Her hand touched her forehead nervously as her eyes dropped to the ground. I studied her, finding her reaction a little strange but I brushed it aside.
"We're going out now to investigate one of the murder scenes," I told her. I wanted her to know catching the person responsible was one of my top priorities. The most important was still reserved for finding my mate.
Her eyes met mine. My words had done nothing to ease her fears.
"I'll let you know if we find anything," I assured her, hoping that would make her less scared.
She gave me another weak smile before I left her. The sooner I investigated the scene, hopefully the sooner I would have some more information to give her and to get one step closer to figuring who was behind it.
Just as I stopped in front of the gates, James appeared by my side.
He was slightly taller than me and bigger built. His coloring was similar to mine except he had brown eyes and his hair was longer than mine. Just his size was intimidating to most but to me it didn't mean a lot. As an alpha, I was stronger despite our difference in size.
"So where are we going?" he asked as we stood facing the gate.
Open them, I commanded. The guards began to open the metal gates.
"We're going to investigate the murder closest to us," I explained.
"You think they missed something?" he questioned as he gave me a side glance.
"I don't know," I replied.
At the moment we didn't have a lot to go on and I hoped by going over the scene I would discover something that hadn't been picked up.
He gave me a nod just before we both transformed into our wolves. His dark brown wolf followed my midnight black one into the forest.
Crystal
Peering out through the opening in the curtain, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. The sun was just starting to rise behind the mountain. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach that I couldn't stop. Another scan of the surrounding scenery told me there was nothing to worry about.
Despite not being able to spot any dangers, I knew I had to get my stuff together and leave before there was a chance I was discovered. If I were found now, everything I had done to keep my secret would be for nothing.
Stepping back from the window I went back into my room to finish packing a couple of clothes into my backpack. Inside my small cabinet in the bathroom were the precious vials of wolfsbane. I carefully packed them along with some syringes I had stolen. I only had a few days' supply left. After that I would have no way of hiding my scent. I would have to be long gone by then.
I would be leaving soon. I hated the fact I never got to stay in one place for long. I couldn't stop myself from taking a moment to wonder what it would be like to be a normal werewolf. My thoughts turned to Kyle and I gave in to my longing thoughts of what it would feel like to let my hand reach out to his. Our touch would pull our destinies into one.
I had been told what it felt like to touch your mate for the first time. One girl had used the word magical to describe it. But no matter how badly I wanted it, that could never happen. That wasn't a choice for me. I got my backpack and hitched it over one shoulder while I did one last scan of the cottage to make sure I hadn't left anything behind.
For a few seconds I lingered before I found that determination that had kept me going for so long and I left the house, closing the front door behind me.
I surveyed the forest one last time before I left the safety of the cottage to my unknown destination. The sunlight didn't ease my fear of the dangers I could encounter.
The slight heat in the back of my neck made me stiffen. I strained my ears but I didn't hear anything. I had learned to trust the warmth that throbbed at the back of my neck, even if it was faint. There was a werewolf nearby.
I stopped behind a tree, pushing my back up tight against the trunk to keep myself hidden. It wasn't much of a hiding place but it would have to do. I strained to hear the faint sounds of a couple of wolves running nearby. It was probably a couple of scouts patrolling the territory, I told myself, trying to ease the fear that made me hesitate. Even though I was in no immediate danger, my heart hammered loudly in my chest, echoing in my ears.
I waited until the throbbing at the back of my neck eased. My cool fingers soothed over the raised skin. It was a constant reminder of why I could never allow Kyle to find me. Feeling like I had been on an emotional roller coaster, I let out a heavy sigh and slumped against the tree. It took me a couple of minutes to pull myself together.
Trying to keep a calm head, I moved forward, stopping every few minutes to ensure there were no foreign sounds that signaled danger. I headed to the border not sure what I would encounter. Avoiding the scouts was possible because of the sensitivity of my sixth sense that heated a circle at the back of my neck. I was more worried about the threat to the rogues. Being unable to shift put me at a disadvantage and my increased strength, which made me stronger than female werewolves who hadn't mated yet, was weakened by the wolfsbane I was taking.
Every time I heard a noise over my thumping heart I would still and strain my ears to determine if it was a threat to me, hiding behind a tree until I could determine if it was something I needed to fear. The forest seemed inviting and the noise of harmless animals inhabiting the surroundings echoed in the cool damp air.
I was about to take a step when I felt the telltale heat that alerted me to the fact I had werewolf company. Hiding behind the tree, I listened for any clue to where they were. The heat throbbed with warning. The werewolf was closer. I had no idea how many there were.
It could be the scouts or it could be a rogue, I reasoned with myself.
My fear increased when I couldn't pinpoint the location of the werewolf. I tried to quiet my breath. If I couldn't tell where the werewolf was, I was in a dangerous situation. How could I avoid a threat I couldn't see?
