Carlos Caddel’s voice cut through the crowd, authoritative and very much alive. “It’s in your best interests to stand down,” he declared. The wolves he brought with him stirred restlessly, indicating we were now evenly matched. Eyes glimmered from the forest’s edge, watching and waiting.
“Defy your Alpha and take your own fate into your hands because Maverick Billford will soon be dead,” he warned. Carlos looked at me, and in his pale eyes, I saw a question. I reached out with my magic, seeking the answer. Disappointment flickered in his eyes as I shook my head ‘no’.
Many of Maverick’s loyal warriors were here, radiating hostility, though I sensed their desire for an escape. Their fear smothered any flicker of hope. My warning bought us a brief head start before a sand-colored wolf lunged at Carlos’s throat, triggering a violent symphony of snarls and clashes.
A white-furred wolf with earth-colored eyes swiftly intercepted the attacker, but I didn’t see the outcome. Carlos gripped Zack’s arm, asking, “Can you get her to Maverick?”
“He has bunkers nationwide, but he’ll stay close. I know where he is,” Zack replied, his piercing eyes meeting mine, surprisingly calm as he condemned his father. “Follow me.” I swallowed, nerves tightening in my stomach.
I noticed Zack wasn’t looking at me but past me. I turned, expecting a threat, and saw the twins, fur matted with blood, fighting to protect us. Nearby, Kat’s crimson wolf leaped, her muzzle bloody as she tore into an enemy’s throat. Despite her lean build, she thrashed fiercely, leaving the wolf lifeless on the ground.
Zack watched Kat, surprise and a hint of realization in his eyes-he’d underestimated her, not fully knowing her. It dawned on me that he might be seeing Kat as his Luna.
“Where is Maverick, Zack?” I asked, drawing him back to the present. “Tell me, and I’ll take the twins.”
“From behind the mansion, it’s a three-mile run to my mother’s old estate. You’ll lose their scent at the river, but keep going. Maverick is in an underground bunker in the basement. You won’t pick up his scent again until you’re inside,” Zack said, his eyes meeting mine with emotionless resolve. “They’ll know you’re coming, and they won’t be alone. Mabel, the Tracker, and Havoc will be there.”
“Mabel is the main threat. Once she’s gone, the rest will fall,” I replied, anger briefly clouding my vision.
“Don’t lose yourself trying to kill Maverick,” Zack grunted. “No one’s left to stop you if you go dark.”
With that, Zack transformed into a slate-grey wolf, his form as large as the twins’. He moved with an elegance befitting his position. I watched him dive into the thick of the fight where Kat was, wondering what kind of Alpha he might become.
“Asshole,” I muttered.
“Consider it a compliment. That’s more concern than he’s shown in years,” Carlos smirked, his eyes holding answers to the questions swirling in my mind. “I’ll send some warriors to keep Maverick’s men off your tail. Tell your guys not to kill them.”
I shared the plan with Ethan and Kieran, who fought as if born to it. Neither were white wolves, but their dominance and ferocity made me want to run. They finished off their opponents, tossing limp bodies aside.
‘You two in?’ I asked, breathless.
‘Of course, doll,’ Ethan replied, his voice raspy with battle and adrenaline. ‘You’re not leaving our side.’
Ethan and Kieran cleared the path, tearing through any who opposed us. I ran alongside them, my lungs burning from the cold air. Despite the exertion, my heart soared. I tied my shirt around my ankle, knowing I’d need to shift back soon. I savored the natural scents around me, relishing the freedom.
At some point, Kieran had warned me about the pain of not shifting for too long. As my bones cracked and reshaped, I realized he was right. The pain was fleeting compared to the task ahead-ending a life. I was shocked by my lack of regret and the determination that this was necessary. When the time came, I wouldn’t hesitate.
‘Don’t kill the wolves following us unless they attack,’ I warned Ethan and Kieran as we sprinted through the forest. ‘Carlos sent help.’
We chose the side of the mansion covered in dense forest, avoiding the large parking lot likely for employees. I reminded Ethan and Kieran, ‘Mabel has to go first. She can stop my magic. If she gets her hands on me…’
The memory of her touch made me shudder. Ethan and Kieran felt my fear, their resolve turning even more bloodthirsty.
Ethan snickered, his voice still carrying that playful edge. “Have won’t be a problem. He’s already dead.”
I almost stopped in my tracks, my surprise evident, and Ethan nipped at my heels to keep me moving. A perverse joy flickered within me as I remembered how Havoc had pitted my mates against each other.
“How did it happen?” I asked, sensing Kieran’s amusement at my smugness. “Did you kill him?”
“Unfortunately, no. Kieran got that honor,” Ethan grunted, sounding genuinely disappointed.
“Havoc got distracted,” Kieran interjected, his voice a dark silk barely containing his anger. He hadn’t spoken much, preferring to channel his emotions through brute strength, physical exertion, and a thirst for revenge.
Carlos’s wolves did their job, taking down any enemies who noticed our presence. We followed the fading trail of Maverick’s scent until we reached the river and could no longer detect it.
We stopped at the remains of a once-beautiful estate. A wrought iron fence, its gate covered in vines and small red flowers, spanned the property. The creek’s slow and steady sound seemed unbearably loud as I wrenched the gate open enough for us to slip through.
I kept a hand on Ethan and Kieran, feeling their thick fur. My t-shirt, though not ideal for battle, covered everything important as it reached nearly to my knees. A cracked and faded sign reading “Billford Estate” was welded onto the iron gate.
The estate’s crumbling pillars flanked what had once been a paved driveway, now mostly weeds and clumps of dry dirt. The place exuded sadness and loneliness, tainting the earth and air. Enough of the structure remained to hint at its former beauty. Large, shattered windows once let in copious sunlight. Twin balconies with ornate railings still stood, despite the estate’s dilapidation.
We entered where the front door had been, part of the house eroded along with a portion of the ceiling. The basement doors, wide enough for the twins, were through the kitchen and a small servant’s quarters. This place had been intimate and private, warmer than Maverick’s office-like mansion.
As we left the sunlight for confined spaces and artificial light, the air grew heavier, as if the tragedy that had occurred here still lingered. Smooth cement walls and small dome lights every ten feet left inches of darkness between them. In that darkness, a familiar eye opened-hazel with hues of moss and gold, cruel and gleaming.
“You talked a big game earlier, Sophia,” Mabel cooed, grinning at the twins and me. “But you’ll die here, like a pathetic nobody, in some dead woman’s house. While your meat rots, I’ll be ruling the world.”
“You won’t rule anything. Maverick will,” I retorted reflexively, anger igniting when her smile widened.
“You’ll never reach him,” she snickered, sprinting into the shadows. It was clear she was leading us into a trap, but we had no choice. The hallway twisted and turned, but never branched off. It was a one-way path to the bunker, and we couldn’t avoid the brewing fight.
I sprinted after the twins as Mabel shouted, “I had to convince him you weren’t worth keeping-too rabid and uncontrollable. I didn’t even have to convince him to kill Zack. He set those plans in motion himself.”
My breath caught as I thought of Zack and Kat, both neck-deep in the fight. Panic threatened to overtake me at the thought of Kat losing her mate, but I swallowed it. My focus needed to be on killing Maverick, which might save us all.
The hallway opened into a large, circular room with a metal door at the end, reminiscent of a safe room. Guards stood on either side, and next to Mabel was the Tracker. The scent of wet earth, mildew, and body odor filled the room.
“That’s right, breathe it in. This is where you’ll die, in this filthy hovel, like a mutt,” Mabel chuckled sharply, noticing my nose wrinkle at the smell.
With each insult, Kieran’s rage intensified. His vision tinged with red before a deafening snarl left his mouth, and his muscular form lunged for her throat.