I pushed through the door and looked around at the racks of equipment. Bulletproof vests. Tactical stuff. Radios and flashlights and things I didn’t even recognize. Most of it was dusty from sitting around, but it was all maintained and ready to use for emergencies.
This definitely counted as an emergency.
I pulled a vest off the rack and strapped it on, fiddling with the straps until it fit snugly over my chest. It was heavy and uncomfortable, and I felt kind of like a turtle wearing it. The weight pressed down on my shoulders and made it harder to move. I didn’t care. It might save my life if things went sideways.
Next, I grabbed a taser. I wasn’t a violent person by nature. Like, at all. The idea of hurting someone, even someone who had kidnapped my baby and threatened my family, made my stomach do uncomfortable flips. But the taser felt right in my hand. A way to defend myself without actually killing anyone.
As an afterthought, I grabbed a wicked-looking knife from a display case and sheathed it at my belt. Just in case the taser wasn’t enough. I hoped I wouldn’t have to use it. I really, really hoped I wouldn’t have to use it.
Noah watched me with careful eyes as I geared up. “You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly. “You could stay here. Coordinate from the pack building. No one would think less of you.”
I turned to look at him. “Would Knox stay behind?”
Noah’s expression flickered with something that might have been admiration. Or maybe he was just impressed I hadn’t fallen apart yet. “No. He wouldn’t.”
“Then neither will I.” I straightened up, adjusting the vest one more time. It still felt weird, but I was getting used to it. “I’m done sitting around while other people fight my battles. Tonight, I’m going to help get my family back.”
He stared at me for a long moment, really looking at me like he was seeing someone new. Then he nodded slowly. “Knox is a lucky bastard.”
“He is. Now let’s go get him.”
The convoy assembled in the parking lot behind the pack building. Three unmarked trucks, dark colors that would blend into the night. Just regular vehicles that could have belonged to anyone. Construction workers. Delivery drivers. Normal humans doing normal things.
Not a rescue mission heading into rogue territory.
The strike team loaded up, checking their gear and talking in low voices. I recognized some of the wolves from around the pack. Others were Moonfang, people I’d only met in the last few days. All of them looked serious and focused. Ready for a fight.
It was the middle of the night when we moved out. The trucks rolled out of pack territory, headlights cutting through the darkness. The roads were empty at this hour, just us and the occasional pair of deer eyes reflecting our lights from the side of the road.
I sat in the back seat of the lead truck, Cole beside me. Noah was driving, his hands steady on the wheel despite everything. Ryder rode shotgun with his phone propped on the dashboard, the tracking app open. The blue dot pulsed steadily, leading us toward our destination like a heartbeat.
Nobody talked much. What was there to say? We all knew what we were heading into. We all knew what was at stake. The air in the truck felt heavy, pressing down on all of us.
I stared out the window at the trees rushing past, my mind locked on what was coming. Somewhere out there, Knox was being held captive. Blake was with him. Thomas too, if what we suspected was right. Three innocent people in the hands of crazy women who wanted to destroy everything I loved.
The bond with Knox was there in my chest, faint but steady, pulling me toward him like a string tied around my heart. I had never really understood the mate bond before. Had always thought of it as something wolves felt more strongly than humans could. A supernatural thing that I could kind of sense but never fully experience.
But now, sitting in that truck heading through the darkness, I felt it more clearly than ever. A connection between us that distance couldn’t break. He was out there. He was alive. And every mile we drove brought me closer to him.
I closed my eyes and tried to send him something through that bond. Strength. Hope. A promise that help was coming.
I’m coming, I thought. Just hold on. I’m coming.
I didn’t know if he felt it. I didn’t know if the bond worked that way for humans. But I had to try.
Then I remembered what Knox had said about the necklaces. About the warmth that spread when one person touched their pendant, alerting the other. I reached up and wrapped my fingers around the crescent moon at my throat, pressing it against my palm. Willing all my love and determination into that small piece of metal.
For a long moment, nothing happened. Just cold metal against my skin.
Then the pendant grew warm in my hand.
Not just body heat. This was different. I knew it was an answer. Knox had felt me reach out, and he was reaching back.
He knew I was coming.
Tears tried to form in my eyes, threatening to spill over. I blinked them away hard. Not now. Not the time. I could cry later, after this was over, after everyone was safe. Right now I needed to be strong.
“How much farther?” I asked, my voice coming out rougher than I intended.
