This time, they had even less to go on, and every day without progress felt like another crack in an already fractured plan.
On his next turn, he slammed his fist against the bookshelf and growled. Where the hell had the female gone? They hadn’t found her in Chicago, nor did they know where she had gonefrom there, leaving them chasing shadows and clawing for scraps of information.
Frustration festered, sharp and stinging beneath his skin, while the pangs of inadequacy burned in his gut. He’d pressed every boundary, worked every angle, but he continuously came up empty-handed.
Short of using Sammy’s pain as a shortcut by turning him into a magical GPS—a line he refused to cross—he had explored every option. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he should be doing more, no matter what logic whispered.
If their timeline held, they had less than forty-eight hours. Find Valerie, secure the relique, free Sammy—every minute counted. The stakes glared down at them, impossible to ignore. Failure wasn’t just a threat. It hovered, suffocating, nearly inevitable.
Dominic flexed his shoulders, feeling the strain in every muscle. When it came to Sammy, failure was not an option.
A low creak from the hallway broke the quiet, and Dominic turned mid-stride to find Thierry standing beyond the threshold.
“Figured I’d find you here,” he said, eyes flitting over the chaos Dominic’s pacing had left behind.
“Did you find something?” asked in lieu of a greeting.
Thierry’s nostrils flared as he stepped deeper into the room. He shrugged, brusque. “No. Nothing. Not a damn whisper.”
Dominic bit back a curse, knuckles whitening as he gripped the edge of a shelf. The contents trembled slightly. “She didn’t fall off the face of the fucking planet.”
Thierry snorted, a rough sound that cut through the stale air. “Yeah, well, I agree it’s damn odd we’ve got nothing.”
Dominic didn’t miss the edge in the wolf’s tone, and his gaze sharpened as he asked, “What are you implying, T?”
Thierry’s jaw tightened as he jerked his chin toward the hallway.
“It’s been nearly two weeks, and we’re still spinning our wheels. I mean, doesn’t it seem a little off to you that her son shows up out of the blue, needs your help, and only you?” His words were hard, clipped, echoing the suspicion in his eyes. “Now we’re all caught up in this…whatever the hell it is.”
The words hung between them, cold and brittle.
Dominic understood why the male thought that, and frankly, he had expected the confrontation sooner. Thierry had good reason to be distrustful, but this wasn’t the same thing, and frankly, he didn’t appreciate the insinuation.
“This isn’t like before.”
“You’re right. It’s worse. At least last time you didn’t know better.” Thierry barked a bitter laugh, a growl rumbling beneath it. “That changeling’s turned you inside out, and you—”
“Sammy,” he said, his voice calm but steely. “His name is Sammy.”
Thierry’s laughter melted into a sigh, and he shook his head, disappointment etching the lines of his face. “See? You’re not listening. Not to me, not to reason.”
Dominic straightened, shoulders squared, alpha presence filling the room. “Then spell it out for me, T. What are you really saying?”
“It’s too tidy. Too damn neat.” Thierry exhaled sharply and raked a hand through his hair. “How do you know he’s not lying? Or in on it with his mother? This could be a trap, Dom, or a setup, and you’re walking right into it.”
Dominic didn’t even have to think about it, and when he spoke, his answer was quiet and unwavering. “I trust him.”
Thierry bristled, eyes narrowed and jaw locked. “I don’t.”
That was his right, of course. As a leader, Dominic had to accept it. That didn’t, however, mean he had to like it.
“Look, if he was just a warm hole to sink your dick into, I wouldn’t say anything, but he doesn’t belong here.” He cast the words like stones, each aimed for maximum impact.
A growl rumbled up from Dominic’s chest, raw and threatening. “Choose your next words carefully.” He bit out every syllable, his voice shaking with barely contained rage. “And be careful how you speak about my mate.”
Thierry had been the unofficial first member of the pack before the pack had even existed. Their history together was carved in battles and debts Dominic would never be able to repay, not in this lifetime or the next. Worse, his fear and distrust of changelings was partly Dominic’s fault.
That didn’t grant him license to be a fucking asshole where it pertained to Sammy.