Mara stared at the woman. Her wavy hair draped over her shoulders. She had a dark spot near her right temple. From a distance, it looked like a small strawberry. Mara recognized her from the news report of the missing woman last week. Why is there a shifter restrained in the hospital?
Someone shouted from down the hall. A different voice. Someone else screamed, but it was quickly muffled as if something covered their mouth. Then all fell silent.
With a bad twist in her gut, she checked the other rooms. The doors were locked, and a few of the beds were occupied. She couldn’t tell if the men in the beds were the missing shifters that had been reported. By the time she reached the silver double doors, she’d counted four people in the rooms. All tied down and behind locked doors.
She pulled out her cell phone, she had to call someone. The police? Something had to be done. A quick glance at her screen, and she wanted to scream. No service. It was like a bad scene from a scary movie.
She heard two men talking on the other side of the double doors. They weren’t coming closer, or at least their voices weren’t getting louder. Mara eased the door open slightly and peeked through the crack. A heavy curtain hung between her and them. Pushing the door open a little more, she was able to get a better view. Two men stood over a patient lying on a surgical table.
“He’s got good genes. He’ll make a fine specimen.”
Mara recognized Dr. Phenix’s voice.
“Are we adding to it?” the smaller man asked from beside him.
“We’ll harvest first. Haven’t you been paying attention? There’s a process to follow,” Dr. Phenix snapped with obvious irritation.
“Yes, doctor.”
Mara eased herself away from the door. She’d seen enough to know this shit wasn’t right or legal. These patients obviously didn’t sign up to be here. She needed to get these people out of here. Since she couldn’t call for help, she was going to get help. She quickly spun around, hurrying to the elevator. On the way, her shoe squeaked on the tile floor like sneakers on a basketball court. It made a noise so loud it immediately made her nauseous.
Panic surged through her as she rushed the rest of the way to the elevator. Surely, they heard her shoe noise. When she reached the elevator, she jabbed the button ten times, hoping it would open faster. The moment it did, she jumped inside and pressed herself against the wall out of sight. She heard the footsteps coming down the hall, but she wasn’t about to look out to see who it was.
After repeatedly punching the number button for her floor, she held her finger pressed on the close door button. She prayed for it to hurry. Close, close, please close. Thankfully, the door slid shut just before the men made it to the elevator. Thank fuck. She sagged against the wall and continued trying to beg her phone to pick up service, but nothing happened.
On the way to the third level, she finally got a signal but debated between calling the police or the local shifter pack. If shifters were involved, it might be a little too much for the police to handle. Since she didn’t have the alpha’s number, she needed to look up the recent news reports on the web. They had listed a number to call with information.
Sliding into her chair, she rolled over to the desktop set up in the cubicle corner. She was typing frantically, the article popped up just as the elevator doors opened. Not wanting to be heard, she punched the number into her phone but decided to wait until she got to her office before making the call. She noted how low her battery was in the red. Shit. She hadn’t charged it when the hospital called her to fill in for Dr. Phenix.
“Dr. Phenix is looking for you,” Sarah said.
“He’s here?” She looked behind her, expecting him to walk up to her any second.
“No, I literally just got off the phone with him.”
“I’ll call him when I get to my office.” She tried to keep her emotions in check. Fuck! Did he know she was snooping?
Mara went into her office and locked the door behind her. Her hand shook as she tapped the dial icon. Just as the phone started ringing, someone walked slowly by her door. Whoever it was didn’t stop or try to come in.
Chapter Two
Everyone talked amongst themselves as they sat around the meeting room. They’d just gotten back from a pack run. Xeon observed them for a minute. Two of his pack mates had gone missing in the last month. He’d called a meeting after another shifter, not in his pack, had disappeared. Shifters of different species were vanishing without a trace too. Something had to be done.
He searched high and low for his sister, Trina. He hadn’t seen or heard from her in a week. No evidence existed of her being taken, but she wouldn’t just disappear. It wasn’t like her to go a day without at least calling him. Add in the fact that other shifters in the area were missing, and it was clear something happened.
“Attention,” he called out above the noisy pack. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him. “I called this urgent meeting because we have a problem within the community. In light of the new missing shifters, I’m in full belief that someone’s taking them. You must be vigilant when you leave the compound. Travel in groups or at least in pairs. Report anyone you see that’s suspicious.”
“We haven’t gone out since Trina went missing.” Elena pointed to herself and her best friend, Isabel.
“I would prefer all our women stayed home. Though, I know that’s not possible for those with jobs outside the compound. Travel in pairs, and you should be fine. No one goes out alone until we find out who is doing this and stop them.”
“Are we still having the pack’s Halloween party?” Isabel peeked from the other side of Elena.
“Let’s just focus on finding our pack mates.” Xeon could not believe they were worried about the party. To be honest, if Trina were here, that’s where her mind would be too.
“What are you doing to find them?” Old man Harry asked from the back of the room.
“I’m working with the police, so we’ll be included if they find any leads. Meanwhile, I have a small team out searching for any trace of them, but without having a bonded mate, it’s nearly impossible.”
“Nearly?” Colby asked with a brow arched.
“We’re doing everything we can possibly do. I’m determined to find them. Just remember to travel in pairs, keep your eyes open, and watch each other’s back.” Xeon stood and looked at everyone in the room. “I know it’s been a long day, and many of you are tired after searching. I won’t keep you any longer. Meeting adjourned.”
One by one, everyone filed out of the room, except Kyro, his beta. He stayed behind with Xeon and propped his feet up on the table. Xeon plopped back into his chair.
“Way to keep it all serious.” Kyro interlaced his fingers, put them behind his head, and leaned back in his chair.
“It’s a serious matter. We can’t all be fun-loving and joke about everything.” Xeon narrowed his eyes at his beta. Kyro was the largest man in the pack, with a frame like a bodybuilder, which was why he was the beta. He was also a guy that loved to have a good time. That was fine. He wasn’t raised with the responsibilities that Xeon had since birth.
“It’s not good to be serious all the time. You need a little fun in your life.”