The Finding (2 page)

“Yeah, I keep
thinking I’ll find something if I just look long enough.” The
Cassandra Greyson case had become a bit of an obsession for him.
Every time he vowed to forget her, something called him back to
take just one more look. It was as if his inner wolf, having had a
brief yet tantalizing scent of the girl, couldn’t relinquish the
hunt for her.

“You’ve been
working on it for the past three years. What makes you think today
will be any different?” Ryne could be annoyingly practical at
times.

“I don’t know,
but for some reason I can’t let her go. Maybe it’s the Beta in me,
needing to protect the pack; you know the danger a rogue wolf could
put us all in.” Bryan swivelled his chair until he faced his
Alpha.

“But the fact
is, she
hasn’t
gone rogue or we would have heard about it,
though how a young kid like that is keeping her wolf under control
all by herself, is beyond me.” Ryne narrowed his eyes and
reiterated what they both already knew. “You traced her to that
motel in Kansas—”

Bryan finished
the sentence. It was a story they’d gone over many times. “And then
she just disappeared. I realize almost two weeks had passed before
I arrived at her last known location, but there should have been a
residual scent leading away. Instead, there was nothing; no scent,
no trail, no one saw her leave town... There was nothing on the
surveillance cameras at the bus stop. She stepped off the bus,
found a room at the motel across the street, and vanished. All I
found was a trace scent on the pillows and that pill wedged between
the nightstand and the headboard”

“It was a
prescription strength sedative, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. Very
hard to get hold of and used only under strict medical supervision.
Definitely suitable for a werewolf, but heavy duty stuff for a
human. Whoever gave it to her knew something about Lycans.”

“That would
have been her guardian, Anthony Greyson. I’m sure that’s how he
kept her under control during the full moon, though how he knew...”
Ryne let his voice trail off.

”Well, that
pill was the only concrete clue I found in Kansas. Two days later
all her bank accounts were emptied from an instant teller inside a
casino in Las Vegas and her credit cards were maxed out. From
there, it’s a dead end.”

“Hmm...except
for that anonymous personal ad someone tried to place in the Stump
River Gazette. It’s a good thing Melody was working there the day
it came in.”

Bryan flipped
open a file and took out a piece of paper. Unfolding it he read,
“To whom it may concern. Cassandra Greyson was last seen in Las
Vegas. She accessed her bank accounts at a casino ATM, then
withdrew the maximum amount allowed on all her credit cards.” He
shook his head. Who places a personal ad like that?”

“Someone who’s
trying to lead us around by the nose.”

“Right.” Bryan
rubbed his chin. “All I was able to determine was that the person
who sent this had to be elderly. It was written on an old manual
typewriter. I didn’t think anyone used those things anymore.” Bryan
stared at the paper for a moment longer before carefully folding it
and tucking it back in the file.

“Well, someone
still does and it gives me the creeps to think they know enough
about us to send the note to Stump River.” Ryne growled softly, his
fingers clenching. “It’s kept us in a constant state of alert
waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“It’s been
nerve wracking.” Bryan agreed. “We could move, start over where we
aren’t known.”

“But where?
Finding a new territory isn’t easy. Stump River was a once in a
lifetime chance. No, until we know the source of the letter, we
aren’t doing anything”

Bryan nodded.
“The sender might have been trying to flush us out, watching for
any sudden movement in the area.”

“And it’s too
vague to enact the Keeping.” Ryne sighed heavily. “So we sit tight
and keep our eyes and ears open.”

Bryan rubbed
the back of his neck and frowned. “Yeah, I guess. It’s just that
this whole situation has me frustrated. After all this time, I’ve
made no real progress.”

“Not true. You
confirmed the Greyson girl was in Vegas at one point in time.
Getting the hotel to let you look at their surveillance footage was
no easy task.”

Bryan laughed
softly at the memory. “Thank heaven the head of security was female
and she liked my eyes.”

“From the story
you told when you got back home, I don’t think it was just your
eyes she was interested in.”

“There might
have been a few other features that drew her attention.” Bryan
grinned for a few moments thinking of the sexual romp he’d had
while in the city; for some reason, his libido had been in
overdrive that weekend. He laughed softly, then leaned forward to
study the screen again. “I was just looking at this footage that
shows someone using the ATM machine at the time Cassandra Greyson’s
account was emptied.”

Ryne stood up
and moved to the computer, peering over Bryan’s shoulder. “Do you
see something new?”

“Not really.
It’s just the same thing as always. Average sized individual,
wearing jeans and a hoodie pulled up over his or her head and low
across the forehead. Unisex sunglasses. Chin tucked into the
collar.”

“They knew what
they were doing; knew there’d be cameras recording the
transaction.”

“Yeah, there’s
nothing here except... See that bit of a shadow?” Bryan turned his
chair back to the computer and pointed to a spot on the screen. “I
think someone was standing there, watching.”

“Hmm... Could
be.” Ryne stood up straight and shrugged. “It doesn’t really help
us much, though.”

“Maybe not. But
it means she might not be on her own. I think she met up with
someone and went with them to Vegas, possibly realizing it was a
perfect place to get lost in a crowd.”

“But where did
she go after that?”

Bryan shook his
head. “Damned if I know. I checked every bus, train, and plane out
of there from the day of this footage and for two weeks afterwards.
There was no one matching her description.”

“So she must
have left by car or stayed in the area.”

“Uh-huh. I
searched all over that city but there was no sign of her. And I put
alerts out to packs all over the country to contact me if they see
her, but no one has ever reported anything.”

“You’d think
after three years someone would have noticed a lone wolf—an
inexperienced lone wolf at that. How has she stayed hidden and
managed the lunar changes? Those pills must be used up by now.
Someone must know something.”

At that moment,
Melody called from the kitchen. “Ryne, did you buy chocolate ice
cream when you were in town earlier?”

Ryne grimaced.
“Since she’s been pregnant and can’t have her coffee, she’s
switched to chocolate, but it’s not mellowing her mood.”

“Isn’t
chocolate just as bad?”

“Are you
volunteering to tell her? I survived the no-coffee rants. I’m not
inciting another one!” Both men winced as they recalled Melody’s
reaction when Nadia, the nurse practitioner, e-mailed her to cut
back on coffee until the baby was born.

“Hey, she’s
your mate and you’re the Alpha. Go do your duty.”

“Thanks, Bryan.
You’re a real pal.”

Bryan shook his
head, amused at his Alpha’s predicament, then returned to studying
the image on the computer screen. Narrowing his eyes, he searched
for clues, his inner wolf stirring restlessly over the long delayed
hunt. Somewhere out there Cassandra Greyson was a lone werewolf and
he was determined to bring her in.

Chapter 1

The air felt
cool and damp against her face as she moved through the trees, the
greyish-brown trunks rising high on either side of her. Pine
needles littered the forest floor, deadening the sound of her feet
as she padded along. Twice she stopped and searched the shadowy
depths of the forest, before lifting her muzzle and sniffing,
nostrils flaring as she took in the myriad of scents that drifted
by on the slight breeze.

Suddenly,
instinct had her hackles rising. Another presence was nearby.
Cocking her ears, Cassie searched for a sign of the other one. As
always, his scent eluded her; his paws made no sound. Inexplicably,
he was just—there!

Like a ghost,
he seemed to appear out of nowhere, standing in front of her,
blocking her way. Thick light brown fur covered his massive body,
muscles rippling as he shifted his stance and raised his head in
challenge. His beauty took her breath away each time she saw him
and not for the first time, did she wonder what his name was.

Part of her
wanted to submit, to expose her throat and belly. Her tail dipped
between her legs, even as she fought the urge to roll over. His
hazel eyes narrowed and she quivered until, finally breaking away
from his gaze, she turned quickly and began to run.

Where she was
running to, she didn’t know, but the need to escape was strong. She
flattened her ears and ran as if her life depended on it, her body
low to the ground. The sound of him following her was easy to
detect. He made no effort to hide his pursuit.

He was
breathing hard, she could hear it. His bigger frame was at a
disadvantage when it came to speed, yet with every stride his
longer legs brought him closer and closer.

Panic began to
well within her and she dug deep inside putting on a burst of
speed, twisting around trees, jumping over logs. It was all in
vain. Without warning, his body slammed into hers and they both
fell to the ground. She rolled, attempting to get to her feet, but
even as she tried to stand, he was on top of her.

Hot breath
fanned across the side of her face. Her peripheral vision caught a
glimpse of shiny white teeth, before she felt those same teeth
penetrating her fur, biting her neck…

“No!” Part of
her was screaming in protest even as another voice, one deeper
inside her, cried out
yes
, craving his domination, his
possession. She pushed that part of her aside and struggled. This
beast was just like the one that had killed that man, Mr. Aldrich.
It was an unnatural creature known as a werewolf.

Her uncle had
said she was one as well, just before he died. But she wasn’t; she
couldn’t be. She wasn’t a wild animal. She couldn’t kill anyone...
Could she? Even as she fought against the wolf that loomed over
her, a part of her mind was acknowledging her four legs, her tail,
and the brown fur covering her body… Closing her eyes against the
hot tears that threatened to spill down her face, she screamed her
denial of the truth.

“No! Please,
no! I can’t be a werewolf. I don’t want this!” Pushing and
struggling, she flailed against the beast that seemed to surround
her. She couldn’t get away. Her breathing became rapid and shallow;
everything was growing dark and she felt herself slipping into
unconsciousness, falling and then…

Her body landed
against something hard and the breath whooshed from her lungs. With
a jolt, her eyes flew open and she looked at her surroundings.
Relief washed through her as she realized it had been just another
nightmare.

Shaking in the
aftermath of her nocturnal imagination, she disentangled herself
from the blanket and pushed her hair from her face. She was in her
bedroom, having laid down for a nap while waiting for Kellen to get
home. The dream had been just that—a dream.

Well, not
exactly. As she stood and picked up the blanket, she acknowledged
that the woods and the other wolf were non-existent, but her being
a wolf—a werewolf to be exact—was all too real. She hid from the
grim reality as much as possible, but her subconscious mind
wouldn’t let the notion rest. It was in the dark recesses of her
mind that the beast inside her roamed free and sought out others of
its kind.

But it wouldn’t
happen in reality. She jutted her chin in resolve as she folded the
blanket, then clutched it to her chest. She’d never seek out others
of her kind. The filthy animals were interested only in killing and
dominating and…sex. Her mind skirted away from that last idea. Her
dreams were always erotic, usually involving a lusty male who was
intent on tracking her down and taking her.

The memory had
her shifting uncomfortably as arousal stirred inside her. She
curled her lip at the irony of the situation; her nightmares were
hotter than Hades while her real life was…

No. She didn’t
want to think about that right now. Setting down the blanket, she
went to the dresser to check her appearance. The turquoise top she
wore went well with her Mediterranean colouring, even though she
was still pale as a result of her dream. Applying a bit of blush,
she studied her eyes and decided the thick lashes and deep green
irises needed no enhancement. A touch of gloss on her full lips
completed her makeup.

Grabbing a
comb, she set to work on her hair, not for the first time wishing
it shimmered with highlights instead of being a solid dark brown.
The colour reminded her too much of the animal in her dream. Yes,
she could try dying it, but she always wondered how the colour
would take, given her...unusual...genetic makeup.

Glancing at the
clock, she realized it was time to start dinner. Kellen would be
home soon and she wanted to surprise him. Setting the comb down,
she headed to the kitchen, resolutely pushing all thoughts of
wolves from her mind. Tonight it would be all about her and
Kellen.

*****

Stump River,
Ontario, Canada...

Bryan grunted
and firmed his jaw, ignoring his protesting muscles. Sweat trickled
down his face as he lifted the weight, counting in his head, before
giving a sigh of relief and lowering the heavy disks. They clanged
against the metal stand, the sound echoing off the walls of the
exercise room. He relaxed against the bench, breathing heavily and
feeling pleasantly spent.