Rebecca cleared her throat, breaking the tension. “So, what’s the plan? We can’t exactly march into their hideout, guns blazing. Unless… that’s exactly what you intend to do…”
“This is Maya, Marcus’s gamma. And these three are the warriors she and Marcus trust most.” Joanna waited as Maya and the others nodded in greeting. “They’ll scout ahead with Marcus to make sure the path is clear. The rest of us will keep a safe distance away. Marcus will be able to tell if Thomas is alone or if he’s led us straight to the den of the enemy. Then, we strike. Either we capture Thomas and get out… or, if it’s the latter, we fight.”
James shook his head. “It’s too risky. Too many variables. So many things can go wrong.”
Joanna released an exasperated sigh. “It’s our best shot, James. We have to take it. Thomas knows who I am, what I am. And by now, he knows we’re coming after him. We can’t just sit back and wait for them to make the first move.”
James stared at Joanna for a long moment before finally nodding. “Fine. But if anything goes wrong, I’m holding him responsible.” He jabbed a finger in my direction.
I smirked, unfazed.
He didn’t know that if things did, in fact, go wrong, I’d be the first to blame myself.
***
We spent the rest of the day preparing. While we gathered supplies and discussed strategy in the quiet town of Cedar Grove, the hunters left to gather reinforcements on their end. James had come prepared and left a bag of weapons for Joanna, which she checked and double-checked.
As the sun began to set, we made our way back to the inn to get a few hours of sleep. But as tired as I was, my feet led me to a room that wasn’t mine.
I heard training coming from the other side of Joanna’s door. The whistle of a knife slicing through the air. The stretching of a bow. The thud of silver and metal against wood. It wasn’t until I heard a glass scraping against a table that I interrupted her with a knock.
A smile lit up Joanna’s ashen face once she opened the door. Her lips were still wet from the water she drank, and I could see the tears of pain in her eyes. Her forehead was damp with sweat, her kinky curls secured with an elastic atop her head.
“May I come in?” I asked.
“Of course.” She moved aside to let me pass.
I stepped inside, my eyes scanning the room. Her fighting leathers, courtesy of James, were hanging on the closet door, and her weapons were laid out on the small desk.
“You need to take it easy,” I said. “You’re still healing.”
She rolled her eyes, but the smile was still on her face. “I’m fine,Alpha,” she whined, as if she’d done so a million times. She probably had at this point.
I stepped closer to her, reaching out to place my hands on her shoulders. “Are you? Because I think you’re pushing yourself too hard. And I can’t… I won’t lose you, Joanna.”
Her eyes opened wide but then softened as she tilted her head. “I’m right here, Marcus.”
I nodded, brushing my thumb against her bandages. “Just… be careful, okay? If anything feels off, if anything goes wrong, you run. You get out of there. Promise me.”
She met my gaze, her expression hardening. “I promise… that I will be careful.”
I let out a sigh of defeat, my hands dropping from her shoulders. I looked around the room, my eyeslanding on her weapons. “I heard you training. Are you ready for tomorrow?”
She chuckled. “You mean, in a few hours?” She nodded. “As ready as I can be. You?”
“Absolutely,” I said with a subtle smirk. “So, since we have time…” I crossed my arms. “Tell me about Malik.”
Joanna’s expression soured, her nose wrinkling in disgust. “What about him?”
I shrugged, my smirk growing. “Just curious. He seemed… intense. And it’s obvious you two have history.”
Joanna sighed, running a hand down her face. “We dated. A long, long time ago. Back when I thought hunters could have boyfriends and live happily ever after… It didn’t end well.”
I growled, played by myself, as the thought of her with another man made my wolf pace. “He’s an ass,” I declared. “And he has no right to speak to you the way he does.”
Joanna looked up at me, her eyes filled with amusement. “Jealous, Blackwood?”
I scoffed, but there was no denying the truth. “Maybe,” I admitted. “I don’t like the way he looks at you. I don’t like the way he talks to you. I don’t like him.”
