bChapter /bb66 /b

Adrian’s bPOV /b

bI’m /bing with you,” Garrett insisted, hisptop already half–closed as he prepared to stand.

I ced bmy /bhand famly on his shoulder, keeping him seated. “I need you here, monitoring their phonesb. /bIf anything changes–banything /bbat /bball /bI need to know immediately.”

His eyes darted between my face and hisputer screens, conflict evident in his expression. Finally, he nodded, reluctantly settling back binto /bbhis /bchair. TIL track everything. GPS signals, call attempts, text messages. If either of them so much as turns on airne mode, I’ll know about it.”

“Good. I squeezed his shoulder once before releasing it. “And Garrett? This isn’t just about pack business. I know what Nadia means to you.”

A flush crept up his neck, but he didn’t deny it. “Just bring her back safe, Alpha.”

The drive to the main gate was a blur of racing thoughts and worst–case scenarios. bAs /bI pulled up, Ryder was already waiting, his usually carefree demeanor reced by tense alertness. He climbed into the passenger seat before I’d fully stopped.

“What happened?‘ he demanded, buckling his seatbelt as I elerated again. b“/bIs it Skye and Nadiab? /bbAre /bthey in troublei?/ii” /ifndd19 Readplete version only at find~novel/fndd19

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, bjaw /bclenched as bI /bpushed the SUV well beyond the speed limit. “I don’t know yet. Neither of them is answering calls or texts, but their phones are still active in Boring.”

“That doesn’t sound like Nadia,” Ryder murmured, echoing my own thoughtsb. /b“She never bgoes /bdarkb, /bespecially not when you’re trying to reach her.”

bWe /bfell into tense silence after thatb, /beach mile bringing a heavier weight of apprehension. The desertndscape blurred past our windows as I pressed bthe /belerator further, willing the distance to disappear faster.

By the time bwe /breached Boring, morning had fully established bitself/b, the small town already bustling with its modest weekday activity. I navigated to bthe /bmunity center that Skye had photographed, parking haphazardly near the entrance.

Inside, the space told the story bof /bcelebration’s aftermath–chairs stacked against walls, floors bstill /btacky with spilled drinks, decorations drooping blistlessly /bfrom the ceilingb. /bbA /blone elderly man pushed a wide broom bacross /bthe floor, humming tunelessly to himself.

“Excuse me,” I called, approaching him with controlled urgency. “I’m looking for two women who attended yesterday’s wedding. One with silver hair, the other bwith /bshort ck hair. bHave /byou seen themb?/bb” /b

The old man paused his sweeping, leaning on his broom as he studied me with suspicious beyes/b. b“/bYou a friend of Jessie and bJake’s/bb? /bDon’t recall seeing you yesterday.”

Before I could respond, Ryder stepped forward, his expression molded into one bof /bboyish charm. “My fiancée bis /bfriends with Jessie. She came to the wedding yesterday but never came homeb. /bI’m worried sick about her.”

bI /bshot Ryder a withering look for the unnecessary embellishment, but it bseemed /bto have the desired beffect/b. The janitor’s suspicion melted into understanding.

b“/bAh, well, that exins it.” He nodded, resuming his sweeping with slow, methodical strokesb. /b“Wedding ended pretty early yesterday. bYour /bdy friends might’ve gone for drinks after–there’s that ce bcalled /bThe Watering Hole where your friend used to work.”

He provided directions to both The Watering Hole and bJessie’s /bhomeb, /bhis memory surprisingly sharp for someone his bage/bb. /bAs bwe /bturned to leaveb, /bhis bvoice /bbcalled /bus back.

“You boys heading to bsee /bbJessie/bb? /bShe ain’t home right now–she’s over at the hospital.”

My heart lurched. “Hospital? What happened?“/

bThe /bold man chuckled, shaking his head fordly. “That girl’s always been clumsy bas /ba newborn colt. Too much bchampagne/bb, /bbI /bbreckon/bb. /bbFell /bright boff /bbthe /bbstage /bduring her first dance, Split her forehead open something fierce.” He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. b“/bYoung folks bthese /bdays bdon’t /bknow btheir /bblimits/bb. /b

Ryder and bI /bbexchanged /bbnces/bb, /bboth thinking the bsame /bthing. bA /bwedding ident bserious /benough to require bhospitalization/bb, /bband /bbneither /bbSkye /bbnor /bbNadia /bbhád /b

bChapter /bb66 /b

bcontacted /bus?

b“/bbWhich /bhospital? bI /basked, already moving toward the bexit/b.

Only got one in Boring,” the janitor called after us. ‘Can’t miss it.”

We raced back to the SUVb, /bthe sense of wrongness growing stronger with each passing moment. Boring’s hospital was indeed impossible to missà ras–story building with “Boring General Hospital‘ disyed in bold letters across its facade.

bAs /bwe approached the entrance, Ryder suddenly veered toward a small gift shop. ‘Wait, he called over his shoulder. “We need to look like actual bvisitors/b.

He emerged momentster with a modest bouquet of flowers, their cheerful colors at odds with the dread pooling in my stomach. At my questioning lookb, /bhe shrugged. “Humans expect this sort of thing. We need to blend in.”

The reception desk was staffed by a nurse whose tired eyes suggested she was nearing the end of a long shift. She barely nced up as we approached.

‘We’re here to see Jessie, I said, deliberately keeping my tone light. “She was admittedst night after an ident at her wedding.

The nurse’s fingers moved over her keyboard, the clicking sound unnaturally loud in the quiet reception area. “Jessie Williams, room 204. She gestured toward the elevator. “Second floor, turn left.”

The hospital corridor smelled of antiseptic and illnessb–/bbscents /bthat assaulted my enhanced werewolf senses. I forced myself to breathe through my mouth bas /bwe located room 204, its door partially open.

Inside, Jessie sat propped up against pillows, picking unenthusiastically at what appeared to be hospital breakfast. A white bandage adorned her forehead, and a fading bruise colored her left cheek. Her eyes widened with surprise when she noticed us in the doorway.

“Oh my god!” she eximed, setting aside her breakfast trayb. /b“Adrianb, /bright? bI /bremember you from The Watering Hole! What are you doing here? Do you have family in the hospital toob?/bb” /b

Lblinked, taken aback by her immediate recognition. I’d only visited The Watering Hole twice during my reconnaissance of the area before Skye joined bour /bpack. The fact that she remembered me was unexpected.

‘I’m looking for Skye and her friend Nadia,‘ I exined, stepping further into the room while Ryder hung back near the door. “They came to your wedding yesterday. Have you seen them?”

irl Jessie’s face lit up withprehension, her eyes darting between Ryder and me with sudden interest. “Ohhh, bso /byou and Skye are together! That snea never mentioned she had such a hot boyfriend!” She winked yfully, apparently oblivious to the tension radiating from me. “So that’s bwhy /bbshe /bbdidn’t /bwant any of Jake’s cousins hitting on her!”

“Where are they now?b” /bI pressed, my patience wearing thin. “When did youst bsee /bthem?”