He was just arriving at his post when his radio sounded. “You there yet, Rob?”
He unclipped it from his belt and put it to his face. “Yeah, Josh. What’s up?”
“You okay, man? Toby said Ariel called Krista early this morning and neither of them showed up for breakfast. Jack called and said he had to get ready for an early Skype call with Caldwell’s daughter, so he bailed too. It was just me, Dad, and Mikaela.”
Which meant Josh was itching to find out what had happened and hadn’t gotten any answers from anyone else.
“I’m fine.”
“So what happened? Why did Ariel call Krista away first thing this morning?”
“It’s nothing. I need to get to work. I got a late start.”
“You can tell me, you know. I’ve been there before.” Josh sounded sincere enough that Rob sighed.
“It’s hard. That’s all.”
“Because you want to claim her and can’t?”
“How’d you…” He paused, taking a deep breath. “Yes. I want to claim her. She’s my mate and it’s natural for us to want that.” He couldn’t help the defensive edge that crept into his voice.
“Hey, you don’t owe me an explanation, Rob. I know the need to take one’s mate is damn near impossible to resist. Just because you’re on meds to keep from tipping over the edge doesn’t mean you’re not faced with that edge every moment you’re near her.”
That was exactly it, and Rob felt like less of a failure getting this little pep talk from his older brother. “Thanks, man. I needed to hear that.”
“Anytime.”
“If you two lovebirds are through being all sappy on this channel,” Toby cut in on the radio, “then I’d like some help.”
Rob heard Josh chuckle over the airwaves. “Whatcha need, Toby?”
“Jack is M.I.A.”
“What do you mean?” Josh was all serious now, no teasing tone left.
“His tractor is parked, and I’m looking down at a pile of clothes beside it. Looks like he shifted and ran.”
“So?” Rob asked. He’d just shifted this morning and run. Sometimes they needed to let go of some steam and being one with nature was the best way to do that.
“So, I went to the office to meet up with Jack before coming out here to see if he wanted me somewhere specific. He wasn’t there, so I checked the log on his computer to see what time his meeting ended. He never logged into Skype this morning, which means he missed his appointment with the Caldwell chick.”
Rob’s insides turned to ice. His fingers felt numb as he slowly brought the radio up to his mouth. “Or he lied about ever having an appointment in the first place?”
“Now why the fuck would he do that?” Josh barked.
“Because he needs an alibi,” Rob mumbled, foreboding prickling his skin.
“Son of a bitch! Josh, this isn’t good. There are fucking needles here. I kicked his clothes around and they fell out. Looks like the shit that fucker is supposed to be taking for his aggression. And they’re still full.”
“Ariel,” he breathed. Rob heard cussing as he dropped his radio and ran to his mate, his legs burning with effort, and he prayed he would get to her in time.
Please, God, don’t take her from me.
Chapter Ten
Ariel walked to the main house, grateful that Krista had covered for her this morning. She’d wanted to let Rob calm down before approaching him, and a scene at breakfast wouldn’t have been the ideal scenario she’d envisioned, so she’d called Krista to vent instead. Thankfully, she didn’t have to ask her sister for immediate help. As soon as Ariel finished bringing her sister up to speed, Krista had insisted on her coming to breakfast at her cabin.
Toby had been sweet, too. He’d stayed and the three of them talked about everything and nothing, family and work. Ariel had been able to get a little better insight into the Woods men—hard working, loyal family who were well off financially, but didn’t let that stop them from getting their hands dirty—but she still hadn’t gained any more knowledge that’d help point the finger at the reason behind their ability to shift. She’d decided the only way she was going to get answers was if she did some digging in Thomas’s office. He obviously wasn’t willing to spill what he knew because if he were willing, he’d have told his sons a long time ago. But Ariel didn’t believe that Thomas just drifted through this life without seeking some answers. Her latest hypothesis was that Thomas had sought out the truth of his heritage and hadn’t liked what he’d discovered. If the news was that bad, why would he share it with his sons?