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"Five more minutes," Zack grumbled, burying his face against Mo's neck.

Mo smiled despite himself. "The sooner we go down, the sooner we can make a plan to find them."

Chapter Twenty

Zacktightenedhisholdon Mo for a moment before reluctantly pulling away. "Let's get cleaned up and head down." He pressed a gentle kiss to Mo's temple before sliding out of bed.

As they dressed, Zack caught Victor watching him with an intensity that made his skin prickle with awareness. "What?"

There was something unspoken between them, questions about what had happened during their mating, which they hadn't had time to talk about. He didn't remember much, but—something that shouldn't have been physically possible—hung between them like an unacknowledged presence in the room.

He knew they had to talk, and doubts pushed in. He was a bear. He wasn’t some delicate omega Victor could protect.

"We'll talk about it later," Victor said quietly, seeming to read Zack's thoughts. "After we deal with this."

Zack nodded, grateful for the temporary reprieve. Whatever was happening to his body could wait. Right now, Jacob and Khloe needed them more.

When they entered the living room, Daniel was pacing by the fireplace while Riley and Martin sat reviewing something on a laptop. Alex and Noah were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are the boys?" Mo asked, settling into an armchair.

"Alex's room," Riley answered without looking up. "Alex is keeping Noah occupied with video games, but Alex can hear what we say. He says Noah’s hearing isn’t that acute yet, probably because he hasn’t shifted enough."

Daniel stopped pacing when he saw them. "Good, you're here. We have confirmation." He gestured to Martin, who turned the laptop around to show them footage of Sean Pearson's estate.

"This is from an hour ago.” Zack leaned closer, studying the grainy footage. A silhouette could be seen briefly passing by one of the upper windows, the distinctive shape of a wheelchair unmistakable.

"I think we can assume that’s Jacob," Asher said grimly.

Daniel nodded. "We've watched the house. O'Dowd arrived at seven and left at five, exactly like Noah said. There's a security system, but it's nothing we can't handle."

"What about Pearson?" Victor asked, his voice tightly controlled.

"Left for Seattle this morning. There’s a big art gala he’s sponsoring, and he’s front and center. He's scheduled to return tomorrow evening."

Mo straightened. "So, we have a window."

"A small one," Daniel confirmed. "We go in tonight after O'Dowd leaves. Get Jacob out before Pearson returns. Martin, I want you in the van monitoring communications, bearing in mind those of us shifted won't be able to wear any devices."

Zack saw Martin nod once and a slight hardening of his jaw. Martin had been permanently disabled in human form by a bullet that took out his knee while saving one of theirs. As a wolf he was unstoppable, but as a human he had a permanent limp. As an ex-FBI agent, Zack knew he hated to see his friends rushing into danger knowing he would have to stay behind.

At that moment Zack knew exactly how he felt.

"And the other rooms Noah mentioned?" Zack asked, thinking of Khloe and the other missing children.

Martin pulled up schematics of the house. "The original architecture shows one basement level, but we know its been extended."

"Hidden floors?" Victor asked.

"No way to confirm without access to thermal imaging.

“What if Khloe isn’t there?” Mo asked.

Daniel's expression softened with understanding. "Then we keep looking. But right now, this is our best lead." He stared hard at everyone. “Shifters only. I can’t involve anyone else in this, which means it’s unsanctioned and off the books.”

Mo gaped. Did that mean Daniel was risking his job?

"The intel we've gathered suggests Pearson's operation is extensive," Victor added, his hand finding Mo's shoulder and squeezing gently. "If he's behind the disappearances, finding Jacob could lead us to the others."