The kidnappers

Greg’s POV

Anna and I exchanged a wary glance. “Who could that be at this hour?” she asked, her voice tinged with the same suspicion I felt. We had gone to great lengths to stay hidden; no one should have known we were here.

I got up, keeping my movements calm despite the unease churning in my gut. “Stay here,” I told her. “I’ll see who it is.”

As I made my way to the door, I took a deep breath, my senses sharpening. There was no scent of danger, no familiar smells of rogues or anyone sent by Cole. But still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

I opened the door cautiously, half expecting to find trouble on the other side. Instead, I found a young woman, barely in her mid-twenties, her eyes wide with panic and her breaths coming in frantic gasps.

She looked like she’d been running for a long time, and her face was streaked with tears.

“Please,” she pleaded, her voice trembling. “You have to help me. My brother—he’s missing.”

I looked at her, assessing the situation. She was human, that much was obvious, and her desperation was too much. But this wasn’t our problem. I didn’t know her, and we couldn’t afford to get involved in anything that might draw attention to us. “I’m sorry,” I said, my tone firm but not unkind. “But you’ve got the wrong place. Your brother isn’t here.”

She looked at me with such raw, unfiltered fear that I almost shut the door right then, but something about her struck a chord.

She held out a picture of a boy—no older than fourteen—with dark hair and bright eyes, the kind of kid who looked like he’d get into trouble just because he was curious about the world. I studied the photo, feeling a twinge of recognition. I’d seen this kid before.

“Please,” the girl begged again, her voice breaking. “I don’t know where else to go. No one will help me. I just need someone to—”

Anna appeared behind me, her expression softening when she saw the girl. She put a hand on my arm, her silent way of telling me to reconsider. “Greg, maybe we should help her,” Anna said quietly. “We can’t just turn her away.”

I hesitated, my protective instincts flaring. We were supposed to be lying low, staying out of sight, and avoiding anything that could compromise our safety. But Anna’s eyes were pleading with me, and I knew that she was right. We couldn’t just ignore this.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Alright,” I said, turning back to the girl. “I’ll help you look for your brother. But if things get dangerous, you need to stay out of the way.”

She nodded quickly, wiping her eyes. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

I glanced back at Anna. “Keep your phone on you. Call me if anything feels off.”

She nodded, though I could see the worry in her eyes. “Be careful.”

The girl and I left the house, and as we walked down the quiet street, she told me about her brother—his name was Alex, and he’d been missing for two days. No one had seen him, and the police had been no help. The last time she’d seen him was right before he’d gone out with friends, and since then, nothing.

As we walked, I tried to focus, reaching into my wolf senses to pick up any traces of Alex’s scent. I’d seen him before, just a glimpse in an alleyway as I’d driven home from work, but it was enough.

His scent was still fresh in my memory, a mix of cheap cologne and something distinctly youthful. I followed it through the winding streets until it led us to the outskirts of the city, where an abandoned warehouse loomed in the darkness.

“This place gives me the creeps,” the girl said, shivering as she looked around. “Do you think he’s in there?”

I nodded, my senses confirming it. The air smelled wrong—damp and stale, mixed with fear and desperation. I could hear faint sounds inside: shuffling footsteps, muffled cries. This was no ordinary warehouse. “Stay here,” I instructed her. “I’m going in alone.”

She looked like she wanted to argue, but she held back, clutching her phone tightly. “Just… please find him.”

I stepped inside, the heavy metal door creaking as I pushed it open.

The interior was dark, only faint slivers of moonlight piercing through the cracked windows. My eyes adjusted quickly, and I saw them—teenagers, maybe sixteen in total, boys and girls, all tied up and scattered across the floor.

They looked terrified, their eyes wide as they struggled against their restraints.

Before I could make a move, a sharp pain exploded at the back of my head. Someone had hit me, hard, but instead of crumpling to the ground, I staggered forward and turned to face my attacker.

A man stood there, holding a bent iron rod, his face twisted in confusion and fear as he realized that he hadn’t knocked me out. I straightened, feeling my head heal almost instantly.

“What are you?” he stammered, his voice shaking as he backed away.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t have time. From the shadows, ten more men emerged, each armed with machine guns.

They pointed their weapons at me, their faces cold and merciless. This wasn’t a random kidnapping. These were traffickers, and they were ready to fight.

I moved fast, subtly using my powers to manipulate the lights overhead. One by one, they flickered and then shattered, plunging the warehouse into darkness.

The men hesitated, their confidence shaken as they lost their advantage. But I thrived in the dark. I moved like a shadow, using my speed and strength to disarm them before they could react. One by one, they fell, their guns clattering to the floor.

With the last of them down, I made my way to the teenagers, tearing through their bindings with ease. They were scared, but I managed to calm them, guiding them out of the warehouse and into the safety of the night. The girl was waiting outside, her eyes scanning each face desperately.

“They’re safe,” I told her, but her relief was short-lived. “But your brother isn’t here.”

Panic flashed across her face as she looked around frantically. “But… you said… He has to be here!”

I turned, my senses tingling as I caught a whiff of something new—saltwater, gasoline, and the faint, unmistakable scent of Alex.

It was coming from the docks nearby. I followed it, the girl trailing close behind me, until we reached the water’s edge.

There, just offshore, was a speedboat cutting through the dark waters, its engines roaring as it raced away. I squinted, and my heart sank.

On the deck, huddled among a few other children, was Alex. The girl ran to the railing, screaming his name, but the boat didn’t slow. It was getting away, and I knew if I didn’t act now, we’d lose them.