Chapter 16
~Lincoln~
The ride to Tia was silent and took way too long. I tried my hardest to drive as fast as possible without
getting pulled over by human police. I hate that we have been away for as long as we have, and I hate
that we were away for the reason we were.
That was an ambush, pure and simple! The question is, who was behind it? I would bet it was mom
because she clearly stated that Tia is not who she wants our mate to be. A part of me is wondering if it
was the twins and not mom, though. I have no idea who it was, but I want to find out so they can be
taught never to try me like that again, even if it was my mom.
We finally pull into the apartmentplex, and I park next to Tia’s car. I wonder what happened that it
won’t start. Then again, it is an old car, so it’s no surprise. I will have to talk to Landon and see about
getting her something new and more reliable. Just as I’m about to get out of the car, a shiver goes up
my back, and I’m instantly on alert. Something doesn’t feel right. I step out of the car and take a look
around while sniffing my surroundings. Nothing really smells off; no rogues or anything.
Landon got out quickly and headed up to Tia’s apartment as soon as I pulled into the parking lot. I know
he is dying to see her, but maybe he is just as on edge as I am. I close my eyes and tap into the twin
bond that we have. I can feel anxiety and fear. Something has to be up if Landon is feeling off like I am.
I start to walk away from the car and head toward the apartment building. I walk slowly so I can keep
track of my surroundings. I don’t want to miss anything or anyone. Landon runs right up to me and
looks terrified. “She isn’t there.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you pulled up, something felt off, so I ran upstairs to check on Tia. The door was slightly open,
and herptop was out on the table, along with some books and papers. Her car and apartment keys
were on the counter, but no Tia in the apartment.” My heart starts to beat fast, and my mouth gets dry.
Tia isn’t inside? She told us toe to get her on our way back, so she should be here. From what
Landon described, it seems as if she left in a hurry.
“Can you smell her?” Landon closes his eyes and walks around the parking lot slowly. I haven’t been
able to catch her scent yet, and I’ve been sniffing the air for a while. There is no telling how long she
has been out of the apartment. I look at the asphalt to see if there are any visible signs of a struggle,
but nothing is there. There is no blood, no ripped clothing, no hair, nothing. This entire situation is
extremely concerning.
Landon opens his eyes and sighs. I don’t think he is having any luck. I can feel the frustration through
the bond, and I know that I feel the exact same way. Where is Tia? What happened while we were
gone?
Mate……mate needs us.
Can you feel her?
Mate…..hurt……hurry!
WHERE IS SHE?! Brutus seems to be able to feel Tia’s wolf, so she is alive, but if she is hurt and
alone, I need to find her. I close my eyes and concentrate on the bond I share with Tia and my wolf. I
snap my eyes open, and I know where to go.
I take off toward the tree line that’s behind the apartmentplex. “What is it? Where is she?” I don’t
stop to answer Landon. Something tells me that we are on borrowed time. We need to get to Tia
immediately, or things are not going to be good.
I hit the tree line and look around. I don’t see anything out of the ordinary then it hits me. I can smell a
trace of Tia’s scent, along with a rusty smell. Blood! I take off running into the forest. I follow the scent
of blood and my mate, praying to the Moon Goddess that the blood isn’t hers. Something inside of me
is telling me to be prepared because I’m not going to like what I’m about to see.
I continue to run into the forest, and the smell is getting stronger. I turn to the left, then to the right. I run
a bit more until Ie to an open area where the trees are sparse; there are just a few fallen logs. On
one of those logs is my mate. She is barely recognizable, with open wounds and blood everywhere.
I run to her and fall next to her. I gently touch Tia, afraid to hurt her more. I can barely hear her
heartbeat, and her breathing is much too shallow. I gently stroke her cheek, tears pooling in my eyes.
“T….Tia? Tia can you hear me?” There is no response. I look up just as Landon makes it to the
clearing. He takes the sight of us and immediately pulls his shirt off and brings it over. Heys it on top
of Tia and presses his fingers to her neck.
“She is still alive, barely.”
“We……we have to get her back home. She needs help.” I’m having trouble speaking with the lump
that is in my throat. I want to scream and cry, but I want to help Tia.
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“We can’t make it back to our pack with her like this. She may die on the way.”
“DIE?! She can’t die! We have to help her….we have to do something!” I’m starting to get hysterical,
and I can feel Brutus bucking in my head. He is itching to get out, but he’s torn between finding who did
this and dragging his mate to a hospital to be saved.
“Calm down brother. We won’t let her die. The Moonlight Pack is not far from here, 20-30 minutes
West. Let me call Alpha Brenner and see if we can bring her there.” Landon steps away, and I hear his
phone beeping. I trail my fingers down Tia’s arm to grasp her hand in mine. I hold her hand gently, not
wanting to let go but also not wanting to hurt her.
“It’s done. He said we can head there. He will alert the guards to let us in and lead us straight to the
clinic. We need to hurry though because we don’t know how long she has been like this. All of these
open cuts are concerning; they should be healed or healing by now.” I don’t respond. I stand up and
gently pick Tia up. I hold her close to me, careful not to exacerbate her injuries. I hurry through the
trees to get to the car. We have to get her to the clinic as soon as possible. I put Tia in the backseat
with me,ying her head on myp. Landon jumps into the driver’s seat and takes off. “Don’t worry,
baby. I won’t let you go. We will get you help.”