Ivory

EIGHTEEN*

Eighteen

I was racing through the trees, my bike at full throttle. Everything around me was a blue and I didn't care if Beth was following me. I was solely focused on getting back to the pack house.

John's words were playing in my head like a bad song on the radio. Over and over and over, on a continuous loop for the entire day.

"Rogues entered the territory," he had said frantically, "we held them off as long as we could."

"What happened?" I asked, panic taking a firm grasp at my gut.

"Natalia and Josh, they ran. Turned rogue and ran as far away as they could and the rogues followed after them."

Now, as I jumped off my bike, which went skidding into hole that opened in the ground, I found the others already waiting for me.

I instantly went into battle mode. "Monica and Hank, you go east for Josh. Devon, Harris and Fillip you patrol the border, and stay there until both of us are back, understood?" I ordered. They nodded, shifted, and took off to their respective duties.

I had tried to reach Natalia through the link, but I couldn't and I couldn't smell her anywhere. Even from this far I could catch the slight scent of her. So that would mean that she's completely cloaked herself.

My fingers began to sift through my hair, idea after pointless idea spinning around in my head. An internal battle was going on in my head, the only way I could find her was shifting, that was a given, but I needed to find her and I needed to know where she could be before that. I didn't have any contact with her so I couldn't find her off her scent because she didn't have one.

"Shit!" I swore, kicking the closest thing near me into the sky, easily clearing the forest.

But then it hit. I couldn't find her, but there was someone that always would. I was such an idiot for not thinking of the most possible solution ever.

I instantly ran into the house, past the small group of people who had gathered around me as I stressed out. I found him in the living room sitting between Brettly and a man that I didn't recognised.

My hand clamped down on his shoulder and I leaned down to whisper in his ear, "I need to talk to you."

Austin looked at me shocked for a moment but then I sent him a desperate look that he instantly responded to.

We walked out into a secluded area where no one would hear us, but I knew that Brettly had followed us. I didn't care, it wasn't anything that pertained to me, and he should know that his future sister-in-law was close the dying.

"What is it?" Austin asked when I stopped.

I was about the answer when Brettly's voice said behind me, "What the hell do you need my brother for? Anything he can do I can do ten times better."

My already short temper flared and an innocent shrub a few feet away combusted into flames. I turned him, my eyes as narrowed as they could possibly be. "Why the hell to do you think you have a chance of finding his mate when you can't ever find yours?" I spat, the venom and hatred dripping from my voice was as obvious as the bush burning beside us.

He stared at me with wide eyes and gaping mouth. I spun around to see much the same expression on Austin's face, only his was pinched with worry, sadness and confusion.

My anger ebbed a little, giving into empathy for him. I understood what he was going through, probably better than anyone else, but I also knew why she was doing it. I took a deep breath, trying to calm some tight nerves to explain the situation to him. "Rogues attacked my pack and Natalia and Josh ran away, becoming rogues themselves. The rogues apparently followed them and we need to find her before they do, and I don't want to know what will happen if we don't get there first."