Mason âI'm coming with you,â Lanie said, grabbing up her clothes.
She looked manic, like she was about to come unraveled.
I | took her by the shoulders. âWe canât both leave,â | said, holding her gaze. We were wasting time discussing this. âWhat about Stella?â
Lanieâs eyes widened and she blinked hard, âI'll take her to my mother,â she said, nodding along like she was convincing herself it was a good idea.
âOkay, but we need to do this fast,â | said.
âYes..yes...â she said distractedly.
| carried the bassinet down the stairs as gently as | could while Lanie snuck into her motherâs room.
âMama, Selenaâs left,â she whispered. âWe're going to find her.â
âReally?â Julia said. She sounded equally upset and relieved.
â| need you to watch Stella,â Lanie said.
âOf course, of course,â she said. âGo now.â
| pushed the bassinet inside, and we slipped out of the house, not speaking as we stripped down and shifted, sn atching up our clothes in our mouths.
Lanie pawed at the ground where Selena had shifted, instructing me to pick up her smell.
| leaned down and flared my nostrils, taking in as much of the scent as | could.
âFind her,â | commanded to Colt.
And then we were off, Lanie and her wolf trailing just behind me. | knew she could keep up; she made that clear when sheâd followed me into the woods outside the cabin.
We ran and ran for what seemed like forever, weaving through trees until we were following the winding road that led out of our territory.
What the hell? Was Selena going into the nearest human city? | knew the way well after all those years of meeting up with Alice.
Lanie ran up beside me, seeming just as confused as | was.
Finally, the trees cleared, and we could see it. The human city lit up just beyond the tree line.
We crept along the edge of the forest until we feared we'd be seen, and then we shifted back and threw on our clothes âThere!â Lanie cried, pointing over my shoulder. âShe's walking into that barâ
My heart sank before | even turned around.
| knew exactly which bar she was talking about because Iâd met Alice there dozens of times.
| turned around slowly, and sure enough Selena was slipping inside. A sharp bolt of fury shot through me. She was barely seventeen. Why the hell were they letting her in there?
| glanced back at Lanie. She looked horrified. She was probably wondering the same thing.
âWe have to see who sheâs meeting in there,â Lanie said desperately, charging out of the trees.
| grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
âDon't act rashly,â | instructed. âOr someone could get hurt.â
She pursed her lips in a tight line and nodded.
| your back, okay?â | said, leading her out of the trees.
âI've got y Moments later, we were stepping into the bar, careful to stick to the shadowy corner by the door.
âOver here,â | said, waving Lanie toward a half wall that separated the main bar from the bathrooms and back storage.
We crouched down, peeking over the top. | hoped we didnât look too obvious.
âThere she is at the other end of the bar,â Lanie whispered.
| could just make her out at this distance. There was a larger man sitting next to her with his back to us.
âCan you tell who that is with her?â | asked.
âNo, but he seems familiar,â Lanie said. Iâd thought the same thing, but from this far away and with the lights so dim, | couldnât quite tell why.
And then he turned. Only slightly, so just his profile was visible. But it was unmistakable.
âOrion,â Lanie whispered.
Why the f uck was her sister meeting with my father?
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