Chapter 134: Wild Dogs

Chapter 134: Wild Dogs
Magnus’s POV

The moment he caught her scent, Magnus’s heart nearly burst. His Little Wolf. Sweet, warm, impossible to mistake for anyone else. He remembered that smell more than anything else in this world.

She was here. Somewhere. He could almost feel her in his arms already, laughing at him for taking so long to find her. His grin split wide out of nowhere.

But the clearing around him told another tale.

Blood and bodies. And her clothes, ripped and scattered like the result of a violent attack. Magnus’s grin faltered quickly. Now, his chest felt heavy, his mind tumbling through possibilities faster than he could catch them.

Best case? She escaped. She ran into the forest, free and alive, and maybe—just maybe—waiting for them at the edge of it.

Or maybe someone had saved her. Some kind heart pulling her away from this massacre before worse could happen. But then, why hadn’t she returned home? Why hadn’t she come back to them?

Magnus’s jaw tightened. Another thought clawed at him. Maybe she hadn’t run. Maybe she had been taken after all. Maybe whoever did this dragged her farther away.

But who could it be?

The idea alone made his blood boil. His fists curled until his knuckles cracked.

And then suddenly came the worst thought of all—the one he tried to push away but couldn’t. What if she was already gone? What if all they were chasing was her shadow?

He bit his lip hard enough to taste blood. “Fuck that,” he muttered aloud.

But another thought rose too—one that made his wolf stir in a way he didn’t understand.

What if Meredith had been the one to do this all along?

Magnus stared at the dead werewolves scattered across the ground. The violence. The sheer force of it. Whoever killed them had been massive, merciless. A wolf who had wanted them to be more than just dead.

It was insane. Yes. And unlikely. But… not impossible. After all, his Little Wolf coming into his life had made everything possible.

His grin returned faintly, trembling as he muttered under his breath, “Could it be you, Little Wolf? Did you finally find your wolf?”

Xavier’s voice cut through his thoughts. The Beta was crouched by another body, his eyes narrowed.

“You’re thinking it too,” Magnus said, his voice low.

Xavier didn’t answer at first. But the flicker in his eyes was enough. He was considering it too.

Magnus leaned back on his heels, looking out into the dark forest beyond. His wolf bristled.

“If she really shifted…” Magnus whispered, half to himself, “then everything changes.”

He didn’t know if it was hope or dread twisting his stomach tighter.

His wolf growled louder. He needed answers.

Now.

His gaze slid toward Alexander. The doctor stood a little apart, pale under the moonlight, his hands clasped behind his back like he was trying to keep them from touching anything in sight.

Xavier turned his head at the same time. They didn’t need to say anything. Alexander already knew what they wanted from him.

“You’re the one who saw her last,” Xavier said quietly. “You checked her before. You know her body. You’d know if…” He trailed off, his jaw tight.

Alexander exhaled a long, weary sigh. His shoulders slumped, as though he were carrying a weight far heavier than his years.

For a moment, he didn’t speak. And then, finally…

“Yes,” he admitted. His voice cracked faintly, but he didn’t look away. “There’s a high chance Meredith did this. All of it.”

Magnus’s chest jolted. A small laugh bubbled from his throat.

“My Little Wolf…” His grin split wide, his eyes glinting. “She finally found her fangs...”

Xavier didn’t smile. But relief showed in the way his shoulders straightened, the way his wolf’s energy flared inside the bond.

His eyes softened for just a second. “She’s really stronger than we thought,” Xavier murmured.

Magnus rubbed the back of his neck, still grinning like a boy who had just heard the best news of his life. “She can protect herself now, then,” he added. “Even without us. She’s not that weak anymore, right?”

For a moment, the carnage around them seemed less grim. Pride swelled inside Magnus until it nearly lifted him off his feet. He could see it—his mate, claws bared, standing tall against whoever had dared threaten her.

But the thought was bittersweet too. If she didn’t need them to shield her anymore, then why had she left at all?

Magnus shook the thought away, clenching his fists. “We’ll find her. And when we do, she’ll see. We’re not letting her go again. She might be strong enough to fight, but stupid enough still to just leave us...”

Magnus suddenly reached for the fabric and turned it over in his hands, bringing it close to his face. The scent was hers. There was no denying it.

He could almost imagine her peeling herself out of this, her small frame trembling, her fair skin giving way to fur and claws.

Alexander cleared his throat softly, drawing both their gazes.

“It’s hers,” the doctor confirmed. His voice was measured, but there was something underneath it. Something he wasn’t saying.

He gestured at the scattered shreds. “The way it’s torn… this is what happens during a shift. The body outgrows the fabric, rips it apart. That’s what you’re looking at here.”

Magnus’s grin widened. “I knew it. She really shifted.” His heart drummed wild against his ribs. “My Little Wolf finally—”

“But why now?” Alexander cut in gently, his brow furrowing tightly. “That’s what troubles me.”

Magnus blinked, his grin faltering slightly. Xavier stepped closer, folding his arms, his eyes narrowing on the doctor. “Go on…”

Alexander tilted his head, as though sifting through the right words. “First shifts… they usually happen under extreme pressure. A threat to life. Fear. That could explain it.”

Magnus felt his wolf bristle. “She was in danger, obviously….” The idea of Meredith cornered, terrified, all alone made his jaw clench hard.

“Surely,” Alexander said. Then, slowly, his lips curved in a small smile. “Or maybe it wasn’t fear for herself. Maybe it was… something else. Or someone else. That’s a thought I’m trying to dig deeper into.”

Magnus blinked, caught off guard. “Someone else? What are you saying?”

Xavier’s voice was steady, but a shade sharper. “Who would she protect out here?”

Alexander only smiled again, that same curve of lips. It was as if he carried a secret he wasn’t ready to lay bare.

His blue eyes glinted under the moonlight as he murmured, “That’s the question I’ve been asking myself too.”

Magnus’s chest tightened, his wolf scratching at him from the inside. He hated riddles. He wanted straight answers. But at the same time… the thought that Meredith had shifted not for herself, but for another—out of instinct or out of love—made his heart ache.

Her mother and father were dead. So, could it be her sister, then?

“Of course, My Little Wolf…” Magnus whispered. “Always fighting for someone more than herself.”

Magnus was still chewing on Alexander’s damned riddles when Xavier finally broke the silence.

“We don’t have time for this,” Xavier said flatly, his eyes hard as steel. “We can’t stand here all night arguing over possibilities. Meredith’s out here. Human or wolf. We must find her now.”

That was the Beta for them. Always cutting through the doubts, pushing forward, never wasting a second. And damn if Magnus didn’t admire him for it.

“Then let’s move,” Magnus said, already stepping ahead. His wolf surged at the faint thread of her scent still lingering on the wind.

So they pressed deeper into the forest. The moon hung high, silver light spilling through the trees, casting long shadows. Each breath Magnus drew pulled more of her into him.

Later, the ground softened underfoot. Soon, the steady sound of rushing water reached their ears. A river cut through the trees ahead, its surface glittering like glass in the night.

Magnus crouched low near the bank, his keen eyes scanning it. His fingers brushed the dirt, tracing something.

“Tracks,” he muttered. His pulse raced as he leaned closer. “Wolf prints…”

Xavier knelt beside him, his sharp gaze following the trail.

“Not just a wolf,” he said grimly, pointing at deeper imprints gouged into the ground. “Boots. At least three sets.”

Magnus’s teeth clenched. He knew what that could mean. It could even worsen the already bad plan they had. Alexander paled beside them, but said nothing, his eyes darting nervously toward the shadows on the opposite bank as if he had seen something there.

Magnus’s nostrils flared. He inhaled deeply, ignoring the stink of blood and rot lingering in the air.

“She crossed here,” Magnus said quietly. He stood and pointed to the other side. “My Little Wolf must’ve gone that way.”

Xavier’s jaw flexed, and his eyes sharpened. “Then that’s where we go.”

They were about to step into the river when the atmosphere shifted. Magnus’s wolf bristled first, the fine hairs at his nape rising. The night went too quiet. No crickets. No owls. Just the river’s little hisses.

Then they came. Figures slid out of the forest like smoke, stepping from behind trees and boulders until the four of them were surrounded.

Magnus’s throat rumbled. His claws itched to burst free. “Xavier…” he muttered low.

“I see them.” Xavier’s tone was clipped. His posture hardened.

Then Magnus’s eyes caught movement, and his heart dropped. One of their own warriors was there, shackled and half-dragged at the rear of the group.

Silver chains bit deep into his wrists, glowing faintly under the moonlight. The stench of burned flesh hit their nostrils.

“Bastards,” Magnus spat, his eyes flashing red.

The hunters held the warrior like a trophy, and when they finally stepped into the light, Magnus saw the one who led them.

A scar carved across his jaw, twisting his lips in what looked like a sneer.

The scarred man tilted his head, his dark eyes glinting sharply. “Well, well…” His rough voice carried across the clearing. “And what are these wild dogs doing in our world?”