Lost and Found

Sixteen

As night descended, Zane’s mind wrestled with the conundrum that had been presented to him mere hours earlier. His team was ready to go in pursuit of his sister, and at the same time, it was discovered that Tessa was nowhere to be found on the property.

He stared at the muted blue shirt sitting on his desk. Leo’s shirt. The shirt that she had been wearing, which now had her scent mixed in with Leo’s scent. He wasn’t sure why that bothered him so much, but it did.

The shirt was the only thing she’d left behind in the room. There was nothing else that suggested her existence in his pack. That also bothered him.

Sighing, Zane rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. He was torn, wanting to pursue both avenues, though a part of him deep down felt guilty about the choice he was leaning towards. The other part felt guilty over knowing that he was the reason she left. He had taken her off the rescue mission for his sister, and in doing so, had sent the message that she was no longer useless to him. He had known what it would look like and still decided to proceed in that direction. He was no better than the slavers that had sold her off after getting what they wanted from her.

“Alpha,” Felix said, drawing Zane’s attention.

“What?” he asked gruffly.

He wasn’t exactly in the mood for small talk or any talk, for that matter.

“She’s just some girl. We’re going to find Lara. No need to beat yourself up over it. She left on her own accord. Besides, we have the no outsiders rule for a reason. This is better. You didn’t have to kick her out or anything. She chose to leave, which is the best case scenario. I know you’re probably blaming yourself because you care, but you don’t have to. You’re a good Alpha, who always puts your pack first. Your pack is your family. Lara is your family. She’s just a nobody that was here and now is gone.”

He mulled over Felix’s words, knowing that there was a hint of truth to it. However, hearing it out loud, it made him feel worse somehow.

“We should head out soon, Alpha, and put all this nonsense behind us. She’ll be easily forgotten, especially after we find Lara.”

Dem tore through Zane’s calm demeanor and gnashed his teeth at Felix, who immediately backed away in fear.

“Stop talking about Tessa,” Zane said firmly, reining Dem back in. “It was only with her memories that we even discovered Lara alive and how to find her. You will show her respect if only for that. I will not repeat myself. Understood?”

“Yes, Alpha,” Felix replied more timidly than usual.

Felix knew better than anyone that one did not want to be on the receiving end of an angry alpha. He had also seen firsthand how Dem could tear others to shreds with minimal effort. Demetrius was a terrifying wolf to behold if not on his side.

“Should I get the rescue team ready to depart?” he then questioned after a few silent moments.

“Yes, please do that. I’ll be out shortly. We’ll leave in fifteen.”

Felix nodded once and quickly left Zane alone in the room, who barely noticed as he was trying to understand Dem’s outburst and his own anger at how Felix had been talking about Tessa.

It had obviously crossed his mind before as to whether Tessa could be his mate due to how he was reacting, but there was no real pull between them. It bothered him plenty to see her with Leo and have his scent covering her, but there weren’t any other signs that pointed to them being mates. Though he couldn’t explain away his over-protectiveness, he couldn’t justify it as being the mate bond. Others had described it to him as being an unavoidable attractive and gravitational pull towards a person. He didn’t have that with her. They said it felt like electricity flowing through their veins with a single touch. He didn’t have that with her, either. Still, others told him of how their thoughts were consumed by their mate and that they could feel each other’s emotions. He didn’t have that, though, he was thinking about her right then. He attempted to reassure himself that it was completely different.

Zane stood, his eyes lingering on the shirt lying innocently on his desk once more. He couldn’t help but notice how often he found himself staring at it since he had plopped it down into its now resting position. It drew him in like a moth to the flame, which both irritated him as well as comforted him.

He was making the right decision to go after his sister.

Right?

He felt Dem shift uncomfortably within him. His wolf disagreed with him, and they didn’t often argue about many things. Dem was itching to race out of the office, pick up her scent, and run after her. Or was he the one itching to do so?

Zane shook his head, peered at the clock on the wall, and then walked as swiftly and calmly as he could towards where he had told the rest of the team to meet him.

Perhaps he could save his sister and then find Tessa. Who was to say he couldn’t achieve both? Or he should just pursue the trail Tessa must have left behind before it was too late and was lost to the elements.

He sighed. He’d never been so torn about a decision before, and it was eating him on the inside.

“Alpha, if you continue to sigh, you’ll be sending the wrong message to the team. Are you nervous or something?” Felix asked, standing next to him as the rest of the party arranged themselves around the two.

“I want to…” Zane began, but then paused to look around at the excited faces staring back at him in eager anticipation.

Everyone loved Lara. When she disappeared, it had affected the entire pack. Her absence had left a gaping hole, and it was painfully obvious how much everyone wanted Lara back safe and sound. Tessa, on the other hand, was still a stranger to these people. They didn’t know her, and they had barely reacted when her disappearance had been announced.

It wouldn’t be fair of him to ask these people to possibly put their live on the line for someone they may not have even met. Getting Lara back would greatly increase morale. He was their alpha. He needed to act like one, instead of focusing on his own feelings, wants, and needs.

“I want to say, before we go,” he began, changing his mind, “That I appreciate each and every one of you for volunteering for this mission. I know that Lara meant–no means–a lot to all of us. Let’s go bring her home.”

There were a few whoops and a smattering of clapping as Zane led the group to the cars parked in the driveway, which they climbed into. He deliberately avoided Leo’s gaze and sent him to the other car. For some reason, making Leo break the news to Tessa weighed on him. He should’ve been the one to do it, if anything.

Everyone had been briefed about potential dangers and how things were expected to go. He was taking seven others with him to hopefully find Lara safely tucked away in their lake house, though there were a few gnawing questions in the back of his mind. If the plan was to meet there, why hadn’t she just come to the pack house? Was Lara waiting for Tessa before coming home?

Dread began filling the pit of his stomach as the car pulled out of the driveway and began making its way toward its destination. Was there another reason that Lara wasn’t coming home? Couldn’t come home? Was someone keeping her from coming home?

His mind continued to race, and he felt his pulse quickening. Gripping the door handle, Zane knew that he needed to keep himself together, especially in front of the others. They were always watching him, feeding off his emotions and leadership. If he fell apart, then they wouldn’t be able to trust in him and continue doing their own assigned responsibilities.

The farther and longer they drove, the more uncertain he was becoming about his decision. He couldn’t exactly explain it, but he knew that something wasn’t right. In his gut, he knew that he’d made the wrong decision somehow and that finding Tessa should have been the call. Dem was frantically pacing underneath his skin, and his entire body was full of adrenaline wanting to burst forth at any moment.

However, it was too late to turn back. He was almost positive that he wouldn’t be able to find any traces of Tessa now, especially as the hours ticked by and a light drizzle had begun falling.

Zane continued to fret until a flickering light caught his attention. As they drove closer, he realized that it wasn’t just light, but that it was fire. The lake house was on fire!

Zane jumped out of the moving car before Felix could shift into park. He ignored his beta’s frantic yells to stay back from the flames.

This was the spot where Lara was supposed to be! This was where it was safe. She was supposed to be safe! He was supposed to be able to see her and hug her. And now…

Zane fell to his knees, getting as close to the blazing house as he could. The house was too far gone. The windows were broken, the door engulfed. No one would be able to get in until the flames died down. His heart shattered into pieces as he felt the heat radiate off the cabin and watched the wood be greedily consumed.

He hoped beyond hope that Lara was not in their family vacation home. Maybe, just maybe, she was somewhere else.