My thoughts turn constantly to Lithia—fierce, loyal Lithia. Her capture is my fault, a direct result of her determination to protect her pack. What will Thaddeus do to her? What “specific plans” does he have for Ryker’s most trusted enforcer?
The questions haunt me as miles pass, as day fades to evening and then full night. The sedative they administered before the journey gradually wears off, allowing clearer thought but also heightening the constant burning of silver against my skin.
I use the growing clarity to reach repeatedly for our bond,pushing against the silver’s suppression with desperate determination.
Lithia taken too, I project, hoping against hope that Ryker might sense at least fragments of my message.Separated. East for me. Unknown for her.
No answering presence reaches me, but I continue trying throughout the journey, refusing to surrender to despair. Ryker will come. I know this with bone-deep certainty. The question is when.
As moonlight filters through the windows of the jeep, I close my eyes and make a silent vow—not just to survive, but to escape. Not just to endure, but to find Lithia. Not just to wait for rescue, but to prove myself worthy of being Alpha Female to the most feared wolf in five territories.
Silver may suppress the bond, may weaken my visions, may restrict my movement. But it cannot touch the determination that now flows through me like iron.
I am Kitara, Alpha Female of the Shadowmist Pack. And I am no one’s prisoner.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
RYKER
Blood.
It coats my muzzle, splashes across my chest, and drips from my claws as I stand over what remains of a scout. The fourth I’ve found since beginning the hunt, each one carrying Kitara’s scent on their hands—proof of their participation in her abduction.
They lived long enough to tell me where she’d been taken, but no more.
The clearing where the so-called summit took place lies miles behind me now, the trap having sprung exactly as Thaddeus planned. While I engaged his personal guard in direct combat, specialized teams had targeted Kitara, separating her from our main force with expert precision.
And Zella—trusted, trained, seemingly loyal Zella—delivered my mate directly into enemy hands.
But that isn’t the full extent of their treachery. Lithia too has disappeared in the chaos, her scent trail abruptly ending at a ravine not far from where Kitara was last seen. My second, my most trusted enforcer, taken alongside my mate—a coordinated strike designed to cripple both my heart andmy right hand.
The betrayal burns colder than any silver weapon could, fueling a rage I’ve never before felt. Zella had been with us for five years, rescued from apparent persecution by her former pack, given shelter and position within the Shadowmist. All that time, she’d been Thaddeus’s agent, planted to await the perfect opportunity.
My wolf howls with the need to tear her apart limb by limb, to make her suffering legendary among wolf-kind. But vengeance must wait—finding Kitara and Lithia takes precedence over all else.
I lift my head, scenting the air as I seek any trace of either of them. The claiming bond, which should guide me directly to Kitara, has gone ominously silent—a clear indication they’re using silver to suppress her gift and our connection. The absence leaves a cold void in my consciousness, a constant reminder of how thoroughly Thaddeus planned this abduction.
Movement to my left alerts me to approaching wolves. I tense, ready for further combat, then relax marginally as familiar scents reach me—Elias, Dane, and several elite enforcers who managed to regroup after the ambush. They approach cautiously, respecting the dangerous mood I’m in.
Dane shifts to human form first, his face grim. His sister’s capture has affected him deeply—the bond between twins leaving him hollow-eyed with worry.
“We’ve found something,” he says without preamble. “Traces of two separate transports leaving the ambush site.”
I shift as well, the transformation providing momentary distraction from my rage. “Two distinct trails?”
“Yes,” Elias confirms, also shifting. “One heading southeast toward Moonclaw territory. The other east, possibly toward the Grand Alpha’s primary den.”
The implications are clear and strategically devastating. They’ve deliberately separated my mate and my second, forcing impossible choices about which to pursue first. “Theywant to divide our forces,” I growl, the words barely human despite my shifted form.
“It’s worse than that,” Dane adds, his voice tight with controlled fury. “We’ve captured one of their messengers. Under questioning, he revealed they plan to use Lithia as leverage against you—threatening her life to ensure your compliance regarding the seer.”
The trap grows more complex with each revelation. Thaddeus anticipates not just my pursuit but my priorities, using my loyalty to my pack against me. The calculation reminds me why he has remained Grand Alpha for so many decades despite widespread resentment of his rule.
“What would you have us do, Alpha?” Elias asks, his tone carefully neutral while his eyes reflect the impossible position we face.
I study both wolves, weighing options I never wanted to consider. Dane waits with visible tension—duty to his alpha warring with his instinctive need to pursue his captured sister. Elias maintains professional distance, though his loyalty to Lithia as his direct superior is evident in his rigid posture.
