Insight

At six in the morning, Flint’s cell phone rang. The office was still dark as the sun slowly lit up the window. He awoke in a jump and grabbed the device off the desk.

“Alpha Flint Dolan.” He greeted the caller just before he sat back down on the sofa.

“Johnny Bass. Checking in.” The warrior stated.

“How’s the search going, kid?” Flint probed.

“I haven’t found anything yet, but I have a good team. We’ll find it.” He replied.

Flint sighed. He knew they hadn’t found anything. Johnny’s mindlink would have alerted him.

“Any hiccups for the fresh team leader?” Flint asked.

“None yet. I’m keeping them on track. I’ll be as strong as you are, after all this running and hunting.” He stated.

“Uh-huh. We’ll see.” He smiled sarcastically.

“Any word on Eve?” Johnny probed.

“Nothing new. Her condition seems the same, according to the tracker.” Flint answered.

“Damn.” He sighed before he was distracted by something.

The Alpha listened to one of the warriors ask for instructions. He smiled when he heard an authoritative tone in Johnny’s voice.

“East. Take two with you. No one goes alone and no one leaves the ten mile radius before we regroup. I should NOT have to repeat myself again. I shouldn’t even be doing it now. Go.” His voice was muffled, but completely audible.

“Wow. Someone is getting used to giving orders.” Flint chuckled.

“What can I say, my Alpha taught me how to be an asshole.” Johnny quipped.

“I’ll take credit for that.” He smirked.

Flint moved to sit at his desk. He turned on his computer monitor. The cameras he’d set up were constantly streaming. This was his view from the cliff, when he’d found Kirkwood. Except his lenses were stationed firmly on the cabin in the distance.

“How’s your mate?” Flint probed.

“Safe. Close by.” Johnny answered.

“Good.” He nodded stiffly.

The computer beeped. Flint looked at the notification. He had a report from Peter in his email. He streamed the camera feed to the television on the wall, before opening his inbox.

“I got to go, kid. Keep it up. You have to find that vine.” He stated.

“Yes, Alpha.” Johnny answered.

Flint hung up and looked at the information on his screen. Peter had sent a full, three page report. It began by describing the Shadow pack members and their habits. He learned about how they lived.

They gathered for drinks and dancing on many nights. They played as hard as they trained, and they trained constantly. Bastian was often there. He walked around like he was the Alpha, giving orders.

Flint scrolled until he saw a note with Eve’s name on it. His mate was seen at a few of these events, but she usually stayed away from the others. There was a young woman, Peter mentioned, who always seemed to be near Eve. She had colorful hair and the tracker said she couldn’t be more than eighteen years old.

He nodded thoughtfully as he skimmed the rest of the information on the page. It made sense to him that Eve would find someone among the rogues to help her. Flint knew his mate was cunning enough to make some enemies her allies.

He paused as he came to the page about Eve. Peter indicated that he hadn’t seen her eat since arriving. She was only being given food by Bastian and the young woman with the colorful hair. She ate with it with a spoon and Peter couldn’t tell what she was being given.

Flint clenched his fists. This was worrisome to him. His continued reading. Eve was going for runs on a daily basis. She always emerged from the cabin in wolf form. She entered again the same way after her exercise. Bastian was always with her and the young woman joined them on occasion.

"Bastian was always with her." The sentence angered Flint beyond belief. It was true. He knew it. But seeing it noted on the page filled him with a kind of frustrated rage. The last few sentences gave him pause. Everything around him seemed to screech to a halt.

I attached the photos of the area and the Shadow members that I’ve managed to collect. In a second folder, I sent pictures of Luna Eve. I couldn’t get many, but I sent everything I had.

Flint re-read the words again before scrolling to the bottom of the email. There were two folders of attachments. He clicked on the one labeled Luna.

His breath caught in his throat as he clicked on the first image. It was her. His mate. Eve. She stood on the back porch of the cabin with a protective hand on her now round stomach. Her long, blonde hair was in a high ponytail. She wore a gray hoodie and a pair of dark sweatpants.

Her eyes were sad. She looked conflicted and lonely. The sight of her made Flint’s chest ache. He felt for her in his mind. Her link to him was still closed. But through the pack mindlink, he could still feel her. She was safe.

He moved to another picture. Eve was standing in a room upstairs, looking through the window. Her straight, honey colored hair hung over her shoulders. Her electric blue eyes held anxiety in them. Eve looked tired. As if she hadn’t slept all night.

The next picture showed Eve laughing at the young woman with the colorful hair. Her hand was a blur as she moved to cover her mouth. The sight of her smile made Flint smile in return. It was comforting to know her every minute wasn’t terrible. She’d taken a moment to be herself; even if it was just a moment.

The following picture made his heart skip a beat. Eve had her arms crossed over her chest. She was leaning on the railing to the deck. Her face was turned toward the camera. She looked tense and anxious. Bastian stood with her.

He was very close to her. His hands were on the railing on either side of Eve. He was bent, as if he were whispering something to her. The smirk he wore was flirtatious and sharp. Flint ran his hand through his hair, pushing it back. The growl welling up in his chest was nothing in comparison to the snarling beast in his mind.

Since Eve had opened her link to StarLight, Flint had focused on her. The more he did this, the more he felt her. Something slowly began seeping into the feeling of her. It felt like static surrounding her. It was there every night and often times during the day.

Bastian. This sensation was somehow related to Bastian; Flint just knew it. He had no reasoning behind his hunch, but it infuriated the Alpha none-the-less. He clicked on the next photo, hoping it would calm him. It didn’t.

It was night and Eve was standing near a small bon-fire. The flames obscured the view but he could see the silhouette behind her. It loomed over her shoulder, examining her profile. Eve looked calm and determined. Still, something in her cyan blue eyes called out for Flint.

Her mate could feel it as he gazed at her. His heart was thundering in his chest and his wolf was growling loudly in his mind. Flint stood abruptly and grabbed his clothes off the back of the door. He got dressed quickly and looked over the pictures again.

Seeing no cure to the ache in his chest, Flint decided to leave the office. He could be of use somewhere, even if it wasn’t at HQ. He drove to the athenaeum, thinking over the notes Eve had sent him. She had given him answers in the form of riddles, and Flint was determined to decipher them.

He couldn’t save her. He couldn’t approach her. He couldn’t even talk to her. The photos of her had given him some piece of mind, while adding to his unease and frustration. He had to make progress in some direction, any direction. Flint felt like he had to, or his own frustration threatened to tear him apart.