“Go,” I tell her. “The medical center needs to be evacuated, and you know the layout better than anyone. I can finish bandaging my own wrists.”
Fern bites her lip. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Go help people. That’s what you do.”
She squeezes my hand once, then hurries out with Connor at her heels. He won’t let her out of his sight, I know. Not with Rafe’s wolves still out there and explosives planted throughout the town.
Bryan crouches in front of me and takes over where Fern left off, wrapping clean bandages around my wrists with surprising gentleness. His hands are large and calloused, scarred from years of fighting, but they handle the gauze with care.
“You should be out there,” I tell him. “Helping with the evacuation. Preparing for the fight.”
“I’m exactly where I need to be.”
“Bryan—”
“I almost lost you.” He ties off the bandage and looks up at me, and the emotion gathering in his eyes steals the breath from my lungs. “I spent two days not knowing if you were alive or dead, not knowing if I’d ever see you again. I’m not leaving your side until this is over. Not for anything.”
I reach out and take his face in my hand, running my thumb along his cheekbone. He leans into the touch like a man starving for contact, and my heart aches at everything we’ve been through to get here.
“Okay,” I whisper. “Okay.”
Across the room, Nic approaches us with Dina trailing behind him. She looks steadier now, though exhaustion still shadows her face.
“Bryan,” Nic begins, “Dina has been filling me in on what she observed during her captivity. There’s something you should know.”
Bryan rises to his feet but keeps one hand on my shoulder. “What is it?”
Dina is wringing her hands together nervously. “I told Skylar already, but... My father was Black Ops. Wade Marchetti. He worked with you for years before he retired to Ridgewood.”
Bryan goes very still, and he cranes his neck to look at her. “Wade is your father?”
“Was.” Dina’s voice cracks on the word, and she looks down at the ground. “Rafe’s wolves killed him when they attacked our pack. Him and most of our fighters. I’m the only one from my family who survived.”
Something transforms in Bryan’s face—recognition, then grief, then a fury so hot it makes me shiver. “Wade trained me during my first year with the agency. He was one of the best operatives I ever knew.”
“He spoke of you sometimes.” Dina manages a watery smile. “He said you were too stubborn for your own good, but that you had good instincts.”
“He was right about the stubborn part.” Bryan reaches out and rests his hand on Dina’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about your father. He deserved better than what Rafe gave him.”
“Help me make sure Rafe pays for it,” Dina replies. “That’s all I ask.”
“You can count on it.”
Nic clears his throat. “Dina, we’ll find you somewhere safe to rest. You’ve been through enough.”
“With respect, Alpha, I’d rather help.” Dina squares her shoulders despite her obvious exhaustion. “I may not be at full strength, but I can still contribute. Put me where I’m needed.”
Nic eyes her for a moment, then nods. “Fair enough. Report to Thomas. He’ll find a place for you.”
Dina gives me one last grateful look before following Nic’s directions. I watch her go, thinking about everything she’s lost and everything she still has to fight for.
“She’s strong,” Bryan muses from beside me.
“She had to be.” I rise from my chair and test my legs. They hold steady beneath me, though my entire body aches from head to toe. “Just like the rest of us.”
The first gray hints of dawn are beginning to seep through the windows. We’ve been back in Silvercreek for less than anhour, and already the pack is mobilizing for war. Outside, I can hear the sounds of wolves shouting orders and vehicles starting up. The evacuation is underway.
“I want to help,” I announce. “With the medical response team. If there’s fighting, there will be wounded. I should be there.”
