The Taking

Chapter 26

[Greyson]

My limbs, numb as the rest of my body, felt like stone-heavy, cold and unable to move. There was a kindling pain in the side of my chest that rippled throughout my body. I felt being pinned underneath a hundred ton truck. It hurt to just breathe.

I noticed that my body had transformed back to its human form while I was sleeping.

My arm rubbed against the side of my chest and I could feel a tight piece of cloth wrapped around my upper body. Then the ache made my memories came back as quick as the bullet had hit me in the chest.

Celeste!

A screeching voice made me aware of the environment around me. "You're part animal, why can't you sniff the thing out! It's been three days!"

"That rogue knew how to mask its scent within my territory. That's how he was able to get in and out undetected." Dad's gruff voice made me a tinge bit nervous, because what he said meant bad news. "We can't trace him; that rogue is very crafty."

Rogue.

The man in the woods, who attempted to hurt my mate, made every cell in my body scorching. My fingers wanted to feel its canine jugular pulsating in my grasp as I squeeze the life out of him.

He was going to pay for trying to hurt Celeste.

For the past week I've been sensing a strange disturbance while patrolling and it had been him all this time. I feel like an idiot not finding him sooner. Maybe if I had, Celeste wouldn't have been placed in danger. I'm glad she was nowhere near that stray now.

If only my body would comply with my desire to get off this really stiff bed.

"You've done nothing!" Celeste's mom voice was loud enough to break glass when she screamed. In the back of the room, two women were weeping. One more exasperated then the other. "She's gone again! I lost my baby again!"

Her exclamation had me holding my breath. What did she just say? For my father's sake I hope Celeste's mother was talking about her other children. Because if she was referring to Celeste...

"I can't take action without a plan. Our best chance is to wait for him to get better because he's our only chance of finding her!" Dad yelled back.

"We will save her. Don't doubt my husband, he isn't Alpha of this pack for nothing." Mom answered.

My body felt like it was shaking. Not from the cold, but my wolf was pressing into skull as if demanding I needed to get up. My senses analyzed the room. Because I couldn't move, I used my nose and ears to scan the perimeter of the house. By mapping out the whole house in my mind.

I can draw who is here and where they are. Everything felt the same except for one thing.

Celeste was nowhere.

My eyes forced themselves open and the light of the room burned my vision. My bullet wound protested when I moved, making me groan, which casted everyone's attention my way.

"Greyson!" My mom kneeled at my bedside grasping my head into her hands. "How are you feeling?"

Like crap. "Where's Celeste" I growled.

Everyone in the room went quiet. Their silence was enough for me to know the answer.

"Where the hell is she!" I looked at each person one by one with menace.

Celeste's mother faltered a little, but she reached back to hold Charlotte's hand to keep her feet planted where she stood.

"She's been kidnapped again." Celeste's mother muttered with hushed spite. "It's your fault for bringing her into this." She glared at me.