Shadow Wolves

Seventeen

"Ah!"

"Hold still." Katie huffed as Chloe hissed in discomfort from the brunette dabbing the cut on her head. "I need to make sure there is nothing in it."

Katie and the other girls had been waiting for Omar and Chloe. However the relief of seeing the pair return was short-lived when everyone realised Emily was gone and Chloe had given a vague account of what had happened out in the wilderness. Once again an uneasy atmosphere had filled the cramped cabin and the bitter scent of fear permeated the air. Even the sun sitting up in the sky couldn't chase away the tension or the worry. Chloe had found herself with a headache and her shoulder hurting every time she moved it. She had no doubt she would be feeling it tomorrow and only hoped she wouldn't slow down their escape.

Omar had gone back out as promised to try and find any sign of what happened to Emily. He had returned empty handed and with no clues. Now he was sat on one of the few chairs in the small living room area, fingers wrapped around a mug of steaming hot soup and his seafoam green eyes watching as Katie cleaned Chloe's cut. The other girls had disappeared when they realised there was little to celebrate. Chloe was silently grateful for the peace and quiet. After she had witnessed, she wasn't in the mood for trying to make conversation with others. She was barely tolerating Omar and Katie.

"You're certain you didn't see who attacked those men?" Omar finally spoke up when the silence seemed to stretch out for too long.

"I'm certain." Chloe replied. "Like I said on the way here, I suddenly felt sick and started throwing up. When I looked up, they were dead."

"Were they humans?" Katie asked from behind Chloe.

Omar gave a nod, his eyes growing distant as he fell into silent thought. Chloe was in no rush to relive the whole ordeal and so welcomed the silence, hoping that Katie and Omar would eventually give up on this line of questioning. Chloe would have much preferred that they never spoke of it again.

"Someone will find them eventually." Omar finally spoke up. "But probably not for a few days yet and we will be gone before then."

"If we leave tonight we could be in Colorado by tomorrow night." Katie did nothing to hide her hopefulness.

"We can leave without Emily." Chloe protested, glancing over her shoulder as her best friend.

"She's gone, Chloe." Omar pointed out. "It's possible that whatever attacked those men attacked her too. Also, she was sick. Even if she made it out of that place unscathed, she wouldn't survive the elements even with werewolf stamina."

"We can't leave her!" Chloe's eyes widened. "Katie, please! She's one of us! She deserves to make it out of this as much as we do!"

"I'm sorry, Chloe but I'm with Omar on this one." Katie replied, her black orbs shining with guilt. "We can't risk the freedom of everyone here because of one person."

It felt like someone was squeezing Chloe's heart and lungs as the feeling of betrayal settled in. Logically Omar and Katie were right. It was a bitter pill to swallow and it wasn't made any easier with her emotions holding her hostage. She wanted to protest but she no longer had the energy as she sat there letting reality sink in. They were so close to getting away and starting afresh that they could all taste it but that sweet taste of freedom was tainted because of Emily.

"Can we look for her one more time?" Chloe finally asked, her eyes gleaming with a puppy-dog look. "Please?"

The couple shared a look. It was obvious they were struggling to say no despite their plans. Chloe didn't feel guilty though. Their friend was out in freezing temperatures with no one to look after her. The least they could do was look one more time before they left.

Eventually Omar relented, a heavy sigh leaving him as he gave a resigned nod.

"Alright." Omar agreed, causing Chloe's heart to soar. "But if we don't find her this time, that's it."

Chloe nodded, forcing herself to hide elation under a mask of gratitude instead. It wasn't like she wasn't grateful because she was but this wasn't a situation for joy. Not yet anyway.

"I'll search for one hour." Omar stood, pulling on his thick black gloves and grabbing his coat and hat. "Stay inside while I'm gone and get everyone ready to leave."

Katie let out a sound of exasperation behind Chloe, making the blonde cringe inwardly. She knew Katie wouldn't be happy but given that she and Omar had ushered them from their prison with the promise of freedom, Chloe felt they owed it to Emily to try one more time.

The silence was heavy once more as the male left the cabin to start his search. The blonde didn't have to look at her friend to know she was upset but she looked anyway, giving the brunette a pleading look.

"I'm not angry with you, Chloe." Katie finally relented and pulled her friend into a hug. "I'm just…" she sighed, her eyes closing for a moment as she pulled herself together. "I'm just scared. We aren't out of the woods yet, anything could still happen."

"I know." Chloe replied quietly, tightening her arms around her friend. "But it's going to be okay. I just know it."

—

"About time the snow stopped." Alvaro announced as he approached Lucas from behind, his breath coming out like puffs of smoke as they surveyed the scene before them. "Our man was definitely here and not too long ago either."

They had been travelling for the best part of the previous day, stopping when the sun began to set and it was too dangerous to keep moving. The snow had hampered their efforts to search the area but Lucas knew they were on the right path. He could feel the mate bond growing in strength and tugging at him like a piece of thread. The team hunting down their fugitive had made contact that night as well. It seemed that Omar Rivers took them on a bit of a tour of the forest, probably to try and shake them, before heading into a human town. That in itself had been curious but what was more curious was that Rivers then left the town and headed in the general direction he had come from.

Lucas could think of only one reason that the male would do that. Rivers was going back to the girls.

So a plan was set out to trap Rivers in. Those following him would push him towards Lucas and his people until he was within their grasp. It would only be when they had confirmation that Rivers was leading them to the girls that they would strike.

The snow storm passing on made things much easier even if it was still difficult to traverse the Arctic-like landscape. They couldn't rely on conventional vehicles and because of their equipment and weapons, they couldn't shift. But they had made it this far and Lucas knew it was only a matter of time before he finally found his mate again.

They had been tracking Rivers for most of the morning when they came across the grisly scene in a small clearing. The old hunting cabin had definitely seen better days and the empty beer bottles and smouldering fire pit gave away what the occupants had been doing right before they met their end. The scent of blood was hanging heavily in the air and almost masked the scent of burning wood. The snow around the fire pit was married with shoe prints and what appeared to be a scuffle.

This wasn't Lucas' first time seeing a dead body but he had to admit this scene topped it as the most disturbing. The two bodies lying on the old porch had been eviscerated. At first, Lucas had thought it was some wild animal but on closer inspection, there was something not quite right about the wounds. The male had not been able to put his finger on what exactly was bothering so he had handed over the investigation to Sierra while he continued to search the area for any clues of the girls or their fugitive.

"Have a small team stay behind to deal with this scene." Lucas finally spoke up, turning to look at his cousin. "The rest of us need to keep moving. I want everyone ready in twenty minutes."

"Yes, boss." Alvaro nodded, the corners of his lips twitching into a smile that was gone as quick as it came.

The solitude didn't bring any answers to the bloody and confusing scene in front of them. Nor did it tell Lucas where Omar Rivers was heading or where his mate was. He moved silently over the snow. Despite the sun, the snow was starting to freeze and soon would be as hard as concrete. While that might be easier for the snowmobiles and for walking, it meant that the tracks they had been relying on to track their targets would soon stop. They needed to find what they were looking for before that happened. So Lucas kept his eyes on the landscape around them, searching between the skeletal trees for anything to give him a clue.

He didn't have to look too far.

The rifle lay abandoned by a tree. It wasn't anything special and certainly didn't hold the type calibre to bring down anything big. It was most likely for protection so why was it out here when the cabin of horrors was situated some fifty feet away?

The answer came as Lucas got closer. The rifle had no snow on it so it had been abandoned after the snow stopped. A quick inspection proved that the rifle had been fired recently as well.

Sierra, were any of the victims shot?

Yes. One of the bodies has a wound to the arm consistent with a gunshot

Lucas didn't say anything else. The distance between the rifle and the cabin would have been easy for someone with experience shooting, unless of course the shooter was further away but then why dump the gun here? Also, the way the trees were clustered together meant that a clear shot was impossible. The other option was that whoever fired the rifle wasn't experienced, hence the minor wound to their target but still didn't explain why the rifle was left.

Lucas moved slowly, eyes dancing over the snow. Something else happened to make the shooter drop their weapon, but what? It was still unclear until he spotted where the blanket of ice had been disturbed. The way it was stamped down and cut up told of the struggle that had happened. Tiny red droplets marred the perfect whiteness like rubies on a blanket. The blood had frozen from the temperature. Gradually they grew bigger until they came to an end at a patch of smeared blood. Lucas crouched down onto his haunches, gloved finger tracing around the frozen smear as hazel eyes focused on the sight.

It was then that the familiar scent hit Lucas and his nostrils flared as his animal side stirred, drinking in the delicious harmony of lavender, jasmine and vanilla. It was faint but unmistakable and Lucas's eyes glowed amber as he consumed the essence of his mate as if he was a starved man and she was a ripe peach. Her unique scent suited her perfectly, soft and soothing. He could almost imagine her there with him with her white curls cascading around her beautiful face while her soft petal-like lips were painted in a smile. She was curiously unique with her Mediterranean golden skin but Nordic hair and eyes but he loved that. He especially liked the soft smattering of freckles on the tops of her cheeks and the thickness of her thighs…

But then the realisation settled in, sobering the Alpha.

This was Chloe's blood.

Lucas, we've got visuals on the target. Alex's voice broke in before the rage could take hold. He's coming back your way.

Lucas didn't answer right away; he couldn't. His mind was conjuring up a scenario using the pieces of evidence they had. There was no doubt that his mate had been here but so had Rivers. Had Rivers killed the men? Perhaps Chloe had been trying to escape but why then shoot a human? Were they in on whatever Plan Omar Rivers had? Had Rivers planned to sell the girls on when he caught up with them? The pieces didn't seem to fit together seamlessly but that didn't stop Lucas fixating on the thought of his mate being hurt and Omar Rivers potentially having something to do with it.

Standing up straight, a growl rumbling in the male's chest. He could his wolf's rage, the black wolf baring his teeth and ears flat against his head. Whoever had hurt his mate was going to pay dearly but first Lucas needed to get her back.

Movement in his peripheral had Lucas's head snapping to the right. It took a split second to pick out the sight of the male walking towards him but once Lucas had him in sight, he refused to look away. Omar hadn't clocked him yet but his obliviousness was short-lived. Green eyes finally met hazel ones and Omar came to a grinding halt. Lucas could almost see the gears in the other male's mind working as realisation hit, followed by panic.

Then Omar turned and ran.