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“That’s my fucking job. This isn’t on either of you.” Vincent interrupted Brayden.

“What the fuck do we do?” He glanced at his uncle and brother, feeling helpless for the first time in his life. Nuclear war—that was a whole other level of war that they couldn’t participate in or defend themselves against.

“There is nothing, Brayden.” Ari slowly shook his head, looking at defeated as he felt. “How much time do we have?”

Vincent drew in a deep breath and sighed loudly. “A day, maybe hours. This is a moving beast.”

There was only one thing to do.

Get out of the firing line. Which meant leaving the United States.

“We need to evacuate everyone.” Brayden announced. “Not just you and Kate. Everyone. Now.”

Without waiting for an answer, he picked up his phone and called Kurt.

“Boss.” The SLC answered on the second ring.

“You need to get out of there. Now!”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

MACK

Three hours earlier

The pull to get home and be with Ella, to bond with her and make that beautiful female his in every single way possible, was incredibly powerful.

Almost as powerful as the need to destroy the Russian mob boss who was the greatest risk to their race.

Including Ella.

He had, as promised, played that sexy recording a dozen times. Mack never expected her to do it. He knew the little sex kitten would find the toy and enjoy it, but recording her moans and orgasm?

Nope.

Never in a million years.

To send it to him while he was stationed offshore, well, that was the greatest gift right now. But despite how hard it had made him—and the subsequent jerking off he’d had urgently done—it was seeing Ella lying in his bed that had really impacted him.

Mine.

She was his.

Regret overwhelmed him as he waited hour after hour for the Russian to return. His mind going into overdrive about every worst-case scenario. If he never got to be with her, if the race was destroyed, God he would hate his father for his terrible advice.

Even if it was well-meaning.

He loved his father and took full responsibility for his decisions, but the need to talk to him about it was so strong that Mack had messaged him.

You were wrong. I should have bonded with Ella years ago.

...

Hindsight can be misleading. You have your whole long life ahead of you now. At least you had freedom.

Mack shook his head.

How could he say that considering the current world events? He couldn’t tell his father they might be running out of time. That there was a serum which could see them all enslaved or killed.