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“I thought about that, but we’re too close to his pack,” Caleb says.

“He could mindlink others and warn them if he thinks we are on to them. Right now, the best option is for me to take over as Alpha. Once I’m Alpha, then I can alpha command others in the pack one by one to tell me everything but not breathe a word of my questions. ”

“But what’s stopping him mindlinking to get out of where he is now?” I ask. “Can’t we just fucking kill him now? If we aren’t going to question him, then what's the point of waiting?”

None of this is sitting right with me. It seems like way too much faith in Caleb. A guy we don’t know, even though his actions have shown he is a decent guy. This whole thing has my head spinning.

“As far as we know, he has no idea that Caleb is looking into the missing omegas or that there is anything to suggest that either of your sisters are alive,” Ryan shares.

“I’ll speak to him and apologize for my ‘outburst’ and hopefully smooth things over enough that he will wait for the pack elders.

He’s a coward, but he doesn’t realize what he is up against.”

I gape at Ryan, in awe of how level-headed he can be at a time like this.

There is no way I could play civil with that rapist piece of shit.

I want to cut his fucking cock off and choke him with it.

The only thing keeping me in line right now is the possibility that his death might hurt other innocent omegas. Especially my sister.

“It’s a solid plan,” Ryan states. “I can’t imagine how hard this is, but we need to play this right, or we risk goddess knows how many lives.”

“You can’t possibly expect me to sit back and do nothing,” I plead, my tone a broken rasp as I drop my head into my hands. “You basically just told me my sister has come back from the dead—potentially living who knows where, having who knows what happening to her—and you want me to do nothing ?”

“I’m aware what I’m asking is impossible,” Caleb says, his voice pleading. “But I’ve been trying to figure this out for three years and this is the best shot I’ve had to get answers. This is about my sister, too. ”

I let out a sigh. I’m lost, with no idea what direction to go in. My body is both restless and heavy, caught in such a strange juxtaposition. As if my limbs are aching to move, to take action, but they remain rooted in place, weighed down by my crushing emotions.

A sense of unease gnaws at my stomach; it churns and twists in knots. My wolf paces in my mind. His superior instinct is trying to communicate, urging me to listen and find a way forward through the confusion.

I wish Katie were here. She would know what to do.

Fuck, I understand what she would want me to do, but I don’t want to admit it.

She would want to save as many women as possible.

Katie was always selfless like that. She was training with Doc and working in the pack hospital.

She was so caring and had a way of pulling others together.

She didn’t make rash decisions. Like other omegas, her energy was soothing and supportive. She always had a way of calming me. Except where her calming voice once pacified, the silence now screams, leaving an aching emptiness.

“I'm asking you to do the hardest thing imaginable. To wait and play this smart. For Katie and Camille. For all of them.”

“Fine,” I say. “But Caleb—you update me. Every step. We meet every week. We don’t stop until we find them.”

“Agreed,” Caleb says, standing tall. “You have my word.”

“And if you don’t win that Alpha challenge, what then?”

“Not something we need to concern ourselves with,” he smirks. “I’ve been dying to tear into that prick for months now.”

Luca is right. I need to focus on the pack and finding out what happened to Katie. I can’t let myself get caught up in Emily right now. She will understand that I can’t focus on our relationship as much as I want to. Emily will want to help; she will be there for me.

And our time will come. We have the rest of our lives.

“The elders will arrive tomorrow around noon,” Ryan informs me.

“Caleb hasn’t shared the reason for their presence being requested, lest we arouse suspicions. Thankfully, Anderson remains oblivious to our speculation, and so long as we don’t tip him off. We should be okay.”

I nod, happy that Ryan and Caleb, at least, possess rational minds. Because my head is a swirling mess of fucked up .

“You joining patrol tonight?” Luca asks, and I nod. Spending the next few hours running is exactly what I need right now. I go to leave, and Luca joins me. “Right, let’s strategize how to reinforce the warriors until we figure out what’s happening.”

“Before you leave,” Ryan calls after us. “It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. What we have discussed stays in this room. We have no idea how far this goes.” He glances at Caleb. “Caleb has told me the council did not listen when his father went to them for help. They may be involved.”

My stomach drops. Emily deserves to know what is happening, but this isn’t my story to tell.