No sound woke me up. Instead, it was the jolt of panic I felt rushing down my newly strengthened mate bond that jolted me out of sleep. I sat up so fast that the blanket went flying, and adrenaline was already dumping into my veins before I even knew what was happening.
I reached over to the other side of the bed where Whitney should have been lying, finding it empty and cold. She was gone, and it had been at least an hour since she’d left.
Where was she? Was she safe? Why had I fallen asleep and let her leave without me?
The thoughts were racing through my head as I leaped out of bed, my feet hitting the floor with a thud as I stumbled for my clothes. I yanked on my jeans and shirt, not bothering to do up the buttons before I rushed through the apartment trying to find her.
But in my heart, I already knew she wasn’t there. When I reached down the bond, all I could feel was a fuzzy blackness and nothing more. The panic was the last clear emotion I’d been able to feel of hers.
I started to tear the place apart, looking for any indication of where she might have gone. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that my mate was in trouble and I had to find her.
The kitchen and living room were empty, but I still felt around for anything I might have missed. There was nothing, except for a small scrap of paper on the floor near the front door. I grabbed it, my heart in my throat, but the words didn’t make sense at first.
“Julian,” I read aloud, “I know you’re going to be upset with me, but I got a text from an unknown number with coordinates, and it’s Laura. She’s been kidnapped and I need to go save her.”
I stopped reading, crumpling the paper in my fist as rage burned through me.
Of course, she’d gone out on her own. She’d do anything for those she cared about.
My mate was stubborn as hell, and I was sure she thought that she could take care of herself, and most of the time, she was right. But alone? At night? It would be dangerous for even the most powerful wolf.
The demons were too strong, and they wanted her for something, I was sure. They wouldn’t give up easily.
I needed to find her and Laura, and fast.
I shoved the note in my jeans and buttoned my shirt, trying to keep my hands from shaking. Where in the hell could she be? I didn’t even know when she’d left, so I couldn’t even begin to estimate how far she could have gotten.
I cursed under my breath as I ran to the window, looking down at the street below. Her car was gone, which was to be expected, but it left me with no way to follow her. Grabbing the sword I had used earlier, I raced down the stairs, nearly tripping twice. I burst through the front door into the darkness, searching for any sign of them.
But there was nothing. Just the cool night breeze and the quiet chirp of crickets.
Fuck. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply, trying to pick up her scent. But it was no use. All I could smell was the crisp air as the world lingered between night and dawn.
The bond between us thrummed weakly, and I reached out for it, trying to get a sense of her direction. But it was useless; all I could tell was that she was still alive.
I opened my eyes, looking around frantically, trying to decide what to do. I had no idea where to start, but I knew that I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. I whipped around, deciding in the heat of the moment that I’d just have to steal a car, when a familiar-looking truck skidded into the parking lot.
It was Saul’s truck. But Saul wasn’t driving.
It was Laura.
For one brilliant moment I thought that if Laura was here, Whitney had to be in the passenger seat. But my hopes were quickly dashed when I saw it was empty as Laura climbed out and sprinted toward me.
“Where’s Whitney?” we both yelled at the same time, our voices carrying in the quiet night.
Laura’s eyes went wide as she shook her head. “I don’t know, I thought she was with you!”
“I thought you were kidnapped,” I replied, my mouth going dry as things went from bad to worse. “Whitney left a note saying she’d gone to rescue you.”
Laura blanched, “My phone died in the middle of the night. I woke up and when I put it on the charger I saw that Whitney had called me a bunch of times, but she’s not answering now, so I came here.”
The demons knew what they were doing when they took my mate. They knew exactly what to do to push me past the point of reason.
They would pay. Every last one of them would suffer for taking away what was mine.
Laura looked around frantically. “We have to find her. Where is she, Julian? Use the mate bond!”
My lips curled up into a snarl. “You don’t think I’ve tried? Something’s blocking it.” My jaw clenched tight. “We’ll just have to find her the old-fashioned way.”
Laura looked at me with wide eyes. “You mean, start looking? But that could take hours. Where do we even begin—wait. Did she take the Outback?”
“Yes, why?”
“She has a tracker on the car, and I’m almost positive…” she tapped on her phone, a look of triumph coming over her face. “Yes! I have its location. She’s a little less than an hour away, come on!”
Laura was halfway to the truck when I stopped her. “Why are you driving Saul’s truck?”
“I stole it,” she said simply, and without remorse.
“What? Why?”
Laura rolled her eyes. “Because we need a vehicle and I wasn’t going to risk getting pulled over in a car I borrowed without permission. I, uh, never made it to the hotel. We ended up taking Peter to Danny first and it was so late that Danny told him and me to just stay at his and Naomi’s place. So I took his truck—it was the easiest one to get out of the driveway. Now come on!”
I wanted to argue with her more and ask if she was insane, but I could feel time slipping away. The sun would be rising soon, and if the demons had Whitney then I needed to get her out of there before she was injured or worse. I followed Laura to the truck and hopped in the passenger side. We had a long drive ahead of us, and I knew every minute counted.
I reached for the bond again, and this time I felt a small flicker of emotion from Whitney. Fear and panic. My fists clenched, and I gritted my teeth as I forced myself to take deep breaths. I had to remain calm because I needed all of my focus if I was going to save her.
Laura drove like a madwoman, pushing the truck to its limits as we sped down the highway. I had to admire her determination and focus, even though it terrified me a bit. I was used to being the one behind the wheel, and having no control felt strange. I glanced over at her, studying her face. She seemed calm and determined, and I could see why my mate was friends with her. They were both strong, capable women who wouldn’t back down from a challenge.
As we got closer to the coordinates Laura had found, my nerves grew. I tried to keep my breathing steady, but I couldn’t help but worry about what we would find when we got there. The fear and panic I’d felt earlier had faded, and I had no idea if it was a good or bad thing. I needed to stay positive and believe that I would find my mate alive and well.
The sun was starting to rise over the horizon, casting a golden glow across the landscape. It was a beautiful sight, but I couldn’t appreciate it with my stomach in knots and worry eating at me. I stared out the window, watching the scenery go by in a blur. My mind kept racing, trying to come up with worst-case scenarios, and I had to remind myself over and over again that I couldn’t think like that.
Finally, we made it to the marked location where a long, winding driveway led back into the trees.
“Are you ready?” Laura asked as she put the truck in park and turned to me.
I nodded, reaching for the door handle. “Let’s go.”
We climbed out of the truck, and I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
I could do this. I would find my mate, and I would make sure she was safe.
With one last glance at Laura, I started down the driveway, my heart pounding in my chest.
We walked for what felt like ages until we reached an enormous old house that had obviously been abandoned for years. It was overrun with kudzu, and the windows were boarded up. Whitney’s car was parked out front, but otherwise, there were no signs of life.
I’d used Laura’s phone—figuring that no one wanted to hear from me—to send out the information we had to our allies. I didn’t expect any help, but if everything went to hell, at least they’d know where to find our bodies.
As we slid from the truck and crept toward the house, the front door swung open and two figures stepped out. Their identities were so unexpected that it took a minute for my brain to catch up with my eyes and process what I was seeing.
Because on the wraparound porch stood two of my wolves, Rick and Tanner. There was no way they should have been close enough to beat us here, but maybe they were on a delivery run when the warning texts had been sent out.
“Hey,” I asked, straightening from my crouch, “What in the hell are you doing here?”
Rick smirked, his dark hair falling into his eyes. “We came to help you rescue Laura.”
“That’s right,” Tanner added. He was just as tall as Rick but leaner and rangier. “We were on our way back from a delivery when we got your text.”
I shook my head. “How did you get here so quickly?”
“We took a shortcut,” Rick said with a shrug.
I knew something was wrong, but I wasn’t ready to admit it to myself until I felt Laura grabbing my sleeve. She spoke, her voice low enough so only I could hear her. “Julian…I’ve been hunting demons for a long time. They’re possessed. Both of them.”
Possessed. Demons inside my wolves. I’d been such a fool.
“How long?” I yelled, feeling the horror of the truth coming through. The same two wolves I had sent to sedate Naomi were demon-possessed. No wonder they’d tried to kill her. “How long have you tainted my pack?”
“Your pack and Danny’s pack,” Rick laughed. “Longer than you’d believe.”
I stepped forward, my shoulders tense. “I’m here to take what’s mine and leave,” I said loudly, keeping my eyes on them. “Don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be.”
Tanner scoffed. “You’re outnumbered, Julian. We have you surrounded.”
I looked around, realizing he was right. Demons were emerging from the woods, surrounding us on all sides. Laura cursed under her breath as she moved closer to me, her sword out. We were outnumbered, and the odds weren’t in our favor.
“Let me go or we’ll kill you all,” I growled, letting my wolf come through in my voice.
Tanner just shook his head. “I don’t think so.” He stepped forward, his eyes gleaming oil-black as he let the demon inside of him take control. “But we do have a deal for you.”
The demons surrounding us churned and skittered around, anxious for blood. Some of them looked mostly human still, while others were visibly rotting, but none of them looked as convincing as my two wolves.
“We have Whitney. She’s knocked out but not poisoned. We will give her to you and you don’t even have to give us a person in return. Instead, we want access to Silverfang Creek territory. Put us on the next patrol shift and just look the other way while we take what we've been searching for."
"They mean Faye and Sienna," Laura whispered anxiously. "What are we going to do?"
I was trying to think fast, but I couldn't focus knowing my mate was right inside that house, seconds from death if I made the wrong move. My heart was pounding and my wolf was pacing inside me, desperate to get to her. I knew I had to be smart about this, but it was hard to think when all I wanted was to rip the throats out of everyone who'd dared to touch her.
But there was no way I was going to let these demons get anywhere near Faye or Sienna. No fucking way. They would have to kill me first. I don't even know the wolf-witch and her child, but I'm not a fucking monster, despite what everyone must think.
The demon in Tanner tilted his head as if he'd heard Laura speaking to me. "Don't let the she-wolf speak for you, Alpha. She isn't even one of yours. She's a Silverfang. Wouldn't the other Alphas make the trade if their mate was in danger? All we want is a chance to get inside the perimeter."
"I don't fucking think so."
"So be it. We can use your mate for our ritual, but Whitney has so little witch blood we'll need to bleed her dry for it to work. We'd have gotten many more uses out of the wolf-witch and her pup. Pity." Tanner cackled. "I hope you've said your goodbyes."
They moved toward us, their black eyes glittering with malice, and I knew that they would show no mercy.
"Get ready," I murmured to Laura. "They're coming."
Laura nodded, gripping her sword tightly. "I'm right behind you."
"And I'm beside you."
We stood back-to-back, preparing for the onslaught of demons.
"Now," Laura shouted, and we surged forward, fighting as one unit.
The demons swarmed around us, clawing and biting. One of them managed to grab Laura's leg, and she screamed in pain as it sank its teeth into her calf. I lunged forward, ripping the demon off of her and tossing it to the ground.
As I turned to face the next wave, I saw Tanner and Rick approaching me, their eyes gleaming with malice. Tanner laughed, his voice a twisted echo of his human tone. "You think you can fight us all? You're going to die here tonight, Julian."
Rick grinned, showing off his pointed teeth. "Your mate is ours now, and you will never see her again."
I felt my wolf rising up inside of me, growling and snarling for release. The need to protect my mate was stronger than anything I'd ever felt before, but I couldn't give up my human form. Not when I needed to get Whitney out if we managed to make it inside the house.
But there were nearly twenty demons around us. It was hopeless, I knew that, but I wasn't going to give up. I glanced out of the corner of my eye as Laura kicked a demon to the ground and stomped on its skull with her steel-toed boots, and my heart clenched in my chest. Whitney would want her to make it, even if I couldn't.
"Let me clear a path for you!" I yelled to her. "Get the fuck out of here Laura, it's useless!"
She looked over at me, her face smeared with blood and dirt, and I could see the resignation in her eyes. She yelled back, "No! She wouldn't leave me behind!"
I wanted to argue, but then the demons were swarming around us again and we had to fight for our lives.
Laura fought like a wild woman, slicing through the demons with her sword and screaming like a banshee. I could feel myself tiring as we fought off wave after wave of demons, and I knew that we wouldn't be able to last much longer.
The sky was getting lighter as the sun slowly started to rise, and the demons seemed to grow stronger as the night began to fade. They attacked with renewed vigor, biting and clawing at us as they tried to tear us apart.
I'd failed my mate. I could still feel her teeth in my neck and I'd failed her so miserably. The rest of the Reckless Stalkers were hours away and hope was running out.
I squared my shoulders, tightened my grip on my sword, and prepared for my last stand. I'm sorry Whitney, I thought. I wish things could have been different. I wish I could have been the good man you needed me to be.
Just as the last bit of hope faded out of me, I heard a sound in the distance, quickly growing closer and coming up the driveway. A low rumble, but not with one origin, but many.
The roar of motorcycle engines, and the sound of tires on gravel.
When I realized what it was, I roared with my second wind, fighting back even harder than before.
Laura and I only needed to hold the line for a minute more, because the Red Canines had arrived.