To Feel Again [Welcome To Wolf's Peak]

Chapter Twenty-Seven - Adrian

A/N: This is the second chapter posted today. Please make sure you've read chapter Twenty-Six before continuing.

Adrian

"What the hell just happened?" I asked Niko. "Why did you yell at him like that?" I stood up to follow Owen out but Niko caught my arm and pulled me back.

"I didn't mean to. I've had a horrible day it's been one bad thing after another and I'm just tired. I'll apologise to him, but you should too. You yelled at him after I did." He crossed his meaty arms over his chest and quirked an eyebrow at me.

"I yelled at both of you actually," I admitted. "I hate feeling useless when I know there's a threat to us out there." I waved my hand at the living room window. 

Niko pulled me close and I chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, sorry. It's just, I never expected a big guy like you to be such a cuddler." I wrapped my arms around him and snuggled closer. "We really should go and find Owen. The longer he stays angry at us the harder it'll be to get out of the dog house." I forced myself to end the cuddling and pulled away. "Damn, Owen has the car keys in his pocket so we'll have to walk." He must have been in a very bad temper to have walked away with the keys. 

"Come on then," Niko took my hand and led me out of the house. "He can't have gotten far yet his scent will still be strong."

We followed his scent in the direction of home but we lost it just a little way from the house. "Where the heck did he go?" I asked and turned all around in a circle.

Niko left the road and peered through the trees. "Maybe he stopped to take a leak bef-" Niko cut off mid-word and dropped to a squat over a patch of muddy ground. "Someone was dragged through here, these drag marks in the mud were made by shoes."

"What?!" I rushed over to him and took a look for myself. "These are fresh, do you think...?" I trailed off not wanting to finish that thought. I didn't want to imagine that Owen could be in danger. I felt sick to my stomach and guilty as hell that the last time I'd seen him I'd been yelling at him.

"There are no other scents in the area," Niko said giving me a meaningful look.

"The hunters," I surmised. A cold pit of dread opened like a canyon in my gut. "We need to find him. Now!" 

"I'll link Bram and tell him to send out a search party. It won't be easy to find them. They're masking their scents and by the lack of a scent trail I'd say they're masking his too." Niko stared angrily into the treeline.

"You can contact whoever the hell you want to but I'm going after my mate." I grabbed a fistful of tee-shirt at the back of my neck and pulled it up and off in one smooth move then reached for the button on my jeans while toeing off my trainers.

"What do you think you're doing?" Niko growled.

"I'm undressing so I can shift and look for Owen." I pulled off my jeans and left my clothes under a low bush. I shouldn't be doing this out in the open but I couldn't care less if someone saw my naked ass right now. I started walking to the trees.

"Adrian!" Niko hissed. "Don't do something stupid!"

"I'm not going to but I can't sit back and wait for someone else to find him. It's not in my nature anymore." I let the shift take over and fell to four paws with an angry yowl before taking off into the trees. I hunted for fresh footprints and followed them cautiously. 

~Adrian! I'm giving you a damn spanking when I get you home for taking off like that. Wait for me!~

~I'm sorry Niko but I'm following their tracks. For hunters they're very sloppy.~