Opening the mind link, I feel for what is left of my pack. I hate feeling their sadness, fear, and how tired they are. I’m well aware that I have done nothing to make things better either. Too lost in my own grief, and as much as I wish I can make it better, I can’t.
That’s why I barely use the pack mindlink these days. I am the Alpha of the pack, the leader and protector, but I fail at every task that should be a part of my nature. I have failed to protect them and ensure their safety. Just like I failed her.
“There is a gray she-wolf along the border somewhere. I need help to find her. The more men, the better. All you have to do is to track her down. No one, I repeat, no one is to touch her.” I command my pack.
As soon as the link settles and everyone has heard the order, I receive a chorus of ‘Yes Alpha.’ and cut off the link.
“What if she steps into one of the traps?” Donnie asks. He is worried about her safety and so am I. She’s scared and lost, there’s no saying how far she might go to escape.
A moment later, Donnie’s words finally sink in, and my heart stops for a second. “Shit, I didn’t think of that!” I blurt, shifting back.
My pack knows where the bear traps are. They know where the ground will swallow them, but she wouldn’t have a clue. I wade through the river before climbing out. I can hear my men running through the forest. “No one touches her,” I remind them as they near me.
“Exactly how do you expect them to catch her if they can’t touch her?” Donnie asks.
“They don’t need to touch her to catch her,” I scoff. Donnie growls as I pick up a stick. “We can check the motion sensors at home, and at least then, we will know if she has crossed the river.”
As we head back home, Donnie keeps whining and complaining about every little thing that invades his mind. I try to ignore him as I focus on the traps on our way home. I hit any bear trap I notice, setting them off on the way. Then, I uncover one of the holes that are placed to catch anyone not watching their step.
A loud, frustrated sigh leaves me as I ponder the aftermath. All these traps and holes are here for a reason, and once I get the gray she-wolf, resetting the traps will be an absolute pain in my ass.
When I finally approach the house, a massive weight falls off my shoulders as I rush towards the main door and enter the building, greeting some of the pack members in my way as I bolt upstairs.
I unlock the door before I walk into my surveillance room to check the wildlife cameras. Sitting in the massive chair in front of the screens, I scan all the scenes before me. I can see my men surveying the area, searching for my little lost gray wolf.
My eyebrows furrow as I notice something. “Colten, set off the traps near you in case she stumbles across them,” I mindlink him the moment I see his frame appearing on one of the various screens.
“Alpha, is there a reason we are searching for this wolf?” He asks while shifting his weight from one leg to another, and staring up at the camera. I watch as he grabs a stick, setting some traps off.
“I will explain later when I know for sure,” I offer him a brief excuse.
“Know for sure? I didn’t imagine it. Andrei, she is our mate! Do you understand what this means? We have a second chance, mate! The Moon Goddess actually took pity on our misery and is doing this for us!” Donnie cheers in my head. I can practically feel him wiggling his tail in excitement.
Second-chance mates are unheard of. A fairytale that has never happened before. It makes me wonder if I have truly lost my mind. Perhaps all that pain, the sleepless nights, and the things I have done to rogues are backfiring on my insanity?
Hours of me staring at the screen and camera footage passes by. I almost give up on finding her until I catch sight of something coming into focus.
I quickly glance at the other cameras to see my men have also picked up something. I can barely make her out stepping into some foliage. The chain drags behind her as she crouches down low. She can sense them too.
Even from the glow of the screen, I can make out the intense panic and fear in her eyes. Her body looks like she’s shaking, and all of a sudden, I can’t understand if I’m angrier at my men for scaring her or the possibility that she might be cold.
“Got her,” one of my men mindlinks me right when she takes off, heading back toward the river. This has to be the moment she realizes she has stepped on claimed territory.
“No one touches her.” I remind them.
“Yep, we know,” someone agrees, and I hurry into my room to grab some shorts. Now that they have an idea where the gray beauty is hiding, they don’t need me at the cameras and I can take a quick breather.
Not for too long, though, because as soon as I grab the shorts, I get another update via mindlink. “She has gone into a cave behind the waterfall,” Colten tells me.
“Stand guard; I will be there soon,” I order, pulling on the shorts.
I lock the house up and head toward the trees.
“The cave doesn’t lead anywhere, does it?” I ask, making sure she can’t escape. I might lose my shit to tromp all the way down there just to find out that she found a way to escape me again. That would not be in her best interest, it is hard enough to swallow the fact she is a rogue, let alone have her send me on a wild goose chase.
“No, it is a small dead-end cave. She won’t get past us, Alpha, ” he replies, and I pick up my pace.
I blame it on Donnie and his foolish eagerness to get to her, making me move faster. I am eager too, but for other reasons. I need to make sure it isn’t a trick my mind is playing on me. Make sure she is real and not some figment of my imagination.