Chapter 1

The stars filled the sky as Hayden lay on his bedroll, staring up at them. He could have gotten a hotel room somewhere, but after the mission he had just finished, he needed a break from the noise of people and the city. He closed his eyes and growled as he thought about the assignment.

It had been the case of yet another Alpha whose teenage daughter did not like having rules. She had run away and, of course, started causing trouble. After her second fight in a bar that she snuck into, her father had no choice but to contact Hayden to bring her home. When he found her, she had been drunk and nearly passed out in a corner booth while two guys were discussing what they wanted to do with her. After Hayden had safely put her in his vehicle, he had tried to explain to the men that they needed to learn how to treat women. That led to a fight, and Hayden left them in crumpled heaps in the bar's parking lot before he left with the girl.

When Hayden had delivered the young woman to her father, the Alpha was so pleased that he had offered to hire him to be the girl's personal guard. Hayden politely declined. While he was happy to collect the hefty payday from retrieving the Alpha's wayward daughter, the last thing he wanted to do was be a permanent babysitter to a spoiled brat.

As he lay under the stars, trying to forget the annoyances of the last few days, his phone beeped from his bag. He sighed upon hearing it. That sound meant that he had received an email, and almost all of his emails were requests to locate someone. A few were from his brother, Harrison, but usually Harry would call or text him just to ask how he was and say he loved and missed him. Hayden had been missing his brother and hoped this email was work-related.

Hayden let out a low growl as he sat up and dug his phone out of his pack. He opened the email to find it was from another Alpha asking for help finding his daughter. This time, instead of being seventeen and only a few months from being able to leave on her own, the girl was fifteen. 

The Alpha had gone to her room to check on her and found she was gone. After his security team tore apart her room for clues, several fake identifications were found. What worried him more was that she had left her cell phone behind, and, as far as the Alpha could tell, she had left with only the clothing on her back. Recently, the Alpha had received threats against him and his family, which made him even more worried that she might not have left of her own volition.

Hayden sighed as he replied to the email, saying that he would help locate the missing girl. Since the Alpha was close enough, Hayden would drive to the pack and get more information and discuss the cost of finding the girl the next day. He knew time was of the essence, but if he fell asleep behind the wheel, it would not help anyone. He tacked on a request for the Alpha to send everything he could about the girl, then read over the email one last time and sent it. Maybe with some luck, her father would know where she liked to hang out, and the recovery would be easy.

He kept his phone in his hand as he lay back down on his bed. Hayden had been hoping for a few days off before his next job, but that didn't seem to be in the cards for him. As he watched the sky for shooting stars, his phone rang in his hand, making him jump. He hated sudden noises since the night he lost his parents. Even his phone ringing unexpectedly would sometimes make his heart race, like it had this time. Before he answered his phone, he checked and saw it was his brother, Harrison.

"Hello," Hayden answered the phone.

"Hey, baby brother. How are you doing?" Harrison asked.

"I'm camping under the stars to recover from dealing with an obnoxious daughter of an Alpha who ran away because she did not like to be told 'no'. I will let you decide how I'm doing," Hayden said, still lying on his back, looking at the stars.

"Yikes. Do me a favor: if you ever need help with one like that, forget to ask me," Harrison said.

Hayden laughed, "Oh, come on, Harry. You don't want to deal with entitled brats for hours, if not days at a time?"

"No. I do not. I'm working to avoid increasing the population of individuals in that category, but I may not succeed. I feel like everything is either a fight or a bribe. Ian is the world's worst procrastinator, and Darcy is the most stubborn little girl I have ever seen. I love them, but there are times I struggle with them," Harrison admitted with a sigh.

"You are a good father. If you weren't, Nyla would tell you and put you in your place. Your Luna does not take any crap from anyone, including you," Hayden said. "How is Nyla?"

"She is as amazing as ever," Harrison proudly said. "She misses you. So do the kids. They only get to see you about once a year, but they still love their Uncle Denny."

"I'll try to come visit soon. I thought I would have a few days off, but I just got an email from an Alpha about his fifteen-year-old daughter. That is young enough that I will start looking as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I don't blame you," Harrison agreed. "Seriously though, if you do need help, tell me. If I can't do it, I can send you help. I have people I trust to do whatever you need and follow your instructions."

"Thanks, but I do better by myself. One guy scoping out a bar for a cute girl doesn't raise red flags. A group of guys looking for the same girl raises a lot," Hayden explained.

"True," Harrison replied. "How is everything else going? Are you still able to hide your scent as a rogue?"

Hayden held up his left wrist, looked at the bracelet with the large reddish-brown stone, and smiled. "Yeah, I'm still hiding it. The bracelet I got from Marietta works like the charm it is. As long as I wear it, no one can smell that I'm a rogue."

"You know, if you would let me swear you back into the pack, that would not be a problem. This is your home. You are always welcome here," Harrison said, almost pleading with his brother.

"I know, but I can't. Every time I visit you, I feel like everyone is whispering behind my back. It has been seven years, but everyone remembers that I killed our father, the Alpha, and let our mother die. You, Myla, and the kids are the only ones who want to see me there."

"I'm sorry, Denny. I should have been there to protect you and Mom. I still feel that Dad sent me away on business to keep me from stopping him. He wasn't counting on you doing it. I know you blame yourself, but don't. There were so many people who knew what was happening but turned a blind eye because it was their Alpha doing it. Dad's Beta, Mitchel, still tears up when he talks about carrying you to your bed and calling for the doctor. He knew he couldn't help Mom or Dad, but he did everything he could for you."

"I still don't remember that," Hayden sighed. "I remember him coming in, and then everything went fuzzy. I could hear voices and know more people were in the room, but that's all until I woke up in my bed the next day."

"Yeah, the doctor says it is because you were in shock. He asks me about you from time to time. Honestly, between what happened and your injuries, everyone is surprised you remember anything," Harrison said.

"I wish I didn't," Hayden replied. He could feel his heartbeat ticking upward as he and his brother talked of that night. 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up," Harrison said with a sigh. "Wasn't there when you needed me most, and it hurts that I can't be here for you now."

"You are here for me. If you weren't, you would not have called me. You would ban me from the pack because I rejected it, instead of constantly asking me to come and visit you. You have always been there for me, and you always will be, because you are my big brother." Hayden was grinning as he continued, "You also pay for my phone and make sure I get it upgraded once a year and promptly replace it if it gets broken. That means a lot."

"I wish you would let me do more," Harrison said, his voice filled with sadness. He tried to hide his emotions as he said, "Hey, I will let you go, but if you need anything, call me. Promise me you will."

"I promise," Hayden said with a chuckle.

Harrison spoke quietly as he said, "I love you, Denny."

"I love you too, Harry," Hayden replied before hanging up.

Hayden sighed as he sat up to check his email. The Alpha had already replied, attaching photos of his daughter, lists of places where she had been found before, and the names of friends she had both within and outside her pack. Hayden had planned to get some sleep before he started on her case, but after the conversation with his brother, he was wide awake and needed to focus on anything other than the pack he'd left and what he'd left behind.