Total pages in book: 202
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
“Dad, stay with Rye and Erica, yeah? Know you can hold your own in a fight, but I want you protected by Erica’s magic.”
“Son, I’ll walk you out,” my father insists.
The minute we’re outside, I’m demanding, “Give me the sixty second version of what the fuck caused you to end your bond with her. Now, Dad. Got no time to spare.”
My father succinctly tells me in about a minute why he severed his bond with her, what she did when I was an infant, and my blood runs icy cold at his explanation.
But I can’t give much headspace to it for the moment. I have to get to my mate. I have to end my brother-in-law. And then, I’ll have to figure out why and how my birth mother hurt the woman who raised me as well make sure that she can’t do it again.
My phone rings.
Vivica Young calling.
“Vivi,” I answer. “Not a great time.”
“Greyson…” she breathes, sounding upset. “It just hit me that something is up with your birth mother. And…with Stacy. And Halla Starling. It’s all connected, I don’t know how, but you need to be extremely cautious.”
***
I’m dead on my feet. I keep blinking away double vision because I haven’t slept. I’ve been up for more than forty-eight hours and just drove for over eight hours between the drive to Drowsy Hollow and back to Silver Hills. I won’t be sleeping any time soon.
Dani also called me just a few minutes after Vivi called, this time with Vivi and Erica on conference call, to tell me they’re all on standby if I need them, that they’re all linking up to do a group protection spell to offer me protection as well as trying a locator spell for Stacy. Dani says there should’ve been protocol followed after I pulled that spelled poison from my mom, and she’s worried about my wellbeing.
“I just need to find my mate, Dani,” I said. “That’s all I can do right now. I refuse to leave her at the mercy of her fuckface brother a minute longer than necessary.”
“Okay, Grey. If you get a minute, please draw a salt circle and take the ampule. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
“We’ll do a protection spell in case something goes wrong before you can, but it won’t be as effective so please try,” a voice in the background says. I think it’s Jessie.
“Okay,” I repeat and end the call.
***
As I survey the last place my mate stood, where Jared’s RV was parked, my wolf abruptly pushes through. And now there’s a new scent in my nose. Obviously, my wolf instincts are more honed right now, so I’ll be leveraging those.
I know what that scent is. Holy shit.
“You good, bro?” Jase asks, concern etched into his face.
I shift back, saying, “Gotta go.”
“I’ll come,” Jase offers.
I’m about to tell him to stay here, but I can tell by his expression he has every intention of pushing to take my back.
“I’ll drive,” he asserts, and I grab my clothes from the ground while I hand him my keys.
“Need you to stop just on the main road so I know which way to go.”
“The masking–” he starts to say, but I cut him off.
“Although Meadows obviously masked Stacy’s scent as well as his own, my wolf pushed in just now when I shifted abruptly by where Jared’s camper had been.”
“Yeah?” he prods.
“I scented someone else. Someone reminiscent of her and also reminiscent of myself.”
Jase doesn’t say anything at first. And now his body language has changed. It’s sinking in.
“The only explanation is one I’m certain explains it. Despite that Stacy is masked, I’m smelling the scent of our growing baby inside her.”
“Let’s find your family,” Jase says and seconds later, we’re peeling out.
Dani said she and her sisters would do a remote locator spell and call if they’re able to glean any information after I told her I couldn’t participate. Because I can’t wait. I won’t.
“Stop here,” I say and get out. I don’t smell it, so I shift. As wolf, the scent hits immediately and I know which way they went. I run that way, and Jase follows me in my car.
Silver Hills is like a wasteland right now. I didn’t take time to talk to anybody, but Brody and Linc followed me to where Stacy’s scent ended. Brody told me he’s telling these people in a few hours to pack up whatever they want to keep and is renting a couple buses and moving vans to get them to Arcana Falls temporarily. He’ll be working to close the deal on the land he wants fast. Says if they don’t choose him as their alpha he’ll be starting his own pack and will open it up to our waiting list if any of them want to join.
There’s nothing for these people to go back to. Other than maybe some sentimentality, Silver Hills is nothing but junk and shit.