"That old bastard spent seven years claiming loyalty to the old Alpha, using my father's dying wishes to keep me in check!" His chest heaved. Under the moonlight, his silver eyes flashed gold. The veins at his temples bulged.
"I thought he was truly loyal. Never suspected him. Turns out he was Finn's man all along!"
Kayden closed his eyes, forcing down whatever emotion threatenedto explode. When he opened them again, only cold silver remained.
"I'm going after Kai."
I finally surfaced from the tidal wave of terror. I heard my own voice—calm, so calm it scared me. I turned and started running toward the estate.
"Layla." Kayden grabbed my wrist hard. "Calm down."
"I am calm!" I wrenched free, my voice teetering on the edge of breaking. "My son was taken! Kayden, that's Kai! He's six years old!"
"I know. That's exactly why we need to stay calm." Kayden blocked my path, hands gripping my shoulders, forcing me to meet his eyes. "If we lose our heads, they win."
"But Kai..." Tears were already spilling over. "He'll be scared. He'll cry. He—"
"He's not in immediate danger." Kayden softened his voice, but every word remained clear and firm. "Layla, listen. Drake took him as a hostage."
"Until they get what they want, they won't hurt Kai."
Hostage.
The word pulled my sanity back into focus.
Right. Kayden was right.
If they just wanted him dead, they wouldn't have gone to this much trouble.
They needed Kai to threaten something.
So for now... for now he was safe.
I took a deep breath and blinked hard, forcing the tears back.
"Okay." My voice still shook, but I could think again. "What do we do?"
Kayden drew a heavy breath, clearly fighting to control his own emotions. He looked at me, pain flashing in his eyes.
"The border's under full-scale attack," he said. "Evan says the assault is ten times larger than usual."
"Another diversion."
"They're using Kai to draw us out while hitting the pack's heartland."
I nodded wearily, my brain kicking into overdrive. "If the pack falls, we lose all bargaining power."
"So you have to go back." I met his gaze. "Lead the warriors. Hold the line. Kayden, as Alpha, you can't be absent."
"But Kai—"
"I'll go." I cut him off, my voice steady. "I'll take a team and get Kai back."
"Too dangerous." Kayden shook his head, frowning hard. "Layla, they have vampires, inside contacts, Finn... and we don't even know exactly where Kai is."
He was right. I didn't even know where Kai was...
Thick despair threatened to drown me. Then a strange sensation washed over me. A pull, like an invisible thread tugging at my chest.
