Page 69

69

Lucas

The rage inside me is hard to contain as we climb these familiar steps. We had just passed the third floor, and no one stood guard. Kaylee and I both found this suspicious, so we waited, sensing the area for any wolf lying in wait. Luckily, waiting paid off as a group of warriors passed by the steps.

Kaylee held back this time as Titus, Ash, and I took care of them. One tried to use a dagger on me, seeing as I did not have one of the guns on hand to inject the drugs into him. In the end, I killed him with the dagger I wrestled from his hand before he could stab me.

Kaylee was the one to point out it was covered in wolfsbane, the scent faint but still deadly. She’d taken the dagger from my hand and expertly looked it over until she found a small button that blended in with the intricate hilt. If she pressed that button while stabbing someone, she would fill them with wolfsbane.

Now, that dagger is strapped to her hip with the sheath. I feel like we would be in danger if it were in anyone else’s hands, but Kaylee has a plan for it. She has a bone to pick with Marilyn for allowing her goons to coat their claws with wolfbane and use them on her the day I rejected her.

“We have three minutes until the alarm sounds,” Titus says quietly, watching over the hand railing to see if anyone is coming up the steps. “We still have to make it past the fourth floor and reach the fifth.”

He sighs, his gaze meeting mine. I know what he’s thinking—that this whole ordeal has taken longer than we wanted—but we’ve had to take out a few warriors and play it safe to keep Ramos from growing suspicious. The packhouse has become quiet since we entered the building—too quiet. Even I grow wary.

“We just need to wait for the alarm then,” Kaylee calls out, smirking. “We’re just nearing the top of the fourth floor. If we wait for the alarm, Ash and Titus can put their training to use and take out a few men while Lucas and I race to the top.”

For a moment, I was stunned into silence by this very dumb idea. But as I let it sink in, I realized Kaylee was right. We can use the chaos the alarm brings by rushing up the steps. Ash and Titus can hold their own against a few warriors with the tranquilizer guns and pick off a few of the worst wolves with claws and fists.

“You know, you scare me,” Titus states, staring at Kaylee with wide eyes.

She shrugs, her eyes sparkling with mischief at his words. With the plan to wait three minutes until the alarm, our team of four crept up the final steps to the fourth floor and quickly found two warriors waiting at the top. They instantly lunge for us, but Kaylee and I are quick. We use their own momentum to throw them down the steps, and the loud thuds their bodies make cause us to wince.

“You think anyone heard that?” Ash asks, the alarms sounding right after.

“I would say yes,” I answer, hearing footsteps rushing through the building. Kaylee and I look at each other before turning to Ash and Titus.

“You two have this under control, right?” she asks, already moving backward towards the stairs that will take us to Ramos and Marilyn.

“Oh yeah,” Ash chuckles, cracking his knuckles. “You two go take care of those pieces of shit. We’ll make sure no one bothers you.”

With that, Kaylee turns around, only to dodge an incoming attack. Without thinking, my nails turn to claws again, and I rush to her attacker before either can regain their bearings. My hand aims for the attacker’s chest, my claws slicing through easily as the ribs break around my hand, and I pierce their heart. The wolf dies instantly, unable to retaliate. It takes a moment to retrieve my hand back from his chest, but once I am free of his dead body, Kaylee and I rush up the steps.

Thankfully, the way is clear. No other wolf but the alpha family lives on this floor.

“What the fuck is going on?” someone shouts, the sound carrying all the way towards Kaylee and I. A smirk graces my lips as I recognize this angry roar as Ramos’. It seems our wolves have been stealthy—he still has no clue what’s happening.

“We’re under attack!” a scared female voice replies.

By now, Kaylee and I are just a few steps from the landing. I can see Ramos standing in front of his bedroom door, an omega in his grasp.

“By who?” A loud growl vibrates the walls, and it takes everything in me not to laugh. What little power Ramos has is nothing compared to what Aunt Amelia has shown me these last few weeks. Ramos is a pup compared to her.

“By us,” Kaylee calls out as we reach the fifth floor, the two of us coming to a stop.

Ramos’ eyes widen in shock as he takes us in, the scent of blood coming from our black clothes—blood that belonged to his men. Beside me, I feel the power that Kaylee has grown into and release my own. Our powers mix with one another in harmony, and from where I stand, I can see Ramos pale, his body shaking with slight fear.

“Hi, Dad,” I greet Ramos, feeling Kaylee’s amusement at my choice of words. “I’ve come back for my pack.”