Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“I’ve been telling you for years that you need an Enforcer,” Leroy shot back.
Thane nodded. “I’ve said the same.”
Jackson had always handled his own problems. “I’ve never needed one before, and I don’t need one now.” Except somebody had just taken Emily Nightsom right out of his territory.
Zylas Blount stepped into the room, his face pale as he surveyed the destruction. He wore his high school football jersey and dark jeans.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Jackson asked.
“I found him outside,” Leroy said, still catching his breath.
Zylas rocked back on his tennis shoes. “A bunch of us were at the movie theater when Leroy asked around. I know you don’t have an Enforcer. I might only be eighteen, but I’m one of the best trackers we’ve got. Being an Alpha, I’ve got a sensitive nose. Probably better than yours.”
“It’s not better than mine,” Jackson muttered. He was at his peak, and he knew it. Still, the kid had a point. “Do you want to help?”
Zylas squared his shoulders. “I want to help.”
Jackson knew of the kid’s skills. “Good. We’re shifting and tracking her scent. You with me?”
“Absolutely,” Zylas said, his jaw firming. “I like Emily a lot. I, uh, asked her out once.”
“Yeah, I was there,” Jackson replied, voice dry.
Zylas flushed, looking younger than his eighteen years for a moment. “Well, she’s really pretty.”
Jackson ignored the twinge of possessiveness that sparked in him. They didn’t have time for this. “Let’s move.”
Leroy frowned. “Rumor has it you want to take out Jackson and be the Alpha?”
The kid didn’t have a chance against Jackson, even if the council backed him. “Now isn’t the time,” Jackson growled.
Zylas rolled his eyes. “At the moment, all I want is to play football.” Still, he stood a little taller. “But I’ll step up for the good of the pack if that’s what’s needed. I’d never let Emily be kidnapped.”
“We’ll talk about that later. Right now, we’ve got to move.” Jackson strode out of the room and down the stairs, his pulse hammering in his temple. The instant his boots hit the wet ground outside, he leapt into the air, shifting in mid-motion. Pain and then freedom shot through him as his muscles stretched and bones cracked, reshaping into his powerful wolf form. Rain slicked his thick coat as he landed, paws digging into the cold earth. Behind him, the air stirred as Thane and Zylas shifted, their scents sharp with anticipation.
Jackson lowered his nose to the ground and inhaled. Emily. His head filled with her scent, awakening something primal inside him. His blood pounded with rage and fear. They had hurt her. He’d seen the blood in the hotel room. He’d smelled her. Whoever had made her bleed would pay, and she’d better still be alive.
She had to be.
He surged forward, paws pounding dirt and mud as the rain fought him. The frigid rain promised snow before morning, but he didn’t slow. Trees blurred past as he led the others beyond the edge of town, their breathing steady behind him. He pushed faster, driven by an urgency that burned through muscle and bone. Emily needed him.
After miles of relentless running, they reached a three-pronged fork in the road. Jackson skidded to a halt, rain dripping from his muzzle as he sniffed the air. Her scent branched in three directions.
Smart. That meant there were at least three of them.
Shifting back to human form, he let the icy rain cool his overheated skin. The other two did the same, their breath fogging the air as they waited for orders.
“All right. You follow the roads. Zylas, you go west. Thane, east. I’ll continue north.”
Zylas squared his shoulders. “We’ll find her.”
Thane nodded. “Got it.” Without hesitation, he shifted back into his wolf form and bounded down the eastern road.
Zylas met Jackson’s eyes, determination hardening his young face. “Don’t worry. We’ll get her back.”
Jackson almost smiled. He was starting to like the kid. “Stay safe,” he ordered before shifting once more. His paws struck the ground, propelling him forward with the speed of a creature born to run. Faster than any true wolf could dream of moving, he raced through the rain-soaked night, clinging to the faint trail of Emily’s scent.
His thoughts churned with every step. Why the hell had he let her stay at the hotel? He’d known about the previous kidnapping attempt, yet he’d assumed she’d be safe within his territory. Now, she was paying the price for his misjudgment.
His heart pounded harder, his breath sharp with determination.
He had to find her.
Emily’s feet had gone completely numb. They were bare, so that shouldn’t alarm her too much, except she was a wolf. She should feel fine. The illness was progressing faster than she’d anticipated. It was time to stop ignoring the truth and seek medical help. Her mother had died from a mysterious sickness that seemed to target the females in their family. Emily had hidden her symptoms from her father to spare him the worry, but maybe she’d waited too long.