Page 50

Chapter fifty

HAWK

Violet is about to be on my fucking shit list. I could tell the moment she rushed out into the hallway that someone contacted her, made her believe that her only choice was showing up somewhere alone to get information. It’s a common tactic and one that rarely fares well. Puma was halfway out of his seat before I asked him to let me handle it and now she just fucking took off.

I’m going to throttle her.

I rush inside to snatch my keys off the table when I’m met face to face with the fury on Puma and Gray’s face. They can feel Violet differently than I can and it takes me a moment to realize that the fury isn’t directed at Violet. “Where the fuck is she?” Puma growls, his eyes flashing with rage. I’ve never seen him this pissed off before.

“I don’t fucking know. She just took off.”

Gray steps up beside Puma, both of them rushing me toward the door. “She’s fucking terrified. Whatever just happened set her off. You have no idea where she’s going?”

“She didn’t tell me. We were going to go together or I thought we were but—”

A little whimper catches my attention, my eyes falling to Sofie trembling on the couch. I move toward her, Lance already dragging her into his lap. She looks up at me, tears falling down her cheeks. “She’s so scared, Alpha. She… she wouldn’t leave like that. I told her to do whatever she needed to as long as she came back to me but this… she’s…”

Something spooked her. That’s the only explanation. She brings out her phone with trembling fingers, trying and failing a few times to unlock the screen before handing it to me. I stare down at the open app, seeing a small blue dot speeding down the highway. Fuck, it’s Violet.

I plant a big kiss on Sofie's head and dash out the door, Gray and Puma right behind me as we rush to the jeep. I should have fucking seen something like this coming. If it wasn’t Violet sneaking out trying to save us—the way she’s blamed herself for all of this shit, it would be someone trying to ruin us. None of us expected that someone would take Violet, though. No one is ever after the Beta.

And maybe that’s the goddamn point.

Puma speeds down the street as I stare at the phone, my frown deepening the further the car goes. “She’s heading outside of Ansdale. To the Hillburg Estates.”

That doesn’t make any sense but it’s hard to focus with the emotions rolling off the three of us, so much so that I have to roll down the goddamn window. Puma slams his open palm against the steering wheel, a snarl pulling on his lips. “I’m going to fucking break whoever took her. They’re going to die. Gray, call the police.”

Whatever is about to go down might just be another ripple in all of this chaos and I fucking hate it. After this shit, I’m not waiting to put my bite on Violet any longer. No fucking way. I think back to the moment she took off down the driveway and start picking apart what really happened. Her eyes got really wide and then she was gone.

A glint of sunlight against metal rings in my memory and then I understand. “Someone was waiting in the goddamn car for her with a gun.”

“What the fuck?” Gray calls out, his phone to his ear.

“But it was pointed at me.” Violet was protecting me, us , the same way she’s been doing with Sofie. And now she’s going to suffer for it by the hands of some madman. “Puma, don’t hurt whoever this guy is too bad. I need to make sure I get my hands on him too.”

Gray huffs. “Get the fuck in line.”