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"It's okay," Riley said gently. "We're friends of Noah's. We've come to get you out."

Jacob's eyes widened. "Noah sent you?" His voice was weak, raspy from the drugs.

"Yes," Riley said, already working to disconnect the monitoring equipment. "We need to move quickly."

"It's a trap.," Jacob whispered. "It's a trap. He knew you'd come."

Victor's blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"

"My dad—he wanted you to come here. He said Noah would lead you right to me."

Riley cursed under his breath. "And while we're here..."

"Hunter's Creek," Victor finished, already pulling out his phone. No signal. "They're jamming communications."

Daniel's face hardened. "We need to move. Now."

"Riley, get Jacob out of here," Daniel ordered, then spoke through his earpiece. "Martin, try and get in touch with Hunter's Creek, get back up if you can't. Get hold of Raschid."

"What about you two?" Riley asked.

"We're going to check on Asher in the basement," Victor said, his wolf howling to get back to his mates, but knowing they couldn't leave other victims behind.

"Be careful," Riley said as he carefully unhooked Jacob and lifted him from the bed. "This whole setup feels wrong."

Victor nodded grimly. "Fifteen minutes. If we're not out by then, get Jacob to safety and send in reinforcements."

As Riley disappeared with Jacob, Victor and Daniel made their way down to the main floor and found the entrance to the basement. Just a simple door.

"Ready?" Daniel asked, but the door wasn’t even locked. Victor stepped in and stared at the very wide open, very empty space. As they took it in Asher and three wolves ran in. "There's no one here. We've done a full check of all the other rooms."

The only items in the large space were a desk and a single computer monitor. Daniel went over and woke it up and they all stared at the screen showing a live feed—of Hunter's Creek.

"Fuck," Victor snarled, watching in horror as masked figures swarmed through the house on the screen. The timestamp in the corner showed this was happening right now. "We need to get back. Now."

Daniel was already moving toward the exit, but Victor paused, noticing something on the screen. The attackers weren't taking everyone. They were focused on a single target.

Zack.

Victor watched, helpless, as his mate fought off several attackers before succumbing to multiple tranquilizer darts. The sight of Zack being dragged away sent a primal rage coursing through Victor's body.

"It was never about Jacob," Victor realized as they sprinted back up the stairs. "Pearson wanted us away from the house so he could get to Zack."

"But why Zack specifically?" Daniel asked as they raced through the empty house.

Victor's mind was racing. The knotting. The heat. The impossible thing that had happened between them. Somehow, Pearson knew.

"We need to move faster," was all Victor said, already pulling off his clothes to shift. His wolf would be faster than any vehicle.

Daniel nodded, understanding. "Go. I'll bring backup."

Victor shifted in one fluid motion, his wolf more ferocious than usual, driven by the desperate need to reach his mates. He tore through the night, another ten wolves behind him, following the scent trail back toward Hunter's Creek, praying he wouldn't be too late.

Mo regained consciousness slowly, his head pounding and his throat raw from the gas. He blinked in the dim emergency lighting, trying to piece together what had happened.

"Mo! Thank god," Alex's voice came from nearby, and Mo felt strong hands helping him sit up. "Are you hurt?"

"I don't think so," Mo rasped, his voice barely audible. "Where's Zack?"