Hunted

Chapter 34: Found Her

Hope

I watched my cousin walk into the woods and I was about to follow her when Aaron grabbed my arm. “Babe. Let her go she needs to calm down and she’ll be back okay?” I wanted to just go comfort her but Aaron was right. I needed to give her time. I wanted to just shake her and explain why Colton was going crazy but how do you explain that to someone? So I let it go.

Aaron and I spent some time together talking and discussing our upcoming bonding ceremony. It was going to be in a few weeks. I couldn’t believe that it was finally here. I had been waiting for a really long time to actually finish the mate bond with Aaron. I suddenly realized that I hadn’t paid attention to if Emmry had come back or not.

“s**t babe I was supposed to go check on Emmry.” I pulled a sweatshirt over my head. That’s when I heard the scream. “No.” I busted out of my tent and ran over to Emmry’s. It was empty. “No no no.” I whispered as I looked up at Aaron. “She’s not here…” Another scream echoed through the dark. The panic was overwhelming.

“Find her now.” I yelled at various pack members before running towards the tree line. Brandon ran up to me calling my name. “Hope!” I stopped obviously annoyed.

“What Brandon?” I asked clearly not in the mood. I needed to find Emmry.

“Do you want me to come with you guys or stay with Colton. He’s massively wasted.” Brandon looked back at his brother and I shrugged.

“I don’t give a s**t what you do Brandon. I gotta go.” I ran into the woods leaving him behind to make his own choice.

Aaron wasn’t far behind me. I started to shift, I knew Emmry was potentially going to be scared but there was no way I’d find her without shifting. I will never get use to the slight pain as my bones morphed and changed. They say it gets better with time but I’m starting to think they are lying. As soon as my paws hit the ground I started to track Emmry’s scent. I followed it to a tree that wasn’t too far away. I also smelled a somewhat familiar scent. I couldn’t figure out exactly where I knew it from. I looked over and Aaron had finally caught up with me.

I don’t….I can’t pin point the scent but she ran that way. I nodded and Aaron took off. He was a lot faster than I was. We had half the pack out here looking for her. I nearly ran into Aaron as he stopped not far from where we had been.

What the hell?

Do you smell that? Aaron looked over at me and I checked the scent again. It was Emmry’s but it was different. She didn’t smell..well human anymore. Her scent had changed. Did she…oh…my…

Do you think she shifted?!  How was that even possible?

Aaron didn’t bother answering me he just took off following the scent again. Does anyone have eyes on her? I called out through the mind link. No one had caught up to her yet. What was actually happening?! I was going to personally murder whoever touched my cousin especially on her birthday. I mind linked my uncle so he knew. Turns out someone else had done so because all I received was a time. Which I’m assuming meant that would be how long till he got there.

I see her! Finally… What do you see? I snarled, they would forgive me later.

She’s about to be attacked. The pack member said sadly. They obviously had stopped and were waiting for further direction.

Then stop it. I nearly screamed. I was close to her. I got it. Aaron.

I finally caught up and saw Aaron jumping and landing on a large grey wolf. I’d never seen him so aggressive before. I needed to get Emmry away. I cautiously went over to her. She looked completely lost and terrified. She was still in her wolf form and she couldn’t take her eyes off Aaron and the other wolf. It took every ounce of my control to put my focus on Emmry instead of my mate. I wanted to badly to help him but I had to get Emmry to safety first. I tried to connect her mind link but wasn’t able.

I whined at my cousin hoping she’d at least try to see I was her cousin. Emmry looked at me and I gestured towards the woods behind her. There were more pack members now. They all started to help Aaron all protecting their future Alpha. I needed to shift back or Emmry was not going to be able to understand. Sighing I felt myself go back to my human form and I moved in front of Emmry.

“Emmry…come on we gotta go.” I told her reaching out towards her head. She jerked away from me and whined. I knew this was going to be hard to get her focus off the fight that was happening behind me.

“Emmry come on.” I begged her. She still looked so scared but she started to move towards the path that they all had made. Once I got her through the pack closed a circle behind us and Emmry could no longer see the fight. I got her far enough way that I stood in front of her and reached out again to touch her head. She looked at me and whined.

“Emmry we gotta get you to shift back okay? I want you to think about your human form. Your legs…arms…fingers…that kind of thing.” She nodded at me and closed her eyes. After a few minutes her form slowly started to change and she went back to her human form.

“Hope…” She whispered before passing out. Great. “s**t Emmry.” I cursed and bent down to check whatever vitals I could. I wasn’t a doctor I didn’t really know what I was doing. Delilah ran over with two outfits one for me and one for Emmry. I slipped her clothes on and put my own on before calling for someone to help me get her back to the car. I needed to get her back to the pack house.

Aaron? I called out through the mind link. Now that Emmry was…mostly okay I needed to know he was fine.

Do I kill him? It’s…oh s**t it’s him.. He asked me out of breath.

No. My uncle’s voice ripped through the mind link cutting Aaron off. I don’t know how he got here quicker than planned he must have been fueled by anger. What was Aaron going to say?

Knock him out and take him back to the detention center. Where is my daughter?

Uncle David over here. I called for him as we got her into the backseat of the car. I shut the door and turned and there was my uncle standing in front of me.

“You did a good job. So did Aaron. Go clean everything up. I’m taking her home.” He nodded towards the beach and got in the car. He took off without waiting for a response.

What the hell just happened…..? Aaron what the hell did you mean? Who is it? I wanted to see him, needed to see him.

I’m helping Sam take him back. I’ll see you at home. His voice was short. I sighed and walked towards the beach. I guess I’m going to have to deal with not seeing him. What was he not telling me?

As I got to the beach I saw Brandon sitting with a beer next to his brother who was passed out cold.

“So my cousin is almost dead and you just sat here with your brother?” I asked him giving him a deathly glare.

“You said you didn’t care what I did, remember Hope? Plus Savannah is a much better warrior than I anyway.” He nodded behind me. Jackson and Delilah  were walking up.

“Hey! You guys okay?” I asked looking them up and down for scars.

“Of course Hope. Your boy had him mostly put down by the time I got there.” Jackson whined before looking at Colton. “Damn Brandon did you knock him out?” She gave him a look and all he did was smile at her.

“You are strange.” I shook my head and went to go back up the stuff. Delilah and Jackson followed. It didn’t take long once everyone came back. Everyone was whispering and looking at Colton and Brandon. 

I watched as Brandon carried his brother to the car and frowned.

“Where’s Sav?” I asked Jackson. He looked at me and then back at security. “She went with Aaron.” He said not able to look me in the eyes.

What the hell was going on now!?