TDA CH. 2 - FIND HER

*HERON'S POV*

Sensing my wrath, Forbes did to the guy, what I channeled to him through our mental link. He kneed him in the groin, sending him to the floor once more, clutching his mid area in agony.

He sputters from the blow and coughs as spit flies from his mouth. His face gives the most horrendous sight.

“Tell us what we need to know,” Sage angrily demands while he stands at my side. The strategy is ever the same. Forbes lunges and attacks the enemy, but Sages protects me by not leaving my side.

“She’s a troublemaker who doesn’t know how to behave for her own good,” the dark-skinned guy retorted as he leaned his injured frame against the wall for support. “We will find her.”

In my mind, I was thinking of the many ways that I wished to send him to hell. Feeling disgusted by their presence, I thought that they should all die. But they knew my mate and I had to get information to find her.

“As of now she is no longer your concern,” Sages snarled at the douchebag, “If you do find her before us, it would be in your best interest to hand her over.”

“And who the fuck are you to order us around?” The curly blonde-haired one with grey eyes furiously asked now that the pain in his groin was fading. He kneels and falters as he stands in the corridor.

“Your Alpha,” Forbes gritted, as his anger seeped.

They looked at me in my wheelchair and snickered with mockery. My wolf was prodding me to take charge and discipline these pups.

Forbes’ anger skyrockets. Like an eagle's claw, his hand seized the closest two by the throat, pulling them forward. Next, using his swift feet, he slams one of each into the other three guys' guts. The other two in his clasp struggled for oxygen. He brings his hands together so that they mightily bump their heads into each other, making them disoriented. Blood trickled from their foreheads. Then he drops them from his grasp as their bodies thud to the floor.

“We could do this all day, or you can tell us what we want to know,” Forbes slams his right fist into his left palm, cracking his knuckles.

A swarm of students begins to come out of their classes and also from the upper floors. Not wishing to make a scene or to draw unwanted attention, we had to move this out of the public building.

“Forbes, call two warriors to help you take these brutes to the dungeon,” I commanded, “Interrogate them there and get back to me.”

“There goes a good show,” Sage complains because he desired to see these guys get beat up. Though he understood that continuing the brawl here would get word to Alpha Hudson, my Dad. And that’s the last thing that I wanted.

Sage and I left Forbes to clean up and get the intel that I sought. My Beta drove me back to the cottage where we would stay until 6 pm for dinner with the family. Dejected, I went to my office and wallowed in self-pity.

My mate was my main priority. Having her run away from me lashed at my heart and boosted my insecurities. The whimpering of my wolf made me feel even worse, his dismay was also mine. How unfortunate that we lost her on the same day that we met her! Just when I felt that in her presence my life was beginning to become brighter, she left and took that light with her. At this point, since I needed an expert to track Charlotte, it was time to give Gamma Axel this function.

“Axel,” I mind-linked with authority. All wolves of the same pack can communicate telepathically once we are on pack grounds or in proximity.

“Cuz,” his stony response came seconds later. The surprise in his tone was well noted. “What can I do for you?”

“I need you to track and locate a girl for me. Her name is Charlotte Timberwood.” I said, getting straight to the point, because I needed him to start immediately. “She was last sighted at Luckingham College.”

 “Roger that!” He exclaimed with excitement because he was pleased to be on a mission at last. “I will get started right away.”

“I want daily updates,” I ordered.

“Do you want me to bring her to you?” He inquired.

“No, but her status is imperative,” I said before closing the link.

The cottage was a modest, cozy home that consisted of five bedroom suites and was owned by my family,  the Carters. It was close to a little lake and tucked away deep in the heart of the forest. While the façade had an aged and rustic appearance, the interior included modern furniture and amenities.

My beautiful Mate. She appeared to be a fierce woman who was 5’5 with long red hair, hazelnut eyes, and freckles underneath. She had a scar across her eyebrow and was tanned with gorgeous lips that begged to be kissed. Every nerve ending in my body experienced electric currents when they touched me.

“This is the first time that I have seen you smile,” Sage noted as he entered my office with a glass jug of lemonade.

“There was nothing to smile about before,” I said bitterly, annoyed that he felt the need to point that out. “But not because she is my mate does it mean that we will be together.”

“Then why do you hunt for her?” He pours some and hands me a glass of cool lemonade and takes a seat in the chair in front of me.

Such ludicrous! Doesn’t everyone wish to be with their mates?

“We are mates,” I gazed at the college’s pamphlet in my hand. “Naturally, we should discuss our future and intentions. I need her to tell me if she’ll be mine or not.”

“Alpha, your mate should be at your side,” Sage pointed out. I guess he was hopeful that Charlotte and I would complete the mating process, especially for the sake of the pack.

“Look at me,” I referred to my wheelchair, “What mate would want a guy like me?”

Sage’s puzzled expression showed that he was holding what he wanted to say. Instead, he drinks his lemonade.

“Let’s wait until we locate her and see what she’s up to.” I was hiding the thrill that was washing through me. My wolf eagerly wanted to see her. We both hoped that she would stay with us. Either way, I would never force her to be with me.

“Any news from Forbes?” Sages inquired, refilling his glass.

“Not yet,” I was equally anxious to hear from him.

When I first met my mate, I had no idea I would experience such a range of strange feelings. Although Mom and Dad frequently told us about it, experiencing it brought me to a new level. How could I miss someone I scarcely knew? Today was too overwhelming so I wasn't in a talking mood.

“Well, I am going to shower so that we won’t be late for dinner.” He exits the room and goes.

Left in my own thoughts, I decided to stick to a business major. That ought to quiet my mother for a while. But if they thought for one minute that I was going to attend face-to-face classes, they would have to deal with it.

My pack hardly saw me because I have been introverted since age sixteen, when I lost the ability to walk. I am eighteen years old and will be nineteen soon. Feeling insecure about myself was something that no one else in the pack could relate to. It felt like my whole life ended at that stage when I lost my ability to walk.

Now that I had seen my mate, the desire burned within my bones to have her. Truthfully, I hoped that she would elect to be my Luna. With her, maybe my life would not feel so much like a moss-filled ditch.

As reflections of her filled my brain, a smile graced my lips. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Hope fills me that Axel will not disappoint me. With his skills, I believe that some good news was imminent.

Being in the office for some time now, the hour went quickly. Sage appeared at the door holding a note.

“We received some news about psycho Ector,” he places the paper in my outstretched palm.

Undoing its folds, I read the written message with an evil smirk, “Let’s deal with this after dinner.”