6
DAYNE
Dayne had the worst night of sleep he'd ever had in his life.
It came close to equaling the night he'd found the bodies of his family and had dealt with the alpha who'd killed them.
Then as he'd fought to banish the faces of his family, he'd struggled with the knowledge he would never hear his sister's laughter, or them making fun of him about his obsession with a girl he'd only caught sight of for a second.
But with Talis missing, somehow it was even worse.
Or the not knowing was worse.
The things his mind cooked up made sleep impossible.
Her uncle could be doing anything to her. Things so bad he doubted she would ever tell him.
He hadn't missed the desperation in her eyes as she did everything she could to avoid having to talk about Glynn Merrick.
Which meant it was bad.
Dayne was getting the feeling it was much worse than even the things that'd kept him up most of the night.
The worse thing was they were still in Harbin.
They should've been in Dawley already, but Dayne hadn't counted on just how popular Dawley seemed to be.
Luka had called just about anywhere, but since Dawley wasn't a big town, and where they stayed needed to be close to the forests that neighbored Merrick lands, their options were limited.
In the end, he'd snatched the phone out of Luka's hand and called one of the biggest rental agents in town.
A promise to pay triple the rental cost of the closest house to the Dawley National Forest, and an interest in purchasing the home outright had finally done the trick.
Some group was no doubt being turfed out early to make room for Dayne's booking, but he didn't care.
This was an emergency.
Now they had a rental waiting for them, and all they needed to do was make the long drive down there and hope traffic wouldn't hold them up.
"Dayne?" Luka called.
He glanced up from his laptop at his beta stood at the door.
Dayne had no idea how long he'd been standing there.
If he'd knocked, Dayne didn't remember hearing it, and though he had his laptop open so he could do a bit of work while the pack finished up their breakfast, he hadn't touched the keys for so long the screensaver was up.
Although Luka had offered to bring him some breakfast, eating didn't interest him in the least. "What is it?"
"Just wanted to let you know everyone should be good to go in twenty minutes or so."
Dayne snapped the lid of his laptop shut and let out a sigh.
While he'd have loved nothing more than to kick everyone out of the front door at four in the morning so they could start the long drive to Dawley, he knew it wouldn't help them in the end.
Not only would it mean he couldn't make the stop he intended on making, but it was never a good idea to let wolves go too long without eating.
"Good. Let's-"
Just before there was a knock on the front door, Dayne froze.
He had the sense Luka had turned to the door as well, but he'd stopped paying attention to his beta. Not when he was paying attention to his nose.
Dayne was on his feet without remembering how he'd got there, and then he was shoving Luka aside with only one goal in mind.
On the way to the front door, he sensed the pack abandoning their breakfast to head in the same direction but didn't turn to confirm it.
His hands closed around the door handle, and he wrenched it open.
Waiting for him was a courier in his distinctive uniform, with a package in his hand. A small package.
"Dayne Blackshaw?"
Dayne took the package from him and turned away.
"If you'll just sign-"
He slammed the door shut without a word and returned to his office, where he placed the package on his desk. He felt eyes on him. Not just Luka's but the pack were there too, crowded in the doorway.
"Dayne." There was no hiding the anxiety in Luka's voice. "Maybe one of us should…"
Dayne tore the lid off the small box and stared at the contents.
Contents which smelled of Talis' blood.
Then he turned on his heel and stalked to the office door.
The pack scrambled to get out of his way as he continued past them and toward the kitchen.
Behind him, he felt Luka's approach, and behind his beta, the rest of the pack.
Dayne felt a coldness spreading through his veins, which warred with a blazing fire burning deep inside him.
Although his heartbeat was so loud in his head it was muffling Luka's voice, even though he couldn't be more than a couple of feet away, Dayne couldn't make himself care.
Everything felt distant.
Even the handle on the sliding glass door didn't feel real in his hand as he tugged it open. And outside, although the weather was cool, and he was only in a t-shirt, he didn't feel the slightest chill on his skin.
Dayne stepped down from the porch and headed toward the forest.
A few steps later, he'd reached a limber pine tree at the edge of the clearing.
There he stopped and curled his hands into fists.
The first punch sent bark flying. The second exposed tree sap. By the third, it was leaving blood on the trees, and that was when he knew he'd started bleeding.
And then he lost count.
Again and again, his knuckles met the tree.
Time slipped away, and the limber pine tree that had stood for as long as Dayne could remember tipped.
By now Dayne was getting the sense his hands hurt. He was even wondering if he hadn't broken his right knuckle, but even that failed to penetrate.
One final devastating punch and the top half of the tree split.
Dayne stepped back and watched it crash to the ground.
Then he released a breath, uncurled his fingers, and turned around.
His pack watched him with a mix of differing expressions. Most looked furious, and Dayne knew their anger was directed at Glynn Merrick because of what he'd done to Talis.
Jenna was crying. Not that he could see her face, given that she'd pressed it against Marshall's chest, but he could see her shoulders shaking.
Over Jenna's head, the fury in Marshall's eyes made him wonder if his third might defy him and demand he come to Dawley.
Regan was trembling with fury, though she had tears in her eyes.
He strode back to them.
"Get your things. We're leaving now."
And then, Dayne went inside to wash the blood off his hands.