Paranormal Exists
1122 Words
Luke's POV
The night shimmered with tension as I cleared my throat, drawing the attention of Jake and Tyler. Our eyes met, realization dawning that we weren't alone in the company of our kind—Danielle stood with me.
"Sorry to interrupt," Jake tried to ease the tension.
"No harm done," I forced a smile, "just getting to know Danielle a little better."
Feeling the escalating tension, Danielle decided to diffuse it. "I think I'll get the next round of drinks. Does anyone need anything?"
Tyler, seizing the chance, shot a flirtatious wink, "I'll have a beer, thanks, sweetheart."
As Danielle made her way toward the forest-edge bar, away from the mounting animosity, I couldn't contain my frustration. "Are you all out of your minds? If you were any more obvious, we might as well flat out tell her that the paranormal exists."
"Tyler, why are you even still hanging around? Haven't you got other guests to entertain?" My gaze bore into Tyler.
Tyler's rage built as he retorted, "If your drama with Sam and your meddling, annoying little friends here," he glanced at Jake and the group, "wouldn't require my babysitting services, I wouldn't have to be around as much now, would I? What's your interest in Danielle anyway?" There was a hint of jealousy in his voice. "Rumor has it your parents are planning a grand party to help you find your fated mate. What are you wasting time on this human girl for?"
I, fighting to remain calm, replied, "My interest in Danielle has nothing to do with you. Why don't you run off with one of the many hungry she-wolves waiting for their turn with the famous playboy Alpha Tyler?"
Tyler took a step closer, his voice dripping with a newfound intensity. "Maybe my taste has changed, Alpha. Maybe I'd prefer to do the chasing."
As Tyler's words hung in the air, I began to shake with anger, questioning why Danielle, a mere human, was having such a profound effect on me. Anger surged through me, claws threatening to shift even in my human form.
Suddenly, Sam burst out of the forest, screaming about finding a body in the clearing. "I don't know what happened. It wasn't me!" she exclaimed, blood-soaked hands trembling. "Something must have attacked her."
At the mention of a human girl in the forest, and no sight of Danielle, both alphas ran in the direction, followed by their loyal pack members. The scent of blood thickened as we approached a horrific scene, both relieved and on high alert to find that it wasn't Danielle.
"Goddess, what the hell happened here?" Jackson exclaimed.
Tyler, regaining composure, whispered to me, "Let's keep this quiet. A few humans are here tonight; we don't need them catching wind of this. Jackson, go calm Sam down."
Turning to me, Tyler swallowed his pride and acknowledged the need to clean up the mess. "We need to handle this quickly. With so many humans here, and I don't need anyone stumbling across this chaos."
I, maintaining eye contact with Tyler, took out my phone without uttering a word. Dialing a number, I spoke with stern determination, "Yes, I'll drop a pin at the location. Mindlink me when you're close enough, and I'll meet you there." Hanging up, I turned to Tyler.
"My guys will be here shortly," I stated coldly, the air thick with an unspoken understanding between the two alphas. "I didn't do this for you. With my ceremony coming up, I don't need the extra attention of something like this happening at a party I was attending. We should wrap up this party and do damage control."
"I need to check on Danielle," I continued, looking at Tyler. "She'll be wondering where we've gone."
"Get someone to guard the scene. Once my guys are closer, I'll head back here, and we can tie this thing up," I added, the urgency evident in my voice.
Tyler nodded in understanding, concealing any hint of concern. He turned away quietly, resuming his conversation with his pack members to formulate a plan for damage control, not wanting anyone to notice that he, too, had an urgent need to check on Danielle.
I returned to our table with Jake, and though the party continued in full swing, an unshakable feeling of unease settled over me. Jackson's containment efforts seemed successful, but my focus was on Danielle. Something was amiss.
"Where the hell is she?" I muttered to Jake, my eyes scanning the area with increasing concern.
We searched the crowd, but there was no sign of Danielle. "Maybe she left," Jake suggested, attempting to rationalize.
"No," I said firmly, observing Josh still on the dance floor. "She wouldn't leave without him. I'm going to check the bar."
The bar, however, provided no clues. Danielle was nowhere to be found. A sinking feeling gnawed at me. Just as worry tightened its grip, a mindlink from Emily, one of my pack members, shattered the air.
"Alpha, there's a situation. The rogues were here. Too many for me to handle alone. They took Danielle. She was unconscious. They left in a black SUV."
A volatile mix of anger and worry surged through me. "Follow them," I commanded Emily, catching glimpses of her fear through the mindlink. "Emily, what's happening? Speak to me."
"Alpha, I can't follow them. Every car's tires have been stabbed," she reported through the link.
Frustration boiled within me. "For the love of the goddess, Emily, shift!"
She shifted, darting after the SUV. Urgency drove me to mindlink my pack members, conveying the dire situation.
"They've got Danielle," I relayed, the gravity of the words hanging in the air.
"Who does?" Jake asked through the link.
"The rogues. Everyone, car park, now," I ordered, my tone mistakenly coming through as a command.
As the pack mobilized, a renewed sense of urgency gripped us. Emily joined the link once more. "I couldn't keep up. They were heading north, and I lost them," she admitted.
"Get back here ASAP," I mind linked Emily, my urgency obvious through the link.
Addressing the group, I asserted, "We need to form a plan. We have to find out exactly who these rogues are and what they want with her. I'll call Tyler and find out if any of his men saw anything."
Emily arrived, running towards us. She shifted behind a tree, and Jake handed her a change of clothes. "I'm so sorry," she said to me, the apology hanging in the air. I was about to respond when we noticed Josh, his face drained of color, staring at us in shock.
Fuck! How much had Josh seen, and how in the world would we explain this to him?
- Writer
