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“Jake doesn’t care about us, Niam. All he cares about is power. He is driving the pack into the ground and has been for decades. There is a war coming, and I don’t think many will survive it.” He looks at me thoughtfully and moves a bit closer to me.
“You’re right…Jake hasn’t been a good Alpha for a long time. He was the one to send Luke out…not you. Look, I can’t release you because then he will know it’s me, and then my parents will be in Jake's crosshairs, but maybe I can somehow help.” At that moment, the door to the barn creaks open, and Jake walks in.
“What are you doing here, Niam? I told you to guard the door outside.”
“Sorry, Alpha, I heard her wake up and came to check on her.”
“She is not your concern. Go back to your post.” Niam looks at me out of the corner of his eye. Jake snarls, and Niam ducks his head and heads back outside. I hope Jake gets what’s coming to him.
“Now, where were we.” He comes right up close and squats in front of me. If he was a bit closer, I could kick him in the balls and at least feel good about being chained up with silver.
“I don’t suppose you would tell me what your little boyfriend has planned, would you?”
“How would I know what he has planned. I’m here, and he is there.”
“Yes, but you have this lovely ability to predict the future.”
“I can’t just summon a vision at will. It doesn’t work like that.”
“That’s surprising, seeing as your aunt was able to do it.”
I didn’t know she could summon a vision at will.
“Well, it doesn’t work like that for me.” His hand reaches out and grabs my face, making my skin crawl.
“You will start talking to me with some respect, Quinn.” His grip tightens, causing pain in my jaw.
“You better figure out how to use your ability, or what good are you to me?” He pushes me back, and I hit my head on the wall behind me. He stands up and stalks away.
A few hours pass, and I am shivering and cold, lying on the thin mat. No blanket, just my light sweater to keep me warm. I should have worn a warmer sweater, I guess. An hour ago, I heard more vehicles pulling up to the barn. I don’t know how many people are here, but there are enough to have a good fighting party. If my wolf wasn’t so tired from being chained in silver, I could try to smell how many people were out there. In my half-shivering and exhausted state, I hear footsteps coming closer, but the chains are draining my energy, and I can barely see in the barn as it is. Suddenly, Niam is in front of me, kneeling down and trying to help me sit up.
“Quinn, time to wake up now,” Niam whispers.
“Wish I could,” I mumble.
“Look, we gotta get you out of here. You were right—a war is coming. Jake just got a call from his contact in Eli’s pack. Apparently, the council has shown up and is headed this way.”
That perks me up a bit. The fog of sleeping has dissipated, though I can still tell my energy is not what it should be.
“Who is the contact?”
“I don’t know, some girl named Amber, from what I overheard.”
Amber…I don’t remember meeting an Amber. What does she have against me, or even her pack? “What are we going to do?”
“I’m going to try to get these chains off you and hopefully sneak into the woods behind the barn. I scouted the area a bit the past couple of hours and found a stream not too far from here. If we can get to it and cover our scents, maybe we can get far enough away that when Eli and the council show up, we won’t get caught in the crossfire.” Niam goes to get fence cutters and comes back to me quietly. He goes to work on my ankles, being careful not to cut me, but he has to pull the chain against my skin in order to get enough room to cut it. I wince in pain but hold back any cry so we don’t tip off the other wolves.
“I’m sorry, Quinn…I shouldn’t have taken my pain out on you.”
“It’s okay…I understand. We do crazy stuff for those we love.” It hits me right then that I’m not just thinking about Maddie; I’m also thinking about Eli. I love him. The bond is pulling hard on my chest, and it’s not just the bond anymore; it's him. He has been trying to show me he wants me, and he loves me. He is coming here to get me, to fight for me this time, just like he said. If I get out of this, I will tell him. I will tell him I love him and I want to be his mate. More tires crunch on the dirt road coming up to the barn, the commotion outside escalates, and then I hear it. A car door opens and slams shut, and a loud voice yells.
“Where is my mate?!”
He’s here, he’s here to come get me.
Chapter 16 - Eli
It’s been a few hours since I sent the scouts over to the Clearwater pack, and we still haven’t heard anything. I’m anxious to find Quinn. Who knows what Jake is doing to her. It makes me sick. Another thud sounds throughout the room as I pound on the punching bag. My wolf is agitated, but I don’t want to shift and go for a run when we don’t know where Quinn is. The last thing I need to be doing is running around aimlessly, looking for her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dominic walking briskly into the pack gym. I start undoing the wraps around my hands.
