Chapter 338 338
Maurice POV
I lost the pickup truck hours ago.
There was no choice left but to shift.
My wolf refused to yield control this time, and for once, I didn’t fight him. His reasoning was brutally simple this hunt belonged to him. She was our mate, and only the animal part of us could follow an instinct that raw, that consuming.
Some urges can’t be reasoned with. They have to be unleashed.
The downside was obvious. I had nowhere to stash my clothes. The only thing I could bring with me was my phone, clenched awkwardly between my wolf’s jaws as we tore through the land.
Tracking a fast-moving vehicle is never easy, but the open back of the pickup worked in our favor. Her scent clung faintly to the air barely there, fragile as a whisper. If she weren’t our mate, I’d have lost it entirely.
Even now, her vanilla scent was thin, diluted, fading more with every mile.
It leads us to a roadside diner.
Her scent strengthens briefly around the back of the building, tangled and chaotic. Cameras blanket the car park. I veer instinctively toward the trees, keeping to the shadows before shifting back into skin.
My wolf spits the phone out just in time.
I scoop it up from the dirt, wiping saliva from the screen before dialing Maxime.
“Alpha?” he answers instantly.
“Maxime,” I say, breath tight. “I need camera access. I’m sending my location.”
“What am I looking for?” he asks as I drop a pin.
“I’m at a diner. Her scent is everywhere. She should’ve left on the back of a pickup truck.”
A pause.
“I’ve got her,” Maxime says. “You’re not far behind wait…”
Dread coils in my gut.
“What is it?”
“She did leave on the truck, but shit. Something’s wrong.”
“Wrong,” my wolf snarls inside my skull, already pushing to shift.
“She was followed,” Maxime continues. “Four men. They chased her behind the diner. She ran. I rewound it when she comes back into frame, she’s being held. Covered in something. The footage is grainy, but it looks like blood.”
My heart slams against my ribs.
“Where is she, Maxime?”
“The truck leaves the diner… I’m tracking it—then it stops. Hang on.”
I hear frantic clicking, the dull thud of his fist against a desk. He’s hacking government feeds now slow, outdated systems compared to ours.
“Fuck,” he growls. “Alpha someone’s tampered with the cameras. I’ve lost the feed. Get back on the road. Can you see the truck?”
“I need to shift,” I snarl. “I’ll call you back.”
I shift mid-step.
My wolf stays tight to the road’s edge, muscles burning as we tear through the distance. Then I see it.
The pickup.
Parked in a layby.
I shift back, ensuring the road is clear before approaching.
Something’s wrong immediately.
The truck’s been moved. Skid marks scar the tarmac same tire width but they don’t line up. The vehicle’s been repositioned.
“Fuck.”
The driver is dead.
Beer cans litter the footwell. A vodka bottle has been deliberately placed in his hand. The scene is staged.
And I know exactly who did it.
New scents linger thick in the air sharp, dominant, unmistakable.
Damien.
I call Maxime again.
“Damien was here,” I say coldly. “Access his men’s phones. Where are they now?”
“They’re heading back to the royal family pack,” Maxime replies. “But some are still near you to the west. Aerial view shows… a quarry.”
“Got it.”
The quarry’s silhouette rises ahead.
I cross the empty road naked, shifting the instant my feet hit gravel. My wolf barely touches the ground as we race forward.
As we near the quarry, I see them Damien’s men.
And Gilles.
They’re bent over, collecting things from the ground.
My wolf sniffs the air.
Blood.
I force the shift instantly, terror slamming into me as understanding crashes down.
They’re gathering body parts.
But she’s alive.
I feel it. Deep, unshakable certainty. Maxime saw her leave the diner.
“She’s alive,” I breathe, more to myself than anyone.
“Ah, Alpha,” Gilles drawls when he notices me. “You’re late.”
I lock eyes with him and make a mental promise to snap his neck the moment I’m allowed.
“Where is she?” I snarl, stalking toward him.
“She’s with her brother,” he replies casually. “Four human males attacked her rent-a-thugs, I’d guess. Lucky I got there when I did.”
He lifts a severed hand, sniffs it thoughtfully, then drops it into a bag.
“Alpha Maurice,” one of Damien’s warriors cuts in quickly, stepping between us as my aura spikes. “We’re nearly finished. Alpha Damien ordered a full cleanup. Once complete, we’ll take you to the family estate.”
“What happened here?” I demand, my fury easing just enough now that I know she’s safe.
“She was in danger,” Gilles shrugs. “I removed the danger.”
My eyes sweep the quarry.
This isn’t just a kill site.
It’s a slaughter.
Does Damien even understand what this kid is capable of?
Another team arrives, hauling the remains away with practiced efficiency. When they’re done, there’s nothing left no trace of werewolves, no evidence for humans to stumble upon.
Gilles and the men climb into one of the vehicles.
One of them reaches for the driver’s door.
“I’m driving,” I growl.
I rip the keys from his hand and slide behind the wheel.
Every second matters now.
I slam the door, engine roaring to life as only one thought consumes me
Getting to my mate.
As fast as possible.