Who to blame?

Who to blame?
Brad Pierson

I dropped to my knees, my claws digging into the dirt, my chest heaving. My entire body trembled with guilt and rage as I stared at the empty clearing where Shanella was last seen. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart.

“This is my fault,” I choked out, my voice cracking. “I should have stayed closer, I should have followed her until she was safe. I failed her.”

Tears burned my eyes as I pounded my fists into the ground. My wolf, Jerome, growled low inside my head, pacing restlessly.

Stop blaming yourself, Brad, Jerome’s voice echoed through my mind. We will find her. We will tear apart whoever took her.

“I can’t stop blaming myself!” I shouted back, both out loud and in my head. “I was supposed to protect her! I promised Alpha Ethan she would be safe under my watch, and now—now she’s gone!”

The rustle of heavy footsteps pulled me out of my spiral. Alpha Ethan emerged from the trees, his face like stone, but I saw the pain in his eyes. His aura as Alpha pressed down on all of us, the air thick with authority and grief.

“Brad,” he said in a low, dangerous voice. “Tell me everything. How did this happen?”

I swallowed hard, wiping at my face, but the tears didn’t stop. “I—I followed her to the edge of the human town. She said she just wanted to get coffee and clear her head before coming back. I kept my distance so she wouldn’t feel like I was stalking her, but I never lost sight of her.”

Alpha Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “And then?”

“She met Gwen there,” I said through gritted teeth, my hands curling into fists. “I saw them talking. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they didn’t look like they were fighting. Then Shanella left the shop, got into her car…” My voice cracked. “I followed her for a while, but she was driving fast, and there were too many turns. I lost her trail near the forest road. When I got there minutes later, her car was gone.”

Alpha Ethan’s jaw clenched, his eyes glowing with golden light as his wolf rose closer to the surface. “For sure, someone abducted my daughter. She wouldn’t just vanish.”

Jerome snarled inside my mind. Someone dared to take our Luna. They will bleed for this.

I stood, my own wolf energy sparking through me. “It has to be Gwen and Billy. No one else had a reason to lure Shanella away. Gwen was the last person seen with her. Who knows what she planned?”

Alpha Ethan’s gaze sharpened, but he didn’t immediately agree. “But what if it wasn’t them?” His voice was dangerously calm. “What if Terence had something to do with this? You know how obsessed he was with Shanella. He still wants to claim her for himself.”

I growled low in my throat. “Terence? That bastard doesn’t have the guts to strike this close to the Golden Fur Pack territory. He wouldn’t dare risk war between packs.”

“Wouldn’t he?” Alpha Ethan challenged, stepping closer until his Alpha energy forced me to bow my head slightly. “Desperate wolves make reckless choices. If he thinks taking Shanella will force her to be his mate, he might have done it.”

Jerome pushed forward, his voice a deep rumble. We need to smell the scene again. Maybe we missed something.

I nodded quickly, grateful for Jerome’s steady presence. “Alpha, let me track her again. I’ll find her scent and follow it until I collapse if I have to.”

Alpha Ethan’s expression softened for a brief moment. “Brad, I know you care for her. You’ve always been one of her fiercest protectors.”

“I love her,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe not the way Billy does, but I would die for Shanella. I cannot live with myself if we don’t bring her home.”

Alpha Ethan’s jaw tightened, but he gave a short nod. “Then do it. Find her trail. I’ll send scouts in every direction. We will search until we have answers.”

I shifted, letting Jerome take over. My bones cracked, my vision sharpened, and my paws hit the earth. Jerome threw back his head and howled, a long, mournful sound that echoed through the trees, summoning every warrior of the Moon Crest Pack.

We will not stop, Jerome promised, his voice a vow. We will not rest until Shanella is safe.

We sniffed the ground, catching the faint scent of Shanella’s perfume mixed with fear. My wolf snarled.

“She was terrified here,” I said after shifting back to my human form. “Her scent spiked. Something happened—someone was with her.”

Alpha Ethan’s eyes flashed. “Can you tell who?”

I closed my eyes and focused, inhaling deeply. Then my stomach turned.

“Gwen,” I said darkly. “Her scent is all over this place. She was here after Shanella. She must have followed her or lured her out here.”

Alpha Ethan’s face twisted with rage, and the power of his wolf rolled through the clearing. “Then Gwen has made an enemy of the Moon Crest Pack. If she has harmed my daughter, I will declare war.”

I nodded grimly. “Billy must know something. He’s been spending too much time with her. If he’s covering for her, he’s just as guilty.”

Alpha Ethan stared off toward the horizon where the Golden Fur Pack territory lay. “Bring Billy here. Question him if you must. But don’t kill him—not yet. We need the truth.”

I swallowed hard, my chest tight. “And if he refuses to talk?”

Alpha Ethan’s voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “Then we make him talk.”

Jerome’s growl vibrated through me, eager for blood. I hope Billy is innocent. If not, we will rip him apart.

I looked Alpha Ethan in the eye and swore, “I will find her, Alpha. I don’t care how far she’s been taken. I will bring Shanella home or die trying.”

Alpha Ethan’s shoulders tensed, then he placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. “I trust you, Brad. Go. Hunt. And if Gwen is behind this, make sure she regrets ever crossing us.”

I shifted again, Jerome taking control completely, and we shot into the forest at full speed, following Shanella’s scent trail before it grew colder. Every muscle in my body burned with determination.

Whoever took Shanella was going to pay.