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“So, let me get this straight,” Nolan said, looking between me and Jackson. “You’re Claire’s father? Seriously?”

“That’s the gist of it, pretty much,” Jackson said.

“In hindsight, probably should have seen it,” Trent muttered.

“I did,” Will said, leaning against the wall.

Everyone stared at him.

“What?” he said. “It was obvious.”

“And you were just going to keep that to yourself?” Jackson asked.

Shrugging, Will said, “Wasn’t my secret to tell.”

“Can we pause the ‘surprise, I’m a father’ conversation until after we’ve gotten Claire back?” Jackson growled. His fingers flexed, and he kept pacing back and forth, filled with pent-up energy from anger and nerves.

“We’re working on it, but we’re kind of at a disadvantage. We don’t even know where they’d be keeping her,” Declan said.

“I’ve got a good guess,” I said. When everyone glanced my way, I said, “Probably my dad’s house. That’s where we used to live. If they wanted her to behave, I doubt they would throw her in an unfamiliar environment. Especially since she’s a kid they assume they can keep in line.”

“Can they keep her in line?” Declan asked.

My lip twitched upward. “Not as easily as they probably think. She was so well-behaved when we lived here because I made sure she followed the rules. I didn’t want her to get in the same type of trouble I did. But she’s a bit wilder than they think.”

“Can’t imagine where she gets that from,” Chris quipped.

Jackson shrugged.

“Anyway, based on the way they took her, I doubt she’s going to be as mild-mannered as they would like,” I said. Which could potentially be a problem. I didn’t want to think about them trying to knock down Claire’s spirit the same way they had mine.

“Still, Saul’s place makes about as much sense as anywhere else,” Jackson noted. “It’s worth a shot.”

“It’s a good place to start at least,” I said. “If that doesn’t work, I’ll figure out somewhere else.”

“We’re wasting time,” Jackson growled. “Let’s get going.”

We clambered into two cars and sped down the winding roads to leave the mountain. I sat squished in the back middle seat, my foot tapping irritably as I kept counting down the minutes to get to Rowen. Part of me wished we had been able to run there. It was slower than by car, but the sensation of racing through the woods made it feel faster. Instead, I was forced to sit and wait, my rage at what had happened to Claire growing stronger every second.

Jackson’s hand went to my thigh. He gave a gentle squeeze.

“We’re going to get her back,” he promised me.

I didn’t answer, just leaned against him, trying to take some of his strength.

After what felt like an eternity, we pulled to a stop a little ways outside of Rowen. Clambering out, the familiar scents of my old pack washed over me. They were just over the ridge.

We moved through the woods, trying to catch a fresh trail of either Claire or Reacher. Knowing Reacher, he wouldn’t take her directly into town. Too many people knew her and would wonder what she was doing there. They’d likely snuck her in from somewhere around where we had parked.

It took some time to find Reacher’s scent just outside of town. My stomach lurched when I smelled Claire and Dad mixed with it.

The Gold Wolves noticed the scents as well. Each of them stiffened, their nostrils flaring.

“Let’s go,” Jackson said, pushing to the lead. I followed right behind him.

For a moment, I harbored a hope that we could resolve this quickly, that we would find them all and be able to take them in a flash. That hope was dashed after five minutes, when we came to a halt.

“Reacher’s and Claire’s scents diverge here,” Declan said.

“Shit,” Chris grumbled.

“They’re trying to split us up,” Will said.

“Reacher is the priority,” Declan said. “If we get him, we’ll be able to get Claire.”

“Screw that,” I scoffed. “You don’t know them. We need to get Claire out of there as quickly as possible. You can handle Reacher after she’s out of harm’s way.”

“Audrey—” Declan began.

“We’re wasting time,” Jackson interrupted with a growl. “You guys go after Reacher. Audrey and I will go after Claire.”

A rush of gratitude flooded through me at his words, and I let out a slow exhale. Declan looked as though he wanted to argue, but one look at me and Jackson told him how pointless that would be. His jaw set as he gave us a short, curt nod.

“Once you get here, take Claire to the cars. We’ll rendezvous later,” he said. “Good luck.”

I barely heard those last words because I was already racing through the woods toward my daughter and my old home. I heard snapping branches and crunching leaves behind me as Jackson followed.

Tracking Claire’s scent took us the exact route I had expected. It seemed to take no time at all before we stood in front of my old house, the location of so many of my unpleasant memories. Part of me recoiled, wanting to run away. But the other furious part of me wasn’t about to let that happen, and neither was my wolf.

I almost didn’t wait for Jackson as I charged up the front steps, grabbed the spare key from beneath a nearby rock, and flung open the door. I could smell both Dad and Claire, and I heard movement coming from the kitchen. I raced over.

Claire sat at the kitchen table, staring stony-faced ahead of her. Across the room, leaning against the counter, my dad stood, arms folded as he watched her. Both of them turned to look at the door as I appeared. Claire’s face broke into a relieved grin. Dad’s contorted into an even deeper scowl.

“Mom!” Claire tried to run toward me, but Dad reached her first and grabbed her by the shoulder, holding her back. She rounded on him and snarled, showing teeth. “Let me go,” she snapped.

Seeing our cub fight back gave my wolf a savage pride.

“Shut up and listen to your elders,” Dad barked at her as she glowered at him.

“Give me my daughter,” I hissed.

“She’s my blood, too,” Dad responded in an almost mocking tone that made me want to tear out his throat. “I’m within my right to make sure she stays safe.”

“By locking her in the house?” I growled.

He shrugged, still digging his fingers into Claire’s shoulder as she tried to get out of his grip. “She was being obstinate. Like mother, like daughter, I suppose.”

“If you don’t give me my daughter back, I don’t care if you’re my father,” I said. “I will tear you to shreds.”

“No, you won’t,” he drawled.

My eyes narrowed. “I’m going to give you one last warning, Dad.”

“Here’s the offer,” Dad said. “You can get Claire back if you, your mate, and the rest of the Gold Wolves leave now and forget everything you know about Reacher and our plans. You make your report back to the council that everything is fine and there’s nothing to worry about. Then, everyone’s happy.”

“Here’s our counteroffer,” I said. “You give me my daughter and go to jail.”

“Not a particularly appealing offer,” Dad mused.

My fingers lengthened to claws as I kept my gaze locked on him. He started laughing. “You don’t have the guts,” he spat.

“I’m not afraid of you anymore,” I said.

He barked out a laugh, a mocking, derisive one that sent new rage coursing through me. “Is that so?” he jeered. “Prove it.”

Jackson tried to step forward, but I growled a warning at him. This was my fight. I wasn’t going to let Jackson fight this one. I had to do it myself.

Before my dad could react, I jumped forward, shifting in midair. Claire darted out of the way, running toward Jackson. Dad, however, gaped at me in disbelief, as if unable to believe that I would ever do anything this rash. He shifted just in time to avoid me clawing his face to ribbons. His paws lashed out, knocking me out of the air and slamming me into the table. It toppled onto its side with a loud crash.

Dad came to stand over me, growling, his eyes gloating as if he still assumed he would win, that I would cave and submit like I normally did. I growled back at him. That wasn’t who I was anymore.

My claws raked across his belly, and he yowled. Before he could stagger backward or react, I jumped up, my jaws snapping at his throat. He managed to recoil at the last minute, and my teeth clamped around fur.

Growling, his claws raked across my muzzle, drawing blood. I sensed Jackson taking a step forward when I yowled, but I snarled back at him, and he stayed next to Claire. Dad tried to make another move while I was distracted, but I darted out of the way just in time.

He barreled into me, knocking me off my feet. His jaws clamped around the scruff of my neck, and he bit down. Snarling at the pain, I shook him off, sending him to the side. I panted heavily, feeling my injuries but refusing to back down. He wasn’t going to get away with what he had done to Claire.

Thinking about her again sent new energy rushing through me. Howling, I jumped, this time landing on his back. My claws raked between his shoulders as my wolf and her protective instincts took over. She wanted him to feel the pain he had caused her by taking Claire and threatening her. I let her channel that rage, let out the years of pent-up terror and anger.

He dropped to the ground and rolled, shoving me off him. The instant we were back up, he lunged toward me, his claws outstretched.

I dashed to the side, avoiding the swipe. My back claws kicked out, slamming into his side and shoving him across the room. He slammed into the counter and crumpled to the ground. I rounded on him, waiting to see if he would get up and come after me again.

I looked down at his crumpled form with disdain and anger. All my life, I had never expected to stand up to my father this way. Now that I had, I couldn’t believe I had let him bully me my entire life. He had constantly put me down, called me weak and worthless. But in the end, he was the one who lay on the ground, whimpering. I should never have listened to a word he said.

I would have felt more triumphant had I not been filled with so much rage for all the pain he had caused me and Claire. Instead, all I felt was a grim determination.

Slowly, my father rose to his feet. His fur matted with blood, his breathing heavy from the injuries, Dad growled at me, baring his fangs. I snapped, lunging forward, and a savage satisfaction washed over me as he recoiled. I swiped at him again. He staggered back again, then raced out of the room.

I listened, waiting to hear if he was truly leaving. The instant I heard the front door slam against the wall as it opened, I finally relaxed, turning to face my daughter. Panting, I hurried over to Claire and licked her cheek, making sure she was all right. She giggled at the sensation. Relieved, I shifted back to human and pulled her close.

“Are you okay?” I asked, stroking her hair, wanting to keep touching her, to prove to myself that this was real, that she really was okay.

“I’m fine, Mom,” Claire said.

I hugged her again. I could have stayed like that forever, but a gentle tap on my shoulder reminded me that we were nowhere near done.

I straightened, taking a deep breath.

“You two need to get going,” Jackson said, ushering us into the living room and motioning toward the open door Dad had escaped through. “I want you to run to the car and drive home as fast as you can. Don’t look back.”

“What about you?” I asked. “If you think I’m letting you stick around for Reacher to find you on your own, you’re wrong.”

“I’m going to find the Gold Wolves,” he said. “When I meet up with them, we’ll be able to finish the rest of this off once and for all. Claire needs to get out of town, and she can’t go alone. And I don’t want you staying here in case Reacher finds some way of making you the bait.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea,” a sickeningly familiar voice said.

My stomach clenched with dread as I spun around to see Reacher leaning against the doorframe, two shifters flanking him. With a smug smirk, he sauntered inside, more of his goons filing in after him, some already massive wolves. Before any of us could do anything, three of them broke rank and headed straight toward me and Claire, cutting us off from Jackson. I gripped Claire’s shoulder as the wolves closed around us. My back hit the wall, and I realized too late that we’d been cornered.