Page 47

The thought sent an inappropriate thrill through Maya's exhausted body.

"Good," she whispered fiercely.

Eli placed her gently on a makeshift cot inside the storage room, surrounded by medical supplies and forgotten equipment. The fluorescent lights flickered, casting shadows across his concerned face.

"We're safe here for a while, but every exit is triple-guarded now. We'd need an army to fight our way out."

Maya closed her eyes and focused on the tether between her and Kieran. It pulsed with his rage, his determination, and his need.

"We don't need an army," she said with absolute certainty. "We have my mate."

EIGHTEEN

KIERAN

Kieran paced the safe house like a caged animal, his heavy footfalls echoing against the wooden floors. Three days. Three whole days since they'd taken Maya. The half-healed wounds across his body pulled with each movement, but the physical pain barely registered. All he could feel was the hollow ache spreading through his chest.

He stalked to the window, scanning the tree line for any sign of their scouts. Nothing. His fist slammed against the windowsill, splintering the wood.

"Where are you?" he growled, pressing his forehead against the cool glass.

The mate bond pulsed between them—stronger today than it had been since their separation. He could feel her reaching for him, calling to him, her presence flickering like a distant flame. Each time he felt her consciousness brush against his, he pushed back reassurance.I'm coming for you. The lie tasted bitter. How could he come for her when he didn't know where the hell she was?

Kieran closed his eyes, focusing on their connection. She was alive. Afraid, but alive. The bond wouldn't exist if she wasn't.That knowledge was the only thing keeping him from tearing the entire Granite Ridge territory apart tree by tree.

The scent of antiseptic and herbs announced Lena's arrival before she pushed through the door. One look at her face sent his wolf charging forward, his eyes flashing as he stalked toward her.

"You found her." It was not a question.

Lena nodded, setting her medical bag on the table. "One of our operatives infiltrated their medical facility months ago as a supplier. Maya's there. They've been?—"

"Tell me," Kieran demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous octave.

Lena met his gaze unflinchingly. "They've been administering compounds to force partial shifts, activating her dormant shifter genes."

A growl rumbled from deep in Kieran's chest. "They're experimenting on her?"

"The genes aren't dormant anymore, Kieran." Lena's violet eyes reflected concern. "The changes are happening rapidly—unnaturally so. Her body is transforming without proper guidance."

Kieran's claws extended involuntarily, scoring deep grooves into the wooden table. "I'll kill every last one of them."

"You need to get to her soon," Lena continued, ignoring his threat. "Her human cellular structure combined with the newly activated shifter genetics... she needs stabilization. She needs her mate."

The word 'mate' sent a surge of possessiveness through him. Maya was his—had been since the moment he'd picked up her scent in the forest. The wolf inside him howled for her, demanding he protect what belonged to him.

"I'm the only one who can help her find her wolf fully," he acknowledged, not bothering to deny what Lena already knew. "The mate bond will guide her transformation."

"Yes." Lena pulled a folded blueprint from her bag, spreading it across the table. "Our operative can get you into the facility through the maintenance tunnels, but security's been tripled since they brought her in."

Kieran studied the blueprint, committing every corridor and checkpoint to memory. His tactical mind mapped out entry points and escape routes with clinical precision while his wolf raged for blood.

"Where in the facility?"

"Underground east section." Lena pointed to a quarantined area. "But Kieran?—"

He was already stripping off his shirt, revealing the constellation of half-healed wounds across his torso. The scars from the ambush would remain, adding to the collection that marked his skin.

"I'm going now."