Dane

Damien, Eric and I stand at the border of my pack. We had spent the day searching for clues in the hospital, his home, the forest and anywhere else we can think of. Ultimately, there is nothing. No blood, no hair, no footprints, not even a whiff of Klaus’s scent.

‘There has to be something.’ Aero mutters

‘We’ve covered the entire pack, there is nothing. Wherever he has taken Klaus, it’s further afield.’

“Where would Cooper take him?” Eric asks. “I doubt if he knows the area.”

“Then most likely, it is somewhere nearby.” Damien replies. “But it depends if Klaus is out cold or not. Cooper could be carrying dead weight or he could be making him walk. And it depends on what Cooper really wants. Is he sticking around because he has a target in mind? Or has he left, never to return, taking Klaus with him?”

“We expand our search.” I declare

“We need more people to do that and we need reliable ones too.” Eric puffs

“No we don’t.” Damien smirks. “We just need answers from one person.”

He turns and heads back through the forest. Eric cocks an eyebrow at me and shrugs his shoulders.

“Damien, wait.” I call after him

“It’s time to get some real answers, Dane. There’s only one person who we know that is definitely lying to us.”

“Samara.”

“We can smell her. We know her scent is getting stronger everyday. We know from Brax that she is lying. Maybe now it’s time to see how close to death she is willing to go.”

“She’s in denial.” Eric tells him.

“No she’s not.” I frown, “Damien is right. This is a game to her. I don’t know if she is trying to get information for her brother or what her end game is, but it’s definitely a game. I have seen too many idiots play games that they think they will win.”

We break through the tree line and head towards the dungeons when I freeze.

‘Do you smell that?’ Aero mutters

‘Yes.’ I could smell Neah’s lavender scent. She was supposed to be in the house, not out here.

The door to the dungeons is wide open with the lights on inside. The guard stands to one side. He bows his head as we approach.

“Is my mate down there?” I demand

“Yes. Was I not supposed to let her down?” He asks, confused.

“It doesn’t matter now, does it.” I snap

Hurrying down the steps. I find Neah standing in the dim light, staring into Samara’s cell. Samara is sleeping as is Blair, both completely unaware that any of us are here.

Neah doesn’t even turn to look at me as I approach. “I can hear her.” She whispers

I look in the cell at a sleeping Samara, curled up at the back as drool hangs from her mouth. Who the fuck shaved her head?

“She’s asleep.” I keep my voice low

“Obviously.” Neah mutters, “But her scent has been getting stronger and now there is no doubt about it, she is a Lycan, was bathing the boys and I was getting whisperings through a mindink. They weren’t really saying anything, just making sounds.”

She smiles, “A part of me thought it was Evrin trying to speak to me, because he already has his Lycan. But when I spoke back, he didn’t respond. So

I asked one of the omegas to watch the twins and followed the sound, it grew louder and led me here.”

“I don’t understand.” Eric frowns.

“She’s linking me without even knowing it.”

“Is that even possible?” Damien asks

I nod. Neah had linked me a lot while she slept. It was never intentional, but it still happened.

“What is she saying?” I ask

“Not anything that makes sense. Just mutterings. Now and again she mentions Cooper’s name but nothing else. Mostly it’s just sounds, whimperings. Almost like she is in pain.”

“Is she in pain?”

Neah screws her face up as she stares into the cell. “I don’t think so. Could she be dreaming, is that why she’s linked me?”

“Possible. Did you shave her head?”

Her blue eyes are full of surprise that

I had even asked the question. “No, that was Brax. He took her for questioning earlier. He didn’t find out anything. I’m assuming that’s why he did it. A punishment that wouldn’t really harm her. But he has been

busy with Maddie since sel haven’t had a chance to ask.”

“She lied about how she got out of the prison.” Blair whispers from behind us.

Everyone turns to look at her. She is sitting up against the back wall, her eyes focused on the ground in submission.

“What do you mean?” Neah asks

“When I met her, she told me she

killed someone in the bathroom, that was how she escaped. When I mentioned it to her after Abraxas brought her back, I changed bathroom to library and she didn’t even correct me. She was hysterical

about her hair at the time, maybe that’s why I caught her out. She lied to me.”

“Paybacks a bitch.” Damien winks at her.