Page 23

EIGHTEEN

KIERAN

K ieran paced the safe house like a caged animal, his heavy footfalls echoing against the wooden floors.

Three days. Three whole days since they'd taken Maya.

The half-healed wounds across his body pulled with each movement, but the physical pain barely registered.

All he could feel was the hollow ache spreading through his chest.

He stalked to the window, scanning the tree line for any sign of their scouts. Nothing. His fist slammed against the windowsill, splintering the wood.

"Where are you?" he growled, pressing his forehead against the cool glass.

The mate bond pulsed between them—stronger today than it had been since their separation.

He could feel her reaching for him, calling to him, her presence flickering like a distant flame.

Each time he felt her consciousness brush against his, he pushed back reassurance.

I'm coming for you . The lie tasted bitter.

How could he come for her when he didn't know where the hell she was?

Kieran closed his eyes, focusing on their connection. She was alive. Afraid, but alive. The bond wouldn't exist if she wasn't. That knowledge was the only thing keeping him from tearing the entire Granite Ridge territory apart tree by tree.

The scent of antiseptic and herbs announced Lena's arrival before she pushed through the door. One look at her face sent his wolf charging forward, his eyes flashing as he stalked toward her.

"You found her." It was not a question.

Lena nodded, setting her medical bag on the table. "One of our operatives infiltrated their medical facility months ago as a supplier. Maya's there. They've been?—"

"Tell me," Kieran demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous octave.

Lena met his gaze unflinchingly. "They've been administering compounds to force partial shifts, activating her dormant shifter genes."

A growl rumbled from deep in Kieran's chest. "They're experimenting on her?"

"The genes aren't dormant anymore, Kieran." Lena's violet eyes reflected concern. "The changes are happening rapidly—unnaturally so. Her body is transforming without proper guidance."

Kieran's claws extended involuntarily, scoring deep grooves into the wooden table. "I'll kill every last one of them."

"You need to get to her soon," Lena continued, ignoring his threat. "Her human cellular structure combined with the newly activated shifter genetics... she needs stabilization. She needs her mate."

The word 'mate' sent a surge of possessiveness through him. Maya was his—had been since the moment he'd picked up her scent in the forest. The wolf inside him howled for her, demanding he protect what belonged to him.

"I'm the only one who can help her find her wolf fully," he acknowledged, not bothering to deny what Lena already knew. "The mate bond will guide her transformation."

"Yes." Lena pulled a folded blueprint from her bag, spreading it across the table. "Our operative can get you into the facility through the maintenance tunnels, but security's been tripled since they brought her in."

Kieran studied the blueprint, committing every corridor and checkpoint to memory. His tactical mind mapped out entry points and escape routes with clinical precision while his wolf raged for blood.

"Where in the facility?"

"Underground east section." Lena pointed to a quarantined area. "But Kieran?—"

He was already stripping off his shirt, revealing the constellation of half-healed wounds across his torso. The scars from the ambush would remain, adding to the collection that marked his skin.

"I'm going now."

"You need a team," Lena protested. "At least wait for Malcolm?—"

"She called for me." Kieran's voice brooked no argument as he strapped a sheath to his forearm. "I felt her today, stronger than before. She's fighting, Lena. My mate is fighting alone while I've been sitting here useless."

The bond pulsed again, a desperate tug that nearly drove him to his knees. Maya was reaching for him with everything she had.

"They made her shift." Rage thickened his voice. "They forced transformations on her body without preparation and without guidance." He pulled on a black tactical shirt, wincing as it stretched over his wounds.

"You need a strong strike team for this rescue mission, Kieran. Maya is strong. She can hold them off a bit longer while you assemble a team. Our operative says she took down two guards during an escape attempt. Her wolf is powerful, just not properly trained."

Pride surged through him. Of course she had tried to escape. His mate wouldn't go down without a fight.

His wolf prowled beneath his skin, demanding immediate action, but the tactical part of his brain—the part his father had trained since childhood to lead—knew Lena was right about needing a strong strike team.

"Fine. Thirty minutes to assemble a team. Not a minute more." He pulled out his phone, dialing Malcolm while pacing the length of the safe house in three long strides. "I need you at the safe house. Now. Bring everyone who's loyal—rebels, traditionalists, I don't care. Anyone who will fight."

Malcolm's voice crackled through the speaker. "Give me fifteen minutes."

Kieran ended the call and turned to Lena. "I need weapons, medical supplies, and comms. Maya will need stabilization immediately after extraction."

Lena nodded, already moving toward her supplies. "I've prepared a sedative that should help control her partial shifts during transport. Her system is in chaos right now."

The mate bond flared again, sending a jolt of electricity down Kieran's spine.

Maya was fighting against her chaotic partial shifting and possibly threats inside that medical facility—he could feel her determination pulsing through their connection.

Her strength both awed and terrified him.

If she pushed herself too hard before he reached her…

Kieran shoved the thought aside. Failure wasn't an option.

Twenty minutes later, the safe house was packed with wolves from various factions. Some wore the insignia of the rebellion openly, while others—traditionalists who had secretly questioned the High Council for years—stood awkwardly apart, eyeing their counterparts with wary respect.

Malcolm clapped Kieran on the shoulder. "Everyone who matters is here."

Kieran stepped into the center of the room, his posture straight and his chin lifted. The black tactical gear he wore emphasized the breadth of his shoulders and the coiled power in his stance. The room fell silent as his eyes swept over the assembled wolves.

"I'm not going to waste time with politics," Kieran began, his voice filling the space without effort. "A woman with dormant shifter genes has been captured by Granite Ridge with High Council backing. They're experimenting on her and forcing transitions her body isn't prepared for."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. A broad-shouldered traditionalist—one of his father's usual supporters—stepped forward. "Why risk our lives for one woman?"

Kieran's eyes flashed, a growl underlying his next words. "Because she's my mate."

The declaration silenced the room completely.

"But more than that," Kieran continued, stalking forward, "because what they're doing violates everything our kind should stand for. Do you want our legacy to be known for force, coercion, and torture? Is that the pack you want to belong to?"

He met the eyes of each wolf in turn, challenging them to look away. None did.

"My father taught me that an Alpha's first duty is to protect.

Not just those who follow his rules, but all wolves under his care.

" Kieran's voice hardened. "The High Council has forgotten that duty.

They've forgotten that strength doesn't come from forcing others to submit, but from standing together against true threats. "

Malcolm moved to his brother's side, his presence a silent endorsement.

"I'm going after Maya," Kieran stated, authority resonating in each word. "Those who come with me are choosing to stand for what our pack should be, not what it has become. My father will call it treason. The High Council will call for our blood."

He paused, letting the weight of that sink in.

"I'm not asking you to choose me over my father. I'm asking you to choose what's right over what's easy."

A young rebel wolf stepped forward first. "I'm with you."

Then another. And another. Until the entire room had pledged their support.

Kieran felt a weight lift from his shoulders even as a new one settled in its place. This moment marked a permanent shift—he would never be the heir his father wanted. The path to becoming Alpha of the Silvercrest pack had just vanished beneath his feet.

Strangely, the thought brought more relief than regret. For the first time in his life, his choices were his own, guided by what he believed rather than what was expected. Maya's safety mattered more than his birthright. His future with her mattered more than a title.

"We move in three teams," Kieran instructed, leaning over the facility blueprints. "Alpha team with me through the maintenance tunnels. Beta team creates a diversion at the main entrance. Gamma team secures our escape route and provides medical support."

The wolf shifters gathered around, their faces set with determination as Kieran laid out the assault plan with natural authority.

Malcolm caught his eye across the table. "You know what this means, right? After today, there's no going back."

Kieran nodded, feeling the mate bond pulse within him like a second heartbeat. "I wouldn't want to."

The early afternoon sun cast sharp shadows across the concrete exterior of the Granite Ridge medical facility as Kieran and his strike teams moved into position.

Dressed in black tactical gear that hugged his powerful frame, Kieran felt the weight of the mission in every fiber of his being.

The mate bond thrummed steadily now, stronger with proximity—Maya was inside, and she needed him.

"Alpha team, comms check," Kieran's voice was low and commanding as he tapped his earpiece.

Malcolm adjusted his tactical vest, the quiet confidence in his movements mirroring his brother's. "All units reporting ready," he confirmed, his blue eyes revealing none of the anxiety that must have been churning beneath the surface.

"Remember," Kieran addressed the six wolves comprising Alpha team, "we move as one unit. No heroics." His eyes swept over each face, his gaze hardening. "And anyone who hesitates when we find Maya answers to me personally."

The maintenance tunnel entrance loomed before them—an innocuous grate set into the hillside behind the facility. Kieran knelt, his broad shoulders blocking the view as his fingers worked the lock with practiced precision. The latch gave way with a soft click.

"Beta team, begin your distraction in sixty seconds," he instructed through the comms. "Gamma team, secure the southeast exit and prepare medical."

Malcolm crouched beside him, his shoulders nearly touching. "Just like when we raided the Shadow Pack for taking our territory marker," he whispered, a flash of their shared childhood briefly lighting his eyes.

"Except this time, I'm not letting you take point," Kieran replied, unsheathing a serrated tactical knife. "My mate. My lead."

The tunnel stretched before them, damp and narrow, forcing the team to move in single file.

Kieran led, each step silent despite his size, his senses hyper-focused on detecting any signs of guards or surveillance.

The mate bond pulled at him like a physical tether, growing stronger with each yard they advanced.

"She's below us," Kieran whispered, feeling the connection pulse with renewed intensity. "East wing, just like the intel said."

Malcolm nodded, pressing a digital blueprint against the tunnel wall. "Maintenance shaft should branch right in twenty yards. Takes us directly to the sublevel access point."

The sounds of chaos erupted from above—Beta team's distraction beginning right on schedule. A smile that held no warmth curved Kieran's mouth. "That's our cue."

They moved with fluid precision, years of training transforming seven individuals into a single predatory unit. At the first junction, Kieran held up a closed fist, bringing the team to an immediate halt. Two heartbeats ahead—guards stationed at the sublevel access door.

"Two targets," he mouthed to Malcolm, who nodded and signaled to the others.

Without hesitation, Kieran rounded the corner in a controlled rush.

The first guard barely had time to register the intrusion before Kieran's fist connected with his throat, crushing his windpipe.

The second guard reached for his weapon, but Malcolm was already there, his forearm locking around the man's neck in a precision choke hold.

"Keycard," Kieran said, his voice barely a whisper as he searched the unconscious guard. Finding it clipped to the man's belt, he swiped it through the reader beside the heavy metal door.

The sublevel opened before them—stark white corridors that reeked of antiseptic and fear. Kieran's nostrils flared, sorting through the chemical stench until he caught it—the unmistakable scent of Maya, laced with something wild and uncontrolled.

"She's shifted," he growled, the wolf inside him clawing to break free at the wrongness of her scent. "Not fully, but enough."

Malcolm touched his brother's arm. "Kieran, remember the plan. We clear the path, then extract."

But Kieran was already moving, drawn by instinct more powerful than strategic training.

The bond between them sang in his blood, drowning out everything but the need to reach her.

Two guards rounded the corner ahead, weapons raised.

Kieran didn't break stride, his movements a brutal dance as he disarmed the first and used his momentum to slam the second into the wall hard enough to crack the plaster.

"Alpha One has gone off-plan," Malcolm's exasperated voice came through the comms. "Alpha team, adapt and follow."

Kieran barely heard him. Another corridor. Another door. The bond burned brighter with each step. He could feel her now—her fear, her rage, and her confusion as her body battled changes she couldn't understand.

"Maya," he whispered, the name a prayer and a promise as he prepared to breach the final door separating them.