Chapter 0066

I reach the clearing faster than expected.

Tobias and his team are already there, surrounded by twenty wolves scouring the area. I step out of my Porsche and approach him. "What do we know?"

"Alpha Adrian." He gestures toward a marked-off section. "Fifteen vehicles were here. The strongest scent belongs to our packmate."

Dropping to all fours, I inhale deeply. The scent is faint but unmistakable—vanilla, a whisper of lavender, and honey.

I meet his gaze. "That's her."

He nods.

"Which direction?"

Tobias points to tire tracks cutting through the grass. "They headed toward the road, then north."

My phone rings. Father's name flashes on the screen. I answer. "Yeah?"

"Son, Gregory just got another message from Evelyn."

My grip tightens. She's too far for me to sense her, yet she can mindlink her father? Her strength is staggering.

"What did she say?"

Sebastian joins me, so I put the call on speaker.

"They stopped to let her relieve herself."

Our heads snap up, eyes locking. That scent trail will make tracking her easier.

"Did she give any clues about her location?" Sebastian asks.

Father's voice crackles through. "Nothing but forest. No buildings, no water, no power lines."

"Tobias thinks they went north," I say. "Anywhere up there that fits?"

A pause. Then, "Nothing directly north, but there's a stretch of wilderness west of the Sierra Madre Mountains that matches."

"Send coordinates. We're moving."

Sebastian and I sprint back to our cars. My phone pings with the location. "Got it?"

He nods. "Got it."

"See you there."

I push the Porsche to its limit. Five hours later, I arrive at the coordinates.

Theron, you with me?

Let's find our mate.

I shift, letting Theron take over. His nose twitches, catching the faintest trace of vanilla before bolting forward. I surrender control, trusting his instincts. He alternates between sniffing the ground and the air.

An hour in, a howl echoes through the trees—Sebastian. I respond, guiding him to us.

We find the spot where Evelyn was taken from. Her scent leads to where she must have been forced back into the vehicle. We press on, following the barest hint of her until Dorian's paws thud against the earth behind us.

I bark to signal our position.

Sebastian shifts back, so I do the same.

"We should regroup," he says. "Her scent's fading. We'll lose it soon."

He's right. But the thought of her with that killer—being hurt, tortured—sends fury through me.

Why her?

Because she's a Guardian.

But it makes no sense. Guardians can't be bought or broken. Their allegiance only shifts if they find their mate—and she's not of age yet.

What the hell does he want with her?