I rewarded good decisions, praised the choices I actually had a say in, and gave affection to reinforce their behavior. They soaked it up like starving men. They wanted to protect me, impress me, earn more of what I offered without even realizing they were being guided. I was finding my power over them.
I was shaping them just as much as they thought they were shaping me.
And if Killian, Talon, and Ryker coming to my defense was any sign, my strategy was working beautifully.
“Get ready. We move out at 2200,” Cade said. He leveled a serious, stern look at me before adding, “Do not make me regret this, Rowan.”
I suited up in an all-black ensemble, trying to look stealthy and sleek. The guys were all dressed in dark camo, and for once I looked like I actually fit in. Like I belonged on a mission with them rather than being locked away for safekeeping.
But looking the part did nothing to calm my nerves. Anxiety vibrated through me, so sharp it made my knee bounce uncontrollably. The motion rattled the entire vehicle.
Killian reached over, placing a large palm on my leg to pin my knee in place.
His hands moved.Breathe, Crane. We are with you.
He then took a deep breath in and out, waiting for me to copy him. I leaned against his shoulder and inhaled slowly, trying to steady myself. The old base loomed ahead through the windshield, dark and abandoned, carved into the towering wall.
I could feel each alphas' attention on me. Their awareness. Their concern. I hated the thought that any of them might regret the decision to bring me. I hated the idea that my nerves might make them second-guess me.
So I straightened, forced another deep breath, and steeled myself.
I was here. I was not helpless. And I would prove it.
“Park it off to the side. I don't want anyone showing up unexpectedly and seeing our vehicle,” Cade said, motioning tothe far right of the building.
Talon tucked the convoy behind a decaying portable structure, killed the lights, and cut the engine.
“Looks like they boarded up the front in a hurry,” Talon muttered. “It shouldn't take long to break in.”
“Not with Killian the human battering ram it won't,” Ryker laughed as Killian rifled through the tools in the back. He settled on a crowbar the size of my arm.
“They didn't board it up very securely,” I noted, eyeing the large hole in the building's side.
Zolkos' crew had haphazardly patched the entrance with plywood, bent nails, and crooked boards. Anyone with determination could get through it. Or anything.
“That means it’s either temporary and they plan to come back,” Talon said, “or they know the breach is allowing enough direworgs into New Arca that securing the access here no longer matters.”
Cade grunted in agreement. “Science has been working on that prototype fence in response to the breach. It wouldn’t surprise me if Arca ran it along the entire wall, eventually.”
“Wouldn’t that be fucking nice? I would love not getting nearly eaten every day I am on patrol. Things are everywhere now,” Ryker said with a snort.
Killian got to work, wedging the crowbar between the boards and snapping them off the building like they were constructed from cardboard. Once the hole was wide enough, Cade and Talon went first. They ducked inside, rifles raised, sweeping their scopes across the dark interior. I heard footsteps echoing down the hall as they moved from room to room.
"Clear."
"Clear."
"Clear."
“Bring her in,” Cade yelled.
Killian and Ryker moved with trained precision, sandwiching me between them as we edged deeper into the pitch-black base. The way they moved with practiced precision reminded me I hadn't ever witnessed what these men were truly capable of.
They were lethal, elite, and impeccably trained. The realization actually helped ease my nerves. I was safe with them. They wouldn't let anything happen to me.
I called to my wolf as we moved deeper into the silent, cold, still structure. Doing exactly what Talon had taught me, I cracked the door open without letting her out, depending on her senses. My vision sharpened, and within seconds I could see clearly, even though the only light came from the beams attached to the guys’ rifles.
Talon led the party, able to see vividly in the dark just like me. His fist shot up, balled tight, signaling all of us to stop immediately. Ryker pulled me behind him as Talon crouched beside a bloody mass curled on the floor.
