Maverick Billford prided himself on being a collector, but his collection was complicated when his possessions were living humans with thoughts, feelings, and their own will. His own son, Zack, had slowly begun to turn against him, not for the reasons one might expect. Zack had a peculiar request for us: he needed a group of ten white wolves transported from his father’s territory. This mission was strictly stealth-get in, get out. The white wolves would be handed off at the edge of Maverick’s territory by an ally, and our job was to transfer them to our own territory.
If caught, the consequences would be dire. Maverick Billford would have every right to attack us for stealing from him. Entering his territory without his knowledge was a death sentence. As long as Maverick remained in the dark, all parties would be safe.
“Diana and Kent are the most important. They have to get out at all costs. The others will stay behind to help them escape if necessary,” Zack instructed us, his expression sour as we committed the details to memory.
“What makes the two of them so important?” Kieran asked, all business. I stayed close to Kieran, his towering presence giving me confidence. “Any abilities we need to know about?”
“Kent can help. He’s good with emotions, differently than you, Sophia. Diana, not so much,” Zack replied curtly, surprising me by saying my name for the first time. It wasn’t progress, but it was something.
“She’s pregnant. There’s no telling what the kid might be capable of. My father is growing impatient,” Zack continued, darkly.
“You can’t speed a pregnancy along. Even Maverick Billford can’t force nature,” I scoffed defensively.
“He doesn’t need Diana. He keeps her around because she’s Kent’s mate. Her abilities are rare and passive, useless to him. If the kid’s powerful enough, he might not need Kent either. The baby’s been showing signs, doing magic from inside the womb. They’re running out of time,” Zack explained.
We had twenty-four hours to come up with a plan. By tomorrow night, we would need to act.
“When do we get Ethan back?” I asked, my voice frantic.
Zack must have seen something urgent in my eyes, stepping back before replying. “I’ll help your mate once these wolves are safely transported,” he said, his eyes darting between Kieran and me. “I’m trusting you with these wolves’ lives. Even after I help your mate, they’ll be in your custody. All I have is your word that you won’t harm them, and you haven’t given me that.”
“Somehow you don’t strike me as the type to honor someone’s word,” Kat snorted in Zack’s direction, her words venomous.
“There’s very little you actually know about me,” he replied coldly, but that didn’t deter Kat.
“Self-centered, rich, spoiled, sadistic,” Kat ticked off each attribute on her fingers. “You’re like a diamond, Billford. All pretty and shiny, but just a rock at the end of the day.”
The tension in the room snapped, and Zack lunged at Kat. Instinctively, I darted to place myself between them, but Kieran’s arm pinned me against him. Zack’s hands grasped Kat’s arms, pushing her towards the wall. He snapped at her neck with semi-elongated teeth, and it took me a moment to realize what he was doing. Kat pivoted smoothly, leaving Zack against the wall. She slammed her weight into his gut, making him grunt.
“I will not submit to you, Zack Billford,” Kat snarled, her voice full-blooded Luna. “I will only bend my knee to someone I can follow. You are a selfish, misguided coward with so much power. Power to change things, but you won’t.”
Zack took every insult, his eyes shards of ice. His face was flushed, and for the first time, I sensed unbridled, human emotion from him. Kat turned her back on him and left the suite with her head held high.
We called a meeting with Williams, Sebastian, and the twins’ parents. For now, we shifted our focus from Ethan to the white wolves. It made me sick thinking about it, but we only had twenty-four hours. I reminded myself this would get us Ethan back, but even that was making my ears ache.
Kat and I were escorted back to our rooms one floor below. Kieran stayed with Williams and Sebastian to plan the great white wolf heist. I lay curled up on the sectional in the suite, bleary-eyed and heavy-hearted. I tried tugging on Ethan and my bond, like I did with Kieran. I could still feel the bond, but something was blocking it. An hour and a massive headache later, a knock sounded on the door. I tiptoed over and looked through the peephole, seeing nothing. There were no guards posted tonight, which was worrisome. I chalked it up to a scheduling error and cracked open the door.
Sitting on the floor was a small, plain note card. While it looked like it was from Zack, the handwriting was different-not nearly as neat, with a few lead smudges suggesting the author was left-handed. It wasn’t the room or floor number that caught my attention, but the scribbled note at the bottom.
“If you want to stop Maverick Billford, meet me at eleven sharp!”
Kieran was still with Sebastian and Williams, and heading off on my own was risky. I stopped by Kat’s room, but after a few knocks and several minutes, it was clear she had gone to bed. The note might be a trap, but we needed allies. I was nearly certain it was from the golden-haired Alpha and Luna who detested Maverick.
I crept through the silent hotel hallways, the scent of air freshener and laundered linens in the air. My phone was snug in my back pocket, my hand on it just in case. I slipped into the darkened suite and jumped when the door slid shut. The lighting was poor, but I could make out a large figure by the bookshelves. Reclining on a leather loveseat with a scotch in hand was Arnold Fox.
“I wondered if you’d show up,” Arnold mused in his musical voice, both gravelly and smooth. “Gambling is enlightening. You can learn so much about a person based on their choices.”
“I’m not here for chit-chat,” I said, clearing my throat and shifting uncomfortably under his oily gaze.
Arnold wasn’t unattractive. For someone in his mid-thirties, he looked incredible, his rust-colored hair making him uniquely, unconventionally beautiful.
“Don’t you want to know what I’ve learned about you based on your decision to meet me?” he asked with a coy smile.
“Tell me, what did you learn?” I asked dryly, itching to call Kieran for rescue. I inched towards the door, but Arnold’s smile widened to something reptilian.
“I’ve learned that you’re rash and incredibly naive.”
Two men emerged from the darkness and wrapped their hands around my arms. Panic surged as I thrashed against their grip. One of them pulled a syringe from his pocket.
“Knock her out and we can snatch the red-haired one,” Arnold mused, running a hand through his hair. “She might not be a white wolf, but I’ve always been partial to redheads.”
I snarled, but Arnold only laughed. “Give Zack Billford my regards. It was a cute alliance while it lasted. As for her other mate, set him loose on Maverick. I’m sure Maverick will snuff him out eventually. At long last, I’ll have the upper hand.”
Everything seemed to slow, and in my panic, I felt my power bubbling beneath my skin. I could sense something radiating from the three men in the room. My power latched onto those individual sparks and pulled.
I fell to my knees, expecting the men to pin me down. But instead, they collapsed. Their bodies lay still, their skin grey and wrinkled, barely covering bruise-like veins. Their mouths were twisted open, eyes vacant and glassy.
I wouldn’t admit what I had done, even though I felt more powerful than ever. As I turned to face Arnold Fox’s horror-frozen face, I realized I had absorbed his power as well.
“Well, well-killing High Table members. What will the illustrious Maverick Billford think of that?” Carlos Caddel emerged from the kitchen, clad in leather pants and a biker vest, scolding me.