“Did you...” My voice came out as a whisper, thin and reedy. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Did you just say Lucio? Shadowcrest Lucio?”
The guard nodded, confusion evident on his face. He didn’t understand. How could he? He didn’t know what we knew. “Yes, Luna. He volunteered for the assignment this morning. Said he wanted to help protect your family.”
A hysterical laugh bubbled up in my throat. Help protect our family. The man who had been working with our enemiesthis whole time had volunteered to guard the most vulnerable members of our pack. And we had let him. We had trusted the background check. We had trusted Jackson Bennett’s recommendation.
I thought I might throw up.
Knox was already moving, his hand closing around the front of the guard’s shirt, lifting him off his feet. The guard’s eyes went wide with terror.
“Send an alert everywhere,” Knox snarled, his voice more wolf than man. “Lucio is NOT to be trusted. He is to be brought into custody on sight. Tell every guard to stay alert. Contact Noah, Ryder, Cole. Tell them what’s happening. Tell them to mobilize everyone. NOW.”
The guard’s head bobbed frantically. “Yes, Alpha. Right away, Alpha.”
Knox dropped him and the man stumbled, nearly falling before catching himself. He scrambled for his radio, barking orders into it with a voice that shook only slightly.
“Which direction did they go?” Knox asked the other guard, his tone brooking no argument.
“I heard them say they wanted to have tea at Serena’s house once they were done shopping,” the guard said quickly, the words tumbling over each other in his haste to be helpful. “They left about two hours ago.”
Two hours.
Two hours that Lucio had been with our families.
Knox and I looked at each other. The same horrified understanding passed between us, reflected in his gray eyes that had gone nearly black with rage and fear.
We ran again.
Knox’s parents’ house was on the other side of the territory. Every step felt like wading through quicksand, time stretching and distorting around us. My lungs were on fire. My legs screamed for rest. I ignored it all, pushed harder, faster, terror giving me strength I didn’t know I had.
Please let them be okay. Please let Blake be okay. Please please please.
The prayer ran through my head on repeat, a desperate mantra that I clung to like a lifeline. If something had happened to our baby, if Lucio had hurt her-
I couldn’t finish the thought. Couldn’t let myself go there. Because if I did, I would shatter completely, and I couldn’t afford to break right now.
Knox was running beside me, his breath harsh and ragged, his face a mask of controlled fury. I knew he was thinking the same things I was. Knew he was fighting the same battle against despair.
The house came into view.
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
No movement in the windows. No sounds from inside. The front door was slightly ajar, swinging gently in the breeze.
My stomach dropped.
Knox held up a hand, signaling me to slow down. We approached carefully, every sense on high alert. The guards who had followed us fanned out around the perimeter, weapons drawn, faces grim.
Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. I could feel it in the air, a heaviness that pressed against my chest and made it hard to breathe.
Knox pushed the door open.
“Mother?” he called out, his voice echoing through the silent house.
“Sarah?” I added, my own voice cracking on the name.
No response.
