Taken

"We have been through this; my mate wants to finish reading the diaries before she turns them over. They are the only thing she has that links her to her family. If you would just go over the information, we have gathered for you. You might be able to find something without having to have the diaries," Dan growls, and I pinch the skin between my eyebrows. 

   "Alpha Gray, we have searched everywhere. We have no other way of looking for your mate's lost relative. At this time, we are concluding this investigation. You are welcome to continue your search on your own, but we have done what we can," the assistant says, and Dan snarls. 

   I react quickly before he can bring hell down on us and snatch the phone as he says, "Listen here."

  "Thank you for your help. We understand. We will continue the search on our own," I say calmly as my twin stares at me angrily.

  I hang up, and he bares his teeth at me before dropping into my chair.  

  "Dan, I get that you are stressed and missing your mate, but you can't talk to them like that," I explain as his face twitches with irritation. 

   He rolls his eyes like a fifteen-year-old adolescent, and I brace for the coming explosion. 

   "Don't lecture me right now, Stan. I am not in the mood. I have barely seen my girls this week, and I am seconds away from losing my cool," he snaps, and I shrug. 

  He thinks I don't have someone that I miss. He believes he is the only one suffering. He can't look past his own nose for two seconds to figure out I need some brotherly help. 

  "Whatever. Why don't you let me handle this? I am better at it. I can actually keep a calm demeanor when speaking to people," I say evenly as my sarcastic remarks pop off inside my head.  

  He only grunts before giving me a side-eye. 

  "Yeah, you can talk to strangers just fine. But you can't open up to your family or your pack," Dan snaps, and I freeze.  

  The papers in my hand begin to wrinkle as I unconsciously tighten my grip. 

   "I have no idea what you are talking about," I snap back, a little scared my brother has actually been paying attention, and he rolls his eyes for a second time. 

  "Finley and I aren't idiots. He alerted me to your mopey-ness weeks ago. I have been watching you ever since, and guess what, brother, something is bothering you. Something important! And instead of disclosing it and bonding with us, you are closing yourself off. So don't tell me you know how to communicate probably," he declares, and I growl. 

     I throw the papers down and head for the door. Terror and the urge to escape the truth have me running for the exit, but Dan is faster than expected. He pops out of my chair and blocks the door.

  "Where do you think you are going? We are going to talk. I have given you plenty of time. We have been alone together dozens of times, and you haven't said a thing. Are you unhappy," he asks, and I try to move around him as I internally panic. 

    He grabs my bicep, and I growl at him as a brother, not as his subordinate.  

   "Watch it, brother. We might be twins, but I am your Alpha. Tell me what has you hiding away in your room. Tell me why you act miserable unless you are holding Angelica," he says in a stern but low voice and my body reacts to authority by going still. 

    As the seconds tick by, I realize there is no escaping this. Dan isn't going to drop it until I spill. I have no choice but to come clean. I allow my shoulders to slump, and he drops his restricting hand. His eyes fill with concern as he looks me over, and I take a deep breath. 

  "I...fell in love. But I can't have her. She's taken, and she isn't my mate. I can't stop thinking about her...even though I wish I could," I whisper, and his face instantly erupts in shock. 

    I avoid his eyes, waiting for the inevitable question, and he suddenly growls. 

  "Sam is mine," he says defensively, and it's my turn to be shocked. 

  He thinks I am in love with his mate. 

   "I know. I'm not talking about Sam. I...she isn't in the pack," I lie. He takes a moment before relaxing. 

   He grabs my shoulder a moment later, looking a little conflicted, and I wait. Finley has always been the cushion between us. Dan and I weren't made for emotional moments. 

  "I'm sorry," he whispers, and I nod awkwardly.  

  I try to smile, but the gesture falls utterly flat. 

  "Thanks. I just need some time. I will get over it. I didn't realize I was being so obvious," I say, hoping he will just let it go, and he shrugs. 

   "You know Fin. He spots a frown a mile away," he replies, and I can't help but laugh. 

  Dan and I might be polar opposites, but we somehow link our thoughts constantly. 

   "That he does," I reply, and he drops his hand. 

   "Come on, let's get home," Dan says, and I nod.  

      Home is where I can hide away and shove my unnatural feeling deep down within myself. I grab our coats off the hooks just as Dan's phone begins to vibrate. 

  "Yeah, Benj," he answers, and I glance over at his calm face as Benji's voice erupts over the speaker. 

  "Alpha, Luna is missing! There is a male scent mixed with hers in the kitchen...and signs of a struggle. Well...I mean, there isn't much, but there are a few drops of Luna's blood. Boyd and Mike are following the trail! Lewis called David. He is heading home. What do you want us to do," Benji yells into the phone, and dread chills my blood all the way to the bone. 

  "What," I barely whisper as Dan sort of freezes. 

  "Luna has been taken! We don't recognize the scent. There are signs th...," Benji repeats, and suddenly Dan roars. 

  His eyes change color, and I can feel his Alpha authority dripping from his pores.  

   "FOLLOW BOYD AND MIKE. LEWIS CALL MY PARENTS, THEN CALL THE BEARS. ALERT EVERYONE. MY GIRLS ARE MISSING, AND THEY WILL BE FOUND," he shouts, and I rip the front door to the office open. 

  My niece and my Luna are in danger. There is no time to waste. Romantic feelings aside, this is what being a pack means. When one of us hurts, we all hurt.