Fates Entwined

21

I cleaned my plate and silverware, and put the syrup back in the cabinet, like maybe if I erased the scene of the crime then it never actually happened.

I went back upstairs to shower and get dressed, then unpacked one of the Moon Witch spell books Larkin had given me. I took it back downstairs to read while I waited for Jordan to return. I could text him to ask how long he would be, but I didn’t want to make it seem like I was anxiously waiting for him to come back.

For the next hour, I lounged on the couch and scanned the pages of the spell book, looking for anything that might help us. When I heard Jordan's car pulling into the garage, I shut the book with a sigh, frustrated that I hadn't found anything useful.

“Good morning." His eyes fell on the note beside the very absent pancakes and he smirked. “I see you had breakfast.”

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't." He set his keys down on a side table. “Sorry I left without telling you this morning. You were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you. My mother called me and was really upset because Griffin hadn’t come home for a few days. I was worried he might have been taken by Roxandra, but after some searching, I found him at a friend's house."

"I'm glad he was okay."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, his forehead creased with worry. "Me too, although I was pissed at him for making us worry so much when he knows what's going on with the kidnappings. So now he's not speaking to me again and I've made everything worse, as usual."

My voice softened. "He's your brother and you just want him to be safe. He'll get over it soon."

"Maybe." He didn't sound convinced. "Griffin's been struggling a lot these last few months. I just wish I knew how to get through to him."

“He’s a teenager,” I said with a shrug. "You were probably like that too."

"Yes and no." He sat on a chair across from me. "I was a little s**t, no doubt about that. But if I'd done anything like what Griffin did today, my dad would have beaten the s**t out of me. And sometimes that's exactly what I wanted." He stretched out his long legs as he stared off into space. "I spent most of my teenage years making sure his focus was directed on me and not my brother. My dad said I was protecting Griffin too much, that he'd grow up soft, but I didn't care. I took every punishment meant for him and I'd do it again. But now..." He spread his hands. "Once I became alpha things changed between us, and I never see him anymore."

My heart ached for Jordan and his brother and everything they'd been through. "I've worked with some teens before. I can try to talk to him if you'd like."

Jordan looked at me, surprised. “Thank you. That would be great.”

“No problem.” I shifted in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable. What was I thinking, offering even more help to the Leo alpha? But I couldn't just do nothing either. Not when he needed me.

Jordan cleared his throat after an awkward pause. “I was able to get my beta Cannon to make me a map of all the caves in our area. He’s the one who has explored most of them.” He pulled a few folded pieces of paper out of his back pocket and smoothed them out on the table in front of me. “We can start searching them today if you're open to that."

"I'm ready to go anytime."

As we both stood up, Jordan asked, "Should I ask some of the other Leos to come with us? I’m sure we could spare a couple of people to help us search.”

“No, I'd rather do this without any distractions.” In truth, I was a bit worried about being around the Leos. Everyone had been nice so far, but I keenly remembered the Leos surrounding me in the forest, circling me until Jordan arrived to activate the mate bond. I still didn’t trust them. "Let me put this book upstairs and get my shoes on, and then I’ll be ready to go.”

Jordan nodded and leaned against the counter. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking over at the space where the pancakes had been, and smiled.

I never should have eaten those pancakes.

The first cave was a bust.

Like the one in my vision, it was dark and damp, but this one had stalactites hanging down from the ceiling, and the one in my vision didn't. I glanced up at them and hoped for the hundredth time that one wasn’t going to fall down and crush me.

“Sense anything?” Jordan asked from a little farther in the cave. He shined his flashlight back at me, and I lifted my hand against the glare.

“No. You?"

“Nope. I caught the scent of some other members of my pack, but not the males who went missing."

“I can't detect any magic, and this doesn’t look like the one in my vision either."

Jordan nodded. "Let's head out and move on to the second cave."

Together we returned to the mouth of the cave. As soon as we were outside, I took a deep breath of fresh air and let my shoulders relax.

“Not a fan of caves, eh?” Jordan asked.

"I can handle it," I replied, my tone a little harsher than I'd intended.

Jordan held his hands up, and I started to apologize as we walked away back to the truck. Before I could get a full sentence out, Jordan’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

“It’s Cannon, my beta." He frowned as he looked down at the screen and answered the call. “You’re on speaker. What’s up?”

"I have bad news," Cannon said, his voice gruff. “Another male went missing outside of town.”

“f**k,” Jordan said. “Who was it?”