Savage Bonds

Reality Check

The atmosphere in the pack house was tense. A group of the pack's trackers was heading towards his father's study. Whatever was going on looked serious. Great. He was going to get an earful for being late. Again.

He found his mother in the kitchen, immediately handing over her complicated latte.

"Here, Mom. Your ridiculously complicated latte."

"Finally," Elena said, taking a sip. "Perfect as always. Those girls at Moonbean never get it wrong."

"Actually," Luka said, trying to sound casual, "speaking of the coffee shop. The girl working the counter this morning. Dark hair, kind of..." He gestured vaguely. "Athletic. She knew your order by heart."

His mother barely looked up from the soup she was tending to. "Oh, that's either Juni or Sarah. They're the only ones who remember everyone's orders. Why?"

Juni. So he'd been close with his guess. "Just curious. She seemed familiar."

"Well, you've probably seen her there before. Juni's been working there for years, poor thing. Ever since her parents..." Elena trailed off, adding the last bit of squash to the boiling pot. "Anyway, thank your aunt for her cappuccino. Even though she'll complain about it regardless."

Luka wanted to ask more—Juni who? What about her parents?—but his father's voice boomed from down the hall.

"LUKA. GET IN HERE NOW."

His mother gave him a sympathetic look. "You may as well get it over with, honey." She kissed him on the forehead and went back to cooking the large meal for the pack members present.

He sighed. "Wish me luck."

He left his mother to her coffee and headed to his father's office. The closed door and tense voices inside confirmed what he'd suspected from the phone call. This wasn't going to be good.

He knocked once and entered, trying to look appropriately contrite while Alpha Brenner paced behind his desk like a caged predator.

"The Morrison family called this morning," his father said without preamble. "Their daughter Emma is missing."

Luka's casual attitude evaporated. "Missing how?"

"She didn't come home last night."

"They think she ran away?"

His father shook his head. "Her car was found abandoned on Route 9, about two miles from the territory border." Alpha Brenner's voice was grim. "There were signs of a struggle. Her phone and her wallet were still in her front passenger seat."

"Rogues?"

"That's what we're going to find out. The tracking team is on their way to the site, but I want you leading the search." His father fixed him with a stare that could have melted steel. "This is the reason you should have been briefed on this morning before going anywhere."

Guilt twisted in Luka's stomach. He'd been so focused on his s**t. His workout, his situation with Lauren, his momentary fascination with some woman he didn't even know, that he'd blown off pack business. Real pack business that involved a missing girl who could be dead or worse.

"I'm sorry," he said, meaning it. "I lost track of time."

"Wasting time is a luxury you can't afford anymore." Alpha Brenner's voice was disappointed rather than angry, which somehow made it worse. "You're going to be Alpha of this pack someday, Luka. That means people's lives depend on you showing up when you're supposed to show up. It means being present for the things that matter."

"I understand."

"Do you? Because from what I have seen lately, it looks like you're more interested in playing games with Alpha Smith's daughter than taking care of your responsibilities."

Luka's jaw tightened. "Lauren and I are nothing. She just can't take a hint."

"Everything you do reflects on this pack son. How many times have we discussed this? Every choice you make, every person you associate with, every moment you waste on trivial bullshit while pack members are in danger." His father's voice was building to the kind of controlled fury that made lesser wolves submit. "Emma Morrison is nineteen years old. She's someone's daughter, someone's sister."

Luka had known Emma since she was a kid. She'd been in the same grade as his younger cousin. He had seen her at pack barbecues and holiday celebrations. And now she was missing, possibly dead, while he'd been f*****g around with his own drama.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked quietly.

"I need you to find her. I need you to bring her home safe. And I need you to remember that being Alpha heir isn't just a title. It's a responsibility to every single member of this pack." Alpha Brenner's voice softened slightly. "You're a good man, Luka. You're strong, you're smart, you're everything this pack needs in a leader. But you're also twenty-five years old and acting like responsibility is optional."

"I take my responsibilities seriously—"

"No, you don't, son." His father cut him off. "You need to find something to give a s**t about, Luka. Something more than your next workout or your next conquest. Something that actually matters."

The words hit him like a punch to the gut. Luka opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. What could he say? That he did care? About what, exactly?

"I'm sorry, Dad. I'll do better."

"You'll do better starting now. Jake's waiting for you at the vehicles. The tracking team is already on site." His father moved to the window, staring out at the mountains that bordered their territory. "And Luka? When you find whoever took Emma, you show them exactly what happens when they mess with our pack."

"Yes, sir."

As Luka headed for the door, his father's voice stopped him. "One more thing. Cancel whatever plans you have for tonight. We're having a pack meeting about security protocols, and I want you there. No excuses."

"Actually, I was thinking about going to Tula's with Jake. You know, be visible to the packs. There may be some other packs there. I want to make sure there isn't any trouble." Tula's was a neutral bar where different packs went to hang out.

Alpha Brenner considered this. "Fine. But be smart about it. And remember, everything you do tonight reflects on this pack."

Luka nodded and left the office, his mind already shifting to the search ahead. As he walked toward the vehicles where Jake was waiting, he couldn't shake the feeling that his father's words carried more weight than just a lecture about responsibility.

Everything he did reflected on the pack. Every choice he made, every person he associated with, every moment he wasted on trivial bullshit.

He thought about Lauren's wounded expression when he'd dismissed her as a casual hookup. He thought about the dark-haired woman at the gym, the way she'd rolled her eyes at pack politics and focused on her training instead. He thought about Emma Morrison, alone and afraid somewhere in the wilderness.

Maybe his father was right. Maybe he did think he had all the time in the world to figure things out.

But as he climbed into the search vehicle, Luka couldn't shake the feeling that his time was running out faster than he'd realized.

And that tonight at Tula's, everything was going to change.