Chapter 934 Chapter 934
He’d walked quite a way on two feet before shifting, trying to sort everything out. This Kiloh just decided a woman was to be his mate and, without thought of their real mate, tried to mark her. When he’d remembered Rhogue telling them about hitting him with a skillet, he now understood what was happening, and it made him see red. So, he’d walked a bit more until he was able to settle himself down. Another man had put his hands and mouth on his mate.
Shifting was always seamless for Webb. He didn’t know if it was that way for all shifters, but for him, there was no pause or concentrating. It happened as natural as anything else he did. More than once, he’d thought about how some of the other clans did it. The smaller ones and especially the fliers. How did their human-sized bones turn into something smaller? It was way beyond his understanding of anatomy, or was it skeletal structure? He had no idea.
Shaking, he felt his bear move to the front. Often, he just let him, but right now, they didn’t have time for slow-paced wanders. His bear stretched up the tree and dragged his claws down it. That made Webb focus harder on staying in the lead this time. He could mark every damn tree in this vast bush and it wasn’t going to change the facts.
Dropping to the ground, he looked toward the gully. It would be sketchy for him to go down into it, but he’d manage it. Unfortunately, Kiloh was a jaguar, and navigating the dangerous terrain would be easier for him. His bear grumbled, and images of him crushing a jaguar popped into his mind. Shaking his head, he let the animal know they couldn't just crush another shifter. His bear relayed indifference to that.
He started to run. It would be considered a jog to several of the other shifter clans. His kind could get up to about thirty miles an hour, but they weren’t built to do that for long, though, so he wasn’t going to try to. Once he was closer to the gully, he’d slow down and see if he could find any trace of Kiloh. He knew the scent of most of those that would be in this area, so a stranger should stand out.
None of this was happening in any way he’d ever thought. Not that he'd admit it to any of his male friends, but he’d thought about his mate a lot in the last few years. It was hard not to when it seemed like every time any team went out, someone found theirs. Now he had found his. She was very smart and beautiful. He loved her outlook on things. She was the type of woman that he knew he could take home to meet his family without any issues. Even his four sisters and two brothers would be okay with her not being a full shifter. His family was pretty great that way. His mother was the coordinator for all bear clans, and he knew she’d met a few that couldn’t shift and still believed they held an important role in the communities. He knew Rhogue would be accepted, and she was so much better than the faceless mate he’d pictured in the past.
He stopped and let his animal process what was happening around them. Nowhere in any of his moments of daydreaming had he ever considered the current situation. Finding his mate marked by another male. His bear shook briskly, and Webb started walking. It would be better if he just kept his mind on searching. Anything else was just going to stir up his bear, and even though he hadn’t lost control of him since he first started shifting, he didn’t want to chance that happening.
When he’d come up with this plan to go down into the gully, he hadn’t thought about the part where he had to get out of it. His animal was too heavy to take the cleared paths. They were too slick. He just kept sliding backwards. After a few failed attempts, he’d had to walk to the furthest area from where he’d come down and go back up using the rocks that were buried in the earth to get enough traction to get back up. He still hadn’t picked up the scent of any shifter. He needed to get back to the walkie and get an update. If Cassius’ man, Cahir, was keeping watch from the air, he could give them a direction by now. He didn’t see the jag turning around and going back to town, not if he picked up Rhogue’s scent at the house, and he had no doubt that he had found it.
Just the thought of her made his animal find better traction and move up the incline with sure footing.
Pulling his pants on, he got his phone to check the time. He’d been out for two hours. It hadn’t felt that long. He glanced at the gully. Apparently, he hadn’t made it up as fast as he thought. He looked across it in the direction he knew the green house was. If this guy were a jag, he could run that distance about six times in two hours. So, where was he?
Going over, he got the walkie out of his boot and turned it on, making sure the volume was turned as low as possible.
Grabbing the rest of his clothes, he started back toward the factory. His stomach rumbled. He should have brought a snack. He knew better than to head out without something, but then again, he wasn’t thinking very clearly.
“How many Jag clan are here?”
It was Gia. He stopped moving and stared at the walkie.
“Three.” It was Blaise. “Shaelan, Calum, and Cypher.”
“Is Cypher black?”
“No. Why?”
“I just caught a glimpse of one heading through the trees on the East side. Black. It is definitely not Shaelan. Her coat shines, and she has no scars. It’s not Calum either.”
Webb turned and looked East. Lifting the walkie closer to his face, he pushed the button. “How far out, Gia?”
“Uh, a good fifteen-minute run.”
He had no idea where she was watching from, but knowing Deacon, he had her high in a tree where she’d be safe.”
He nodded. “I’ll head that way and check it out.”
“I’m sending Blair and Noah that way with tranq guns. Webb, Squawk the mic if you spot him.”
“Okay.” He looked at the walkie. He had no idea what squawk the mic meant.
“Is Cassius out?” It was Gia again.
“He is,” Blaise answered.
“Okay, I thought it was him. Large cougar, not far behind Kiloh.”
“Look up, Gia, you’ll see a falcon overhead.” It sounded like Bane talking.
“Yes, he’s closer to Kiloh than Cassius.”
“Cassius will be following Cahir to find him.”
Webb looked at the sky. It was a smart plan.
“Calum and Wynter have spotted Pike and Clayton,” Blaise reported. “They’re still a long way from the factory but are heading this direction.”
“Let me know if I’m needed there.” It was Tripp.
Webb wasn’t in charge of anything but supplies, but that didn’t stop him from lifting the walkie again. “Stay with Amari and Rhogue.”
It was silent for a few seconds. “Copy that.”
Wrapping his shirt around his neck, he started jogging. This body was able to jog for an hour before needing to pause. If Kiloh was this close to the factory, he had to be found and stopped.
Webb knew Amari would keep Rhogue safe, no matter what. She was good at coloring outside the lines, even erasing them when needed, but there were kids at the factory, too, and every single person there would do anything to keep them safe, even Rhogue and Amari.