make my dick hard just at the thought, and I have to set her phone down long enough to adjust myself.

Like the arena, the college grounds are strangely quiet on the weekends. Most kids elect not to have weekend classes, and they usually find better things to do with their time than hang out and do nothing on campus. For so many, like Leera, it's their first taste of freedom, so they're sure to fill their time with adventures, some more appropriate than others. But still, this emptiness…I can't explain it. Something feels wrong, but I can't pinpoint what it is.

When I pull up in front of her dorm building, I'm immediately on even higher alert when I find her roommate running across the lot towards me. Fuck what was her name…Chloe or something. No, it started with a Z...zzz…Zoey; it's Zoey. As she nears me, she's not just running, she's panicking. Her face is red, and her eyes are wild. I scramble out of the car and sprint the remaining distance between us.

“Zoey, what's wrong?” I ask the poor girl who looks like she's on the verge of hyperventilating.

For too many moments, she just shakes her head and sobs.

My wolf and I are both about to lose our shit at this point.

Placing my hands firmly on her shoulders, I attempt to ground her all while trying not to scare her at the same time, and I try again, “Zoey,” I growl, “Can you hear me? What's going on? Is Leera okay? Where is she?” My own panic is now setting in as I try to understand what we're even upset about. I take a moment to look around her, but I don't see Leera anywhere. Surely, it's nothing. Maybe they just got into an argument or something.

She takes a few more long breaths, trying to regain what she wasn't able to get in before. She seems to be getting herself together enough to speak, while I'm starting to tingle with a deadly combination of terror and rage. I don't like this feeling. I need information. I need this small human to pull her shit together and tell me what the fuck is going on.

“She's gone! I can't find her anywhere! I went back to the room, and I could see she was back because some of her stuff was there. Not all her stuff; her school stuff was missing. So I came back out to see if maybe we just missed each other. I told her to come out and study with me under our tree. But when I came back out, all I found was her backpack on the ground.” She finally stops dumping all her thoughts on me at once and grabs my hand, dragging me across the grass while I try to keep my mind and body here and now. I can feel my wolf trying to take control, but I have to fight it.

Just outside the door to their dorm building, there are wolf scents I don't recognize swallowing the sweet honeysuckle and spun sugar smell of my girl. But they're faint. There's some grass ripped out of the ground and scuffs in the dirt, like someone was dragging their feet. A few more steps from that area is her backpack. Not just sitting on the ground like she stepped away to grab something real quick. It's laying on its top, like it'd been thrown down in a hurry.

From there, to the very edge of the parking lot, closest to the grass, are more scuffle marks. These look more erratic. I'm not the tracker. Benny is. But I know well enough to recognize a kidnapping.

My entire body is shaking, and I don’t know if it's from the rage consuming my entire being or the fear threatening to drown me alive.

BENNNNNNYYYYY! I scream through the mind link just as my wolf begins to howl. I can feel my soul starting to shred.

I can't go through this again. Why is history repeating itself? It wasn't even humans who took her. It was wolves. Wolves who I don't know. Who would even know about her other than the six of us?

That's when I remember the stunt I pulled at the game. Making a grand gesture of love to my soul mate. “GODDAMMIT!” I roar out loud this time, causing Zoey to jump nearly a foot off the ground. In the midst of my nightmare coming true, I forgot she was even here.

Shit Boss, what's up? All the men heard you…

We're listening…

What’s going on?

Are you okay?!

My men all shout through our bond.

“Zoey, can you sit down right here while I try to figure out what happened here?” I ask her as gently as I can, though it must not have actually been gentle judging by the way her body tenses, but she just nods and sniffles.

She's gone. They have her. I don't know who they are... Benny, I can't do this again. I'm half roaring, half wailing for all my men to hear, but I can't be bothered to care right now.

I’m breaking. This is all too much. It's all my fault. For many moments, there is no response, but I can feel their energies. They're all furious and terrified. Not just for me but for her. For such a small creature, she truly evokes large feelings in everyone she meets. It rips me apart even more to know how much they already care for her as well.

FUCK…

GODDAMMIT…

SHIT…

My men all take turns venting their frustration through their chosen words, while they also try to wrap their heads around what's happening.

I'll tell Coach what's going on, and he'll understand why we've got to leave practice. Benny leads, having been the first one to gather himself, apparently. That's one of the perks of the sport being primarily werewolf blood; they understand pack and mate matters that would otherwise be a disaster to try and dance around when shit like this happens. Only most people don't have to deal with shit like this. With their mate being kidnapped.

I'll set up a trace on her—

I have to interrupt Slate mid-sentence. I have her phone. She dropped it in my car. I was bringing it back to her. That’s how I found out she was missing.

My wolf continues to howl in rage as I grow anxious, fearful of what’s to come because...I don't think we can survive this a second time.

FUCK is Slate's only response. The man is our technology contact for a reason. He can trace and hack pretty much anything. I don't know what he can do without anything to track.

We're on our way, Boss. We'll find her. I promise.

I know Benny's just trying to make me feel better, but the way he sounds right now, it's not working. That man radiates sunshine and happiness, and even he sounds dark and concerned.

I can't do this again. If something happens to her, I'll…

I'm snapped out of my own thoughts when I hear a fresh sob come from Zoey.

“Roman, where is she?!” she yells at me like it's all my fault. It probably is.

Why did I allow myself to think that this time would be any different?

She jumps from where she's sitting and bangs her fists on my chest for a few moments. She's in worse shape than I initially noticed, and my anger must be suffocating her.

“I don't, FUCK, I don't know. I just came back to drop off her cellphone. She dropped it in the car.” I grab hold of Zoey's still swinging fists, and as calmly as I can, I capture her hands to end her ineffective assault. She stares at me for a minute and steps away, wrapping her arms around her middle.

Without being able to do anything until my men get here, I pace the grass in front of Zoey with my head in my hands.

Anger and unease go to war within me as I do everything in my power to resist the urge to transform into a wolf because a human is in my presence. It would be so much easier to release control to my wolf and allow the darkness and foreboding to consume me.

“Did you see her at all or have any idea who took her? Has she been…has she been talking to anyone else?” I ask, not really wanting to know the answer.

“Are you fucking stupid or something?! She's crazy about you, you giant idiot! I called the police forever ago; where are they?!” she yells, on the verge of another meltdown. Just as she throws herself down to the grass, we hear the sirens approaching in the distance.