Page 24 of Nick (The Moonstone Pack #4)

SARAH’S ENTIRE BODY ACHED as she leaned against the rough wall of the tunnel, the metallic scent of blood heavy in the air. Her gaze shifted to Nick, who scanned her for injuries. He was in his human form again, his muscles tense.

For all that she, like other shifters, didn’t usually pay attention to nakedness, she couldn’t help but admire his form as he moved toward her.

“We need to get you out of here,” he said.

“I won’t go to the hospital. The shifter doctors there are Vincent’s cronies.”

Nick’s lips pressed into a thin line, and he nodded. “Your trailer, then. You’ll be safe there.”

He moved over to Percy’s lifeless form and dug into the man’s pockets, finding his keys. As he straightened, the sound of other people moving through the tunnels reached them, and Sarah stiffened.

Nick held out his hand toward her. “They came with me—Ryker and Bronx and the others.”

She blew out a relieved breath as he moved back into the tunnel and conferred with the rest of the rebel shifters. Then, returning to Sarah, Nick slipped one arm under her knees and the other around her back, lifting her from the ground.

The world blurred past as Nick carried her out of the mine and over to Percy’s car. Ryker and Bronx fell into step behind them.

As Nick eased Sarah into the passenger seat of the car, her thoughts raced, fear of what might come next rolling through her.

Nick closed the door with a soft click before circling around to the driver’s side.

The engine roared to life, cutting through the stillness of the desert.

“Are you okay?” Nick asked, his gaze flickering toward her as he drove.

“Still scared,” Sarah admitted, her throat tight.

Nick reached over, giving her hand a squeeze, the gesture small but significant.

As the familiar outline of Sarah’s trailer came into view, nestled on the outskirts of town, she braced herself for whatever came next.

As Nick began helping her out of the car, several wolves appeared out of the desert, shifting behind the trailer.

“Sarah!” Malcolm’s voice cut through the stillness, his tall figure emerging from the shadows with Anders close behind. They’d obviously cut straight over from the mine, bypassing all the roads the car had to follow.

“Are you okay?” Larissa asked as she rushed forward.

“I think so, yes,” Sarah replied.

“Where’s Una?” Conall asked.

“Inside, I think,” Sarah managed to say, her throat constricting with dread, though she couldn’t have said why. “I’m back,” she called out as Nick pushed open the door and ushered her in.

Una stood before them, her slender frame racked with sobs, the damp streaks on her cheeks glistening.

“What’s wrong?” Sarah asked, glancing around the room—but somehow, she instantly knew. “Where’s Javi?”

“Karla… She—” Una choked out between sobs, her hands trembling. “She took him.”

Sarah’s heart plummeted, a howl of anguish rising silently within her. Her fingers curled into fists, her nails digging into her palms as she paced the confined space of her trailer.

“Damn it, we should have seen this coming,” Nick growled, his voice vibrating with barely restrained fury.

“We can’t let them hurt him,” Sarah said, terror coloring her words.

“We won’t,” he assured her, turning to face her with hazel eyes aflame with protective resolve. “I swear on my life, Sarah. We’ll get our son back.” Nick’s hand found hers and gripped it. “No matter what it takes.”

Before she could respond, a chorus of chimes filled the room as phones lit up around them. Anders pulled out his phone first, his brow furrowing as he read the message. One by one, the others checked their devices, expressions of dread washing over their faces.

“What is it?” Sarah asked. Her phone was still in the Jeep, dammit.

“Vincent is calling a pack meeting,” Anders announced. “On Sunburst Mesa.”

A cold shiver raced down Sarah’s spine.

The mesa was Vincent’s territory, his power center. He’d use it to display dominance, to remind them all that he was in control.

Just as he always did.

But if he had Javier…

“Then that’s where we’re going,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. Every nerve in her body screamed in protest, but she had no other choice. She would face the devil himself to keep her child safe.

“Are you sure?” Conall asked, his tone cautious. “It could be a trap.”

“Of course it’s a trap,” Sarah said. “But he has my son. I won’t hide while Javier is in danger.”

“We’ll stand with you,” Larissa said.

“Are you sure?” Sarah glanced around. “We’re still outnumbered.”

The group exchanged grim looks, but they all nodded.

Malcolm stepped up to stand next to Larissa, speaking to Sarah—but his words were meant for everyone. “We can’t allow Vincent to go on threatening the pack’s children.” His voice dropped. “He’s already proven he has no scruples when it comes to hurting—killing—them.”

Quinton, usually so quiet, spoke up. “We should have done something long before now.”

As much as Sarah wanted to accept their help, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she didn’t remind them of the danger one more time. “Even with Bronx and Ryker, it’ll still be—what? Four or five to one? The odds aren’t exactly in our favor.”

“Actually…” Anders drew the word out. “I doubt we’re the only ones tired of these kinds of power plays.” He glanced at Malcolm. “I won’t be surprised if others come to our side as soon as they realize we’re making a move against Vincent.”

“Agreed,” Larissa and Malcolm said at the same moment.

That was all Sarah needed to hear. She swallowed, glancing around at the shifters. “Then we leave now.”

She would go to the mesa, she would face Vincent, and she would bring her son home.

Fear has no place in the heart of a mother wolf , she told herself. Still, her hands trembled as her mind raced with possibilities, each more terrifying than the last.

Javier, her sweet, inquisitive little boy, was out there somewhere under Vincent’s control. And every second they wasted heightened the risk to her baby.

“Vincent will use him against me,” she muttered. “He knows that’s the only way to break me.”

“I won’t let him hurt our son,” Nick said. “But I don’t think you should try to shift—you’re not healed yet.”

“We’ll meet you on the mesa,” Malcolm said, gesturing to the others to follow him outside.

“We could walk,” Sarah said, but Nick shook his head.

“We should take Percy’s car. Vincent needs to know his enforcer is lost to us.”

Right. It was a smart move.

“Bronx and I are coming with you,” Ryker said. “Vincent has crossed too many lines. It’s time we stopped letting him believe he can control everything and everyone.”

Bronx stood beside Ryker, nodding once. “It doesn’t matter if tradition says one pack shouldn’t interfere in other packs. Vincent has gone too far.”

It was the most Sarah had heard the Moonstone shifter say at one time.

“Thank you,” she managed to get out.

One by one, the members of the Sunburst Pack began to shift, until their own small pack stood arrayed before Sarah and Nick, ready to stand against whatever awaited them on Sunburst Mesa.

Together, Sarah and Nick gripped hands, watching as the miniature pack—Ryker and Bronx at the forefront—raced toward the mesa, their bodies moving with grace and power.

As the last wolf disappeared into the desert, Sarah felt Nick’s grip tighten. They may have been heading into a battle full of danger, but they were far from alone.

Sarah slipped into the passenger seat of Percy’s car. Nick slid in behind the wheel and headed down the road.

As the car neared the base of Sunburst Mesa, Sarah’s gaze drifted to the towering rock formations silhouetted against the night sky. As she stepped out of the car, the mesas loomed over them, imposing and unyielding.

Sarah’s pulse hammered in her ears, the relentless throb almost drowning out the sound of the car door slamming shut.

Nick was beside her in an instant, his strong arms reaching for Sarah before she could protest.

“I can walk,” she said, though her legs felt like they were made of water.

“Not fast enough,” he replied, lifting her effortlessly into his arms.

The ascent was steep, the rocky terrain unforgiving underfoot. But Nick maneuvered the path easily, every step sure and steady. Sarah buried her face in his chest, inhaling the familiar scent that clung to his skin.

“Almost there,” Nick said, his breath warm against Sarah’s ear. She could feel the tension in his body.

When they reached the plateau, the crowd of shifters waiting for them silently parted, allowing them through. Nick carried Sarah to the front of the crowd, then dropped Sarah to her feet, holding her until she was steady.

Then he fished Percy’s keys back out of his pocket. Without a word, he hurled the set of keys through the air. They spun, glinting briefly in the sunlight before landing with a metallic clatter at Vincent’s feet.

The sound fractured the heavy silence.

“Percy’s dead.” Nick’s voice was a low growl.

Vincent’s cold eyes flickered down to the keys, then up to stare into Nick’s unwavering gaze. For a moment, nobody moved; the tableau was still as a photograph.

Then, like a nightmare stepping out of the shadows, Karla emerged from behind Vincent.

Her hand gripped Javier’s small arm tightly enough that Sarah could see the white of her knuckles even from a distance. Javier stumbled slightly, his tousled hair obscuring his face, but his mother’s eyes filled in the blanks of his expression—terror mixed with defiance.

“Javi!” Sarah’s voice broke at the sight of her son. She took an involuntary step forward, but Nick’s arm shot out, holding her back. His body was rigid, a barrier between her and the wolves who had taken her child.

“Let him go,” Nick demanded, his tone deceptively calm, but Sarah felt the undercurrent of rage humming through him.

Karla merely smirked, her lips curving into a cruel smile as she tightened her grip on Javier.

“Mama!” Javier’s voice pierced Sarah’s heart sharper than any blade.

“Shh, baby, it’s okay,” she called out, every instinct screaming for her to rush forward and shield him with her own body. “We’re here now.”

But they were all trapped in Vincent’s twisted game, at his mercy until they could find a way to tilt the balance of power.

Sarah’s gaze never left her son, but she could feel the malicious smile on the alpha’s lips.

“You will both die here today,” Vincent said. “And your precious Javier? I’ll raise him as my own. He’ll forget you, forget your weakness. He’ll be strong, powerful, just like me.”

Sarah froze.

“Over my dead body,” Nick snarled from beside her.

“Exactly.” Vincent smirked.

Sarah’s eyes darted between Vincent and Karla, searching for any opportunity.

“Javier,” she called to her son, imbuing her voice with as much calm and warmth as she could manage. “Listen to me, amor . Be brave. We’re going to get you out of this. We love you so much.”

Javier’s wide, tear-filled eyes met hers, and he nodded ever so slightly. The sight filled her with agony—but also resolve. No matter what it took, she would not let this monster corrupt her child.

“Your words are empty, Vincent,” she said. “You’ll never be his father.”

“Perhaps,” Vincent conceded with a shrug. “But I can be the one to shape his future. A future without either of you.”

The wind picked up, swirling dust and sand into the air, the desert itself seeming to protest Vincent’s cruel intentions.

“Let him go,” Sarah said. “This is between us, not him.”

Vincent’s gaze raked across her, and he snorted. “You don’t look like you can handle anything more today.”

It was all Sarah could do to keep from laughing hysterically.

Oh—if Vincent truly believed that, then he had no idea of what a mother’s love could allow her to do.

As the metallic taste of adrenaline flooded the back of her throat, and her injuries seemed to recede into the background, Sarah readied herself for the fight of her life.

The fight of Javi’s life.