WILLIAM

After three days driving instead of two, through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and now Utah we were almost back to Hightop, closing in on the turn up the mountain to Fish Lake.

Kara was in the car behind me but being linking wolves made it so the separate drive wasn't too unbearable. She was telling me about a few months ago when she was asked to go help the animal shelter next door to her office because there was a stray mother dalmatian who had been injured, maybe with an arrow. She had a cut clear into her abdomen that was bound to get infected but wouldn't let anyone in the cage with her and her puppies.

...and Tina just kept trying to get in the cage, but Donna would growl and look like she was going to tear Tina a new one if one finger touched her puppies. So they called me. I knelt down by the cage and met Donna's eyes and her growl suddenly slowed and she bent to me. Oh... William? Does that mean I made her submit?

Sounds like it Love. Did she let you in?

Yeah. So I got in there with her and these adorable little spotted floofballs started climbing all over me. It was so hard to keep my arm still enough to get Donna sedated! She giggled through the link as she showed me the picture of puppies taking over her lap.

I watched a brief moment and adjusted my thoughts back to the road. I put my blinker on and started the upwards drive to Hightop.

I got her sedated and then...

Her story dropped off suddenly and she missed the turn. When I noticed I laughed and pulled over to the side to wait for her. Sweetheart, you missed the turn thinking about puppies. Turn around.

After a moment pause, she asked mildly. Where's the dungeon?

The dungeon? What dungeon?

With the sick with werewolves. Where's the entrance?

I don't know why that matters.... Honey? You need to turn around. You're going the wrong way.

No. I'm not. Where are they? I need to help them.

Oh shoot.

I realized her healer was in command. I flipped the car in gear and turned a U to follow her. Kara Love. The dungeon isn't close. Hightop is still another half hour away. I'll take you there as soon as we get back okay?

There was no answer. She was still driving, mind scanning the area.

Kara? There is no dungeon here? Is a werecreature out there?

Her inner voice didn't come through for several seconds. Yes.

A relieved breath left me that she was still able to answer. Okay. Park to the side and I'll come find you. We can locate it together. I hit the speed, trying to catch up to her.

A whole minute past as I tried to see how far she'd gotten.

Are you still on the road? Pull over Sweetheart.

Another few seconds before she spoke again. I'm on a dirt road.

"Shit." Kara, stop driving right now. Deeply, I brought an inhale in trying to follow her car. She hadn't been this far. Kara, where are you? I started getting anxious as I knew she was trying to follow one of those monsters. I flipped the car around again, my eyes darting back and forth at the road, trying to find a dirt road. When I found one and her car's scent was at it, I pursued. Kara, I found the dirt road. I'm coming.

In a minute I was upon her car, abandoned with even the driver's side door left open. "Kara!" I called to the surrounding area. Kara, where are you!

There was no answer to either voice. I let my nose follow her and before I stepped onto the green of the grass off the dirt road, my foot stalled in warning.

This was Fremont Pack territory. I wouldn't be able to run after her without challenging pack borders. A swear spat between my lips. Kara, come back right now. We can't be on Fremont territory.

I searched through her eyes and she was running the forest. Honey, come back please. We can find the creature in just a minute. But her thoughts were focused on getting to the creature.

I didn't have time to contact Eric for Alpha David's number. My panic started to heighten, and I thought about just running after her anyway and begging for forgiveness from David later. He might be lenient if he knew it was about getting to my mate helping a creature. We did get Evan back to him after all.

Evan!

I whipped out my phone and searched down the latest call list. There was a call to numbers I didn't recognize on Sunday night. That had to be it. I pressed the dial button and a woman answered.

"Hello? This is Carla."

Yes, that was her name! "Carla!" I yelled a bit too loud. "This is Beta William of Hightop Pack. I need Evan. Please tell me he's there with you."

"Uh, yeah. He's here. Hold on. ... Evan? It's Beta William from," she started but Evan must have grabbed the phone from her.

"This is Evan. What is it Beta William?"

"Evan! It's Kara. She's ran over Fremont land after another werecreature. I need to go after her to make sure she doesn't get hurt. Can I have safe passage?"

"Oh, wow. Yeah sure. I Evan R. Conrad sponsor Beta William and his mate of Hightop to Fremont Territ..."

That's all I heard before I shoved the phone in my pocket and ran for Kara's scent. Kara, I'm coming. Don't start fighting it yet.

She had already stopped her run and I blew out refreshed. My nose guided me to my mate.

Her link came through again. Fragile and wondering. William? You said you had a brother.

My run slowed. Honey? My heart didn't dare to hope. Was he not dead after all?

Suddenly her vision went completely black, though she was still awake. She was then under the healer's spell too much to communicate.

Kara! I sped my run again.

A minute later I sped right out of her scent trail and I had to backtrack to find it again. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I searched the last traces of her scent. It stopped like a brick wall.

She's never been able to hide her scent from me before. I didn't even think it was possible with fated mates!

"Kara!" I yelled to the surrounding and looked up, my eyes following the length of a near tree trunk.

She must have jumped the tree. I bounded up and caught the high branch, pulling myself up on it. But her scent was not there either. "Kara! Where are you? Come back here!"

But as I surveyed the surrounding area with my shifted eyes, I could see no trace of her.

"Please," I broke.

I closed my eyes and went in on myself testing the matebond.

She was somewhere very dark. Commotion and shrieking were all around her, though she wasn't afraid. Her hands were fire hot as she healed whatever was before her. Scent in the air was sickening, musty and putrid. Old meat and waste. So overwhelming it almost gave a metallic taste to my own mouth.

Kara.

I tried to summon her over the healer.

Let me help you. Where are you?

Her hands dulled of heat as she tried to come back, but the commotion chattered on around her, the shrieking heightened, and something told me that wasn't a good idea for me to call her forward. I'd have to track her the old-fashioned way. I broke the connection, and I knew she sunk back under the healer's spell.

I jumped down to the ground, and quickly undressed, stashing my clothes beside the big tree. Crouching, I allowed the wolf to take over and used my heightened senses to sniff out my mate. I circled the area wider and wider, trying to find a scent trail or a broken branch, kicked rock, anything that would signal my mate's path.

A white wolf and sandy wolf then arrived on the scene. My senses flared but I calmed recognizing they were friendly Fremonts.

Beta William? The sandy colored wolf linked.

Evan. I nodded my greeting and then went back to my search.

Where's Kara?

I don't know.

You don't know? A woman's voice. The White wolf must be his Carla.

I don't know. My wolf growled. Are you going to help? Look around or call your trackers!

Evan's sandy wolf immediately bent a nose to the ground and started scenting. Where does her scent end? I can't pick it up.

Back by that big tree. My wolf nose momentarily pointed and then was back at the ground.

He ran back that way and circled, trying to find her trail. With how he was moving it was clear that he couldn't scent her at all.

She must have masked her scent here. You're going to need to check for visual cues instead.

I then straightened on four paws, head up in panic as I felt her thoughts go cold. I stared around the area. A new desperation to my voice. Kara! Where are you?

Evan trotted up to me, his own worry showing through wolf eyes. What happened? Is she okay?

I think her power gave out again.

She's unconscious?

I growled an assent.

And she's stuck with one of them? He wondered.

I think she's stuck with many.

Oh. He swallowed hard, a small pant coming from him as he searched the area too.

Then a voice I hadn't heard for eight years invaded my thoughts. Will?

My breath stopped as I tried to comprehend if my dead brother's thoughts were really just in my head. Jeremy? Is that you?