Looking for Wildflowers

Chapter 20

The next morning, Riley woke up just as the sun was peaking through the window, casting a golden light throughout the room. Rolling over and looking to his left, he noticed Taylor was nowhere to be seen. She wasn't in the bedroom or bathroom, and her side of the bed was perfectly made.

Confused, Riley got up and started searching the entire house. There was no sign of Taylor ever being there, much less being a resident.

That's when he saw the note on the table.

Dear Riley,

I'm sorry I didn't wait for you to wake up and tell you this face-to-face. There's a lot I'm sorry about if I'm honest.

I can't stay here. I love you and I love what you have, but it's not me. By the time you read this, I will most likely be far gone. I'm not going back to my house, so don't even waste your time going there. In fact, don't waste your time looking for me at all. You won't be able to find me and even if you did, I can't return.

Thank you for everything you've done. No matter how you feel right now, just never forget. I love you. I have since the day you showed up on my doorstep.

~ Taylor

Riley dropped the paper on the floor as he turned on his heels and ran out of the house, barely bothering to close the door.

"COLLIN!" He shouted as he ran through the village, not caring that he was drawing a lot of attention. Collin came out of the bakery and looked at him confused and concerned, holding a jelly doughnut.

"What is it? Are the hunters back?" He felt his heart rate quicken at the thought, terrified of what that would mean.

"It's Taylor. She ran off. We have to find her before the hunters do." Riley spilled it all quickly, gasping for air, knowing Collin would understand the urgency and would do anything he could to help.

"I'll let everyone know there's going to be a meeting. We'll form a search party and bring her back." Collin took off, telling everyone to go to the meeting house. Riley took a deep breath and brushed his fingers through his hair as he fought back tears. He should have seen this coming and put a stop to it.

Taylor would never survive out there alone, not now.

Riley couldn't help but blame himself. If he hadn't bitten her, she'd more than likely be fine.

"I'm going to cut through the bullshit because we have a serious situation." Collin had taken over the meeting since Riley was so stressed.

Riley may have been Alpha, but Collin was Beta. It was his job to do anything the Alpha couldn't. "Mingan, the Luna, is missing. She took off some time last night and no one has seen or heard from her since. As I'm sure most of you know, she was just recently turned into one of us. She doesn't know the dangers that hide in these woods.

So, we're splitting up. Follow any trail you find. I don't care how much she resists, bring her back here. Alive." His voice was stern and left no room for debate. Everyone understood the severity. They split up into groups of five, each taking their own direction.

Riley and Collin were in a group together, as usual. Rose, James, and Hunter were the other three in their team. Together, they all took off, Riley leading the group. He didn't know where he was going but he already had her scent. Finding her wouldn't take long, it was the act of convincing her to return that he knew was going to be difficult.

Suddenly, Riley called the group to a halt. He could sense that someone else was nearby. Were they hunters? If so, that meant he, his group, and most importantly Taylor were in deep trouble.

He directed everyone to go into hiding until further notice. Everyone took their place behind nearby trees and bushes, some being lucky enough to find a nice log to crawl into. Riley sat behind a tree, as a human, trying to figure out who it was.

Suddenly it hit him like a ton of bricks.

It was the hunter who went after him the day he met Taylor.

Riley felt his heartbeat quicken as he signaled to everyone the urgency of the issue. Everyone but Collin went back to the village.

"What are you doing? Go back." Riley insisted telepathically.

"f**k no. Not this time. You got hurt last time and your pretty little healer is lost. We're going to find her and bring her back. Now shut up and let's continue. Just be quiet."

"Should we stay human?"

"Yeah, let's just stay as human for now, until the hunters go away." Riley and Collin both stepped out from behind the tree and continued on the path quietly.

They were making good progress - her scent was growing stronger. Riley could smell something else too. Blood. Taylor was nearby and she was injured. He insisted they pick up the pace and began looking under every bush and behind every tree.

Finally, they found her tucked away in a bundle of bushes, trying to hide from something.

"Tay, what is it?" Riley said telepathically.

"Hunters." Taylor responded, shaking as her leg continued to bleed. Hunters had got her pretty good, Riley could see bone. They had to get her back to the village, now.

Just as they were starting to pick up Taylor, hunters walked out from the trees.

"That one's ours." A man said.

"No, she's hurt. We help hurt animals, don't worry. We'll help her and set her free." Riley lied.

"Yeah, right. Just hand her over, and we'll take care of her." The man held a sword in his left hand, leaving hardly any room for debate.

"Over my dead body." Riley declared as he took off into the woods, dodging the hunters, Collin following close behind.

Once they were far away, they both switched to wolves so they could run faster. Riley had Taylor laying across his back, whimpering into his neck.