Dean’s knuckles are stark white against the wheel, his anger radiating through the bond like an open flame. I can feel mine rushing back to him, charging the air between us.
“We need to close the link,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “It’s better if they don’t feel us coming?—”
He gives a curt nod, his jaw clenched. Without another word, we both focus, pulling our emotions back, closing off the intensity of our anger so it won’t bleed through to them. This is for us to bear. They need only feel us when we’re right there—when it’s time for us to strike.
Time slows, each second stretching out painfully. My heart slams in my chest, each beat matching the growing pulse of their emotions through the bond.
“Jenny lives near here,” Dean says, his voice tight.
I shoot him a look.
“I know because she’s a member of the country club,” he adds, jaw clenched, his eyes fixed on the road as he floors the gas.
The connection draws us to a large house with a winding staircase leading up to a second-floor entrance. As soon as Dean stops the car, we’re out and taking the stairs two at a time. He reaches the door first and tries the handle. Locked, of course.
Dropping to one knee, I pull out my key ring, selecting a small tension wrench and a pick, the tools I keep for times I don’t care to explain.
Dean’s gaze sharpens on me, and he whispers, “What?—”
I raise a hand, signaling for silence, focusing on the lock as I angle my head, feeling for the subtle give, listening for the click.
The door eases open, revealing a small entryway before an elegant banister overlooking the open space below. To the right lies an unoccupied living area, the banister running the length of the room and leading to a sprawling spiral staircase that winds down to the first floor. Only the wealthy have a main entrance set on the second level.
Ignoring the stairs for now, I move quietly down the hallway, the plush carpet swallowing each step. At the end, we find a massive bedroom with a walk-in closet and an attached bathroom—bigger than both my mom's and sister's apartments combined.
The rooms are still empty. I can feel Chad and Lakelyn more distinctly now—Lakelyn’s hopeful spark faintly echoes through the bond while Chad radiates fierce determination. We movecautiously down the stairs, finding the first floor as deserted as the second.
Then, all at once, their emotions surge, raw and overpowering. The intensity slams into me just as a sharp scream pierces the air, snapping our focus. Without hesitation, Dean and I throw open the basement door and charge down the steps, adrenaline spiking with each pounding footfall.
It takes a second for the scene to sink in. Chad stands with a knife pressed to Jenny’s throat, his face twisted in a fierce snarl. Lakelyn’s tied to a chair beside them, her wide eyes fixed on the two of them, unblinking.
“You messed with the wrong omega, bitch,” Chad growls. “Did you really think I wanted you? Did you think I’d choose you over my pack? Ipityflirted with you. An old, single alpha…you think I would settle for you?”
“Drop the knife,” Jenny barks, her voice sharp with command.
Chad’s smile unfurls slowly, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he tightens his grip on the handle. “Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?” He laughs, never taking his eyes off her face. His smile turns razor-sharp as he tilts his head, defiance flashing in his eyes. “Too bad for you, Jenny. There are only two alphas I’d ever listen to—and neither one of them is you.”
That’s my cue. I step forward, my voice cutting through the tension. “Then it’s a good thing we’re here now. Before we have a mess to clean up.”
Not that I wouldn’t love to see her bleeding out on the cement of her basement floor, but the price would be too high.
Jenny’s head snaps toward me, shock flaring in her eyes as Dean swiftly moves in, his grip firm as he restrains her before she can react. I cross over to Chad, placing a steady hand over his and gently guiding the knife from his grip, setting it safelyaside. His fingers linger for a heartbeat before he lets it go, his shoulders just barely easing.
“You came,” he whispers, the realization settling over him, his eyes glassy as he looks up at me. Gently, I let my fingers brush along his cheek, checking for any sign of injury. His wrists are raw, but aside from that, he seems physically okay.
“We’ll always come,” I murmur, letting my voice carry the truth between us. Chad’s gaze softens, and he shifts, turning to where Lakelyn is bound. He leans in, freeing her quickly, and as her hands come loose, she falls into his arms, wrapping herself around him tightly. Relief floods his expression, and he presses his forehead to hers, grounding them both in that moment.
After a moment, he pulls back, looking at us with a fierce determination in his eyes. “I could have saved us,” he says, his voice steady but with a hint of vulnerability that lingers.
"I don’t doubt it," I say with a faint smile, meeting Chad’s gaze. But the smile fades as I turn to Jenny, who’s still held tightly by Dean. Without breaking stride, I pick up the rope that had bound Lakelyn and step over to them. With swift, sure movements, I secure Jenny’s hands behind her back, knotting the rope tightly. “Dean, call the police.”
“You broke into my house and tied me up. You really think the police are going to take your side?” Jenny laughs, the unhinged edge in her voice breaking through.
“I’m pretty sure kidnapping our omegas gives us a damn good reason to have broken into your house,” Dean growls, pulling out his cell phone. “You’re lucky we don’t drag you into the forest and leave you there to rot.”
“I vote for that option,” Chad adds, his voice hard. “She actually thought I’d cut my mark off Lakelyn.”
I glance at Chad, and he meets my gaze with unwavering resolve. It’s hard not to agree with him. But she isn’t worth the risk of jail. Not when I’ve finally found my pack. I won’t loseany of them. I’ll never understand how my father could have just walked away from my mom all those years ago.
