Hugo’s POV
The familiar weight of guilt settled in my chest, the sa crushing sensation I experienced whenever I hurt Bella. Here I was again, repeating the exact sa patterns that had caused problems before.
Parker stared at with confusion written across his face. "What happened here?"
Derek jumped in, his voice carrying an edge of accusation. "Our brilliant friend here lost his mind and accused Bella of sneaking around on secret dates with ."
I ran my hands through my hair, frustration building. "Look, maybe I used that word too casually, but I was just trying to point out how suspicious it looked when they disappeared together without telling anyone."
Both of them fixed with identical looks of disapproval, as if I was solely responsible for whatever situation we now faced. The judgnt in their eyes made my stomach twist.
"Fine, you’re right. I screwed up completely," I admitted, throwing my hands up in defeat. "But standing here pointing fingers won’t solve anything. We need to track her down imdiately. Contact that librarian right now. Whatever she told Bella obviously sent her sowhere specific."
Derek was already pulling out his phone before I finished speaking. The guy should have made that call the second we heard the librarian’s na ntioned, but apparently thinking ahead wasn’t his strongest skill. Neither of them were particularly known for their strategic planning abilities.
My phone started buzzing insistently. I began to get a call from Camilla. She called once, twice, and then her text ca, labeled ’Girlfriend’:
"This is urgent. I’m in serious pain right now. Can you please co over?"
I stared down at the ssage, weighing my options. The timing couldn’t have been worse.
Parker glanced over and caught sight of the text. "Go ahead if you need to. We can handle searching for Bella without you."
I shook my head firmly and shoved the phone back in my pocket. Sothing inside had already made the decision without any hesitation. Finding Bella took priority over everything else.
Derek ended his call and turned toward us, his expression grim enough to make my blood run cold.
We followed him as he rushed toward the elevator, his movents urgent and desperate.
"Well? What did you find out?" Parker demanded, matching Derek’s pace.
"The librarian gave her directions to so writer’s house. She should have returned so ti ago." Derek’s clipped response sent panic shooting through all of us.
We piled into his car and Derek imdiately floored the accelerator. Questions and worst-case scenarios raced through my mind as the landscape blurred past the windows.
I decided to text my manager for information about this mysterious writer, and his response made my blood freeze.
"Damn it," I muttered under my breath.
Both Parker and Derek turned their attention to imdiately, Derek adjusting his rearview mirror to catch my eye while maintaining his breakneck speed.
"What did you discover? Tell us everything," Parker demanded.
I scrolled through the disturbing articles my manager had sent. "This guy Upton is completely unhinged. He used to be respected in werewolf communities as so kind of expert researcher, but then he beca obsessed with studying different wolf types. His obsession escalated to the point where he started abducting special wolves, stealing their blood and DNA, and injecting it into regular humans to observe the results."
I paused, letting the implications sink in before continuing.
"So essentially, we’re dealing with a deranged scientist, and Bella just walked straight into the house of soone who’s specifically fixated on unique wolves."
Parker completed my thought with deadly accuracy. "And Bella happens to be exactly that kind of unique wolf."
I nodded grimly, my hands clenching into fists around my phone.
Derek’s response was imdiate and violent. "Then he’s a dead man."
He pressed the accelerator even harder, pushing the car to its limits.
When we finally reached the property, the sight that greeted us was ominous. Every window had been covered with boards except for a single opening on the upper level.
Bella’s car sat in the driveway, but sothing was clearly wrong. The tires had been deliberately slashed, and the passenger seat appeared empty.
I rushed to the driver’s side and yanked the door open. The mont I did, the driver’s lifeless body collapsed sideways. A single silver bullet had been placed with surgical precision through his skull.
Terror gripped us as we began searching the periter, but our investigation was cut short by the sharp crack of gunfire. Pain exploded through my right arm as a silver bullet found its mark.
The agony tore a groan from my throat as my canines extended and my claws began erging. The silver in my system triggered my wolf’s defensive response, which was always problematic given my wolf’s unpredictable nature.
"Hugo’s hit!" Parker shouted, rushing to my aid and dragging behind the nearest parked car for cover.
Another shot rang out, the bullet striking the ground where we’d been standing monts before.
Parker positioned safely behind the vehicle, then allowed his own transformation to begin. His fangs and claws erged as he dug into my wounded arm, extracting the silver bullet before it could cause permanent damage.
We both returned to human form, and Parker turned his attention to Derek, who had taken cover behind his own car.
"He’s only got that one window for a firing position. We should be able to approach from other angles safely," Parker called out.
Derek nodded his understanding, but before any of us could make our move, an elderly voice crackled through a speaker mounted on the roof.
"If you attempt any clever maneuvers, the girl dies imdiately."
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