“Why did you decide to stop hiding?”
“Angela. She refused to let me go, to accept what we all knew was coming. When she came to see me the other day, I finally rejected her,” Dante said, his face paling, as if saying the words aloud made him sick to his stomach. “It was too hard to do so before. But it was getting even harder to resist claiming her, and I can’t claim my mate while knowing I’m bound for death. Bit of a dick move, even for me,” he joked tightly. He coughed into his elbow. “She took the hint and left, so I knew it was time to contact you.”
Murphy curled his upper lip at the mention of the she-wolf. “She clearly doesn’t accept your rejection. She sought my mate out yesterday, hoping to spare you.”
Marcus and Zeke both turned toward him at the admission.
“What?” Dante shook his head in denial. “No. I told her to stay out of this.”
“Yeah, well, she didn’t—”
Murphy?Jasper’s voice floated into the Alpha’s head, filled with pain.Murphy—
Instantly, Murphy was on alert, the world around him fading away as his entire being focused on his brother.What is it? What’s wrong?
It’sNessa, Jasper answered raggedly.Some human men took her. Fuckers shot me. I must have blacked out, and when I woke up, I was alone. I’m so fucking sorry.
Murphy’s legs buckled and, blindly, he grasped onto the iron bars of Dante’s cell.
Zeke grabbed his arms, Marcus wrapping an arm around his waist when he swayed. “What is it?” Zeke asked, worried. “What the hell’s going on?”
Dante’s fingers covered his own, the touch unexpected but comforting, even as the world around him shifted in and out of focus, his bear frantic to take over and find Nessa before it was too late.
At just that moment, Colter’s mind brushed against his.I ran the check on the males, like you asked.They’re not in Chicago. Looks like Tony left early this morning on a private jet; I don’t have the itinerary for that charter just yet, but I should in a few hours. As for Angelo? He left Illinois three weeks ago. Booked a one-way flight to Montana.
Murphy barely registered the words, already aware of what Colter had been too late in delivering.
Nessa had been taken. His mate—his beautiful, resilient, kind-hearted mate—was in the hands of those who wished to hurt her. Those who’d hurt her before, horrifically and brutally.
Nessa—
Murphy threw his head back, his feral roar of rage shaking the world around him. Waves of dominance poured off of him, the magnitude of his fury enhancing his power. His skin itched as his bear struggled to break free, to begin their hunt immediately.
All three males crashed to their knees before him, their heads bowed in submission of his Alpha power as his roar echoed through the dungeon.
He barely took notice, his very being focusing on one sole thought.
He was going to find Nessa.
And when he’d ensured her safety?
He would slaughter each person who’d sought to take her from him. Tony. Angelo. It didn’t matter. They were all dead.
Every single one of them.
Chapter 43
Murphy blinked hard, fighting back his bear as it pushed further to the surface. Thick brown hair sprouted across his arms and chest as the beast grappled with him for control. Nessa’s name echoed through his mind like the beat of a drum; powerful and incessant, reminding him of everything he was losing with each passing second.
Stop!Murphy commanded his bear, gritting his teeth as it ignored him, struggling harder to gain its freedom.If you shift now, you’ll only hurt our chances of finding her.
His bear quieted, retreating just out of sight. Still, it whispered Nessa’s name like a prayer, its terror adding to Murphy’s.
Murph?Colter asked, worry heavy in his voice.
Get to the dungeon. Now. Bring the SUV.I need to get to Nessa.She’s in trouble.
Murphy forced air into his lungs, forced his muscles to relax, when all he wanted to do was shift and charge through the woods in search of his mate. But he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t waste a moment. It was imperative he work fast. For Nessa. For both of them.
