Night finally settled over the pack compound.
The trees stood closer. The shadows deeper. Even the air seemed to press in, thick with anticipation and something colder beneath it.
I crouched low behind a cluster of overgrown brush just off the gravel road that led to the south gate. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a neglected service entrance.
They would see rusted fencing, a weathered gate.
The kind of place no one paid attention to. That was the point. To anyone watching, it would seem quiet and unprotected. An easy target.
My pulse wouldn’t slow. It hammered against my ribs, loud enough I was half convinced everyone could hear it. My hands curled into fists against my thighs, then relaxed, then curled again.
Focus, I reminded myself.
Levi was beside me, and the warmth at my side made it easier to hold myself together.
He hadn’t said much since we took position, none of them had.
Two trackers were spread out farther back, barely visible even to my eyes. Two enforcers were positioned opposite them, their presence hidden but unmistakable if you knew what to look for.
This was the trap, waiting to snap shut, if everything went right.
Kai.The thought of him was a constant ache under everything else. A sharp, persistent pull that refused to be ignored.
He was coming, he had to. Daniel had agreed, but Daniel wasn’t a man who played fair. He was a man who liked making false promises. I swallowed hard, trying to force the fear down.
Beside me, Levi shifted slightly. Then his hand found mine. My breath hitched for a second. I hadn’t even realized how cold my fingers had gotten until he wrapped his around them.
“You can do this,” he murmured, low enough that only I could hear.
I turned my head slightly, catching the outline of his face in the dim light. His eyes were on me, steady and unwavering.
There wasn’t a hint of doubt there, even now and even after everything.
I squeezed his hand back, then forced myself to let go, because I had to. If I didn’t step out there now, this would all fall apart.
Headlights appeared in the distance, butting through the dark like knives. My entire body went rigid. They were here. This was it.
I inhaled slowly, filling my lungs, then exhaled just as carefully. Don’t run or hesitate, I reminded myself, don’t give them a reason to suspect anything.
I stepped out from the brush. The night air felt colder immediately, the open space making me feel exposed in a way I hadn’t felt before.
The gravel crunched under my boots as I walked toward the gate, every step deliberate. The headlights grew brighter as the vehicle approached, until they were almost blinding.
I squinted against the glare, forcing my body to stay loose, to move like this was exactly what I was supposed to be doing.
The jeep slowed as it reached the gate. I didn’t stop. I pulled the key card from my pocket, holding it up to the scanner mounted beside the gate.
For a split second, my hand hovered. This was it. No going back. I pressed the card against the reader. A soft beep sounded, then the gate began to slide open with a low, mechanical groan.
I stepped back, heart slamming against my ribs, as the jeep rolled forward into the compound.
The headlights washed over me as it passed, forcing me to turn my face slightly.
I kept my expression neutral, my posture loose, even as every instinct in me screamed to run towards the jeep like a fool, grab Kai and get him out.
The vehicle came to a stop a few feet inside the gate. The engine idled. Then, the back door swung open. A man jumped out first.
He wore a bulletproof vest, and there was a gun in his hand. My stomach dropped. Then he turned, and shoved someone out after him.
