Ella and the Beast

Chapter 3-2

Seven days later, Ty was in the Olympic National Forest again. This time, though, he wasn’t alone. He and Tracy watched from above as Peterson knelt at the bottom of the pit he had marked off with orange tape. Peterson stood up and frowned.

“You know, this would have been a hell of a lot easier if you had contacted us five weeks ago,” Van complained when he came to stand next to them. “Peterson, you find anything?”

Peterson looked up and shook his head. “Nothing,” he replied. “I wasn’t expecting any scents, but it would have been nice if your mate would have left something behind, Ty. Are you sure she is real?”

Ty scowled. “Yes, I’m sure,” he retorted in a blunt tone. “I wouldn’t have wasted your time if she wasn’t.”

“They’ve just started, Ty. Give them time,” Tracy said, laying her hand on his arm.

“She’s right,” Van replied with an easy grin. “Peterson and I always did love a challenge.”

Ty shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and nodded. He watched as Peterson started climbing back up the ladder they had placed in the pit. His eyes narrowed when Peterson suddenly released a soft exclamation.

“Well, well, well, maybe the Goddess is looking down on you after all, Ty,” Peterson crowed with a grin.

“What is it?” Tracy asked, watching as Peterson reached into a twisted bundle of roots along the side.

“Just the first piece of evidence that your baby brother isn’t as crazy as we thought he was,” Peterson replied. He held up a dirt-encrusted bracelet in his hand before he moved it under his nose. “Protected from the rain and weather, oh, you sweet little jewel. I have a very, very faint scent!”

“Let me see it,” Van demanded, leaning over the ladder for the wide leather bracelet. Fine threads of braided hair, colorful stones, and wooden beads decorated the unusual piece. “Oh, yeah,” he said, holding it to his nose and drawing in a deep breath. “Slight, but there.”

“Let me have it,” Ty said, reaching for the bracelet. He held it to his nose. While his sense of smell wasn’t quite as good as a wolf’s, it was still pretty damn good. He drew in a deep breath and held it, allowing the very faint scent to wash through him. “It’s her.”

Ty lowered the bracelet and stared at the strands of golden brown hair woven into it. It was the same color as Ella’s hair. His fingers closed around the evidence proving that he wasn’t dreaming. He looked up when Van, Peterson, and Tracy came to stand around him.

“Now what?” he asked in a gruff voice.

“Now, we hunt,” Tracy replied with a grin.