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nReece

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nI had been asleep for around five hours when mom came to get me. It was just starting to get dark again. My Little Bunny had been missing for twenty-two hours now, but if my dream was to be believed, then I had seen the house she was in.

nI had no choice but to believe it. It was the same basement I had seen her in last night when I had gotten out of the shower. I needed to find that house, if I find that house then I find her.

nI wanted to try using the mate mark again. I was sitting in the chair in her room, reluctant to leave her scent, when I put my right hand over the mark she had left on me. I had seen it in the mirror when I went to the bathroom and washed my face following my attempt at resting.

nThe outlines of the mark had gotten darker. The crest in the middle was forming its picture, though it seemed to be different from the pack crest. And I could see the outline of the shape that surrounded it, the lines that flowed around it almost forming a three leaf pattern. It was a trinity symbol. I recognized it and realized that was the symbol that had been on the floor of the cellar she was in, sort of. That one was a trinity symbol but it had a circle near the tips of leaf branches. Funny her pattern is her name, the thought made me smile.

nI closed my eyes, inhaling deeply of her scent that lingered in the room and on my clothes. I pictured her, every detail of her. It didn't take as long to link with her this time.

nI saw her hanging limply from a chain in the cellar. I still could not see the other people around her but I saw her clearly. The back of her shirt had been cut open, her jacket ripped away and laying in tatters across the room. There were dozens upon dozens of red slashes and welts all over her back. The skin split open in several places. Blood was pouring down her back in steady streams.

nMy wolf and I were ready to kill every single person who had laid a finger on her. They would all pay the ultimate price with their lives. They had committed the ultimate crime, the ultimate sin against me. They dared to touch and defile my mate.

nI watched as it appeared someone was about to cut her down. One moment she was hanging suspended by her wrists, then the next she fell face first against the stone floor. I ran to her side, I wanted to hold her but I couldn't. I wanted to make sure she was alright.

nI knelt by her side, unable to touch her, As I watched her lay there, the sound of the people in the room began to fade, and with it, she began to cry. I heard her cry out my name while sobbing before she drifted into a fitful sleep.

nI opened my eyes, seeing Little Bunny's familiar room around me. I had seen the same basement this time. Every time it was the same. She had to be in that room. I just needed to find out where it was.

nI may not know where the house she was in is at, but I might know someone who does. But I'm not so sure that someone would want to help me out right now, we're not exactly allies. Not enemies really, but not friends either.

nFirst, I would need to gather my pack and explain everything to them. They needed to be prepared for what we were walking into. Then, I would need to call the alpha of the Black Canyons pack. He was not someone I had ever spent much time with, I didn't know what kind of man he was or if he would help at all. But I had to try.

nWhen I left Little Bunny's room I noticed that the house was a lot busier than when I had last been down stairs. I could smell and sense dozens of people, and they all seemed to be on the first floor. Fear and panic flooded me and I made my way down the hall and to the stairs.

nWas that dream a vision of something that had already passed? Did that happen a while ago? Have they already moved beyond the torture they were using on her then? Am I too late? These thoughts and more were running through my head as I moved down toward the crowd gathered in the formal dining room.

nThe table was full of men and women, all chatting in semi-hushed voices and working their way through the piles of food on the table. I could tell that Abigail had cooked the feast, the food was easy to recognize, but she had obviously done it in a hurry as it wasn't her best meal. Instead, the food was all things that could be cooked quickly and in large quantities. the group gathered around didn't seem to care.

nAmong the group I noticed Riley, sitting quietly near the head of the table, next to where I would sit. He was lounging in the chair, trying to appear casual and nonchalant, but it was clear that he was upset. The line of his body was rigid and the stiff set to shoulders and jaw was a tell tale sign. He was also not eating, instead he was watching the men and women gathered eat their food instead.

nHe lifted his head as I walked nearer to him. A tense look on his face.

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"Reece, how are you holding up man?

" I could hear the concern in his voice.

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"I'm going to kill whoever took her.

" I grimaced. My voice didn't shake, I didn't have emotions filling my voice, but still I felt as if I sounded like a broken man. I watched as the sympathy filled Riley's eyes.

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"Don't worry Reece, I'll make sure you get that chance.

" I saw the determination chase the sympathy away. Riley had a mate, he knew what it must feel like to be away from her.

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"How do you do it, Riley?

" I asked as I sunk into my chair, my head slumped forward as my shoulders hunched.

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"Do what?

" Riley was confused by my question.

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"How do you leave your mate? How do you live every day when you have to leave her at any time?

"

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"You've fallen for her hard, haven't you? I knew you would. It's not like we can deny the truth the Goddess gives us, Reece. She told you that Trinity was your mate but you tried to fight it. Now, when she is in danger, you've only just started building you bonds with her, am I right?

" I turned my head and glared at him as he lectured me.

"Looks like I nailed it in one. Look Reece, you have to understand that the Goddess doesn't make mistakes. When she tells you that your mate is right in front of you it's just a fact that you need to accept.

" Riley was always the immature goofy one of us, but having his mate around must have matured him somewhat.

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"I know.

"

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"Then why did you deny her?

"

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"Because I'm a damn idiot.

" I admitted to him.

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"I won't argue there.

"

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"Go ** yourself.

" I snapped at him jokingly.

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"Nah, I'd rather have my wife, it's more fun that way.

" He retorted. We both laughed for a moment as we watched the group around the table eat, but the laughter felt hollow to me.

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