I skidded the vehicle to a stop at the pack house. Jumping out, I was met with a scene of devastation. I reached out mentally to Star and Sebastian, needing to know their location.
I sprinted toward them, noting that everyone had shifted back to their human forms. It seemed Akasha had already wreaked havoc. The closer I got to Star, the more intense the pain became.
The palpable grief of a mother washed over me, and I crumpled before I could reach Alice and Sebastian. Alice was battered and bruised, lying on her side next to a tree. Sebastian’s roar echoed the pain of a father who had lost his child.
Razor tore free from me, howling in shared agony. Star was weeping, clutching our children close to her amidst the blood-soaked scene. I had already passed several dead wolves, not all of them from my pack.
“Nox is gone,” Sebastian’s voice thundered. The hollow look in his eyes was unbearable.
I was filled with self-loathing for having left for Warwick and a desire to lash out at everyone. The cries of Star and our children brought me back to reality. They needed me. My pack needed me. Razor calmed, and I shifted back, my chest heaving with the weight of what had transpired.
“Is there a healer?” I called out, wrapping my arms around Star and our children. I gave them a quick kiss before turning my attention to Sebastian and Alice.
Josh handed me a pair of shorts to replace the ones Razor had destroyed.
I knelt beside Alice and Sebastian. Alice was still, but her eyes flickered toward me. “I couldn’t stop them,” she whimpered, her voice nearly shattering me.
“They overpowered her and threw Aurora against a tree. Her spine might be fractured or broken,” Sebastian explained, leaning over Alice to kiss her cheek.
I reached out to Ruban mentally, but he was already ahead of me. “Ruban has tracked them. They’re heading toward the mountain caverns in neutral territory. Nox is alive and crying,” I reassured them. “We need to regroup. I’ll ask Alpha Black for backup.”
“I want Alpha Jamerson dead,” Sebastian growled.
“We need to kill Akasha first. Without him, they’re weaker. Then we can take down the others.” Alice shifted, her back cracking. Normally, a healer would realign broken bones, especially in the back.
“You shouldn’t move, Alice.” Sebastian adjusted his position as Alice sat up, covering herself.
“Star, take the women and children to the bunker.” I cupped my mate’s tear-streaked face, running my thumb over her cheek. “We’ll bring Nox back.” I kissed her forehead and then our two little ones, their eyes filled with love. “I’ll be back to shower you all with kisses. Call Alpha Black and ask for his help at the neutral zone. We’re about to start a war.”
With one last kiss to Star, I discarded the shorts Josh had given me and shifted. Razor moved to the front, alongside Aurora and Tao.
We had been running for about an hour when we slowed to a walk. Aurora sniffed the air, then rolled her eyes as Ruban appeared.
“Alpha Black just arrived,” he whispered, beckoning us over.
I shifted back to my human form to greet Alpha Black, who had brought half his pack. We needed to hear what Ruban had discovered before we could proceed with the attack. Time was of the essence, and we had little of it to plan.
“Alpha Jamerson has the baby, but that might be a good thing. A vampire is threatening Akasha. She wants to drink the baby’s blood to gain power.” Ruban rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“I don’t want his filthy hands on my baby.” Alice was shaking in Sebastian’s arms. “We need to move now.”
Sebastian’s low growl echoed the urgency in her voice. His anger was on the verge of exploding, which was understandable. I would have already been tearing heads off, but we had to be careful.
I counted thirty of us, four strong alphas, and Aurora. “We’re about half a mile away. We can cover that in less than two minutes. The priority is for Alice and Sebastian to get their baby back. Once they have him, attack everyone else. But we need to focus on Akasha. If we take him out, hopefully, it will break his control over everyone.”
“The caves have one entrance and exit. They won’t want to be trapped inside when we show up.” Ruban smirked. He was young but skilled at planning attacks.
We quickly reviewed the attack plan, then shifted. Thirty wolves charged across the mountainside, weaving between trees as we closed in on the enemy. Ruban took the high ground with Alpha Black and his men, along with Alpha Quinn and his few men. Alice kept us all connected, coordinating our movements.
In a matter of seconds, we had the caves surrounded. Alpha Jamerson was outside, holding Nox.
“Make a move and I’ll rip his head off,” he threatened.
A chilling laugh echoed from the cavern, and Akasha emerged, smirking. Aurora and Tao were slowly closing in on Alpha Jamerson. So, I focused on Akasha and Lucinda, who were at the entrance surrounded by Jake’s men and a few of Draven’s.
“You’ve walked into a trap, Alpha Hawk,” Akasha sneered. “I’m always one step ahead.” His smirk made me freeze and look at Aurora. “She can’t read my mind, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Draven and his beta were missing.
Everything became a blur as we descended on the cave and everyone inside, leaving Aurora and Tao to deal with Alpha Jamerson.
As we ran, my blood boiled with anger, but the pain in my spine was slowly healing. I had to get Nox back. Luna Star was blaming herself for his abduction, but she had three of them to protect. It was impossible when Akasha appeared. I wished I had been stronger and taken down Alpha Jamerson when I had the chance.
Sebastian was right beside me, and we were determined not to let him slip away. “Hawk, focus on Akasha and the rest. He’s planning something. Sebastian and I will deal with Jake and rescue Nox,” I silently communicated this to Hawk alone.
When Hawk gave the command to take everyone down, I passed it along to the rest of the team. Aurora shot Tao a playful wink, causing me to roll my eyes and chuckle. She’d been pestering me to let her mate with Tao again. She was eager for another pup.
Hawk unleashed chaos, launching an attack on those at the cave. “Now!” I yelled, and we lunged at Alpha Jamerson.
He did something unexpected, tossing Nox high into the air. Nox was just a baby, he wouldn’t survive a fall onto the rocky terrain.
Instinct kicked in. Aurora sprang up, mouth wide open, as Tao charged at Jake, who had transformed after throwing Nox. They collided mid-air and crashed into Aurora, throwing us off balance. A wave of fear washed over me as Nox flew out of our reach.
“No!” Aurora and I cried out in unison. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.
Suddenly, a blur filled the air, and my heart pounded in my chest.
“I’ve got you. Sorry I’m late for the party.” Nat swooped in, catching Nox and skidding to a stop as Aurora landed on her side.
We scrambled to our feet. As much as I wanted to transform and embrace Nat, Sebastian and Tao needed my assistance. We turned just in time to see Alpha Jamerson had Tao’s throat clamped in his jaws. Aurora hurled herself at him.
We ended up in a tangled heap, biting, scratching, and tearing at each other’s fur. Nox was safe in Nat’s arms, and that was all that mattered. I almost lost him because of this monster.
A piercing screech filled the air, so loud I was certain it would rupture the eardrums of Aurora and the other wolves. Through Aurora’s eyes, I glanced in the direction of the noise and saw Lucinda being ripped apart by two wolves.
It was a gruesome scene, and I spotted Akasha making a run for it. “Aurora,” I called out in alarm. She halted when she realized the monster was getting away. We had to take him down now. The determination in our next moves had Aurora leaping over the ongoing battle beneath us and onto the mountainside.
“Wait!” Nat appeared beside me. “He’s heading toward Draven and the Bloodclaw Pack.” She held Nox protectively in her arms. “We’ll get him later, I have something to tell you.”
Aurora dug her claws into the ground in frustration but listened to Nat’s advice and stopped. One thing Aurora could still do was take complete control, and I had no say in what she did.
With one final look into the wilderness, Akasha had disappeared. Now we had to deal with the chaos that was still unfolding here.
