To Come Together

Chapter 19

Nick's POV

I know something's wrong as soon as I get home. Layla's laptop is destroyed and I can tell that she's not here. I try mind linking her, but get no answer. I leap into action, mind linking the pack to tell them. I get immediate replies and the pack is instantly at the house.

"What's going on,"Rose asks and my heart breaks when her face falls. She already got her daughter taken from her once and now it happened again.

"It was like this when I got here. I can smell Derek and Layla faintly. They've been gone for at least 30 minutes."

"What do we do,"my dad asks and I know that this, as serious as it is, is a test. A test to see what I'll do in an emergency, especially one that involves my mate.

"I want the best trackers on the scent. Mind link us if you find anything." They call out yes alpha and take off. "I need someone to figure out what's on that laptop. It must be important if Derek took his time to destroy it. The rest need to keep trying to mind link Layla."

My dad nods at me and I head into my room and break down as soon as I get there. I think back to the first time I met Layla. She was so shy and kind. Her bright, violet eyes and angle like blond hair. Oh god, I miss her.

"Are you okay?" Mackenzie asks, putting her arms around me. "Look, we'll find her."

"I just don't think that I can live without her. She's my whole world."

"I know. We'll find her and lock this son of a bitch up. I promise." I hug her and she pulls away. "Now, let's get to looking."

"Mackenzie?"I call out and she pauses in the doorway. "Are you going to go back to the army after we find Layla?"

"I don't know Nicky. I don't know."

........

I slam my fist on my desk. It's been two weeks and we still haven't found Layla. They haven't even been able to recover her laptop. I grab the picture of us on our wedding day. I could tell that for once she was really happy. We both were. How did I lose her so quickly?

A sharp pain goes through my ankle before going away. I know that it's Layla's pain. Not mine. I marked her on our honeymoon and now we can both feel each others pain. Feel each others emotions. I try mind linking her again. Nothing. Darla found traces of wolfsbane in the living room and figured that Derek injected Layla with it. That stuff can block the signal for at least a month. Sometimes only a few days, but that's almost impossible. Only a few wolves have been able to push past the pain and force a mind link.

I just hope that Layla can push through it sooner. I don't know how much longer I can last without her.

"Alpha,"a voice speaks over the mind link. I recognize it as Xavier, one of our best trackers. "We found a house and Derek's and Layla's scent is everywhere. We haven't entered yet."

"Okay, don't. I'm coming. Send me the location." I strip off my clothes and shift, painfully. Since Layla and I are so far apart, it's more painful to shift and the longer we are apart, the harder it'll get.

I run up to the house and change into a pair of shorts that one of the guys hand me. I spot Sean, Jared, Ashley, and Mackenzie, and walk over to them. Our parents are at one of the pack houses. I ordered them to stay there, not thinking that I could handle seeing their expressions if we don't find Layla.

"I smell her,"I say taking a deep breath before rushing over to the front of the house. It's a small, grey, one story house and would look like an everyday house except that it's in the middle of nowhere. Literally. I must've run over a hundred miles of just forest before getting here.

I walk up to the front door and notice that it's open. That's not good. I walk in and see a bare living room that has nothing but a chair. An empty kitchen and dining room. It looks like it's not even lived in. I walk into the only bedroom and cringe when I smell it. It smells and looks horrible. There's an old mattress and a bucket that I don't want to even know what's in it. I can smell Derek, Layla, and another familiar smell.

I hear Mackenzie gasp and double over. I rush toward her and she stands up straight.

"Are you okay?" She nods, tears in her eyes.

"I smell him. Eric." What? That can't be.

"Alpha, there's another door,"a pack member calls out. As I get closer, Layla's and Derek's smell gets stronger. I walk down the stairs and spot him immediately. Derek is laying in a pool of blood, dead. What the hell happened?

I go back up the stairs and silence washes over us.

"Trackers, follow Layla's scent. She can't be too far. Wait though. I'm going with you."

"Why? Are they not here?"Xavier asks and I head to the front door, grabbing Mackenzie along the way.

"The only person here is dead."