Forgotten

Chapter 29: Lost

Again, this chapter hasn't gone through my beta. lol. I figure I've been really bad about updating for nearly a year, and this is my way of making it up to y'all.

Rylan:

"Dad?" I shoved their bedroom door open, glancing inside. My dad sat up, instantly alert.

"What's wrong?" He listened as he got up, moving almost soundlessly to his closet to pull some clothes on. Once I was done explaining, he ran a hand through his dark hair. "Get the boys ready. We're going hunting. We've been watching him for a while."

"Yes, Sir." I jogged back up the stairs and to my room.

Paris and Tucker both perked up as I stepped through the doorway. "Are we tracking?" Tucker asked, his eyes serious.

"Yes. My dad says we're all going."

Cedric made a noise in the back of his throat, quickly speaking up. "But we can't just leave Alex here alone. We've seen what happens when we aren't around."

I leveled a glare at him. "You have your orders. We'll leave her downstairs with the others who are staying behind." The guys grumbled as they got up, but none of them bothered to throw clothes on. Lexi's eyes got huge as they all filed out of the room. "Let's head downstairs, Lexi." She bit her lip uncertainly, but followed me downstairs.

As I left her in the kitchen, she surprised me with a hug. "Be careful."

"Always, Lex. And I'll make sure they others are careful as well." Dropping a kiss on the top of her head, I followed the others out the back door. I glanced back at her one last time before shutting the door and shifting. White fur was covering my body, and then I was a wolf. There was no magical shimmers or popping noises, like I'd read about in a couple of books. It was a seamless transition.

Shaking out my fur, I trailed after the others, letting Tucker take the lead. Paris dropped back so that he was following us. We'd done this quite a few times before, so our hunting formation came easily.

We got a ways from the house and my dad led us towards a small, brick building. He shifted so quickly that we barely saw it. "This is the house we've tracked him to. So far, we haven't been able to pin anything illegal on him, so we've just been watching him. Be quiet, but find his scent so that we can track him." He started to turn around, but added over his shoulder, "Oh, and boys? We want to bring him in for questioning, not kill him."

~11-4

Once he'd shifted back, we split up, sticking to groups of two. Unsurprisingly, it was Paris and Tucker who picked up the scent first. With a short howl, they took off, weaving through the forest behind the house.

The trail wound through the forest and to a freeway not far away. It didn't seem like he'd gotten into a car, at Paris led us alongside the quickly moving cars. We were careful to stay out of sight. We continued to follow Curt's scent, but I was beginning to think we weren't going to be able to find him today. My need to get back to Lexi made my skin crawl and I sneezed once.

Quickly shifting, I called a halt to my guys. My dad would probably get mad at me for calling off the hunt, but I had a bad feeling. "Back home."

My dad shifted as well, staring at me for a moment. When I met his glare, not backing down, he replied, "You'd better have a good reason for this." I didn't bother with a response.

Alex:

Sweat dripped down my face, mingling with the few tears that had escaped. My insides vibrated as I attempted to see where I'd been taken. I wasn't sure if he was stupid or just cocky, because there was an open window and I was alone in the room. My brain was foggy, as if I'd been drugged. Could I even get drugged?

I looked around the room, taking in my surroundings. The single bed was unmade, and the red blanket on top looked like it had been made into a next. The faded white dresser was shoved under the window. It was almost like whoever had taken me was asking me to escape.

My hands were tied behind me with sturdy rope, but that was the only way I was restrained. I glanced down at the rest of me, glad that I wasn't naked. I faintly remembered becoming a coyote, but obviously I wasn't now. Maybe whatever drug they'd put in my system had forced me to shift back? A large t-shirt covered me to mid-thigh. It didn't look familiar, and I knew the guys would be ticked off if they could see me now.

Obviously the person who had tied me up hadn't been a boy scout. Weren't they supposed to be legendary for their ability to tie a knot? I tugged my wrists a little, feeling the rope give a bit more as it slid down. A little more wiggling and the rope fell to the floor just as the doorknob started to turn.

Faster than I thought possible, I kicked the rope under the bed and flopped to the floor in the position I'd woken up in. A thin, bald man with a dark goatee stepped into the room, followed by two coyotes. Both of the coyotes watched me intently, their golden eyes shining. The man's polished boots squeaked on the hardwood as he moved closer. "Ah, good. You're awake. I just wanted to let you know that as soon as the moon is up, we will be married. Well, as married as two dogs can get." He chuckled low in his throat, creeping me out.

Using my stomach muscles, I sat myself up. I scooted backward until I was pressed against one of the posts of the bed. He leaned closer, inhaling deeply. One of the coyotes stepped closer as well, but I had nowhere to go as he invaded my personal space. I whimpered, cursing myself for being so weak.

The man chuckled again, dropping to the bed. "You're probably wondering why I don't fear that you'll run away..." He let the question hang in the air, waiting for me to voice my interest. When I didn't speak, he continued, "Well, you see... I have insurance that you'll do as I say."

Holding a tablet in his fingers, he dropped the screen into my line of sight. A tall man with sandy blonde hair stood in a small room. His heart shaped face was familiar to me and it took everything in me not to react to the sight of my dad.

"No? That doesn't move you? How about this?" He swiped a finger against the screen, changing the image to another small room. It was identical to the first with nothing but a small bed in it, only this time, there was someone on the bed. A woman with long red-blonde hair was curled up with the pillow clutched to her chest. Her shoulders shook, and I felt myself responding with tears in my eyes. He was right. I couldn't go anywhere without my parents.

My hip started to burn and itch. I barely suppressed the urge to rub at it as the man's smile grew. "I think we have an understanding now, don't we?" I didn't want to say that he'd never get away with it. Isn't that what good guys always said when they'd been kidnapped? Would Rylan and the others be able to find me? My hip burned even more and I whimpered. The man nodded his head once, and then called for his minions to join him. "I believe our work here is done, boys. Let's go. We have more preparations to make before the moon comes up tonight."

A/N: Thanks to everyone for their comments and votes. I've read and reread everyone's comments for the past two days and they bring a smile to my face and make me want to write faster. :) Y'all are amazing!