I raise my head, and meet my mother’s wide eyes. “That’s where the missing people end up. See?” I flip to the end of the notebook, where Johnny has dates and notes of trucks moving in and out of the compound. He even noted license plates. “Delivery, October 26th. He found this place and spied on it for over a year.” I point to the last date. April 24th of last year. “He thought that something fishy was going on, and the compound was ground zero.”
“What does this mean?”
“Johnny didn’t just wander off. Neither did these missing people. If his notes are correct, they’re not just vanishing into thin air.
“They’re being taken.”
Tank
The bike had half a tank of gas, so I ride a few hours before I take a pit stop. Before I hit the road, I texted Garrett and a few others. Apparently, they had an adventure in Mexico, but everyone’s safe home now. They’ll debrief everyone at the pack meeting, and I let them know I’d be back in time for that. I’ll ride all day without stopping except for gas. Let the road and fresh air shake the memory of the last few days, trippy hippie humans and foxy ladies with Looney Tunes hair.
Foxfire. Fuck.
Dad was right. Women are crazy.
I don’t even know what happened back there, but I feel like a freight train just ripped through the center of my chest.
When I stop for gas, I turn on my phone. A few missed calls, the newest from an unknown number, and my dad. I call him back.
“Son?” My dad’s voice is strained. Of course, my pack has been through the wringer, and though I’ve been out of it, he hasn’t gotten hold of me.
“Yeah, Dad. It’s me. I’m on my way back to Tucson.”
“Everything all right?”
“Yeah.” I rub my face, feeling about one hundred years old. My wolf is silent, like he’s sick. I wonder if my dad felt this way when my mom took off. A loss like missing a limb. “I’m alone.”
He hesitates.
“I made a mistake,” I tell him. “But it’s for the best. I’ll be with my pack soon.”
“Son.” He clears his throat. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out. I spoke to your female earlier.”
“Yeah?” Foxfire did mention she talked to him.
“I might have been harsher than I needed to be. I was just trying to protect you.”
“What did you say? No, it doesn’t matter. The mating instinct-you were right. It comes on strong.”
“You… was she your mate?”
“Yeah.” It’s messed up, but there’s no denying how my wolf feels for Foxfire. How I feel.
“I didn’t know that,” my dad mutters.
“What does it matter? Mating instincts mess a wolf up. You always told me that.” My bike tank is full. If I hit the road, now, I can reach Tucson and not be too late for the meeting. “Anyway, I gotta go-”
“Son, there’s something you should know. Your mother-”
“She betrayed the pack. She betrayed you.”
“She wasn’t my mate.”
“What?”
“We were stupid, and in love. She wanted me to mark her. But my wolf… he knew. I tried to make it work.”
“My mom wasn’t your mate?” My head is spinning. “But I thought-”
“I told you beware the mating instinct. But, looking back, I realized, I never had it with your mother. The mistake I made-that’s on me.”
I don’t know what to say.
“I did my best to raise you right,” my dad goes on. “I did what I could. But, you’re a man now. You can make your own decisions. And if your wolf decides it’s time to take a mate, even if she is a fox…”
“Shifters don’t mix. You always told me that.”
“I don’t know. Times are changing. Your own alpha just took a human mate-”
“What?” My cellphone beeps with a missed message, and I can’t handle hearing anything else. “Dad, I’ve got to go.”
“All right, son. Be safe.”
The last few days have been crazy, and I’m right back in the twilight zone. My dad just called and told me it’s okay to take a mate. I may not have his blessing, but at least he’s not going to disown me.
At least not until he sees Foxfire’s hairdo, and meets her mother.
My cellphone beeps again, impatiently, and I hit the button to listen to my messages.
A soft voice starts talking, and I have to punch up the sound. “Is Jordy. Thought you’d want to know… Foxfire and her mom came by.” I tense. “They had a bunch of evidence about the missing shifters and a location-”
A bunch of bikers pull in, their Harleys drowning out Jordy’s near whisper. I stride to the edge of the parking lot to get a little quiet. “The elders refused to help. We’re packing up. This place isn’t safe for us.” A pause. “Don’t try to reach me on this number. We’ll be gone before Foxfire goes to the compound where the missing shifters might be held. She said you’d left, and I know she’s your mate. I just thought you’d want to know.”
I listen to the message twice more then hit redial. Sure enough, the number is disconnected.
Fuck.
I dial Foxfire’s number. It goes to voicemail.
“Foxfire. Call me.” I text her, too, and call again, chanting, “Pick up, pick up, pick up.”
“Hello?” At the sound her voice, my wolf raises his head.
“Where are you?” I growl.
She doesn’t say anything.
“I just got a call from Jordy. She said you found more about missing shifters, including a location where they might be held. So I’ll ask again, where are you?”
“What do you care?”
I ignore this. “Don’t tell me you’re at the compound.”