“Luna Rose rejected him and left years ago. Ryan has been alpha ever since. He’s been losing it to moon madness, but we thought his mate might be here. Might be able to pull him back.”
"Unbelievable," she says with a scoff, tearing off her gloves and flinging them to the ground. “So, after all this time, that's what brought you here? So, your alpha would be okay? Well, if you think he can just take one of my girls, you can think again. It’s not fucking happening. No one will separate us!”
The click of a safety switch being disengaged behind my head freezes me. Cold steel presses to my skull. My wolf surges. And I cradle Sofia closer to me. What the fuck? One wrong move and it could be game over for me. And then I can’t protect the one thing in the world that matters to me.
“Katie, what the hell is going on? We came to get you out of here as soon as we found out you were alive. We have housing in Caleb’s pack. He took over Iron Fang, and half of the warriors left. There are plenty of vacant houses for you and your girls. No one is trying to trap you. Don’t you want to find your mate? Find happiness?”
Katie stares intensely at me. If that collar around her neck wasn’t blocking it, I’m sure it would be her wolf staring me down. Or maybe not. She doesn’t seem like an omega anymore. She’s all alpha.
It goes against my nature to reason here. I want to take Sofia and walk out of here. Let them do whatever the hell they want. But that gun is still pressed against my skull. And I refuse to leave Sofia. Even by death.
“We just want to get you out of here. Go back to Caleb’s pack, at least until we can get those collars off. Then, you can do whatever you need to do. Go back to your original packs; stay together. It’s up to you.”
The gun stays pressed to my skull for way too long. My pulse roars.
Finally, Katie jerks her chin. The weapon withdraws.
“Fine. But we’re taking the guns with us.”
“Wouldn’t expect anything less,” I say with a nod. “Now, how about we get the fuck out of here so I can get my mate home?”
Katie stares at me for a few moments before shaking her head. “I can’t believe you guys ended up mates. Sofia must have been over the moon. She always had such a crush on you.”
A ragged chuckle escapes me as I nearly get whiplash from the flip between wanting to blow my brains out to reminiscing. I dip my face into Sofia’s hair, inhaling her scent, reminding myself she’s alive. “Not quite. But we’re working on it.”
The other omegas watch us curiously. Seeing how gentle I am with Sofia seems to have eased some of the tension from them, but we need to get out of here. Who knows if there’s more of them out there.
“Camille, I’m so sorry…” Caleb’s words trail off, and I look back to see a female who must be his sister cowering behind another female who glares at Caleb. “Camille, it’s me. Caleb. Your brother. I’ve been looking for you for two years.”
Katie stands between them and props her hands on her hips. “You need to give her space. You have no idea what she’s been through at the hands of men.”
“She’s mysister,” Caleb snarls. “I’ve been looking for her since the night she was taken. I would never hurt her. Or any female…youof all shifters know that.”
What’s that about? How would Katie know anything about Caleb?
“Well, then, waiting a while longer shouldn’t be a problem, should it?” Katie snaps, squaring up to Caleb. There’s no fear from her, or guns on him. Almost like she knows he will listen to her. “We have agreed to go back to your pack for now. But we’re bringing the guns, and if you can’t respect what we need, then we’ll be out of there faster than you can imagine, and you’ll never see your sister again. Do I make myself clear?”
Caleb’s jaw flexes, his hands curling into fists. For a moment, I think he’ll fight her. But then he exhales sharply, mutters, “Fine, you’re the boss,” and storms off.
At the door, he throws a look over his shoulder. “We’d better move.”
“Of course.” Katie’s voice is cool, commanding. “But not until I find every record of the Keeper’s buyers and torch this place to the ground.” Her eyes burn with something fiercer than hatred. It’s resolve.
And standing here, with Sofia in my arms, I know she means every word.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Sofia
Three days later
“Let me the fuck in to see my brother now,” I grit out to the warriors on duty. The past few days have been hell. Ryan spiraled after the fight, wild and volatile until he had to be tranquilized, and then Jackson had to restrain him with silver chains scavenged from the warehouse. Since then, he’s been locked in the pack cells.
And I’ve been locked out, waiting for my wound to heal fully while Doc insisted I stay in the pack hospital.
And Luca wouldn’t let me near my brother, even though he’s been okay since the full moon entered the waxing stage. But now that Doc cleared me, this is it. No more excuses. Not that I would have listened to reasons to keep me away, but the warriors on duty weren’t budging, and I needed to heal so that I could focus on kicking Luca’s ass.
“I’m sorry, Luna,” Cadence replies with a wince, and at least she sounds conflicted. “Alpha Rivera’s orders.”
