Land of Wolves: Chapters 61-65 (Patreon)

Chapter 61

I’m jolted awake as Adam flies out of bed, and I land with a hard thump on the wooden planks before scrambling to my feet.

The sudden movement makes my chest sting, but I ignore it as I spin toward the guards storming into the room. All four weapons are pointed at Adam, and I glance in a panic between them as they spread out.

“Against the wall,” one guard orders.

Adam lifts his hands as he presses his back against the far wall. He doesn’t look nearly as terrified as I feel, and I wrap my arms around my stomach as they order him to spin around and face the wall.

He does, and the guard furthest to the right doesn’t hesitate to step forward and plunge a needle into his neck. It’s a sickening sight, and I force myself to watch with a straight face as Adam slumps forward, stumbles sideways a step, and eventually falls to the floor.

His eyes meet mine as his temple smacks against the concrete, and I arch an eyebrow before sitting on the edge of the bed as if I’m bored.

What are they going to do to him?

My palms are sweaty, and I subtly wipe them on my pants as I lie back on the bed and stare at the ceiling. The guards hurry to pick Adam up and carry him from the room, and I hold my breath until the door slams shut behind them.

Are they taking him to medical? I sure as fuck hope so. It won’t look good for me when HPAW realizes I lied about the poison in his tooth, but that’s a bridge I’ll cross when I get to it.

It would be so much easier to lie to HPAW if I knew who their informant was.

I still can’t fathom who it could be.

My immediate assumption would be somebody like Jan, a wolf with a deceased mate and not much else to live for. She doesn’t seem exceptionally passionate about her job, and the only thing I’ve ever seen her look forward to was the opportunity to be Caleb’s wife.

I’m sure she was pissed when he announced he wasn’t searching, and that could have been enough to drive her to HPAW.

I assume whoever has been working with them is from Caleb’s immediate pack, but I suppose that doesn’t necessarily have to be true. I have no idea how far rumors of me spread, and there’s a possibility HPAW was able to get in contact with a wolf from a different pack.

It could be anybody.

For a while, I also considered the possibility of it being somebody close to Caleb, like Sash or Cole, but I don’t see that happening.

I’m sure Sash was pissed when Caleb kicked her out of the pack for a month, but I know deep inside she wouldn’t betray him. That woman loves him, and she’d sooner die than go against her brother.

I can’t see Cole betraying Caleb, either.

I worry my bottom lip between my teeth. All the wolves knew about Caleb’s birthday party, so that’s not much to go off of, but not many people knew I would be there. I assume part of HPAW’s plan was to capture me, and I find it hard to imagine them launching such a large-scale attack without confirmation I’d be there.

They’re probably trying to use me as leverage. Adam, too.

I hope Caleb keeps his wits about him and doesn’t do anything rash. The mate bond is intense for the wolves, more so than I’ll ever truly understand. Caleb’s said himself that he’s an Alpha before he’s my mate, and I need him to remember that.

I’m just one person, but he has hundreds, if not thousands, to protect.

If Adam does manage to form a connection with Bells, how the fuck are we supposed to communicate that with one another? I suppose I could ask what they did to him, and he could mention he went to medical.

That should be easy enough, but that’s as far as we can go without giving anything away.

I continue to stare at the ceiling, my mind running rampant.

Assuming Adam does manage to get Bells on our side, we still need to formulate a plan to get out of here. It would have to be at night when most of the staff is gone, that much is obvious.

Bells would need to figure out where the controls for the door are and who’s operating them, and she’ll need to distract or kill them and unlock the door for us herself.

Seduction usually works, and HPAW guards seem especially susceptible to it.

So, she seduces the guard, slits his throat, and unlocks the door for us. We’d need a key card for the second door, though, and I have no idea how the fuck I’d go about getting one.

I doubt I’ll be able to steal one, and the risk of getting caught is too high.

Maybe I could figure out who attacked Adam and convince him to visit me. We’d have to time it out so he came after the guard manning the second door is dead, and Bells could let him in.

He wouldn’t expect anything to be amiss, and Adam would have no problem killing him. It would be easy, and I bet we could even have Adam put on the tactical outfit to try and blend in as an HPAW guard.

Anybody who sees his face would undoubtedly recognize him, but it might work if he keeps his head down. We’d only need to get him close enough to the other guards that he can lunge and snap a neck before the guard realizes what’s happening and shoots.

I’d like to prevent the firing of any weapons if possible.

I’ve been seen walking around with a guard several times, so my presence shouldn’t draw too much attention.

If we can make it to the elevator, it should be easy from there. There’s an emergency exit on the first floor, and I’m willing to bet Bells has a car we can use. She can meet us out there, and I suppose we just need to hope we can make it a good distance from the facility before HPAW notices we’re gone.

We should be safe once we’re in the wolf lands.

Fuck.

This is an absolutely outlandish plan. I feel like I’m directing some sort of cheesy action movie, and I let out a quiet sigh as I run a hand down my face.

Where the fuck is Adam?

He’s been gone for a while, and I tap my toes together as I glance at the heavy door. What are they doing to him right now?

And where is Dan?

I assume it’s a full day since I last saw him, and I’m surprised he hasn’t come to bring me to the dining hall and take me to medical.

Maybe HPAW wants to ensure both me and Adam aren’t out of the room at the same time. They probably still suspect I’m loyal to the wolves, and keeping one of us in here at all times ensures the other doesn’t act out.

If Adam fucks up, they’ll take it out on me and vice versa.

It’s smart.

I stand and pace the length of the room before returning to the bed.

What if Bells doesn’t agree to help us?

I’d like to think Caleb has a plan to get us out of here, but I can’t rely on that.

If Bells chooses to stick with HPAW, things will be infinitely trickier. I’ll have to find a way to convince HPAW leadership I’m with them, and I don’t have the slightest fucking clue how to do that.

I refuse to give them any helpful information, and that’s the only way I can think to earn their trust.

Besides, things will worsen once they learn I’ve lied about Adam’s poison tooth. I can try to say it must have been a test Caleb set up for me, but I know they won’t believe it. I’m risking a lot in the hopes Bells falls victim to the mate bond, and we’re pretty screwed if it doesn’t work.

I doubt, once they begin testing on Adam, he’ll live for long.

HPAW isn’t known for their longevity regarding their captured wolves, and we’re running out of time. We’ll have to act quickly, and that alone puts us in a bad situation. Things like this take time, and we don’t have that.

Would Dan help?

He’s loyal to HPAW, but there’s always the slight possibility he will choose me over them. I know his leaving that knife out was intentional. There’s no way it was anything but, and it proves he cares.

Dan doesn’t want to see me dead. He’s been my pseudo-father for years, and even if he doesn’t want to admit it, I’ve rubbed off on him. He loves me in his own fucked up way, and I just need to convince him to give up his life for mine.

Easy enough.

My head pounds, and I rub my temples with a quiet groan. I’d kill for some pain medication, and I drag myself to the toilet before returning to bed.

What if I injure myself? I could get Adam to attack me, fuck me up so severely HPAW has no choice but to put me in medical for a few days.

I doubt they’d put a halt on their testing with Adam, and that would mean we’re both out of the cell at the same time. I’m sure Adam’s holding back his strength, pretending to be weak for HPAW, and a very large part of me is beginning to suspect he lied to me about his role in Caleb’s pack.

He knows an entire fucking hidden language, and I’m confident it’s not something Caleb forces all his wolves to learn. For one reason or another, Adam was either put in or expected to be put in situations where he needed to secretly communicate with the pack.

Adam is something to Caleb, and I’m going to assume that means he also knows how to fight.

He can wait until HPAW tries to pull take him from the cell, and he can attack before they drug him. Wolves are fast, specifically those trained, and Adam could hopefully snap their necks before they shoot.

He’d have to hurry to make it out the door before it’s locked again, but the guards always carry their keycards on him and he could snatch one and a gun before leaving. It would allow him access to the elevator, but it would be messy.

Whoever watches the cameras would undoubtedly sound an alarm, and Adam would have to get out as soon as possible.

I could probably hobble out amongst the chaos, or hopefully Bells could help.

Fuck.

I curl my hands into tight fists, pissed with myself.

This plan is even worse than my original one. It would take one bullet between the eyes to kill Adam, and the HPAW guards are trained. They won’t miss shots, and if Adam’s running around on a killing spree, there’ll be plenty of opportunity for them to take him down.

He’d never make it out, and there’s no way I could hobble out.

There would be guards on me the second Adam kicked up a fuss.

HPAW isn’t stupid.

I jolt up in bed when I hear the door buzzing, and my back breaks out into a cold sweat when the door opens and two guards enter. I hold my breath, in full panic as they drag an unconscious Adam into the room.

He looks horrible, his face swollen and his skin a patchy blue. I can see every vein pressed up against the surface of his skin, almost as if they’re swollen. Can veins even get swollen?

What the fuck did they do to him?

The guards drop him into the center of the room before filing out, their eyes never once straying toward me. It seems they don’t feel the need to use their weapons with me anymore—either that or Dan threatened them when he saw it.

He didn’t seem at all pleased with that.

I wait until the door is firmly shut and the buzzing has stopped before sliding out of bed and kneeling by Adam’s side. He lolls his head in my direction, his eyes puffy as he blinks at me. I can’t read his expression, but it doesn’t take an expert to see he’s in pain.

I reach out for him, eager to help him onto the bed, but he hisses when my fingers come in contact with the bare skin of his wrist. I jerk back, afraid of hurting him, and peer down at the blue patches covering him.

They look like a mixture between bruises and scabs, and I can only imagine how painful they are.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. What else is there to say?

Adam shuts his eyes, and I plop myself between him and the door in a sad attempt to protect him. I don’t want any guards learning he’s knocked out and thinking it’s a good time for them to come in and get a few easy hits in.

I’m a decent fighter against other humans, and I won’t let them hurt Adam.

Adam rests, an occasional groan slipping from his lips when he tries to move.

I turn and glare at him each time, hoping he picks up my silent order to stay still. There’s no need for him to be using up what little energy he has, and he needs to take this time to heal.

Time passes, and eventually, he drags himself to the toilet to pee. I wrinkle my nose as the scent hits me, faintly aware that he hasn’t been given food or water in days.

How long can wolves go without? I’ve heard humans can only go three days without water, but I’m sure the wolves need it to survive, too. I imagine Adam won’t last much longer without it.

He drops back onto the floor as the toilet flushes, another pained groan emerging from his throat.

“What happened?” I ask.

Adam snorts, the sound ending in a light cough. “Well, they took me to medical and ripped out all my fucking teeth.”

I grimace before hooking my finger into his bottom lip and pulling it down. My heart drops, and I let out a sigh of relief as I notice his teeth have already grown back.

That’s good.

“They took you to medical?” I ask, hoping he understands what I’m truly asking.

Adam hesitates, his throat bobbing before he gives a jerky nod. “Yes.”

Thank fucking god.

“Then what?”

I remove my finger from Adam’s mouth and wipe it on my shirt. I hope I haven’t started a tradition of HPAW removing a wolf’s teeth upon capture.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he says.

I understand that.

Adam’s splotchy skin gradually settles, and I watch the blue patches fade and his veins return to their average size. He eventually sits up and makes his way to the bed, leaning against the leg of it as he rests his head on the wood planks.

He stares at the ceiling, and I stare at him.

I feel like a mother hen, and I stand and begin to pace the room.

Buzzing reaches my ears, and Adam rises to his feet on shaky legs as the door opens and Dan steps inside. He’s alone, and Adam pushes me behind him with a quiet huff. I curl my fingers into the back of Adam’s shirt before nudging him aside, not wanting him to start trouble.

Dan licks his lips and shakes his head. He doesn’t move, still standing by the door, and I tighten my grip on Adam’s shirt as I notice the red lining of his eyes. They’re puffy, and the muscles at the sides of his jaw shift as he clenches and unclenches.

I glance at his hands. They’re shaking, and he clasps them behind his back to hide them.

I’ve never seen Dan so emotional before, and I crack a smile as I meet his gaze.

“I suppose HPAW’s decided to kill me, then.”

Chapter 62

Dan sucks in a raggedy breath, and Adam curls a hand around my wrist to prevent me from stepping any further away from him. His grip is tight, leaving no room for me to wiggle out.

Not that I would.

I stare at the door behind Dan, waiting for guards to filter in and point their weapons at Adam. It’s what they’ve done every time before, and the fact that they haven’t yet done so is putting me on edge.

Dan takes another step forward, and Adam pulls me into his side.

My annoying neighbor straightens his spine, all sign of the pained, hunched-over man he was just a minute ago is gone. If I didn’t know him, didn’t see what the testing did to him, I would never guess he’s injured.

I’d be impressed if I weren’t so unnerved by Dan’s presence.

“They’re going to kill me,” I repeat.

It isn’t a question.

Dan wouldn’t be on the verge of tears if it were anything else. I’ve spent most of my life convinced Dan doesn’t have feelings, and seeing so many flashing across his face is unnerving.

I lick my lips, and Dan lowers his gaze to the floor before taking another step forward. He’s within reach, and my heart races as I smell his cologne. It’s a musky, earthy one he’s always worn, and I used to find it comforting.

Now it has the opposite effect.

Adam bristles, his grip on my wrist tightening as Dan enters my personal space. His fingers squeeze so hard it hurts and will probably even leave tiny bruises, but I hardly notice.

I crane my neck to look up at Dan, refusing to show any fear.

If Dan was going to hurt me, he wouldn’t do it with an unrestrained Adam right next to me. He wouldn’t be so dumb.

I shift my weight from foot to foot, emotions I’m too stressed to filter through pulsating through me as Dan lifts an arm and brings his hand on my shoulder. His fingers curl around the muscle while his thumb slides below my shirt and rests against my collarbone.

It’s an uncomfortable touch, and I swallow past the lump in my throat as Dan wraps his other arm around my waist and pulls me into a hug.

It’s an awkward position, and Adam’s hold on my wrist only makes it worse.

I wrap my free arm around Dan and pat his back, unsure what to make of this. It’s the weirdest hug I’ve ever been given, and I’m pretty sure it’s one of the only ones I’ve ever shared with Dan. He’s never been one for physical contact, the only exception being when we’re fighting in the gym.

Why is he still holding my shoulder? His fingers dig into the muscle, and I fight back a wince as he curls his thumb and digs it into the skin directly above my collarbone.

What the fuck?

Adam not so gently yanks me back, the wolf practically pulling my arm from its socket as he does so. Dan releases me, and I stumble into Adam’s chest.

“I’m sorry, Ev,” Dan says.

His voice feels loud in the otherwise silent room, and Adam seems to give up his charade of distance with me as he wraps his arms around my chest in a possessive hold. His forearm presses into the bandage on my breast, protecting the wound from Dan.

Dan lifts his hands in surrender and backs away, his movements cautious as he eyes the giant wolf curling himself around me.

If he thinks Adam is scary and protective, he’d shit himself if he ever came face to face with Caleb.

I’m pretty sure my mate would have ripped him apart by now.

“There’s nothing you can do,” I say.

Dan runs a hand through his hair.

“Leave,” Adam orders.

I’m surprised to hear him speak so openly to Dan. We only talk when absolutely necessary.

Dan retreats to the door and pulls it open the second the buzz of it unlocking fills the room. I hear clatter in the hallway, probably from the guards who are undoubtedly standing on guard, ready to bust inside at the first sign of trouble between us.

The door shuts behind Dan with a loud bang, and I stare at the steel before nudging Adam aside and dropping down on the bed. I feel like I can’t breathe, and I bring my head between my knees as I struggle to fill my lungs with oxygen.

Adam joins me, the wooden planks below us creaking as he sits and wraps his arm around my shoulder.

My collarbone stings where Dan dug his thumb into me, and I’m pretty sure if I looked underneath my shirt, I’d find blood.

He needs to trim his nails.

“Shh,” Adam coos, his voice low. “Breathe.”

That’s easier said than done.

Adam continues to quiet me, and after a few minutes, I manage to get my shit under control and calm down enough that my gaspy breathing stops.

I never wanted this life, never asked to be a part of it, and I want it to end. I want this tug-of-war between the wolves and HPAW to stop, and I rest my elbows on my knees and drop my head into my hands.

How much time do I have left?

If HPAW’s made their decision, I highly doubt they’ll wait long to see it through.

My death will be silent, done with as little attention as possible. Rumor will spread quickly that I’m gone, but I’m sure HPAW leadership will twist the story to offset blame.

They’ll say I succumbed to the injuries I sustained during my capture, or that I attacked and they had no choice but to defend themselves.

They’ll pretend to mourn me, and then they’ll find and train another young marked human to send to the wolves.

Adam lies back on the bed and pulls me on top of him.

“Sleep,” he orders.

What’s with him and the commands this afternoon?

I lay my head on his chest and stare at the far wall on the other side of the room. Adam’s heart is steady beneath my ear, the beating comforting.

I’ve always known HPAW would kill me if they determined I was guilty, but I somehow managed to convince myself it wouldn’t happen. I honestly thought I’d be able to trick them into believing me.

It was wishful thinking.

Adam runs his hand down my spine, his touch warm. I can tell he’s trying to comfort me, but it doesn’t work.

Why isn’t he more panicked?

I’d kill to understand what he and Caleb communicated about. I’m hoping Caleb was telling Adam about his plans to rescue us, but the more I think about it, the less realistic that seems. Caleb doesn’t have anything HPAW wants, at least not something he’d be able to provide.

I grind my teeth, my heart pounding.

Adam’s likely got a bit longer to live than me.

HPAW will want to use him for as long as possible, extracting as much information as they can from their gruesome tests before one of them eventually kills him. It’s what they always do.

Maybe, once I’m dead, he’ll find a way to work with Bells and escape. I suspect HPAW will take him to medical every once in a while to ensure he’s kept alive as long as possible. He’ll grow weaker the longer he’s here, but the mate bond will work quickly.

I want to think it wouldn’t take Bells too long to agree to help him.

I curl my arms around my head, wishing I could sleep. It seems to be all I do lately, but I’m pretty sure it’s the only thing keeping me from going insane.

Dan’s surprise visit hasn’t helped, and now I’m even more worked up than before.

If I’m going to be killed, I’d at least like it to be a surprise. There’s no use worrying and panicking over something I have no hope of changing. Even if I wanted to escape, we have no plan that would be even remotely successful.

HPAW has this place locked down, and the odds of us making it out of here are slim to none.

Adam might be able to make it by himself, but I have a feeling the big oaf wouldn’t leave me. The wolves are terribly possessive, and their pack mentality will be their downfall. He could survive if he abandoned me.

I wouldn’t be upset.

If I were in his position, I’d at least consider it. I’m unsure if I could follow through, but it would be a thought.

My collarbone still stings where Dan scratched me, and I frown as I wiggle a hand between Adam’s and my chests and touch the skin. I don’t know what his fucking problem is, and I gently press into the skin surrounding the cut.

I bet he didn’t even clean his nails, and I’m going to get an infection.

A quiet laugh bubbles up out of my throat, the abrupt noise causing Adam to stiffen. There’s no need to worry about infection when I’m going to die. If Caleb intends to save us, he’s running out of time.

HPAW will probably record it and send the video to Caleb as they did with the previous wolves they captured.

Is that what they did with Adam? Did they record his torture?

My heart lurches at the mere thought, and I force those horrid thoughts away as I prod at my collarbone. Dan was a real dick to stab me with his nail, and I frown as I gently smooth my thumb over the cut.

I already have a pretty nasty scar here from when HPAW placed me in the woods. They inflicted several injuries on me, my broken ribs arguably one of the worst, but I had several little scrapes all over.

The one on my collarbone was small, but it was one of the deeper ones.

A cotton swab and bandaid were slapped over it when Caleb brought me to the hospital, and I can’t help but smile at the memory of how Caleb leered over me, surveilling the doctor’s every move. Poor Greg wasn’t given an inch of space to work.

My fingers instinctively slide to the scar as I recall Caleb’s intense concern for me.

He was so obvious with it, and I was a fool not to see how genuine it was. He cared from day one, and I was too busy plotting ways to kill him to recognize it.

What would my life be like if I hadn’t encountered HPAW in the woods all those years ago? If I had found the wolves as I had hoped? Caleb is almost six years older than me, and he would’ve been about thirteen at the time.

I bet he was an asshole of a teenager, the Alpha in him making him near impossible to control.

I would have loved to meet his parents.

He doesn’t speak about them much, or ever, but I want to learn all about them if I somehow manage to make it out of here. There’s still so much I don’t know about Caleb, so much he still doesn’t know about me, and I want to fix that.

We never got to live as true mates.

A tear leaks down my cheek and lands on Adam’s chest, and I smoothly wipe it away before returning my fingers to my scar.

It healed well, and I press into it with a frown. There’s a hard bump deep inside, almost like a bone.

Did a piece of my collarbone fracture or something?

I trail my thumb around the small fragment. It’s pretty tiny, maybe double the size of a grain of white rice, but it’s hard as fuck and moves when I press into it.

My back breaks into a cold sweat, and I nervously grab Adam’s wrist and slide his hand to my chest. He doesn’t question me, and I readjust my hold before guiding his pointer finger to the spot. It’s hard to find, but I can tell the moment he feels it.

His entire body stiffens, and my breath turns shallow as he prods at it.

Am I chipped? I can’t imagine what else this could be.

It seems awfully coincidental that the spot where HPAW cut me is also where there’s a small something under my skin.

I bury my forehead into Adam’s chest and think, struggling to recall anything I may have overheard about a chip. I’m the first mate to have been sent to the wolves, so there aren’t any previous projects for me to use for reference.

It would make sense they’d chip me, doesn’t it?

HPAW scientists were working on a new microchip with location tracking and audio, but I didn’t think they ever reached completion. At least not before I left.

I’d have heard about it. It would’ve been a breakthrough, and everybody in the facility would have been discussing it.

Maybe they put it in after capturing me.

No, there’s no way.

Despite how small the chip is, there’s no way HPAW could have gotten it inside me without cutting open my skin. The cut would have been small, but noticeable. It wouldn’t have healed by now, either, and there’s most definitely not anything but my small scar.

What if they completed the project and put it in me before my mission?

It’d be an excellent way to ensure that I still serve my purpose even if I do flip.

Is that why Dan pinched me? To draw attention to it? It wouldn’t be the first time he’s gone out of his way to help me.

Adam continues to prod at the spot, his chest unmoving. Is he breathing? Has he realized the same thing I have?

That I’m HPAW’s informant, and they know everything I do?

Chapter 63

My lips crack and bleed as I open my mouth and stretch my jaw. The muscles on either side hurt from clenching, and I wince as I let out a quiet yawn.

Adam yanks my hair, his movements rough as he struggles to learn how to braid. He’s not doing a very good job at it, and his finger gets caught in a knot a second later. My head jostles as he wiggles his hand trying to pry his finger loose, the motion painful.

It’s been two days since Dan came here with his teary goodbye, and I’m getting impatient. If HPAW’s going to kill me, I’d like them to get it over with already.

This wait is killing me.

“Your hair is knotty, and the grease makes it clumpy,” Adam admits.

I shrug, not having the energy to be offended or embarrassed.

We haven’t been given food or water since Dan’s visit, and Adam’s been taken from the room twice for more testing. His removals are the only way I’ve been able to keep track of the time, and he told me the clock in the room they take him to confirms he’s being brought in once a day.

His hands shake now, a tremor he developed after he returned yesterday.

Adam’s always shaky for a few hours after they take him, his muscles weak as his body heals, but the effects have never lasted this long before. His body’s struggling to recover, and the shaking was so bad he couldn’t even communicate with Caleb last night.

I still have no idea what they’re saying to one another, but the conversations have been painfully short.

They spoke for what felt like hours that first night, but now Caleb’s pulling away after only five minutes.

Has he told Caleb that HPAW’s planning to kill me?

A part of me hopes he has, but another part of me doesn’t. I know Caleb loves me, but I don’t want him to do anything rash.

Adam continues attempting to braid my hair, and once he reaches the end, he makes a makeshift knot and moves away. I’m pretty sure he’s ripped at least six strands out of my head, but I don’t mind. It’s a small price to pay to have my hair out of my face.

“Thank you,” I say.

I fight the urge to reach up and prod at the chip in my skin. I still can’t believe it’s there, and thinking about it fills me with dread.

I’ve betrayed the wolves, and I’m the reason Adam’s in this mess in the first place. It was stupid not to consider the possibility that HPAW had chipped me, and it was a colossal misjudgment on my end not to have remembered they were working on creating one.

Does Adam blame me? If I were him, I most definitely would.

None of this would’ve happened if it weren’t for my thoughtlessness.

My fingers twitch, and I scootch back on the bed and lean against the wall. Adam follows, copying me and looking up at the ceiling. I’m too weak to do much anymore, and most of my time is spent staring at nothing.

Occasionally I’ll switch positions when my butt goes numb, but that’s about it.

My fingers bleed where I pick at them, but I ignore the pain and continue scratching my hangnails. Adam would stop me the first few days we were in here, but now he doesn’t so much as bat an eye when my nails burrow into my skin.

He taps his toes against the ground, maybe counting to keep track of time, but I don’t ask.

It doesn’t matter.

A quiet buzzing fills the room, and I am hardly surprised when Adam’s back is in front of me a second later.

He’s an excellent guard dog, and I peer around him as four guards filter into the room. They point their weapons at Adam and me, the red dots covering our heads and chests.

How fun.

“Against the wall,” we’re ordered.

I stand, and Adam and I step aside and press our backs against the far wall. Adam still shakes, and I can’t stop myself from shooting him a worried glance as a guard orders us to spin around.

Adam is moving slowly, and he shuts his eyes as he presses his cheek against the cement wall. He’s gotten used to the routine, and I press my lips together as I watch.

How do they not realize what they’re doing is wrong?

These people genuinely believe they’re in the right, that they’re protecting the humans by kidnapping and torturing the wolves. It makes me sick.

It’s hard seeing Adam being taken, especially when I don’t know what they’re doing to him. He refuses to speak about it, brushing the subject aside whenever I bring it up.

I estimate he’s usually gone for about three hours, and his skin is the same splotchy blue and his veins swollen every time he’s brought back. It’s probably some new poison they’re testing, and Adam is quickly deteriorating.

How much longer before his body gives up entirely?

I bite my tongue as a guard approaches Adam from behind and sticks a needle into his neck. Adam holds eye contact with me, his eyelids slowly fluttering until they slip shut and he slumps to the ground.

I wish he’d fight.

I’d never make it out, but he might.

Adam lands on the floor with a painful-sounding thump, and I wince before stepping away from the wall. It’s what I’ve done every day, moving aside to give the guards room to pick Adam and carry him out.

“Stop!” a deep voice rings out.

My body tightens, and I let out a quiet gasp as the guard who drugged Adam approaches me. His lips curl into a nasty snarl as he caps the needle and shoves it into his jacket pocket, and I’m faintly aware of red lights shifting to me as he grabs another needle.

Fuck, no.

I jolt away as he moves toward me, but the guard hardly seems concerned as he pins me to the ground in one smooth motion.

I wince as my back hits the ground, my muscles weak after so many days without food and water.

Still, I’ll be damned if I go down without a fight. I kick my legs, aiming for the guard’s crotch or knee. My first attempt is terrible, but I manage to ram my heel against his knee on my second one.

The guard hisses, his face contorting into poorly concealed rage before he pulls back and slams the butt of his gun into the side of my head.

Ah, fuck.

I go momentarily blind, and a sharp ringing fills my ears as my head bounces off the cement floor. There’s a moment of complete confusion, my mind unable to process what the fuck’s just happened, let alone the splitting pain in my temple, before I groan as I instinctively wrap my arms around my head.

A rough, calloused hand wraps around my wrist and rips my arm down, and I open my mouth in a silent cry as a needle is plunged into my neck.

It’s fast acting, and I catch sight of Adam struggling to get up just as my vision funnels and I fall limp.

____

I’m in another fucking vehicle.

My body jerks to the side, the feeling identical to when HPAW captured Adam and me in the first place. How long ago was that? A week? Maybe a bit longer?

I’m not sure.

It’s probably not the thing to focus on right now.

Somebody is crying. It’s loud and feminine, and I wrinkle my nose as the noise worsens my already unbearable headache. I open my mouth, trying to speak, but nothing comes out. My throat feels like it’s bleeding, and I try to swallow before realizing it’s useless and giving up.

It’s too much work.

The crying continues, and my head lolls to the side as the vehicle makes a sharp right.

Where am I going? I didn’t imagine HPAW would take me from the facility to kill me. They’ve more than got the means to do it, and they would’ve just done it back in the cell if they were smart. That would save them a lot of work.

Metal scrapes against metal as I move my leg, and I realize something heavy is latched around my ankle.

There’s also something strapped around my waist, and it takes me a second to realize I’m sitting up. Well, mostly sitting up. It’s more of a sad hunch than anything else.

Should I be flattered HPAW took it upon themselves to put a seatbelt on me? They chained my arms to the wall to keep me in place last time.

I lick the back of my front teeth, my tongue lingering on my bottom right canine. It’s chipped, and my tongue catches on the sharp edge.

That’s not ideal.

I take a second longer to catch my bearings, needing a moment to acclimate to my senses. My headache amplifies everything, and I’m pissed I’ve been given another head wound.

I just healed from the last one.

Opening my eyes is more challenging than it should be, and lifting my head feels impossible, but I force myself to do it.

I’m in the back of another semi-truck, the aluminum walls and large rectangular shape a clear indicator. This one is fancier than the first, though, with two long benches built into the wall on either side and a row of lights along the ceiling.

Adam’s slumped to my right, also chained by his ankle to the floor and held up by a seatbelt tied around his waist.

Why have they brought him? I assumed they’d want to keep him around for testing.

I wipe my nose, blood leaking down it and onto my lip. It smears, but I am hardly bothered as I turn toward the blue-haired woman sitting across from Adam and me. She’s still crying, her knees pulled to her chest and her face red and puffy.

It looks like she’s been crying for a while.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

She snaps her head toward me, her eyes widening before she scrambles even further back into her seat. She’s chained by the ankle, too, but she’s got enough strength to lift the chain and move around.

I’m jealous.

“What have you done?” Bells spits in my direction, her eyes darting rapidly between Adam and me.

Her hands are bloody, and I stare for a long moment before realizing it’s from her trying to pry off the chain at her ankle. It’s a thick metal, and I doubt she made much progress.

“Do you know what’s going on?” I repeat my earlier question.

Bells shakes her head, her hair whipping violently before she stills and levels her glare with mine. It would be much more menacing if her eyes weren’t darting toward Adam every three seconds. She does a good job hiding her concern, but she’s unable to cover it up completely.

“How long have we been in here?” I try a different question.

I can’t imagine where the fuck HPAW is taking us or why they brought Bells. I assume they’ve figured out she’s Adam’s mate, but I didn’t anticipate them killing her because of it. It would draw too much attention.

Bells shoots me a nasty glare but doesn’t answer.

I’d roll my eyes if I weren’t fighting with everything I have to keep them open. I get she hates the wolves and all, but I’m going to need her to get off her high horse and answer my fucking questions.

Maybe she doesn’t like me because I told her I was going to fuck Adam.

I let my head drop forward, resting my neck.

“I haven’t done anything wrong!” Bells screams.

I creak open an eye and glance at her. She’s staring at the front of the truck, clearly trying to yell at the drivers. I highly doubt they care to hear what she has to say. I sure know I don’t, and I groan as she screams again.

Time passes at a snail’s pace as she cries and begs, and eventually, even Adam groans and lifts his head. Bells glares at him, her expression venomous as she notices he’s awake.

I didn’t see that coming.

“I thought you said you met her,” I say to Adam, no longer feeling the need to keep up our secret code.

HPAW clearly knows.

Adam lolls his head toward me.

“I never said it went well,” he croaks.

“What the fuck did you do?” Bells cries, her voice growing hoarse. “What lies did you tell them about me?” She kicks out her foot, rattling the chain and even further worsening my already pounding headache. “Let me out of here!”

Oh, god. I understand why she’s so upset, and I’d probably be doing the same thing if I were in her position, but all I want to do right now is snap her femur and give her a reason to cry.

Adam makes an odd noise in the back of his throat, and Bells pauses just long enough to ensure he’s not dying before returning to her shouting.

The truck jerks me around, and I plant my hands into the seat on either side of me to try and prevent from toppling over. I’m sure I looked crazy while unconscious, my body flinging from side to side, but I’ve got no interest in that now that I’m awake.

Adam spreads his thigh, planting his feet firmly on the ground to keep steady.

Bells hasn’t quite picked up on the fact that HPAW doesn’t care to keep her safe, and her entire upper body pivots to the right the next time they make a turn. She hisses as she catches herself, and the seat belt digs into her stomach to prevent her from flying to the other side of the truck.

“Can you hear anything?” I ask, turning toward Adam.

I jerk my head toward the front of the truck, hoping he can hear our drivers speak, but he grimaces and shakes his head.

“Do you know what’s happening?” I try.

Adam looks away, not meeting my eye. I press my lips together, deciding not to push. The fucker knows something, probably from his communication with Caleb, but now’s not the time for him to share.

We need to keep the fact that he and Caleb can communicate a secret.

HPAW can’t know about the pain from the mating bond.

My chest deflates, and I suck in a shaky breath as I look down at my feet. If I know, so do they. HPAW’s overheard everything I learned from my time with the wolves.

Caleb did a good job keeping me out of the loop, but it was inevitable that I picked up things. I was with them for months, and people relaxed around me after I was exposed as an HPAW member. They assumed Caleb had me under control and there wasn’t a risk of me leaving.

I thought so, too, but instead, I’ve inadvertently shared everything with their greatest enemy.

Chapter 64

The truck jerks to a stop, and Adam and I make brief eye contact before turning toward the door. It’s got to have been hours since we woke up, and I’ve thought of every possible way HPAW is planning to kill us in that time.

Bells continues to shout, her voice shrill as she proclaims her innocence, but all I can hear is the blood rushing through my ears.

This is it.

The chain around my leg drags across the floor as I shift, my nerves making it impossible to stay still. I used to pride myself in my ability to remain calm in stressful positions, but it seems I’ve lost that skill these past few months.

Before, when faced with the possibility of my death, I didn’t feel nearly as much emotion. If I died, it was for a good cause. I died fighting to save the humans, and it’s not like anybody would miss me. Now, though, I feel like I’ve finally got a reason to live.

I’m excited by the prospect of a future with Caleb, and I don’t want to lose that. I’m not ready to.

A small part of me wants to hope that Caleb will be on the other side of the door, here to save us, but I refuse to get my hopes up. I can’t.

The truck’s doors are pulled open, and five HPAW soldiers jump in the back. Where did they all come from? There’s no way they were cramped together in the front seats of the truck, and there must be a second that followed.

How many HPAW soldiers are here? This truck can probably fit twenty grown men, assuming they squish together on the benches, and I presume HPAW would want to bring as much backup as possible when moving Adam and me.

We’re precious cargo.

The HPAW soldiers all business as they file inside the truck, and two point their weapons at Adam while a third moves forward and unchains Bells.

Her cries are practically incoherent as she mindlessly defends herself, and the man unchanging her pointedly ignores her as he curls a hand around her arm and tosses her into the chest of another soldier.

Adam snarls, the deep sound making me jolt.

It’s a loud, terrifying noise that would probably make me piss myself if directed at me, and I snap my head in his direction as he tries to stand. It seems the drugs aren’t entirely out of his system, and he stumbles forward the second he rises.

He catches himself on the bench opposite us, his hand landing right where Bells was sitting just moments ago.

“Don’t touch her,” Adam threatens, his voice low.

I’ve never heard him speak with such hatred before. I didn’t know it was even possible.

The soldier who unchained Bells laughs, and she is forced off the bus by another man. The two of them disappear around the side of the truck, but her pleading quiets as she’s pulled away.

Adam continues to struggle, and three of the four HPAW soldiers move forward to chain his hands behind his back.

The fourth points a gun at the back of Adam’s head, preparing to shoot at the first sign of trouble.

Only once Adam is properly restrained do they unchain his foot, and one soldier loops his arm through the back of Adam’s and forces him to his feet. Adam looks furious, but he doesn’t fight as three soldiers escort him out of the back of the truck and around the corner where Bells was taken.

This just leaves me.

I run my tongue along the edge of my cracked tooth, using the pain to distract me. I listen for any sound of gunfire or struggle, desperate to know what’s happening. There’s nothing, but I can’t tell if that’s good or bad.

Only one soldier remains in the truck, and he sets his gun on the bench across from me so he can focus on the lock at my ankle.

He’s an idiot.

I wait until the weight on my ankle disappears to slam my knee into the underside of his chin.

A deep grunting noise slips out of his throat as his jaw snaps shut, and I muster up every bit of strength I have and throw myself on him. He lands on his back, and I quickly straddle his chest while he’s still disoriented.

The muscles in my arms and back scream as I reach forward, snatch his gun off the bench, and slam the butt of it into the center of his face. Blood sprays out from his nose and eyebrow, and I lift and slam it down again and again until there’s a giant pool of blood beneath his head and he’s no longer struggling.

I’ve never killed anybody before, but this man is most definitely dead.

I fight the urge to puke as I stare at his mangled face.

Now’s not the time for this.

I pat down his pockets, my attention continually darting toward the back doors. It’s only a matter of minutes, or maybe even seconds, before somebody walks past or comes to check in on us.

My hands shake so violently that it takes me two tries to unbutton the soldier’s jacket pocket and pull out the knife he’s got shoved in there. It’s slim and black, HPAW regulation, and I shove it into my sweatpants pocket before grabbing his gun and making my way to the end of the truck.

In an ideal world, I’d put on his bulletproof vest, but I don’t have the time to undress him and slip it on. The guard is too heavy to lift, and it would take me too long.

I pause at the end of the truck and press myself against the tin wall.

There’s chattering, but it’s impossible to tell how many men are waiting around the corner. I can make out three distinct voices, but that doesn’t help. Five soldiers came into the truck to remove Bells, Adam, and me, and considering I just killed one, I know there are at least four men out there.

I shut my eyes and take a moment to breathe. Everything will burst into chaos the moment I round this corner and begin firing, and I need to be prepared.

I’ll aim for the guards with Adam first. He’s who they’ll prioritize once I begin to shoot, and I need to ensure he’s safe before turning toward Bells. She’ll be no help and will probably make a run for it the first moment she can, so I’ll treat her as an afterthought.

My head and chest wounds pulsate as I lift the guard’s gun and bring it into position.

For once, it seems all of Dan’s training is paying off.

I jump out of the truck and peek around the corner before I can talk myself out of it.

Adam and Bells are on their knees about twenty yards away, their backs to the truck. It looks like HPAW brought us to some large, empty field. But I don’t recognize it. A few trees are scattered throughout, but the wooded area doesn’t thicken for another sixty yards.

How thoughtful of HPAW to execute us in such a pretty area.

Four guards surround Adam and Bells, also with their backs to me, and five guards are standing near the front of the truck.

They’re fiddling with a camera and tripod, and my mouth grows dry as I realize they intend to film our execution. How fucking sick.

I step back so the guards at the front of the truck can’t see me, but I still have an eye on the four surrounding Adam and Bells.

This will probably get me killed, but it’s clear I was going to die anyway, so it’s not like I have anything to lose.

My shoulder screams as I lift my gun and point it toward the man closest to Adam. I’m a halfway decent shot, but they are just far enough away that I need an extra second to aim.

This better fucking work.

I plant my feet firmly on the ground and pull the trigger. The gunshot is loud, and the gun kicks back into my shoulder as the guard I aimed for drops to the ground. It looks like I got him straight in the center of his spine, and the guards on either side of him jolt as I aim toward the man on his right and shoot.

I only get his shoulder, but it’s enough for him to drop his gun. The other two men spin around, their eyes darting and their guns raising as they search for the shooter.

As they search for me.

Everybody seems to have realized what’s happening at this point, and I let the shouting go in one ear and out the other as I aim toward the third man near Adam and shoot.

I get him in the chest, and Adam jumps into action just as a man rounds the end of the truck.

We lock eyes, and his briefly flash with shock before losing all emotion. He raises his gun, preparing to shoot, but I beat him to it.

My arms tremble as I spin in his direction, and I pull the trigger just as arms wrap around my waist. They pull me so roughly to the side that my gun falls, and I cry out as it clatters against the pavement. Panicking, I fling my body left and right in a sad attempt to break free of the arms holding me still.

“Enough, Evelyn,” the man hisses.

I recognize the voice immediately, but I ignore Dan as I slam the back of my head into his chin. There’s a pained choking sound, but he doesn’t loosen his painfully tight grip on me. If anything, it only seems to grow tighter.

Adam shifts into his wolf form, and the chains holding his arms behind his back break apart as he lunges at the final guard near him. It’d be an incredible sight if it weren’t for the dozens of wolves pouring out of the woods behind him.

They sprint toward us at a pace I wouldn’t ever be able to replicate, but thankfully they take the focus off Adam and Bells. The frantic HPAW guards shoot at the wolves, but it’s clear it’s useless. There are too many wolves, and they are terribly outnumbered.

What the fuck is happening?

My heart lurches, and I scan the field for Caleb before Dan forces me around the side of the truck, away from the incoming wolves. I can still hear them, though, their angry snarls and thundering footfalls quiet in comparison to the screaming of the HPAW soldiers.

It’s a massacre.

I stumble over my feet as Dan yanks me the length of the truck and around the front. The HPAW soldiers are too busy fighting off the wolves to pay us any attention, and I let out a quiet scream as Dan pulls me a few feet into the clearing and throws me to the ground.

A wolf lunges for us, its eyes locked in on Dan, but Dan smoothly pulls out his gun and shoots the wolf between the eyes. It falls to the floor with a thump, skidding slightly along the ground as its body goes limp mid-run.

My jaw drops open, unable to comprehend the sight, until I hear Caleb.

I don’t even know how I recognize the sound of his wolf amongst the chaos, especially considering I’ve never heard it before, but his snarl resonates deep within me. Goosebumps rise along my arms and neck, and I turn to the side just in time to see Caleb’s wolf jump over the body of the wolf Dan just shot.

Dozens of conflicting emotions flash through me, the most pressing being relief and all-consuming fear. Dan stands above me, and I spin around and reach for him in a panic.

He moves quickly, though, too quickly, and in a flash, he raises his gun and shoots.

I don’t have time to contemplate, and I snatch the knife I stole from the guard out of my pocket, flick it open, and stab Dan in the groin. His knees buckle, and I rip the knife out and sink it into the inside of the thigh next, aiming for his femoral artery.

Blood pours down my hand, confirming I’ve hit it, and Dan collapses in a heap of heavy limbs. His head slams against the ground, but I pay it no mind as I rip my knife back out and search for Caleb.

There’s a wolf on the ground where he was just moments ago, a pool of blood leaking into the grass below him, but I know it can’t be Caleb.

It can’t be.

Chapter 65

My knees give out as I sprint toward the unmoving wolf, and I drop to the ground with a loud cry as I stumble upon him. He’s face down on the ground, his face buried in the dirt. He’s significantly larger than the other wolves, probably weighing at least three hundred pounds.

My knees scrape against the ground as I reach for his torso, and I hold in a sob as I slide my fingers through his matted fur and give him a shake. He needs to get up.

“No, no, no,” I choke out, my voice hoarse.

I know this wolf Caleb, his coloring and markings permanently ingrained in my mind. I give him another shake, desperate for him to do something, anything, other than lay still on the ground.

He doesn’t make a noise.

He doesn’t do anything.

The wolves around me continue to fight, and I throw my body over Caleb’s as an armored van swerves down the empty road and HPAW soldiers begin to pour out of the back. They’re shooting before they entirely exit the vehicle, and I curl my arms around Caleb to keep everybody away from him.

The truck squeals to a stop near the one I was brought here in, and the front doors open so more soldiers can jump out.

Thankfully they don’t even notice Caleb and me as they fire at the incoming wolves, their nervous eyes traveling right over us. I wait until several wolves are between the HPAW soldiers and us before sitting back up and continuing to shove at Caleb.

“Wake up, you fucking idiot,” I say, sliding my fingers through his fur in search of his injury.

I know Dan shot him, and I need to press against the wound so he doesn’t bleed out. His fur is tangled and matted with dirt, probably from his journey here, making it hard to look through.

I still have no idea where the fuck we are, but I assume we must be somewhat close to the border if Caleb and his wolves were able to make it here undetected. HPAW would have sent the entire fucking army if they knew the wolves were on their way, especially if they knew Caleb specifically was coming.

They’d risk anything for the opportunity to take him down.

I’m aware of the painful lack of sparks that once existed between Caleb and me as I sift my fingers through his knotted fur. It’s probably just because I cut off my mark.

That’s why.

I ignore the aching pain in my body as I shove my shoulder into Caleb’s torso to roll him over. I get him about halfway on his side before grabbing his snout.

It’s not hard to find his injury.

Blood pours out of the front of his head, and I spin and dry heave as I see what’s become of his left eye. Dan shot him in the inner corner of his eye, and the pressure pushed most of it out of the socket. It bulges, his eyelid unable to close around it, but there’s no awareness in his pupils.

They’re as unmoving as the rest of him.

I don’t know what to do with this. Should I apply pressure? Will that make it worse?

I lift Caleb’s head and pull it onto my lap to feel the back of his skull for an exit wound. There isn’t one, and I smooth my hand down his blood-soaked fur before digging my fingers into his neck in search of a pulse.

Where the fuck are you even supposed to feel a wolf for a pulse?

“Caleb, stop,” I whine, shoving my fingers against every part of his neck I can think of. “This isn’t funny.”

He still doesn’t wake up, and I give him a rough shake before pulling even more of him onto my lap. I look around, desperate for help.

My physical wounds and state of starvation make my movements slower than I’d like them to be, and I know I won’t be able to get Caleb out of here by myself. He needs a doctor, and he needs to be carried.

Wolves surround me on every side, most fighting off HPAW but a few pointedly forming a circle around Caleb and me. I don’t recognize who’s who when they’re in their animal form, but the one closest to me has no fur around his ankle.

Right where a chain was tied around it.

Adam backs up into me, his fluffy tail and butt pressing against my shoulder.

I ignore it, too focused on Caleb.

“Please,” I whine, my voice hitching. “Wake up.”

I give his shoulders a hard squeeze, hoping this jostle will be enough to make him open his eyes—well, eye—but he still doesn’t move. His good eye is halfway open, the lid not completely shut, but there’s no life behind it.

The one bulging out of his head is no better, and I turn away and gag when I stare at it for too long.

I’m faintly aware I’m hyperventilating as I run my hands down Caleb’s head, my movements frantic as I try and figure out what to do. I understand the basics of medical care, but only for humans. I don’t know how or where it’s safe to touch Caleb’s wolf body, and it’s hard to see anything underneath the thick fur.

Pain-filled screams and curt orders continue to ring out around me as HPAW fights the wolves, but they’re quickly dwindling in numbers. There are too many wolves, and the vehicle of men who arrived only minutes ago is already almost gone.

Their mangled bodies scatter the ground.

One HPAW soldier sprints toward the front of the truck, seemingly planning to climb inside and drive away, but a wolf lunges on him from the side and knocks him down. He screams as sharp teeth tear into his neck and long claws tear open his chest, and within seconds, he’s silenced.

To the right, another guard meets the same fate, but he manages to shoot down two wolves before one makes it past his firing weapon.

I turn back to Caleb.

My fingers are coated with blood as I bring them to his neck, searching again for a pulse. I can’t find anything, and I’m growing desperate. I give it three tries before giving up and placing my hand in front of his snout instead, hoping to feel breath.

His chest isn’t rising or falling, but I refuse to think too deeply about why that is.

I can’t.

A wolf sprints toward me, easily bursting through the ring of wolves guarding Caleb before seamlessly transforming into a human body. Cole falls to the ground next to Caleb and me, his naked skin covered in blood as he reaches for my mate.

I yank Caleb’s body away from Cole.

He can’t have him.

“Evelyn,” he gasps, his dark brown eyes meeting mine.

I realize he was reaching for me, not Caleb, but I don’t care. I continue to pull my mate away from him, scared he’s going to steal Caleb.

Caleb is mine. Mine.

I shake my head, pushing those anxious thoughts aside. Cole is here to help.

“Come on,” Cole urges, his voice loud so I hear it over the gunfire. “We need to get you out of here.”

He reaches for me again, and I scramble away.

“Caleb’s hurt,” I sob, shaking the wolf in my arms. “His eye.”

Cole doesn’t look at him, and it pisses me off. Why won’t he look at Caleb? Caleb needs help, and we need to get him out of here.

Where’s Greg? I imagine they’d have brought the pack doctor with them for exactly this reason. He’s probably in the woods helping treat the wolves who get shot.

I hook my arms under Caleb’s and shift to my knees. He’s outrageously heavy, but with Cole’s help, we can get him out of here. I don’t care if I pull every muscle in my body while I do so. It’s going to happen.

“He’s hurt!” I repeat, gesturing to the bottom half of Caleb’s body. “You get his legs.”

I’m going to get him out of here if it’s the last thing I do.

Cole grimaces, his eyes briefly flashing to Caleb before returning to me. He looks tormented, but I don’t have it in me to try and make him feel better. There isn’t time, so he needs to get over his issue and help me bring Caleb to safety.

I know he doesn’t care much for me, but he’s loyal to Caleb.

Cole ignores Caleb and reaches for me, and I recoil the moment his fingers touch my arms. He’s wasting time.

“We prioritize the injured,” he says.

Is he fucking stupid?

I try and fail to lift Caleb. “Yeah, and Caleb is fucking injured,” I hiss.

Cole rips my arms away from Caleb, forcing me to drop my mate to the ground. I scream, the sound tearing from my throat as I try to pull myself out of his grip. What is he doing?

My fighting is useless, and Cole easily throws me over his shoulder before taking off into the woods. I scratch at his back, drawing blood as I try to break free and rush back to Caleb. Why is he just leaving him there?

The wolves who were once surrounding us break away, leaving Caleb exposed.

No.

I claw at Cole’s back harder, trying to climb over his shoulder. Why is he doing this?

“Stop,” I plea, my tears making my image of Caleb blur.

I blink away the wetness, waiting for Caleb to get back up and resume fighting, but he still doesn’t move. Why won’t he get back up? He’s supposed to be the strongest wolf here, and he’s not supposed to get taken down by one singular gunshot.

That’s bullshit.

Cole pivots to the right, and I grow frantic as I lose sight of Caleb. Trees block my view, and I reach out and try to grab them to stop us as Cole carries me further into the woods. I’m unable to get a good grip, and all I manage to do is tear up my palms on the rough tree bark.

“Cole!”

Sash appears out of nowhere, and I’m quickly shoved into her arms. My feet finally touch the ground, but Sash’s hard grip doesn’t let me leave.

“Another flight risk,” Cole shouts, his back already to us as he transforms into his wolf and sprints back toward the fighting.

I throw my elbow back, fully intending to dig it into Sash’s ribs and run back to Caleb, but she hardly reacts to my pointy bone. It pisses me off, and I dig my heels into the ground to try and still myself.

I need a moment for my brain to process and catch up to what’s happening. Everything is moving too quickly, and my head wound is making it hard to concentrate and remain in the present moment.

“Ev, breathe,” Sash says, forcing me further into the woods.

The sound of fighting is far away now, and I hate that I don’t know what’s happening to Caleb. My heels drag against the ground, doing nothing to keep me in place. They are useless.

“He’s hurt,” I say, ripping at Sash’s arms. “Cole left him there, and the wolves aren’t protecting him. Caleb needs help.”

Cole is a traitor, but I know Sash cares for her brother. She won’t just leave him there, unprotected. She’ll help me bring him to safety.

“Stop fighting me, Ev. We need to get you out of here,” Sash grunts, readjusting her grip on my waist.

That’s the exact opposite of what I want to hear. Why is nobody concerned about Caleb?

Sash forces me through the woods, her grip on me painfully tight as she forces me further away from the fighting. I fight her every step of the way, but she’s easily able to overpower me. Eventually we reach a gravel back road, and Sash pulls me toward a waiting car.

It’s a fucking police car, the old, dusty sirens on top a dead giveaway.

She rips open the back door, and a flash of blue hair and loud screaming fills my senses before my head is pushed down and I’m forced into the back of the car.

I land halfway on top of Bells, my body flattening hers as the door is slammed shut behind me.

“Hey!” I shout, scrambling to get off Bells before turning and throwing myself at the door.

Sash is already leaving, her body transforming into a wolf like Cole’s. The door doesn’t budge, and I give it a few useless tugs before spinning toward the driver in the front.

I don’t recognize him, but he’s clearly a wolf.

“Let me out of here,” I scream, grabbing at the metal grates separating the front and back seats.

Bells jumps in to join me, the both of us making little to no damage to the inside of the car. The wolf meets my eye through the reflection of the back mirror before putting the car in drive and pulling away.

My panic spreads.

“No,” I gasp, my voice weak. “You don’t understand. Caleb needs help.”

The man presses his lips together before running a hand through his hair. He looks thoroughly stressed, but I don’t care.

“Our Alpha is dead,” he says. I blink. No. He’s not. How would this man even know that? We’re too far away from the fighting to overhear or see anything. “I’m under strict orders to return you and the blue-haired one to the pack.”

____

I pinky promise everything gets explained next chapter