Noah was there, of course, his green eyes red-rimmed and worried. But behind him stood Ryder and Jasmine, their expressions grim. Sawyer, Ryder’s beta, his hand resting on his hip. Cole, his face a mask of barely controlled rage. And behind them, dozens of guards and pack members, all of them watching me with expressions that ranged from concern to horror.
They were waiting for something. Waiting for me.
The realization settled over me like a weight. Knox was gone. Marcus was on his way to the hospital. That left me. The Luna. The person who was supposed to lead in her Alpha’s absence.
I wasn’t ready for this. I had never been ready for this. I was just a human, a bookstore owner from Pine Valley who had stumbled into the world of wolves and never quite found her footing. I didn’t know how to lead a pack. I didn’t know how to wage a war.
But I knew how to fight for my family.
There was so much to do. So many things that needed to happen, decisions that needed to be made, orders that needed to be given. My mind raced through the priorities, sorting them into some kind of coherent order.
First: Marcus. Was he still alive? The ambulance was already gone, the wail of its siren fading in the distance. Nothing I could do about that now except hope the paramedics could save him.
Second: The twins. Rowan and Thea were still at kindergarten, blissfully unaware that their baby sister had been kidnapped and their father taken hostage. They needed to be somewhere safe. Somewhere protected. Somewhere that wasn’t in the direct line of fire.
I breathed in. Held it. Let it out slowly.
And then I started giving orders.
“I want a group of trackers to follow the Alpha and our baby’s scent immediately,” I said, my voice steadier than I expected. “Lucio kidnapped them, so he is not to be trusted. He is a public enemy of this pack, and he’s working with Mira and Mary against us. Follow the trail. Report anything you find. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary. I want them found, not alerted to our pursuit.”
A group of wolves nodded sharply and shifted, their clothes shredding as their bodies transformed. Within seconds, a pack of wolves was sprinting away from the house, their noses to the ground, phones clamped in their mouths so they could communicate when they found something.
I turned to the remaining guards. “I want the report from the Pine Valley trackers on the meeting room table within the hour. Everything they found, every lead they followed, every scent they tracked. All of it. Now.”
Another group scattered to obey.
“I also want a contingent of twelve wolves at the hospital immediately. They are to guard Marcus, Serena, and Sarah around the clock. If they breathe, I want to know about it.If they so much as twitch in their sleep, I want a full report within seconds. No one gets in or out without my explicit authorization.”
More wolves ran to carry out the order.
I took another breath, steadying myself, and turned to Cole, Ryder, and Sawyer. “Meet me at the meeting room. Dismiss the council. They’re useless right now. I’ll brief you on everything that happened, but first I need to secure my twins.”
Cole nodded, his jaw tight. “We’ll be waiting.”
I turned to Jasmine. The Moonfang Luna was watching me with an expression of deep understanding, as if she knew exactly what I was feeling because she had felt it herself.
“Would you help me, Luna?” I asked, hating how small my voice sounded. “Would you watch over the twins while I deal with this? I need someone I can trust. Someone who can protect them if things go wrong.”
Jasmine stepped forward and took my hands in hers. “Of course. Whatever you need. They’ll be safe with me.”
I wanted to smile at her, wanted to express some kind of gratitude for her support, but my facial muscles refused to cooperate. Everything felt frozen, locked in place by the enormity of what had happened.
“Let’s go,” I said instead.
Noah brought the car around and we piled in, Jasmine in the back with me while he drove. The streets of Ravenshollowblurred past the windows, familiar landmarks reduced to smears of color as we sped toward the kindergarten.
It felt like an eternity had passed since I woke up to Hunt’s phone call. Since I heard Mira’s voice on the other end of the line. Since everything fell apart.
But when I checked my phone, I realized it had only been thirty minutes. Half an hour to destroy everything I had built, everything I loved, everything that mattered.
We arrived at the kindergarten right on time for pickup. The other parents were milling around outside, chatting and laughing, completely oblivious to the horror that had just unfolded across town. I envied them. Envied their ignorance. Their simple, uncomplicated lives.
I got out of the car and walked toward the building, forcing my legs to move normally, forcing my expression into something that resembled calm. I couldn’t let the twins see how scared I was. Couldn’t let them know that their father and baby sister were in the hands of people who wanted to hurt us.
The doors opened and children came streaming out, a flood of tiny bodies and high-pitched voices. I spotted Rowan first, his dark hair and serious expression so much like his father’s. Then Thea, bouncing along beside him, her gray eyes bright with excitement.
They saw me and their faces lit up.
