I rub at my head, the seemingly never ending headache worsening with every turn of the wheels as the car carries us on our forever roadtrip. Days have turned into a week, but it feels like I haven't seen Opal in an eternity. Each passing minute is just getting worse. Each day is complete agony.

"Hold on. We're almost there." The words have me grinding my teeth together. I'm agitated, still on edge after half shifting in public. It was only a handful of people that saw me, mountain people and tourists, but it was still too risky.

I snap my head to Ace as he clutches the steering wheel. He won't even look at me after the words he just spoke to break the delicate silence.

"I'm fine." I respond, but he shakes his head absently.

"No, you're not." He barks out a laugh. "Besides, I wasn't even talking to you."

I shoot him a confused look.

"Have you gone crazy?"

"Opal. I talking to my daughter. And to answer your question, of course I've gone crazy." He says, and I restrain myself from reminding him that he's a weirdo. He reads my mind though, or more likely my face. "She's my little girl, okay? I know you're her mate, but I have a connection with her too, whether you like it or not."

I innocently put my hands up as I lean back into the passenger seat.

"I don't have a problem with it." I insist, but I can feel his doubtful gaze boring into the side of my head. I try to focus on the road instead, knowing that we're going to pull into West Yellowstone today.

I can feel myself getting closer to Opal. The bond is strengthening, the line between us electrifying as the miles disappear. Though the knowledge that she might not be there stays in the back of my mind, I know for certain that she's close by regardless. I can feel it down to my bones, my very DNA.

Staying quiet for a while, the brittle silence in the car finally snaps when Mom's half brother makes a remark.

"We're here." Lucien says, and I perk up, looking for a sign and spotting it a mile ahead in the darkness.

Entering West Yellowstone

"We're here." I repeat, almost breathless. I can't believe it. It feels like I went through Hell to finally get here.

Everyone perks up as we roll into the tiny, snow covered town. The roads are narrowed by the massive pileup of white snow plowed to the side, pouring over the sidewalks. Lights from bars and gas stations flicker as handfuls of tourists tuck their jackets tighter around themselves to guard against the winter chill.

We drive around for a few minutes, staring out the car as the windshield wipers groan back and forth, sending flurries of snowflakes all over the place.

"This place is..." Lucien starts.

"Odd." Ace finishes.

The faerie shakes his head, dark hair tumbling over his forehead.

"Nice. It's its own kind of magic."

I would agree with the young faerie, but I'm too anxious. Ace pulls the suburban into a motel parking lot, cutting off the engine and turning to me as the only sound is the snow storm around us.

"What's the plan?" He asks me, but Beau is already opening his door. We all turn to watch him as he stretches his long limbs over his head.

I open my own door, slamming in and stomping through the inches of power that pile up on my boots.

"What do you think we should do?" I ask him, wishing I didn't have to turn to him for advice, but he was the one who knew she was here. If it weren't for Beau, then we might never have gotten so much as a lead on where Opal went.

He looks up at us as his son and Ace join in the conversation.

"Split up, see what we can see or hear. Ask about wolf activity in the area even. Any little bit will help in locating her." He instructs, and we all nod in agreement, and it's hard to believe that Ace and I are listening to the once complete stranger who we still know very little about.

We leave the motel and walk in separate directions. I scan the nearly empty streets, my toes growing cold as wind whips around me. The weather here is harsh, it's no wonder tourist numbers die down this time of year. I hate being cold, I can only imagine how much worse it is for fragile humans that flock to the mountain town.

I pass a closed ice cream shop, pass several carved wooden bear statues sitting outside of trinket shops. The sidewalks are packed with dense, crunchy snow, it cracks under me as I turn my head back and forth like an owl scouring the white landscape for prey.

Opal is all I can think about. Her short, dark hair. Eyes wide and curious. Her cracked, thin lips and goofy laugh that sometimes leads to a snort. I can practically hear it now in my head. My blood surges like magma in my veins, my head shrouded with quick, feverish thoughts.

My headache pulses, throbbing despite the fresh air.

A couple steals my gaze, and I cringe as the male human turns his female around before pressing a kiss to her lips, catching her by surprise. She gasps audibly. She pulls away, smiling before putting her gloved hangs on his shoulders and kissing him again. The snowflakes blowing around them makes them seem like a happy little couple in a snowglobe, forever trapped in the perfect moment.

It makes me sick to my stomach.

A magnetic like force drags me down the long, cold roads, taking me closer and closer to the unknown. I hope that I'm going the right way. I let myself be taken by the force, telling myself it's the Moon Goddess bringing me to my mate.

I should've listened to that force a long time ago.

None of this would've happened if I had just let me and Opal be together from the beginning. That's what I've always wanted, but the fear of destroying her got the best of me.

"Where you headed, buddy?" A voice asks, and I perk up as an older gentleman steps into the streetlight, a cigarette hanging from his lips, the tip of it burning crimson red in the darkness. The smell of it reminds me of Ryk, the Delta of our pack, he's always been a smoker.

"Cause the McDonald's is closed." The human tells me, taking a long drag before pinching the twisted tip of his mustache.

I shake my head, food being the farthest thing from my mind.

"No, I'm just taking a walk, seeing what there is to see." I say casually, waving off the cigarette smoke that wafts around my face.

He nods thoughtfully, taking another long drag, trying to fill his lungs with as much of the poisonous smoke as he can. The human man doesn't seem to be of any help, so I turn, preparing to walk the way I was originally going.

"Well, the only other thing down that road is the wolf sanctuary, and they had quite the event today. Apparently they have some giant, rapid wolf. I wouldn't go down there."

I freeze, my body going cold and as solid as ice.

I slowly turn my head to him.

"What did you just say?" I ask and he chuckles.

"A huge wolf, almost the size of a bear. Saw the bitch myself. It's hard to believe she's real." He muses, and I dont wait to hear more, I reel back my fist, throwing it in his face and watching him go flying.

As soon as I have that release, the headache dissipates. Opal. It has to be.

I pull my cell phone out and keep walking quickly down the road.

"Hello?" Ace picks up.

"I know where she is. Meet me at the wolf sanctuary."

"There's wolf sanctuary? We should've checked there first. What the fu-"

I hang up on him, shoving my phone in my pocket and hustling as quickly as I'm allowed to in public, surrounded by humans.

Hold on Opal. I'm coming for you.

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