Lost and Found

Eleven

There was now a crowd of people standing in the hallway and around Zane. Questions swirled around in his head as he stared out at the forest where the literal panther had disappeared into. He was at a loss for what to do. He’s seen the desperation in her eyes, the fear, and the desire to escape. He had only tried to help her and wanted nothing more than to calm her down.

However, grabbing her shoulders had done the complete opposite, and it wasn’t until he reflected on the scene that he realized just how similar it could’ve felt to when she had been locked up. Zane internally cursed at himself, and Dem had heartily agreed with his stupidity. Because of his choice, now she could be anywhere in that forest, and she may not want to return.

He sighed, knowing the poor outcome had been his fault, and it heavily weighed upon his shoulders. Zane had kept others from running after her, worried that giving chase would spook her even further.

Bre lightly tapped him on the shoulder. “It’s as much your fault as it is mine,” she quietly said.

“How do you know that I think it’s my fault?”

“Because I know, Alpha. And because I also feel responsible. I should have known better than to take her to a room full of people. It didn’t occur to me that she would freak out, but I should’ve been more careful.”

There was silence between the two before Leo stepped over to them. “How would you like to proceed, Alpha? Should we go after her? I mean, she doesn’t know the forest like us. Not to mention that someone could still be out there looking for her.”

“s**t. I forgot about that,” Zane said, his voice sounding defeated.

It wasn’t that he had forgotten the security threat, it was that he had forgotten that the security threat could be after her. What sort of lousy alpha made such crucial mistakes like this? His father would have been disappointed in him.

“Alpha?” Leo reiterated after a long, awkward pause.

“Why don’t you use your wolf to pick up her scent and follow her, Leo. We need to bring her back safely without scaring her. I’ll get a perimeter set up hopefully in time before she makes it too far, and then I’ll join you in the search. I’ll have Felix stay here in case she comes back on her own, and Bre, stay with Felix so that you can be a friendly face.”

“Understood, Alpha,” Bre and Leo said in unison.

Seconds later, Leo was jogging towards the forest and transitioned into his wolf, Grey, where he disappeared into the trees. Bre, on the other hand, went to find Felix, who was being filled in on the different plans through the mind-link connection with Zane.

Once everyone had been assigned their duties, Zane headed towards the forest himself. He decided that it may be best to stay in his human form, as the woman hadn’t seen Dem before, and he really didn’t want to scare her any further. For whatever reason, he was feeling protective over her.

Zane pushed the other thoughts out of his mind, as finding her was all that mattered at the moment. He followed the path that she had taken when she’d run off, and though there weren’t any real tracks to follow, he did notice very subtle signs that someone had passed by. Whether it had been her or Leo’s wolf, he wasn’t sure, but he followed them nonetheless.

After some time, he received confirmation from Felix that the perimeter had been set up successfully, though no one had seen any signs of a black animal. He hadn’t heard from Leo either, which told him that she hadn’t found her yet.

He had lost whatever tracks he’d been following some time back and had just been wandering around hoping to stumble on something that would give him a clue on her whereabouts.

Feeling as if he’d gotten nowhere, Zane let out a frustrated growl towards the sky. It was then that his eye caught sight of a squirrel running away, jumping from tree limb to tree limb. A new idea practically hit him square in the face. He had been searching for her as if he was looking for a wolf and had been thinking like a wolf. But, she wasn’t a wolf. She was a panther, and they were part of the cat animal group. Everything he’d done had been from the wrong approach and the wrong perspective. Leo wouldn’t be able to find her, unless he relied solely on her scent, and even then, he may not be able to get to her. This also meant that the perimeter wouldn’t stop her because she could just slip through the trees’ high limbs. Panthers were creatures built for stealth and height, which were two things wolves weren’t exactly known for.

If he wanted to find her, he’d need to radically change his thinking and how he would want to escape. He would need to think like her, like a cat. Inwardly, he grimaced at the idea. Wolves were similar to dogs, and cats and dogs had a notorious history. However, Zane wanted to find her and ensure her safety more than he disliked the idea of being like a cat.

Walking over to the nearest tree, Zane began climbing until he had gotten roughly 50 feet into the air. He had an incredible view of the forest, a view that he never would’ve seen if not for his current quest. In fact, it had never really occurred to him to climb trees in order to see the forest from a different perspective.

He took in the smell, the feel of the wind at his back, and the lightness he felt from being up so high. It was euphoric. But, his eyes were ever shifting, ever searching, ever studying the trees for a spot of black. He so desperately wanted to find a tuft of fur or any small movement that could be a sign of her. She had to be somewhere. Dem didn’t believe that she had run away in order to escape him. A part of him didn’t want to believe that she’d want to leave him.

A twig snapped behind him, and he swiftly turned around to see what had caused the noise. He saw nothing, but the hairs on the back of his neck and arms warned him against being deceived. Something was out there. His eyes darted all around.

Birds abruptly flew up into the sky to his side, surprising him. Zane gripped the branch just above more tightly. He briefly thought to himself that it had just been the birds. Dem laughed at him. He felt uneasy. There was a strange smell in the air. Another branch splintered nearby. He turned, losing his footing. Zane began falling. Ten feet, and then twenty-five. His brain raced as his hands sliced open from grabbing at the different branches he flew by, and his body took the brunt of each smack as he was bounced around. Finally, he latched onto one of the tree limbs, jarring his shoulder. He hissed in pain. He knew his shoulder was out of the socket.

A flash of matted fur caught his attention before the unmistakable stench hit his nostrils: rogues. He was still high enough to be mostly out of reach, but his glance told him that there were three rogues circling beneath him.

Zane bared his teeth at them. They were small and malnourished. He scoffed at the idea of them thinking they could take him on. Even in human form, he could easily take them out. Just as he was planning his attack, he saw a blur of black. Dread overcame him. Losing interest in him, the rogues then turned their attention to the lone, hissing panther.

They lunged just as Zane dropped from the tree, bracing himself for the fall. When he hit the ground, the shock sent pain up his legs, but he ignored it, tucking his legs under him and rolling on the ground until he stood up. He then pushed his shoulder back into the socket, biting off a curse before it could escape his mouth. Without another moment of hesitation, he jumped into the air toward the closest rogue and landed as Dem on all four paws. He growled menacingly. Only one rogue turned to look at him, as the other two coordinated their attack against Tessa. Distracted, he didn’t see the fourth rogue bounding at him, landing on his back. It tore into him, and he howled, snapping his jaws at it. From the corner of his eye, he saw the cat dart under the two rogues and launch itself at him.

Dem ducked down onto his two front paws, and the puma extended its vicious claws, slicing into the rogue, which immediately howled, falling to the ground. The panther bit into its neck, tearing it grotesquely apart. It moved no longer. Though Dem was bleeding, he turned his attention toward the other three rogues that were now growling aggressively at them.

They lunged at them even as Dem and the cat shared a look before leaping at the rogues themselves.