“Are you a scout? You didn’t put up much fight for a warrior,” I point out, crouching in front of him.
Nicholas’s wolf’s fur brushes my side as he growls at him, ready if the kid tries to attack, but also keeps my side covered from any threat coming up the hill toward us.
The boy nods, eyes locked on Nicholas. “Good, you can tell us where Jackson is keeping my mates,” I snap at him, and he shakes his head.
Ares growls, my eyes bleeding black as he inches forward, wanting to kill him for his refusal.
“Jackson is dead. Darian killed him three days ago,” the kid stutters, and Nicholas’s furry head snaps in his direction, his jaws snapping next to the boy’s face. “I swear! Darian killed him. He has all the women in the bunkers; his father publicly refused him as Alpha after he was caught killing one of the omegas in the dungeon. Darian forced the women into the bunkers for protection, but it wasn’t till everyone was locked in that we realized Darian killed Jackson.”
“That’s why you attacked Andrei’s pack?” Nicholas asks, shifting beside me swiftly.
He nods, and I hear rustling, making me pivot to see three more scouts come out naked in their human forms. Their hands are shaking, and our wolves pounce on them, thinking they were sneaking up, but by the fear on their faces, they are surrendering.
“Halt,” Nicholas orders his men to stop before ripping them apart.
“How many warriors are on guard?” Nicholas asks.
“All of them, every male pack member is out. Darian rigged bombs inside the bunkers. If we don’t listen, he kills them. I think he and Tabitha have been planning this for a while, but when Jackson announced everything, it set him off. Tabitha took a turn, and no one can stop him now.”
“She took a turn?” I ask.
One of the teens behind me answers, a redhead with freckles and a pale complexion. “She has been sick for months, but deteriorating fast. Darian has been pestering his father to find Kat. He wouldn’t step over the border. Darian killed the omega girl, and the things he did, made his father lose it, and realize all the rumors were true with Tabitha being the one to cover for him.”
“They did this on orders. They did it for their families. Call Andrei’s men off, if they go in, it will turn into a bloodbath. So order them back, and we are to subdue, not kill,” I order Nicholas.
“Andrei will kill for this, Mateo. They didn’t just kill his mate. They mutilated her,” Nicholas reminds, and the boys cringe at his words.
“Where is he keeping my mates?”
“Safe-safe room under the packhouse,” the blonde boy crouching by the tree in front of me, stutters out.
“You can get in through the tunnels or go in from the top. But it’s heavily guarded, if they realize you are here to help, they may stand down. My mother is stuck in those bunkers, but if you get them out, we will help for as long as we can before he orders us,” the redhead promises.
“We don’t care if you kill us, just get our families out, please. My sister is only four,” the blonde boy pleads with a tear running down his cheek.
“How many are in the bunkers?” Nicholas asks. Without Kat, we have no idea how many the bunkers hold.
“Over 700 are trapped down there, all women and children along with the elderly, 250 warriors up here.”
I stand, nodding, glancing at Nicholas before turning to the boys. “Get us in, and we will take care of the rest. We will send you with some of our men to free them, piss them off or betray them, they kill you,” I vow, and they nod, looking nervously at the Alpha behind me.
Nicholas nods to his men. “Take that lot with you,” he suggests, and the boys follow them.
I grab the kid’s shoulder, hauling him up. “You will get us in the packhouse,” I tell him before Maddox’s anger spirals out of control. I have no idea what is going on there, but we have to be quick.
Shoving the kid forward, I nod for him to start leading the way, Derrick’s wolf falls in line with me.
“Any word?” He mindlinks.
I shake my head, but decide to try again. Now I can feel they’re awake. I force the mindlink.
Katya
Ezra’s breathing increases with knowing what I am about to do. Still, one thing is ringing in my head, I have no idea why it popped into my head, but now it was replaying loudly on repeat, the Moon Goddesses words are so regal and clear. “Would you make the ultimate sacrifice, your life?” That’s what she said to Marabella. That’s what she said to each of us, but that choice was always taken. We never chose for ourselves.
It was a sacrifice I would make. I would die for them. Die for those I loved, just like they would for me. Maddox presses forward, Ezra’s eyes flickering black, while Darian is cackling his head off like a madman.
“Twenty minutes out, just hold on for twenty minutes,” Mateo’s voice echoes through the link, and I realize it is working again. Ezra’s eyes snap to mine, hearing him also.
“Jackson is dead,” I mindlink back.
“I know. He is holding the pack’s women and children against his warriors. They are in the bunkers loaded with explosives.”
“Mateo, you need to get out of here,” I order, panicking as I feel him getting closer. Mateo couldn’t be here. His life depended on it. It makes my decision easier because it will disable him. “Dad?” I call through the packlink.
“Pumpkin?” He says, the relief in his voice almost made me choke on a sob. My eyes burn with tears, knowing what I am about to do.
“Dad, you need to get to Mateo and get him out.”
“What?” he asks, and I realize I have to command him.
“Get him out. Promise you will get him out, he can’t step foot in here,” I command through the link, shoving every piece of my power over him.
Ezra’s roar snaps me back into my surroundings just as three men walk in. It was clear what they were here for, they were under command, I could tell by how they moved. The way their faces held no emotion as they untie my legs, and I used this as my chance to reach Mateo.
Tears slip down my face as I call through the bond to him. My heart tears to a million pieces as I try to remember the words I have to speak while wishing I didn’t have to, but they will not die for me.
“I love you,” I tell him, and his response is instant.
“Love you too, ten minutes, Kat, hang on.”