I’ve felt this pull since the mountains. Since the training facility. But now it’s stronger. Insistent. Like an invisible thread stretching between us.
Fifteen-fifteen.
The facility looks quiet. No alarms. No obvious chaos. Either he’s still moving undetected or—
I won’t think about alternatives. I glance at my watch. It’s time for me to get into position. I move through the trees toward the perimeter. Closer to where I spotted a maintenance truck earlier. It’s an older model. The keys might be in it. Perfect for what I need.
The pull in my chest tightens. Not painful. Just present. Awareness that wasn’t there before.
He’s inside. Moving. I can feel him somehow. Not his exact location. Not his thoughts. Just presence. Certainty that he’s alive and active.
My wolf goes still. Recognition flooding through her. Mate bond beginning. The first true thread forming between us. I’ve been fighting this since I felt the first pull. Since my wolf started insisting with absolute certainty.
But it’s undeniable now. Physical. Real.
I can feel him inside that facility. Feel his focus. His determination. The edge of his fear—not for himself but for the people he’s rescuing.
If we survive this, we’re bonded. The thread forming now will solidify into something unbreakable. Terror and wonder twist together in my chest. This is what I’ve been avoiding. What I wasn’t ready to accept. My wolf choosing him. My body recognizing our mate.
Chance is gone. Has been gone for five years. And my wolf found someone new. Someone who killed him. Someone who’s risking everything to save people he doesn’t know.
Someone who makes me feel things I swore I’d never feel again.
The pull intensifies. Something’s changed. Alarms. I hear them faintly from here. He’s been discovered.
Time for the diversion.
I break from cover and run low toward the maintenance truck parked near the east fence. The guard post is fifty meters away. The shift change has their attention divided.
I reach the truck and try the door. It’s unlocked, the keys in the ignition. Syndicate arrogance or luck. Saves me the time of having to hotwire it. I slide in and start the engine. It roars to life.
The guard at the post turns and sees me. Raises his weapon.
I floor the accelerator. The truck lurches forward and crashes through the fence. Metal screeches. Guards shout.
I aim for the outer wall. The structural wall that surrounds the main compound. Old concrete. Vulnerable.
Sixty kilometers per hour. Seventy. Eighty.
Suddenly, there’s gunfire, bullets hitting the truck bed. One shatters the rear window. Glass explodes. I duck low, keeping the accelerator down.
Twenty meters to impact.
Ten.
Five.
Impact.
The truck smashes into the concrete wall. The airbag deploys, slamming into me. There’s pain. But the wall cracks. Significant damage. Alarms intensifying.
I force the door open and stumble out. Guards are converging from three directions. I shift partially using wolf speed to run for the tree line. Bullets track behind me, but they’re slow. I’m faster.
Into the forest. Cover. Safety.
Behind me: chaos. Alarms blaring. Guards mobilizing. All attention is completely diverted from whatever Jericho is doing inside.
The bond pulses once more. He’s moving fast. Getting them out. I can feel his urgency as if it’s my own.
