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The conversation with Colson didn’t go as planned. I had accepted that it was probably best to get Jenny to sleep as soon as possible, but in my mind, there was no reason for us to stay past one night. The love that Colson and I had once shared had died when he had left me behind. It didn’t matter that we had planned a future together—that future was gone. The man I had fallen for was gone. Colson might still look the same, but his heart—once loving, generous, and full of wonder—had been replaced by a cold and violent one. It would take dynamite to blow through his hard exterior to even get a glimpse at what remained of his past self, not to mention time. Time I didn’t have.

No, this situation had nothing to do with me, and the second I got a chance I was going to make sure that Jenny and I left him in the same manner he had left me—without a word or a trace. Whatever weird feud all these alphas had with Sparkle Hollow had nothing to do with me or my daughter. That was the business of alphas and the ruling class, not for a mere pack member like myself.

I was furious with Colson for trapping us here like this. Sure, I had walked inside the house of my own accord, but it was still essentially kidnapping. Just because I hadn’t been physically restrained didn’t mean there was no coercion involved. I wanted to pay him back for everything he had ever done to me. Someday I would, but not today. Right now, my main concern was Jenny.

When I got back into the room where I had tucked Jenny in, I saw that she was still passed out in the same position. Her mouth was pursed, and her brows were wrinkled as if she was deep in thought. With my thumb, I smoothed the lines above her eyes and saw her settle even deeper into the pillows.

She had always been a sound sleeper, and I took the opportunity to memorize her face. Gone was the tiny baby who had kept me up at all hours of the night and the energetic toddler who kept me on my toes. In slumber, I could still see the same tiny features I had fallen in love with nine years ago. I remembered the way her little fingers curled around my thumb, and the chubby thighs spilling out below her diapers. The way she toddled around was still fresh in my memory, and I wiped a tear away from my eyes. Her father had missed every moment of her life so far, and it made my heart ache for what we had all been deprived of.

I shook my head to clear those thoughts and sighed deeply, wondering for the millionth time that evening what I should do next. Colson seemed to think we were safest here with him, but I wasn’t convinced. His track record for keeping his promises was low, as far as I was concerned. What was to stop him from letting one of the other alphas and their thugs take us away? Absolutely nothing, except his word. Whatever that was worth.

There was no way I would be able to move Jenny tonight. She was exhausted, and so was I. It would be best if we both got a little bit of sleep. I could wake us both up early and make a break for it. Colson was sure to be on the lookout tonight, but I doubted he expected us to sneak out before sunrise.

Before laying down next to Jenny, I propped a chair underneath the doorknob. It wouldn’t stop a shifter from breaking in, but it would give me a few seconds of warning.

I left my shoes on and settled into the bed, trying my best to quiet my mind. I was going to need as much energy as possible if we were going to escape. I listened to the steady sound of Jenny’s breathing, and finally, after what seemed like hours, I managed to fall asleep.

***

It felt like I had just closed my eyes when they shot open again. The sky outside was still dark, and Jenny was gently stirring beside me.

“Mom?” she asked sleepily.

“Shh, honey,” I replied quietly. “I’m right here. We need to be quiet. Do you remember where we are?”

Her eyes opened fully, and she looked around in confusion before nodding. “Yes,” she whispered.

“It’s still night, and I doubt anyone is expecting us to be awake for a while yet. There will still be regular guards around Alpha Colson’s territory,” I warned her. “Do you think you’re up for an escape? We’ll need to be fast and quiet.”

Her face belied a mixture of fierceness and trepidation. I knew I was asking too much of her, but I didn’t see another option. I refused to sit around and wait for Colson to fail me again.

Jenny nodded firmly, so I grabbed her shoes and began to lace them up for her. Quietly, we got out of bed and tiptoed to the front door. As slowly as possible, I withdrew the deadbolt from the lock and unlatched the front door. We paused to listen for sounds from the other bedroom, but all was quiet.

I nodded at Jenny, letting her know it was okay to step outside. I pulled the door closed behind me, and we tiptoed down the front steps, making our way out of town.

No one was outside at this hour, except a few guards roving the edges of town. They weren’t being particularly watchful, and Jenny and I were able to slip out unnoticed.

“No one is following us,” I told her quietly. “We still need to be careful, but we can try to move a bit faster now.”

She followed me as I ran in a crouch. Just as I began to let my guard down, we found ourselves surrounded by a group of men, headed up by the last person I wanted to see. The alpha Colson had referred to as Desmond.

“I told him you weren’t to be trusted,” he said.

“Not sure what you mean by that,” I said, deciding it was best if I played dumb. “Jenny and I were just out for a walk.”

Desmond laughed, but there was no joy in the sound. I wondered if he even felt things like happiness or if he truly was a sociopath.

“Ah, yes. A nice stroll through the middle of nowhere at five in the morning.” He took a few more steps toward us. “Where are you headed on this walk?”

“I hadn’t decided yet,” I hedged.

“Are you having a nice time, Jenny?” he asked, turning his attention to my daughter.

I pulled her close to my side, letting her know that I was with her. Don’t show fear , I thought, desperately wishing I could communicate with her telepathically. I had met men like Desmond before. They liked the hunt, but what they liked best of all was the terror on the faces of their prey. If he saw a target, he would take it.

“Yes, thank you,” Jenny responded politely.

I knew she hadn’t heard my internal monologue, but she had responded to him as if she knew exactly what I was thinking. Desmond cocked his head to the side inquisitively. It was clear he had expected his tactic to work on a little girl and was surprised when it didn’t.

“Your mother has taught you well,” he said to her. “What other tricks has she taught you? I wonder… was she lying when she told us that you can’t transform?”

Jenny shook her head.

“No?” he said, his voice lilting up at the end as if he doubted what Jenny said. He took another deliberate step toward her and continued. “I’ve heard stories of other little wolves who took a long time to change. Do you know what finally got them to do it?”

Jenny shook her head once more, and I could tell that her fearless resolve was beginning to falter.

You can do this, Jenny, I thought. Stay strong.

“Being chased by other wolves. I think we should play a little game. What do you say, boys?” he asked, turning to his companions. “Should we see if the little rabbit can turn into a wolf?”

The others began to howl in approval as Jenny’s head snapped towards me. I could see the fear written all over her face. I only glanced at her for a moment, because if I looked any longer, my determination would falter, too. I was having a hard enough time regulating my emotions as it was. Instead, I pulled her to my side and stared Desmond down.

“If you even try to touch her, I’ll rip you apart limb from limb,” I promised him.

“We’ll see about that,” he sneered.

“No, we won’t,” another voice interjected from behind us.

Colson had shown up just in time once again.

“Nice of you to join us, Alpha Marsden,” Desmond said. The emphasis he put on Colson’s title didn’t escape any of us, and I knew he was taking a dig at Colson’s ability to keep track of his prisoners. “You’re just in time for a little fun. We caught these two trying to sneak back to Sparkle Hollow, although they claim to be out for a walk.”

“I’m sure they were. We’ll head back to my house now,” Colson said, still trying to de-escalate the situation.

“You forgot to tell them where the boundaries of your territory are. I’m afraid they’re on my side of the line, and that means they’re my problem now,” Desmond sneered.

Crap. We’re not even in Marsden territory anymore? I asked my wolf. I didn’t think we had gone that far. These wolf packs must live close together if we had already trespassed into another pack’s land.

Don’t worry, Cassia replied. I can tell that Colson has a plan.

“According to our alliance, they are still under my protection,” Colson said.

“Like hell they are!” one of the other wolves interjected.

For the most part, the Desmond pack had been quiet. Their alpha was the brains of their operation; these guys were just his muscle. Now that another male had entered the scene, they were all keen to show just how tough they thought they were.

“You’d better pull your goons back before I’m forced to break our alliance myself,” Colson growled at his counterpart. “I have no problem taking out as many of your pack as I need to if they challenge my authority again.”

Desmond’s poker face faltered. He knew that allowing his pack to speak to another alpha of the alliance in a disrespectful way would only lead to trouble for him.

“Get back in line, Brahm,” Desmond ordered one of his pack members. The offending man hung his head slightly and took a few steps backwards away from us. “Make sure these two get back home safe, Alpha,” he said to Colson. “Don’t want them getting lost in the forest where no one can find them, now do we?”

Colson growled again, and Desmond waved his pack to follow him back toward their settlement.

“Get back home,” Colson ordered me and Jenny tersely. “ Now .”

Once again, there was no point in arguing. If I chose to run with Jenny now, Desmond’s crew would be waiting somewhere else to pick us up. We were caught between a rock and a hard place.

Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t , I thought.

I think I’ve got a pretty good read on both devils, Cassia countered. I choose the devil that isn’t trying to kill us.

It didn’t take long for us to get back to Colson’s house. By the time we did, the sun was starting to peek out over the horizon.

“What did I fucking tell you?” Colson shouted as soon as we got inside. “Don’t. Leave. The. Territory. How much clearer can I make it? You’re lucky that I found you when I did. Pack Desmond isn’t known for killing people quickly.”

Jenny shuddered beside me.

“Go back to the guest room, Jenny,” I told her. “I’ll come talk to you in a minute. I just need to discuss things with Colson for a minute.”

She scampered away, eager to get out of range of Colson’s anger. Raised voices weren’t something she was accustomed to, thank goodness. None of this was normal, but I didn’t want to traumatize her any further than was necessary.

“What the hell were you thinking, Christa?” Colson demanded.

I ignored his question. I was still shaken by the events of the night, and not in any mood to defend myself to my kidnapper.

“Can you please not shout in front of Jenny? You scared her,” I said.

“ I scared her?” he asked, dumbfounded. “I can’t even begin to explain what I went through when I realized you two were missing. You put her in more danger tonight than you even realized, and you don’t seem to be fazed at all. Do you have any idea how close you came to being tortured?”

Colson was more emotional than I had ever seen him before. It wasn’t just that I had disobeyed his order, either—he was genuinely upset about the encounter with Desmond’s pack. I had known Desmond was bad news when I first met him, but if even Colson was acting like this, then maybe he had a point about staying close to the pack.

“None of this would have happened if you had just taken us home,” I pointed out.

“You’re right. Then we’d all be at Alpha Desmond’s mercy, and I’d be too busy protecting my pack to come protect you. Again. Just… do what I say, Christa,” Colson said. “And don’t leave the damn house again.”