Chapter 26: Gavin

Chapter 26: Gavin

The other side of my bed was cold when I gasped awake. Agonizing pain burned up my leg and I could barely breathe, like someone was squeezing my throat, and my heart rattled in my chest like a loose bearing. I sat up and scanned the shadows for Billie, but the scent she left behind in my sheets was a couple hours old. Maybe she couldn’t sleep. The ominous aches in my body suggested otherwise. Even after I trudged down the hallway, I couldn’t find her; she wasn’t in the bathroom, the living room, or the spare bedroom when I cracked the door open to look. She was just… gone.

I texted Aislin, ‘Is Billie with you?’

After waiting a few minutes, I realized Aislin was probably asleep, which also probably meant that Billie wasn’t with her. I called Oslo instead. The phone picked up and before Oslo could even form words, I asked, “Do you know where Billie is?”

The older man hesitated, groggy. “She’s not at your apartment?”

“No. She’s gone,” I said, checking each room again as if she might have been hiding.

“She wasn’t scheduled for a patrol with Aislin,” said Oslo. “Do you know why she would have left?”

“I don’t fucking know.” I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I couldn’t even conceive of a reason for why Billie would disappear in the middle of the night. Historically, she had taken off from the Hexens in search of freedom, but had all the freedom she needed here. I didn’t oppress her or lock her up in my apartment. She was happy with me, she wanted to be with me… didn’t she? She said she was going to stay.

The door to the spare bedroom opened. I turned to see Muriel emerging into the hallway, squinting through the darkness at me. “What’s the matter?”

“Billie’s gone,” I said to her. Then to Oslo, “I’m going out to look for her, see if I can catch a scent. Who’s at the pack house tonight?”

“That’s Niko,” said Oslo.

“Let him know to keep an ear out. Fuck,” I swore, frustrated. But more than that, I was worried. She wouldn’t just abandon us.

“I’ll send Gretel to stay with Muriel and I’ll meet you out there,” replied Oslo.

“Okay. And listen. My—my ankle hurts like hell. I think she might be in trouble. I hope I’m wrong, but the mate bond… Me and Billie are really in sync…”

“It’s alright, Gavin,” assured Oslo. “We’ll find her.”

I wanted to believe that maybe she had gone for a hunt and gotten hurt, but knowing the threats lurking around our home, I feared the truth was much worse.

Subtle blue breached the sky by the time I was a wolf. Sunrise encroached from the east, gradually illuminating the forest, and all the animals woke with it. Birdsong and insect chirping filled the silence between Oslo and I. We had searched the southern half of our territory before reluctantly heading north, but among the dense dragon scents, we found Billie’s too. We were kept at bay by the overpoweringly fresh  ash and burning oil stench. It took all my self-control not to plunge into danger, knowing that was the direction Billie had gone, and my heart panged. If the dragons caught Oslo and I, they would kill us. We had no choice but to reconvene at my apartment.

I paced, at a loss for what to do next.

“We could reach out to Everett,” suggested Oslo. “One of our pack members is in critical danger. He may be more willing to aid us.”

“He won’t do shit,” I growled. “As far as he knows, Billie is David’s daughter, which means she isn’t in immediate danger. We won’t be able to convince him otherwise.”

“It won’t hurt to ask.”

“Fuck Everett!” said Aislin. “We’d be wasting time going to him.”

Oslo grimaced at his daughter.

“We have to find out if Billie’s actually with David,” I said. “And we need to make sure she’s okay.”

“You’d feel it if her life was taken,” Gretel said gently.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would feel like, to share the experience of death with my mate. To feel what she felt as she died. I didn’t want to think about it.

“Then our only option may be to reach out to David directly,” said Oslo.

“I don’t want to talk to that fucking prick.”

“Gavin,” Oslo pressed sternly.

David already had too much power over me. How would it look if Billie wasn’t there, and I called him, the man trying to murder us all, to ask where my fated mate had gone? I stared at a wall and relented to my anger, slapping the plaster with a growl. “Fuck!”

But Oslo was right. I had no other choice.

Briskly grabbing my phone, I pulled up David in my contacts list and called his number. It rang five times, but he didn’t pick up. I ended the call. Everyone looked expectantly at me, but I didn’t know what to do besides try again.

After thirty minutes and four calls, on the fifth, David finally answered. “What do you want, Steele?”

“I want my mate, asshole!”

He hummed like he was innocent of the crime I’d accused him of. “What makes you think I have her?”

“Her trail led right to Dalesbloom. Don’t dick around with me. Why is she there?”

“She felt so badly about what you did to my son that she came to make sure he was alright,” said David. “I’ve taken her back into my care.”

“Bullshit. She’s an adult. She doesn’t need your care.”

“You’d think so, but that’s where you’re wrong.”

I snarled. “I will march over there my fucking self and take her away from you, David.”

“You’re welcome to try.”

It would be walking into a death trap.

With an exasperated sigh, I skulked across the room while everyone watched me, anticipating my next words. I stopped and stared out the window. “What do I have to do?”

“I’m not relinquishing Billie for free, Steele. You know that. But perhaps there is something you can offer me in exchange.”

My eyes slid over to Muriel. “Like what?”

“Your territory. Or if pride still bedevils you, you could hand over that unicorn and we’ll call it even.”

I didn’t trust a word he said. Even if I gave up Muriel and was satisfied with what the dragons were after, David would still end up laying siege to Grandbay for our territory and resources. “That’s not happening.”

“Then I’ll do whatever I please with Billie. Catrina is intent on turning her into a rug.”

“You aren’t seriously planning to kill her.”

“She serves no purpose to me besides as a bargaining chip. She’s nothing more than another mouth to feed, and I have no problem getting rid of her,” David said coldly.

“If you or Cat touch her, David, there will be nothing stopping me from slaughtering you and every one of your packmates that cross my path.”

David laughed. “You don’t worry me.”

I couldn’t muster anything else; all I had in my arsenal were threats, and they clearly weren’t going to get me anywhere. With an angry rumble, I ended the call and slammed my phone down on a table. Everyone else held their breaths. “David’s not letting her go,” I said. “I don’t know if he’ll actually kill her, but I don’t want to take that chance.”

“They want me,” Muriel spoke up with tempered understanding. “If it would save Billie’s life…”

“No,” I cut her off.

“What other choice do you have?”

I looked between everyone gathered. “We could plan a recovery mission. Cause some kind of distraction. Sneak in during the night and try to get her out,” I said, but I was grasping at straws and they all knew it.

“Everett still wouldn’t help us,” muttered Aislin.

It was a nonviolent approach, but I knew Everett wouldn’t risk the lives of his packmates for us. Eastpeak barely had more numbers than Grandbay.

“That’s a suicide mission.” Oslo echoed my thoughts. “There’s no way David will leave her unguarded.”

Muriel touched my arm. “Gavin, please. I don’t want to see you or your packmates die. You have already endured so much because of me. If I go to the dragons, I may be able to escape; I already have once before.”

“I can’t in good conscience hand you over to them,” I argued. “The Mythguard are already working to protect you from the dragons.”

“And maybe they’ll act with more urgency when they find out I’m in the dragons’ custody.”

I fell silent, considering this. “It would be a shitty move on our part, pushing the Mythguard into action. And there’s no guarantee it would work.”

“I know. But at least then the Mythguard will be more motivated to help.”

“It’ll mean getting Everett involved.”

“Maybe he’ll just send that guy Sebastian to take care of it,” said Aislin.

“Does anyone have Sebastian’s number?” I asked.

Everyone shook their heads. So I’d have to reach out to Everett regardless.

“Fine. I’ll warn Everett about what we’re doing. We’ll offer Muriel to the dragons, and if we’re lucky, the Mythguard will be ready to intercept,” I said.

“Don’t act rashly,” said Gretel. “Take some time to think about this.”

“We don’t have time.”

She was right, though; as much as I wanted to call up Everett right now, I knew it was better for me to consider all possible options first, even those I hadn’t thought of yet. I didn’t want to endanger Muriel by offering her up to the dragons. But  my heart ached a little worse every second I was away from Billie.

Everyone else seemed to understand my desperation. We all sat together and exchanged ideas, possible approaches and contingency plans, all the way into the afternoon. I was so tired that I wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t, knowing Billie was in danger.

Finally, we took a break for Aislin, Oslo, and Gretel to head out for a patrol. I leaned my head back on the couch as Muriel sipped tea beside me.

“I admire your ethics, Mr. Steele,” Muriel said gently. “Not many people would risk so much to keep a stranger like me safe.”

“You’re not a stranger anymore, Mur,” I said.

She smiled. “For someone so young, you have a good head on you.”

I wasn’t sure I believed her. I had made a lot of mistakes in the past and as an Alpha. Even now I worried that one wrong move would bring about the destruction of my pack.

Sensing my uncertainties, Muriel set her tea down and clasped my hand. “You’re incredibly brave, Gavin. I know we’ll both come out of this alright in the end. You’ll see Billie again.”

“I just don’t want to fuck it up,” I grumbled.

“Even if you do, I have faith that you will do everything in your power to make things right. That’s what matters.”

I met her eyes, and my tension ebbed away. I trusted her, and she trusted me. We both wanted the best for Billie and Grandbay, and I had to believe that I was strong enough to achieve that. But to think of losing Muriel now, after she had spent so much time here, forged such powerful bonds… Her absence would be felt. I realized that when her soft, maternal voice lulled the frenzied beat of my heart.

“Thanks, Mur.” I managed to smile at her in return.

Bolstered by my smile, Muriel pulled me in and hugged me.

I couldn’t remember how it felt the last time I hugged my mother. But I was pretty sure it felt something like this.