Hunter's Heart (Alpha Pack #4)(10)

"Fuck me." Noah breathed. "As a nurse I've seen plenty of dead people, but nothing like this."

Ryon nodded. "Me, neither. Christ."

"Can't tell if it was a man or a woman," Jax observed. He coughed, holding a hand over his face. Not that it would help.

Rowan, Aric's mate, had been quiet throughout the search, until now. "Woman," she said, pointing. "Look how small the shoes are, and the laces are pink."

Noah arched a brow. "That doesn't mean anything. I have pink shoelaces."

Ryon shot him a grin. "So it's like that, is it? Shoulda figured." Noah winked at him and several of the guys laughed. The exchange dispelled some of the depressing atmosphere, but Nick wasn't amused.

"Focus, idiots. We've got a murder here and two more possible victims we need to find."

Sobering, Ryon crouched near the body and studied it. God, it was torn to pieces. Hardly recognizable as human, just shredded clothing here and there, clumped with bloody flesh and muscle, writhing with maggots. A sliver of garment that used to be white caught his eye, however. Reaching for a stick on the ground, he used it to lift the white strip of cloth from the clump.

"It's part of a bra," he said, then dropped the stick in disgust. "Rowan's right."

"There's her backpack," Micach observed. Everyone turned to look at it. "But it's strange that it's not torn up and there's no blood on it."

Ryon stared at it, chilled. "It might not belong to the this victim." He gestured to the mangled body.

"A companion?" Nick wondered aloud. "Or the woman who came to you for help?"

Just then, Ryon's eardrums were nearly shattered by a high-pitched wailing noise. "Shit!"

Bracing a hand on the ground, he searched for the source of the shrieking. He wasn't surprised to note that none of the others heard the racket. Nor was he shocked to see the spirit of the female victim sitting beside her own body, covered in blood, rocking as she wailed out her terror.

"Ryon?" Nick barked. "What is it?"

"The woman," he said hoarsely, pointing to the ghost they couldn't see. "She's there, screaming. She's rocking, too, staring at the blood all over her."

"Christ."

Ryon tried getting her attention, reaching out a hand. "Ma'am? Hello? Can you tell us your name? What happened to you?"

The wailing stopped briefly as she blinked at him. He hated that vacant stare. The mind that no longer was at home, working like it should. She couldn't make sense of him.

And just like that, she vanished.

"She's gone," he told them. He heard someone say "thank f**k" and silently agreed. "She didn't tell me anything."

Nick blew out a breath. "Okay. We've either got a crime scene or a grizzly bear mauling, but it's going to take experts to tell which one. I've got to radio Sheriff Deveraux, get the county folks on the way. Then we've got to find Miss Bradford before we run out of time."

At the reminder of the missing biologist, Ryon stood. Sniffed the air. At first it was hard to smell anything but the awful odor from the body, and he began to doubt he'd be able to pick up her trail again. But then it was there. Her sweet scent, beckoning him on.

"Daria was here," he told them. "I'm positive. Her scent is all over the backpack. I think it's hers."

They waited as he made a circuit of the area. Frustration grew as the scent faded in and out, weaker in his human form. His wolf snarled again, demanding to be unleashed. His companion could track her much faster, and he was getting hard to control.

He turned to Nick. "I need to let my wolf out. Tracking is too dicey in this form."

"And if the humans see you?"

"You can say I'm your pet. A wolf-dog hybrid. Please, we don't have much time to debate about it."

Nick hesitated, but gave in. "Fine. Put your clothes in your pack, and someone will carry it."

He heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

Undressing quickly, he shoved his clothes into the pack and immediately dropped to all fours. The shift happened in a blink, leaving him disoriented for a second. Never had it been so fast, and he knew the woman was the reason. Vaguely, he heard one of the guys exclaim over the speed of his shift, but he lost the comment amid the overwhelming scent of the female his wolf sought.

There was nothing now but her. The need to find and protect the woman. She wanted him, had come to him. No one else. He had to find her, to know why.

Forgetting about the body, he honed in on Daria's scent and bolted in the opposite direction of the trail, farther into the forest. She had discovered the body, and had run. He understood that something had frightened her into taking off, causing her to move in the wrong direction. Something more than just finding a corpse.

The tangible prickle was still in the air. Stronger now than before. He ran, the pain of his own injuries a distant memory, of no importance. Not when he was on the precipice of losing something monumental, something he couldn't name. And if she didn't survive-

No. That could not happen. He wouldn't allow it.

He ran so fast, he almost tumbled headlong over the edge of the ravine she had told him about. Skidding to a halt, he scrambled back from the edge and then peered over. Stared into the gorge and wondered how far she had fallen. Where could she be?