Chapter 197: _ The Search
Luis Miguel puffed out a breath like he’d been holding it since we passed the gates. "Everywhere, man. I’ve been to every corner of the pack; behind the training grounds, near the storage sheds, the stream behind the west border, even those creepy ass kennels where the old rogue hounds used to be locked up. I even... went to their parents again this afternoon. They are all weeping and frantically searching still."
He looked at me with eyes that flashed with unsurety in them. I stopped walking. The packhouse loomed in front of us, sunlight glinting off the high windows and reflecting over the lawn. It was a perfect day, deceptively peaceful.
"You what?"
"I asked their parents again. I thought maybe they might have found out something I didn’t."
"And?"
"They didn’t." He shook his head, arms crossing defensively. "Same thing. No word from them. Said they didn’t come home last night. Thought maybe they stayed at my place. They didn’t. I’ve checked. Twice. Now, they are all blaming me. I’m the suspect, Beta."
I took a slow breath, my jaw tightening. This wasn’t just a prank or some teen wolf rebellion anymore. This was starting to smell like real trouble—and not the kind you could cover up with a bandage and a lie.
"You’re saying they didn’t come home at all?"
"Nope." He popped the ’p.’ "And I know they wouldn’t just ghost like that. Not without telling me. We’re dumb, but we’re not that dumb."
My stomach gave an unpleasant twist. I tried to keep my expression neutral, but I could feel the crease between my brows digging in.
"Is there any chance," I asked carefully, "that your little crew could be pulling something? I don’t know... trying to be clever? Maybe they snuck out for some mischief?"