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LOCKE

I could feel Wren’s pain reaching out to me like a living, breathing thing. Tendrils of it scraped against my skin, but more than that, I saw the life in her eyes fading. The vitality and fieriness drained with each second until she darted from the kitchen.

I watched her go. Waited for a count of five until I knew she’d had time to disappear behind her bedroom door, and then I whirled on Ender. My fist connected with his nose in a satisfying blow.

Fighting wasn’t something I enjoyed the way my pack mates and brothers did. But in this case, I was willing to do whatever was necessary to protect Wren.

Ender’s shock at my attack was short-lived. He answered with a blow to my ribs that forced all the air from my lungs and possibly cracked a bone or two.

I didn’t give a damn. My fist connected with his jaw in an answering uppercut that had his head jerking back with a satisfying snap.

Ender sent a roundhouse kick in my direction, but I ducked beneath it, sweeping his leg out from under him. He crashed into the kitchen table, fury on his face as he righted himself. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Kingston moved then, finally taking on a little of the alpha role he should’ve stepped into the moment Ender began railing against Wren. “Enough.” His voice carried weight and fatigue in that single word. But he put a hand on Ender’s chest to keep him from charging forward.

“Shouldn’t you be telling him that? He’s the one protecting that traitorous bitch,” Ender snapped.

There were answering growls in the room from me, Puck, and even Brix.

Ender’s jaw went slack. “You can’t honestly tell me you’re still falling for her shit.”

“She’s our mate,” Brix gritted out.

“So fucking what?” Ender shot back.

“You can’t fake that,” Puck said quietly.

“Some sort of spell,” Ender suggested.

I glared in his direction. “I’ve never heard of that kind of magic. Ever.”

Though it wouldn’t have mattered if I had. I knew that what I felt for Wren was real. The bond was real. She made me feel more at peace and seen than anyone ever had. She’d also been through hell. One that no one deserved—but especially her.

Ender scowled at me. “You might be a tech genius, but you don’t know every piece of magic that exists.”

“But I know Wren. Probably better than any of you do because I shut up and listen,” I growled.

They all turned to me then. Even Brix’s eyes widened a fraction as the shock hit them all.

“I’ve put the pieces together. She’s running. Running from someone who hurt her. Someone who left her body riddled with scars and terrified of the dark. Do you know what she said when the power went out? ‘ They hurt me in the dark. ’”

Those words had haunted me ever since. Replayed in my mind in an agonizing loop. I scanned the faces of the men in the room, males who were Wren’s mates, my brothers. “She has been terrorized, touch-starved, and so much worse. And the three of you just wounded her worse than any of that by believing a bunch of bullshit lies.”

Anger coursed through me. No, fury. Because I didn’t have a clue how we’d undo the damage done over the past five minutes—if we even could. But I knew one thing for certain. If Wren decided she needed to leave, I was going with her.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to forgive Ender, or Kingston for that matter. I trusted our alpha to be smarter than this, more reasonable.

The color drained from King’s face. “Fucking hell.”

“Exactly,” I snarled. “You’re better than this.”

Pain swept through his expression. “I know I am. I just—all I could think about was Natasha and what she’d been through. And knowing that Wren came from him…”

“Not by choice. She has been terrorized by the same man you three have. But it’s so much worse because he was supposed to love her.” I met each of their eyes, trying to punctuate my point.

Ender simply scoffed. “If you’re still falling for her bullshit, you’re stupider than I ever could’ve imagined,” he spat as he stalked out of the kitchen. The door slammed a second later, and after a few more, thunder rolled.

It was fitting that a storm hit at a moment like this. I just hoped the power held this time. Lightning flashed, illuminating the kitchen. No one else had moved. We all stood there silently, thinking about the damage we’d wrought. None of us was innocent. Not even me.

Because I should’ve stopped Ender weeks ago. I should’ve gone to King and forced him to make End leave until he was ready to come to terms with the fact that he had a true mate. But it was too late now. He’d inflicted the sort of damage that couldn’t be undone.

Brix scrubbed a hand over his face and then raked his finger down his neck, leaving red marks amid the ink. “She grew up with pure evil.”

“She did,” I said quietly.

I couldn’t imagine what that had been like. All the ways she’d been hurt.

“What do you think happened to her mom?” Puck whispered.

More pain flooded Kingston’s face. “I don’t know, but I doubt it was good.”

“We need to find out from Ender who his contact is. If Wren’s been running from Bastian, this may have exposed her.” Just saying the words out loud turned my stomach.

“He. Doesn’t. Get. Her,” Brix growled. “She won’t be hurt. Never again.”

That was a vow I could live by. Wren had endured too much pain in her life. And she’d only been caused more tonight. I wouldn’t allow that to continue.

Kingston turned to me. “You still have eyes on them, right?”

“As much as I can. But you know Red River keeps their movements locked up tight.” I’d been trying for a way in, but they must’ve had a hacker in the pack. Someone made their systems almost impenetrable.

“We keep our eyes peeled and ears to the ground. I want us to keep a lookout for any unfamiliar faces around town. Wren’s eyes and scars make her unique. It’s not like she can disguise who she is,” Kingston said.

Puck shook his head. “We keep her in the compound for now. No work for a while.”

“Good luck with that,” I muttered.

One corner of King’s mouth kicked up. “Locke has a point.”

“We can make a plan later. Right now, we need to be there for her. And you fuckers need to apologize,” I ground out, already heading toward the back hall.

I heard footsteps behind me and knew my brothers were following, but I could only think about Wren. Her door was shut, that single visual like an invisible fist grinding against my sternum. I lifted my hand and knocked three times. There was no answer.

I wasn’t shocked by the lack of response, but it still burned. “Wren?” I called. “It’s me.”

Still no answer.

Puck muttered a curse. “I’m going to kill Ender.”

I tried the doorknob. It was unlocked, so I slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Everything was quiet except for the pounding rain against the windows and roof. Scanning the space, I moved deeper into the room. No sign of Wren.

My heart picked up speed as I checked the closet and bathroom. Then I hurried back out to the bedroom, true panic setting in. “She’s gone.”