12. Miles

TWELVE

MILES

Sleep had eluded me after Celina left, even though I'd gone to bed after cleaning up the dinner debris. At first, I couldn't get over the idea of a woman that beautiful still being a virgin at twenty-eight. Then, my thoughts had slipped to more of an R-rated frame. Hormones pumped through my body courtesy of my wolf's desires. I didn't remember Steff or Tate talking about this part. Maybe it was wolf specific. Whatever it was, I couldn't get my mind off all the things I wanted to do to Celina.

I jerked off once before bed, hoping it would take the edge off. Unfortunately, I tossed and turned for almost two hours before I got up and did it again. At three in the morning, I finally fell into a fitful, restless sleep, only to wake up in the middle of a wet dream, one that was truly childish and something like a poorly scripted porno. It was enough to have me seconds away from coming as soon as I woke up. I only barely managed to grab my T-shirt off the floor to avoid making a mess in my bed.

Drenched in sweat and panting, I sat upright. "What the hell?" I whispered.

Instead of going back to sleep, I cleaned my apartment, did a load of laundry, and then killed time the rest of the night. At seven in the morning, I woke with a start when my cell rang. I'd fallen asleep in my recliner while trying to keep my mind off Celina and her body by reading a book. Good. That meant I got about three full hours of sleep. Fuck my life.

I grabbed my phone and glanced at the display. There was no good reason why Blayne would be calling me at seven in the morning.

"What's up?" I said as I answered, trepidation already growing in my gut.

"You need to get to the office."

I frowned. Blayne was usually pretty laid-back and easy-going. Now, he sounded strained. Scared. Whatever was going on was bad.

"Are the guys okay?" I asked.

"Tate and Steff are on their way. They're fine. Just get here, bro. You need to hear this in person." Without another word, he hung up. Definitely not like him. Something had gone sideways. I didn't bother changing out of my pajama bottoms and T-shirt. All I did was throw on socks and shoes, then I grabbed a coat before I rushed out the door.

I got to the office in less than ten minutes. It was still way too early for the rest of the team to be in, and the other guys stood right inside the door. Also weird. We usually met in one of the offices or conference rooms. They looked…I didn't even know how to describe it. Like they were at a funeral or something. Fear jolted inside me, and I had to know exactly what was happening.

"What's going on?" I asked

Tate stepped forward. "It's your pack. The hunters attacked again, and they were much more organized this time. There's…" He winced, looking pained, which had my heart beating a mile a minute. Tate shook his head. "Multiple casualties. A lot."

The ground was ripped out from under me. My legs went weak, and I started to lower myself to the floor, but Blayne was there with a chair. I sank into it and buried my face in my hands. My pack. My family. Even though I'd been expelled and ostracized from them, it was still where I'd grown up. I had friends there. My parents…

I jerked my head up. "My mother and father? Are they alive?"

Steff held his hands up to slow me down. "That's what we're trying to figure out. The pack sent word through the typical shifter channels. The only reason we know about this is because I checked my email when I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. I sent a message back saying we had a former member and we needed a list of the dead. We're waiting for that. We need to hang on, okay?" He glanced at Blayne and Tate. "Um…I'm sure that they're fine."

His hesitation didn't ease my anguish. I was dizzy and a little nauseous. The worst part was that we couldn't do anything but stand around and wait. Tate called the rest of the staff and gave them the day off with pay, and I was immensely thankful for that. There was no way I could even attempt to act like everything was okay. Hell, I couldn't even stand—I didn't trust my legs enough. Blayne walked down the street to get us donuts, but even after he got back and set the donuts on the table, they remained untouched. None of us had an appetite.

My brain was preparing for the worst. Inch by inch, I was building up a wall in my mind. A protection tactic for when I had to accept the inevitable. A cushion against the agony and pain of what I knew was coming. They were gone. Deep inside, below all the hopes and wishes, I was absolutely certain that my parents were dead.

An hour and a half later, Steff's phone chimed. He checked it, and his face went tight. "Shit. They sent the list." He looked at me. "Do you want to read it? Want me to call out the names?"

I gave a tight shake of my head. "Give it," I said, holding my trembling hand out for the phone.

Steff took a step toward me and put the device in my palm. I took a deep, steadying breath before looking at the screen. A sigh exploded out of me at the sheer amount of names. Oh my god. Wolf packs were typically small familial units formed through blood ties and mating. My old pack had comprised over a dozen family units. It had been one of the largest wolf packs in the country. I was staring at twenty names at the least—almost a quarter of the entire pack.

I stared at the screen for several seconds, but I couldn't get my eyes to focus. I was too terrified to actually begin reading. Finally, I gritted my teeth and started down the list. The very first name was the alpha, the man who'd stolen Liz from me. I didn't feel even a hint of my old anger. The man had had a family. People who loved him. Now he was gone. I slid my eyes down the list. Multiple names stuck out. David, a kid I'd gone fishing with when I was younger. Mira, the first girl I'd kissed before I met Liz. Every name I recognized was like a punch in the chest. Then I got to the end. My breath hissed out, and I scanned the list a second and then a third time. Their names weren't there. My parents weren't on the list.

I sank into the chair, all the tension I'd been holding in my body releasing in a rush. I hadn't realized I'd been wound up so tight. I was exhausted, like I'd run a marathon. I looked up at the guys. They looked as emotionally invested in my reaction as I'd been about the list. I smiled weakly. "They aren't there. My parents' names. They aren't there."

Tate and Blayne sighed in relief. Steff put his hands in the air and hissed a triumphant curse. I sat there for a few moments, thinking about Liz. Her name hadn't been on the list, either. How was she dealing with losing her mate? The pain had to be unimaginable. She'd ripped my heart out and hadn't looked back, but I wasn't so cold that I couldn't empathize. I would never wish pain and heartbreak on anyone. Well, maybe on the hunters, but no one else.

I looked at the email again, noticing a paragraph of text beneath the list of names. I straightened as I read it. The pack had managed to capture a younger girl who was one of the hunters. It sounded like she hadn't even wanted to be there. They were detaining her and would be questioning her after the pack had dealt with the dead. It was signed with the acting alpha's name. I blinked at the name. My old alpha. The father of the guy who Liz had left me for. The man who had banished me. His son had taken over a few years after I left, but now it looked like the crisis had pulled the old alpha out of retirement. Before the banishment, we'd been on friendly terms. I wondered if the banishment was still in effect with everything that had happened. Or if it was as strict as it had been. Would they let me call? Could I actually speak with my parents?

I looked at Tate. "Do I try calling? I need to try and hear their voices."

Tate nodded. "I'll make the call."

He dialed the number we had, and I sat, listening, while he relayed my request to the alpha. After a few minutes, Tate handed me the phone.

"Hello?"

"Is this Miles Kelly?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Not sure if you remember me. Name's Donovan. I'm the alpha, now that…well, I'm the alpha again, that's all that matters." His voice was husky and strained. I had to remind myself that he'd lost a lot of people, including his only son and heir.

"I remember. I'm sorry for your loss. Many of those people were my friends once upon a time."

"Thanks. This wasn't something we were prepared for. Sounds like you've had a go of it, too. We've heard the rumors about what's been going down in Lilly Valley. It's starting to turn into some kind of legend in the shifter world."

That surprised me. I hadn't thought rumors of our issues here would get out into the wider world of shifters. "Yeah, it's not been a great year and a half for us."

"Heard you all took on a team of hunters. Gave one of their guys a dirt nap. Impressive. I'll be honest, everyone here has been following your team's story pretty closely. The hunters have had every pack I know on their heels. Bigger, stronger packs. And you four misfits have been taking the fight right to them and winning. It's badass. You guys have sort of become a banner we're all looking to for courage. I don't say that lightly."

I sat there, stunned speechless. Us? Four guys who'd been kicked out of our respective packs for one reason or another? We were considered heroes? It was almost too much to believe.

"Anyway…" Donovan went on, "…it's good to hear your voice after all these years."

I didn't really care about any of the things we were talking about. All I wanted was to talk to my parents. "Respectfully, sir, I really called to talk to my parents. Would that be possible?"

Donovan sighed. "Son, you know the rules. No contact after banishment. I've bent the rules in the past. You think I didn't know you've been sending your folks those postcards? I've known all along. I figured it was the least I could do after…what my boy did, and me and your old man were friends as kids. I can't start making even more exceptions. Not now. Not when we're in so much danger."

My wolf bristled with rage. Steff and Tate heard the exchange, and wore identical expressions of fury. My lips peeled back into a snarl, and I wanted to give the fucker a piece of my mind for acting like letting my parents read two or three postcards a year was some big fucking favor. Blayne patted the air in front of me, a signal to calm down. He gave me a look that said: be careful.

Steadying myself, I tried to control my voice. "Understood," I gritted my teeth. "Can you tell us if you've questioned the girl yet? The hunter you mentioned in the email? We're working on finding the leader of this new hunter organization. Any information could help."

"Yeah, we got done not long before you guys called. She's scared out of her mind. Maybe nineteen years old. A kid, really. She didn't know a lot. Said they got their orders from a new team leader. Some woman, but she didn't know her name. She did say that this new team leader called the head of the organization ‘Daddy.'"

I winced in disgust. Was that some sexual thing? Or did he actually have his daughter working for him? Either way, it was horrifying. "Did she happen to know where this guy could be found?"

"No, she never actually met him. The only info she did give up was that her training happened in Chicago. That's all we have to go on."

Chicago? That was nowhere near where I'd been looking. That was at least a new lead. Another area to search. "Okay, good. What are you guys doing with the prisoner? The girl?"

There was a long pause before he spoke again. "Not sure yet. Main consensus is we use…well…we think we'll use one of our casualties and set it up so that she's found by the cops with the body. Make it look like she did it. We aren't the type to kill a girl, but she needs to pay. A couple decades in prison for murder should give her the message."

I nodded. "Yeah. Got it. Back to my parents. Could you at least tell them I'm glad they're safe? That I love them?"

The alpha sighed, and his silence stretched for a bit. "Okay. I can do that. It won't be breaking the rules, since you didn't make direct contact. I'll talk to them once I get off with you."

"Fair enough. We'll call you if we have any more questions."

"Stay safe, Kelly," Donovan said before hanging up.

I looked at the guys. "Did you all hear most of that?"

They nodded.

Tate said, "Chicago. So, now we can search the upper Midwest."

"Right," I said. "Blayne, can you get on that search? Same parameters as before? Wealthy, widowed or divorced, owns a bunch of companies or businesses?"

"On it," he said as he pulled out his laptop.

I finally ate one of the donuts, and only then realized how hungry I was. The stress of not knowing about my parents had given way to relief. I went ahead and had three of them myself and made a cup of coffee in the break room while Blayne worked.

"Holy shit, man," Blayne said after an hour.

"What's wrong?" Tate asked.

"This list…" Blayne said pointing at his screen, "…there are like twenty names. That's how many Miles had when he was running around Texas and Oklahoma for two weeks. It may be another month at best before we find this guy. I only hope we don't hit another dead end."

We spent the day researching the list of names. Steff and Tate helped, even though research wasn't their forte. By late afternoon, we'd narrowed it down to ten names we thought were possible bullseyes. After agreeing to call it a night, I headed home. I stopped on the way to grab takeout since all I'd eaten the whole day was a few donuts.

I pulled into the parking lot and leaned my head back on the head rest. The day had drained me, emotionally and physically. It felt like the longest day of my life. Forcing myself to get out of my car before I fell asleep, I grabbed the takeout and headed for the stairs. I got to the third landing and was looking down as I sorted through my keys when I bumped into someone.

"Shit, I'm sor—" I cut myself off when I saw it was the same woman I'd run into on my jog a few days ago.

"Well, hello there," she said, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth and giving me an obviously flirtatious look. "We really need to stop meeting like this."

I couldn't even answer. My brain seemed to be short-circuiting. How did she know where I lived? Why was she on my floor? "Why are you here?" I asked dumbly.

She nodded over her shoulder at Celina's door. "I was just visiting my friend. I didn't know she had such a handsome neighbor."

I was even more confused with that explanation. Celina made it sound like she didn't have any friends. I was too exhausted to truly try and figure out all the possibilities. It didn't help that my wolf seemed to be growling at this woman. There was something about her that he didn't like, and I was starting to feel the same way. She was looking at me like I was a juicy steak she wanted to bite into. I had the feeling that if I asked, she would yank my pants down and go to town on me without a second's hesitation. That thought made my wolf even more irritated. Plus, it all felt sort of fake. Like a show. Puzzle pieces were starting to slide together in my head. My PI mind tried to make connections, but things were still too fuzzy to make out the picture.

Instead of saying anything else, I nodded vacantly and stood aside so she could go down the stairs. She took a few steps before turning and looking back at me. "Have a good night, sexy." She gave me a wink and disappeared down the stairs.

"What the fuck?" I whispered to myself.

I unlocked my apartment and tossed my food on the kitchen counter, then I went over to knock on Celina's door. When she opened the door, I could tell she was three sheets to the wind before she even spoke. "Forget something?" She jumped when she saw me. "Oh, Miles. I wasn't expecting you."

"Did you have company?" I asked, wanting to figure out why that woman had been here.

"Yeah." Celina smiled. "That was Felicity. I've made a friend. Aren't you proud of me?" She slurred. Celina then leaned in and whispered, "She's teaching me how to be seductive." She broke into a spat of giggles, then tried to compose herself.

"Wait, what?"

"Shit. Big mouth," she hissed to herself.

I suppressed a smile and stepped across her threshold, pressing my body close to hers. "Now, exactly who have you been trying to seduce?"

Resting my hands on her hips, I made sure we stayed close. Celina looked up at me with huge eyes, but remained silent.

"Who do you want to seduce?"

Her body vibrated beneath my fingers, and her lips trembled slightly as she opened her mouth. "You," she whispered.

My body instantly reacted to that word, my cock going rock hard in a split-second. I pulled her closer so she could feel it, and relished the little whimper that fell from her parted lips. I leaned close until our lips were almost touching. "I hope you feel the same when you're sober." She was barely breathing, her eyes locked on mine. Her hips pressed into me, grinding against my hardness. "All you need to do is knock on my door. Then you can show me exactly how seductive you can be."

To tease her, I slid my tongue across her lower lip and pulled away.

Celina put a hand on the wall to steady herself and breathed out a moan. "Oh, fuck me."

The words, along with how she looked, almost caused me to do exactly that. It would have been easy to become less of a gentleman. To take her. Strip her clothes off, and feel her wrap her legs around my body as I gave her the best night of her life. I winced in agitation. There was no way I could do that with someone who was obviously drunk and barely able to make coherent decisions. Especially not a virgin.

"I'm going to go eat my dinner and go to bed. Make sure to lock up when I leave." I left without waiting for her to say anything else.

In my apartment, I ate my food mechanically. It might as well have been tasteless. All I could think of was what her lip had tasted like. My cock throbbed painfully in my pants. It looked like I was going to have another long night.