Chapter 43
Lynx growls as he pushes me forward and shifts back into my human form. I stared down at the lifeless wolf. My eyes went up, and I looked around—more rogues. Lynx panted in my head with a low growl. “Where’s mate?” he murmured. “Where did she go?” Ignoring him, I scanned the forest, but no sign of Leah was anywhere. Where the hell did she go? A mind link comes through. “Carson,” Zain said, “where are you? There are more rogues by the pack house.” Where the hell were they coming from? “I’m on my way,” I growled as I ran toward the way Leah and I came. “Where the hell are they coming from?” “There must have been a breach in one border,” he mumbled. “I can’t get hold of any guards from the south.” Fuck. I had a funny feeling about this. They must have killed the guards. It was the only answer to Zain’s statement. Coming closer to the entrance of the pack house, rogues and pack members were scattered around the field, fighting in both forms. Anger swirled around inside as Lynx came closer to the surface and he pushed me back into his mind. I stayed close by. As he shifts into his true form, he shakes out his fur and lets out an almighty roar to let everyone know we are there. Opening a pack mind link, I ran at them as Lynx charged toward some rogues trying to kill Jenny and the boys. “Everyone, draw them out of the pack grounds,” I said as Lynx took out one rogue. Jenny jumped onto the other wolf and let her wolf slice through the man’s neck, and his lifeless body dropped to the ground. Lynx stared at her, but her eyes were full of concern. I knew who she was worried about—Leah. “Also, everyone looks out for my mate,” I said, making Jenny’s eyes widen. “She is missing. Save her and make sure she is safe.” “I found her,” Zain muttered. “She was by her mother’s house and just ran inside.” I looked at Jenny as relief came through. “Mate will be fun,” Lynx muttered. “We need to kill them.” 1 I agreed. “Kill them all,” I shouted, returning to fighting more rogues. After another hour, we all stood around and watched rogues run away. “Catch one,” I growled through the pack link. “We need one to interrogate them.” Pack members agreed, and some ran after them. Closing the pack link down, I opened a mind link to Zain. “Is Leah at the house?” I asked. “I don’t know,” he murmured. “I had to fight more rogues. I’m by the south border now. Carson, I found the bodies of the guards. They came this way. There are loads of footprints.” I growled. “Anything else there,” I gritted. “Not yet,” he muttered. “I’m still looking. I will meet you at the office with my findings.” “Sounds like a plan. I will go to the house,” I muttered, closing the mind link. I looked around and landed on Jenny, who walked toward me. “Where is she?” she asked. “I’m going to your house,” I said. “Stay here and help with the care of the injured.” Jenny’s face hardened. “I need to know she—” she said, but I placed my hand on her arm and shook my head, cutting her off. “Jenny, I will find her. I need you to help me out here,” I said, gently squeezing her arm. Jenny said nothing and gave me a small nod. “Mum,” a boy shouted. “Two members need help over by the pack house.” I looked behind her and found one twin running toward her with a grim look on his face. Jenny stared at me momentarily, but turned and followed her son to the injured people. I turned and ran off, heading toward Jenny’s house. As I got nearer, many pack members were helping each other. I stopped as I approached the house and noticed more dead bodies around. Lynx came closer to the surface and stared. “Mate,” he whimpered as I moved toward the house. My eyes went to the door. It was off its hinges. “Leah!” I shouted, but there was nothing. I walked up to the door and looked around. Lynx sniffed the air and growled. “Upstairs,” he muttered. Walking up the stairs, I took in the scene before. They did a number on the place. I headed toward each room and walked into what was Leah’s room. A low growl rumbled through my chest as I looked around and headed toward the window. I breathed in the scents, but it was mixed with my mates and three rogues. Where the hell was she? I looked out the window and spotted Josh outside. Turning around, I went back downstairs and found him in the doorway. His eyes went to mine as concern stretched across his face. “She’s not here,” I muttered. “Do you know—” “I saved her from one,” he said, cutting me off. I stared at him in disbelief as he continued. “She ran back into the woods away from here. I killed them.” His eyes stayed on me. “Once they were dead,” he said. “I went the way she ran, but there was no sign.” My heart sank. Where was she? Did they take her? “Carson,” Josh called out, making me look at him. “Her scent went past the border and onto a main road. She could have gone to the human town that is close to here.” “I need to get her,” I said, going toward him, but Josh touched my arm, stopping me. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said. “Your alpha now. You need to be here with your pack.” I growled at him, making him tense. “She’s my mate,” I gritted out. “She needs me.” Josh’s face softens. “I know,” he said. “But the rogues did a number on the pack. The pack is going to look to you for reassurance.” I stilled. He’s right, but what am I going to do? “I’ll look for her,” he blurts out, making me look at him in surprise. “You?” I asked. “Why?” Josh stared at me and sighed. “She’s your mate,” he said, moving his arm from mine. “Also, she’s my mate’s daughter—my family, too. I need to do this. I can’t let Jenny go searching for her. Leah hates her, and I know she hates me, but I would rather her fight with me than Jenny.” His eyes look to the side. “Leah wouldn’t have gone far,” he said, looking back at me. “You need to find out why the rogues attacked us. We need answers.” I stared at him but said nothing. He was right. I needed to know why they attacked us, but my stomach churned. I had a bad feeling about this, that this wasn’t over. Clearing my throat, I sighed. “Fine,” I muttered. “You need to mind link me all the time with updates. Jenny and the boys can stay at the pack house with us.” Josh nodded, but his eyes were saddened. “I’ll bring her back,” he said. “She belongs here with us.” I nodded. Josh turned on his heel and headed out the door. I followed, but stopped and watched him run off into the forest. I opened a mind link to Jenny and Zain. “Both of you meet me in the office,” I said. “Where’s Leah?” Jenny asked, sounding concerned. I let out a sigh. “It seems she ran into the forest when some wolves tried to get her,” I said. A shriek echoed into the mind link. “No,” Jenny cried. “Did they—” “No,” I said, as my stomach sank more. “She’s alive. She ran off into the forest and headed to the nearby human town. Josh is going to look for her and bring her back to the pack.” Jenny was quiet, but whimpered. “He’s left,” she murmured. “Jenny,” I said. “He’s bringing her back to us. He won’t come back until he has her. He will be in constant contact with me. Now, meet me in the pack house and bring the boys with you. We need answers.” Jenny said nothing and closed the mind link, leaving me and Zain. “She’s in pain,” he said. “I know,” I murmured. “What did you find?” Zain sighed. “More questions than answers,” he said, but I felt anger sweep through the link. “But there is something you will not like.” “What?” I asked. “It seems the rogues were after someone,” he said, and growled. “They had a photograph of the person.” “Who?” I growled. I had a sinking feeling I knew who. “Leah, Carson,” he said. “The photo was of Leah. They also had a few items of hers, too. Things you could only get if you were in her house.” “Fuck,” I growled. “How would they be able to get to her things?” “I don’t know,” Zain said. “We can ask Jenny when she gets to the office.” I said nothing and closed the mind link. Lynx was up on all fours, ready to pounce on someone and kill. “Mate was the target,” he roared. “We will kill all involved.” I said nothing as I raced over what had happened earlier while walking through the forest. The way the rogues tormented her when she was with me, they acted like they knew her. An image pops into my head, making my stomach drop as her eyes froze in fear when she saw the rogue and me shift into our wolves. She looked frightened, and now she was all alone. And I couldn’t do anything about it. I had to put all my trust in Josh in finding her now.