Mending the Beast (Awakening Pride #10) - Lacey Thorn Page 0,64

aware and we could make sure the necessary precautions are in place. I’ll make the announcement once we’re done here. Why?” Laramie asked.

“Because Rissa has a habit of sneaking off by herself all the time,” Holt offered. “I’ve caught her going off property more than once. I’m still not sure she understands where the boundaries are.”

“Or doesn’t care,” Slade muttered.

“Why don’t you just mate her and put an end to these games the two of you are playing?” Koby asked. “You’re as bad as Laramie, letting your mate lead you around by the nose.”

“Are you sure it was his nose she was leading?” Holt joked.

“Leave Slade alone,” Laramie ordered, but he was smiling. “I’ll make sure everyone knows as soon as we’re finished here. Slade, I expect you to make sure Rissa understands that means her, too. No running off alone. Especially our women.”

Considering the Holloways had once believed all their females had been killed off, Daniel understood that sentiment. Equally so as a mated man. He’d do everything to protect Ariel. And speaking of his mate.

“On that note, I should go find my mate,” Daniel stated, coming to his feet as well.

“She’s probably with Kenzie and the others,” Laramie offered.

Daniel shook his head. “No, Ariel’s not really a hanging out with the girls type of woman. She’d rather be alone than with a group of people. Especially ones she’s not familiar with. Hell, I think the only woman I’ve seen her with since we’ve been here is Rissa.”

Laramie’s phone rang. “Excuse me for a minute.” He stepped to his desk and took the call. Anger suffused his expression, and his gaze flicked between Daniel and Slade. Daniel’s lion responded to the look, a rumble rising from his throat.

“Easy,” Gabriel said, glancing at Daniel. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Daniel admitted. “Something’s not right.”

Laramie hung up then immediately dialed someone else, speaking briefly before disconnecting. He put his phone in his pocket and headed back to them.

“Hunting party was spotted in the national park. Milo said it looked like they were going parallel to our land. Said it looked like they were looking for something.”

“Where’s Rissa, Slade?” Daniel asked. The hair on the back of his neck bristled. His lion so close to the surface he worried it would break from his skin if he lost control.

Slade’s face lost color. “She likes to head to the clearing by the national park. Not exactly on Holloway land, but not completely off, either.”

“Shit,” Holt snapped. “That’s where we met Jaeda. My mate was running from hunters and cut through the national park thinking they wouldn’t follow her there. They did.”

Daniel surged to his feet. “I’m going to find Ariel.”

“I’ll go with you,” Slade offered, and they both turned toward the door.

“Wait a minute. We’ll all go,” Laramie said, and they quickly exited the room together. “Matheus is checking camera feeds now. We have cameras all through the woods. We’ll find Rissa and Ariel.”

They were just stepping outside when Daniel felt the ripple under his skin. His lion was pressing for dominance as a sense of danger filled him. He almost went to his knees as he felt phantom pain in his shoulder and thigh. He felt Ariel. Felt her fall. Felt her confusion and knew when it turned to panic.

“No!” The denial tore from his lips as he scented the air and turned to follow where his lion led. They had her. Hunters. On Holloway land. They had her and Rissa.

I love you, whispered through his mind, then he couldn’t feel her. A roar rocked the air, and he knew it was his. Someone yelled, but Daniel was already gone, lion bursting from human skin and taking off at a breakneck pace. He heard one of the bears roar behind him but paid little mind. He was only focused on one thing. Ariel and getting to her as quickly as he could. He followed his mate’s scent, tracking her to the point where tire tracks led away from Holloway land and into the park.

“Stop!” His brother’s voice filled his head. “A fully grown lion in a national park will incite panic and potentially get you shot. Not to mention what they’ll do when they got a load of me.”

Since his brother was a liger, Gabriel had a point. While Daniel stopped, a bear went streaking past, following the tracks without pause.

Laramie in Kodiak form roared beside them, but two of the bears kept going. Daniel figured one of them was Slade, and