Chapter 4

During training, his mother mind-linked him from the house. Unfortunately, Tatiana’s human father was dead. According to his mother, she fell apart after the news. Her vulnerability only made the draw to her stronger. He could not put his finger on why. Her scent was comforting, and he felt very protective of her. Duncan wondered if she was his mate. Having never sensed the mate bond before, he had nothing to compare it to. He felt frustrated because he couldn’t understand why everything surrounding her was mysterious. How did she come to be raised by humans? Why had she never encountered another wolf? She was huge for a female wolf, and her violet eye color was unusual. She was not your average she-wolf, but what that meant was unclear. Dante, his wolf, also felt drawn to her. Back at the field, he would let no one near her, not even the Alpha. Dante could be a pain, but he never snarled at the Alpha before. Duncan shook his head. Lucky for him, his Alpha father was very understanding. Now that this girl was alone, it was his job to keep her safe. He knew it. His wolf knew it, but would the pack understand?

Duncan snapped back to reality when the whistle sounded. Signaling training had ended. As he gathered up his schoolbag, he noticed Luca heading towards him from the parking lot.

“So you met Tia? I wish you had better news for her.”

Luca sighed, “I wish I did too.”

“You positive it was the right guy?”

Luca snorted. “Do you honestly think I would deliver that kind of news if I wasn’t?”

“Fair point,”

Luca noticed many of the young she-wolfs heading in their direction, so before Duncan could get distracted, he added, “Luna sent me to pick you up. She wants you back at the packhouse, and Alpha Bran is running late.

They both got into the car and quietly headed back to the packhouse.

Duncan eventually turned to him and asked, “Did you feel her pain?”

“Yes,” He replied. As he touched Tia, the grief and loneliness inside her nearly brought him to his knees. As a Zeta, he could sense other wolves’ emotions and detect malicious intent. However, the Moon Goddess gave him his unique gift: his ability to remove physical and emotional pain from other wolves. The physical pain was one thing, but taking in the emotional pain was far more demanding. It took a lot out of him. He was as powerful as most alphas because Zetas require enormous strength to withstand taking on another’s pain. His capabilities were rare and made Zeta wolves very sought-after pack members.

Luca knew the depths of the young wolf’s pain but sensed her great power. She was tougher than other wolves her age, and he also felt the purity of her heart. Her suffering was beginning, but Luca knew she was one of the few wolves alive who could handle what lay ahead for her.

Duncan roused him from his thoughts. “Is she going to be okay?”

Luca nodded. “She will. She is strong.”

Satisfied, Duncan looked back out the window.

The story of Tatiana had the whole town on edge. Tia’s father, Will, died of a stroke at the hospital, and she was missing. The EMT who brought her father in was the last to see her. They found her clothing in the woods near her house, but a search party found nothing. Burke overheard his dad talking about it last night. His father, the sheriff, thinks a werewolf has taken her. A young girl like her, alone in the woods, would be easy prey.

Burke could not imagine why Tatiana would be in the woods. Usually, she was easy to find, working at the cafe or studying. However, he couldn’t imagine how she felt seeing her only family member being wheeled away on a stretcher. Despite that, going into the woods alone did not seem like something she would do willingly. Burke hoped they would find her safe and that it was all just a misunderstanding.

A week passed, and Tia’s return was becoming increasingly unlikely. Burke, however, was not ready to accept it yet. He helped at the police station after school to monitor the case. Until he knew something definitive, Burke would not give up hope.

That evening, Burke sat in the dimly lit corner of the police station, scrolling through files and updates on Tatiana’s case. His father was outside talking to other deputies, but Burke wasn’t ready to stop searching. Something wasn’t adding up, and every lead seemed to hit a dead end.

He stared at the photo of Tia pinned to the corkboard—a candid shot from some school event. Her bright smile and kind eyes made his chest tighten. Where are you, Tia? He thought desperately.

The door to the station creaked open, and a gust of cold air rushed in. Burke glanced up, expecting to see another deputy returning, but a figure stood in the doorway, shrouded in darkness. The scent of earth and pine drifted in with them, more potent than it should have been.

Burke froze, his fingers tightening on the edge of the desk. “Can I help you?” he asked, his voice wavering slightly.

The figure stepped closer, the overhead lights flickering faintly as they moved. Though their face was hidden in the shadows of a hood, Burke caught a faint glow—eyes like embers burning in the darkness.

“You’re looking for her,” the figure said, their voice smooth and low, carrying a strange, hypnotic weight. “But you won’t find her where you’re searching.”

Burke stood, his pulse racing. “Who are you? What do you know about Tia?”

The figure tilted their head slightly. “She’s not lost. She’s where she belongs. But if you keep searching, boy…” They stepped closer, their voice dropping to a chilling whisper. “You’ll find more than you bargained for.”

Before Burke could react, the lights flickered again, and the figure was gone, leaving only the faint scent of pine and something darker—something that sent a chill down his spine.

His father burst in moments later, shaking snow from his hat. “Burke, what’s wrong? You’re pale as a ghost.”

Burke opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. All he could do was glance back at the empty doorway, the faint sound of the figure’s ominous words echoing in his mind:

“She’s where she belongs.”

And yet, Burke couldn’t shake the feeling that Tatiana was far from safe.