Subconsciously my hand went to the back of my neck and touched it gently. The burning sensation continued on the slightly raised skin of the circular mark. The wolfsbane would hide my werewolf traits but it wouldn't stop the throbbing at the back of my neck hidden underneath my flowing red hair.
It reminded me of who I was and why I couldn't stay there. It was the reason I had to leave.
Kyle. Thinking of him made my heart ache. The werewolf in me wanted to go to him and live the destiny that had chosen for us to be together. But I had to resist it.
Memories of seeing him for the first time since I had run away swept through my mind, making me put a hand on my heart to handle the emotion I felt. He couldn't understand my actions. After the fight with the rogues had been won I had left as quickly as possible before he had a chance to confront me. It had been cowardly but if he knew the truth he would not have let me go. I still had no idea if he knew he was my mate. Had Keri told him?
Afraid for my safety since there were still a few rogues in the area, I had found safety with the only person I could trust.
Now that the war with the rogues was over and things had died down, it was safer for me to leave. And I had to do it soon. It was only a matter of time before Kyle found me here and once that happened there would be no hiding who I really was.
"Come have something to eat," Claire suggested, breaking me out of my heavy thoughts that burdened my small shoulders.
Not having much of an appetite, I took one last look out of the gap in the curtain to ensure there was no one in the vicinity before I followed Claire into the kitchen. Despite my lack of hunger, I ate as much as I could. I needed to keep up my strength.
The unknown loomed over me. I had nowhere to go and, other than Claire, I had no one I could trust. I had to find a place where I could hide away from everyone—humans and werewolves. Irrespective of whether Kyle knew I was his mate or not, after a while he would give up and stop looking for me. I had to believe that.
There had been times I had wondered if staying alive was worth it but when I thought of my parents' actions to ensure my survival, I felt the strength to carry on.
CHAPTER TWO
Kyle
I couldn't believe what I was seeing but there was no disputing the pictures I held in my hands. There was so much blood and the dead werewolf lay on the ground, its amber eyes unseeing into the distance.
"No scent of another werewolf was found at the scene," Cade told me. I lifted my eyes to his. My mind was reeling. If a werewolf hadn't done this, who had?
"That's not possible," I murmured, taking another look at the photos, hoping to discover something that would explain what had happened, but other than the dead werewolf matted with dirt and blood, there wasn't anything else. There were no clues in the photos that revealed who had taken the life of the werewolf by force.
From the looks of the photos the werewolf had put up a brave fight but its opponent had been stronger. Strong enough to beat it before finishing it off with a stab through the heart. We weren't indestructible but there was no way this could have been done by something other than another werewolf.
"Who was it?" I asked, feeling a rising panic at the thought that Crystal was out there somewhere, vulnerable to an attack like this.
"A male rogue."
"Have there been other bodies?" I asked the question even though I was scared of the answer.
"Yes." A cold vice-like grip squeezed my heart.
"Crystal?" I asked, feeling my increasing panic.
Cade shook his head.
"All the bodies we've discovered have been rogue male werewolves in wolf form. Wherever Crystal is, she has managed to evade whoever is doing this."
My relief was brief. She may be safe at the moment but if I didn't find her soon she wouldn't be. I took in the information as I studied the picture.
"Where was the body found?" I asked, feeling my increasing fear over my missing mate, who didn't want to be discovered.
In my subconscious I was already thinking of Crystal out there somewhere. Even for a moment thinking this could happen to her nearly stopped my breath in my lungs. If this could be done to a strong male werewolf, she wouldn't have a chance in hell of surviving. Hell, she couldn't even shift into her wolf. I dragged a hand through my hair, trying to rein in my panic.
"On the perimeter of Keri's territory."
The mention of my friend, who I was still pretty pissed at, made me look up sharply at Cade.
"She's safe." His answer gave me relief. Despite the fact our friendship had been affected by her deception, I still cared deeply for her.
"Blake's upped security around the compound," he added, easing my concern. Blake would put every measure in place to keep her safe.
