The world narrowed to a single point.Kai.He stumbled forward, nearly falling as his feet hit the ground.
He caught himself at the last second, thin arms shaking, dark hair falling into his face. He looked smaller, too thin and tired, but he was alive. My pulse roared in my ears.
For a second, everything else faded. The plan, the trap, the men with the guns, the wolves behind us. All of it.
There was only my brother, who blinked up at me. Recognition hit his face like a spark.
“Mason!” Kai cried out in relief and ran straight at me.
I caught him without thinking, arms wrapping around him tight enough to hurt. He clutched at my shirt like he was afraid I’d disappear if he let go.
“You’re okay,” I breathed, my voice rough. “You’re okay.”
“I thought,” His voice broke. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“I’ve got you,” I said, tightening my grip. “I’ve got you.”
For a second, everything felt right, like it used to, before Daniel and the lies I had to tell Levi and his pack. Then more doors slammed, boots hit gravel.
I looked up, seeing six men. All of them were watching us, and they were armed.
Finally, he stepped forward. Daniel held a shotgun in his hand, the metal gleaming faintly under the headlights.
His expression twisted into something that might’ve been a smile, if it hadn’t been so full of contempt.
My body tensed instinctively, pulling Kai slightly behind me. Daniel’s gaze flicked between us, lingering for a moment on the way I held my brother.
Then he sneered. “What a touching reunion”
My jaw clenched. “I did as you asked.”
Daniel’s eyes gleamed. “You did. Good dog.”
The night seemed to still. Behind me, hidden in the shadows, I could feel the pack waiting. Daniel took a step closer, raised the gun, and pointed it straight at my head.
Kai froze behind me, his grip tightening.
“You promised, Daniel,” I whispered, my pulse spiking.
“I promised you can see your brother again,” Daniel pointed out. “I didn’t say I would let the two of you live.”
My breath caught. Time stretched, and everything slowed. This was it, the moment everything tipped.
Chapter 16
Levi
The second Daniel pointed the gun to Mason’s head, something inside me snapped so hard it felt like bone breaking. Not yet, I reminded myself, although the thought barely held.
My wolf surged forward, claws scraping against the inside of my skin, teeth aching to tear, to rip, to end this before Mason even had time to flinch.
Every instinct I had screamed at me to move, to cross the distance, to put myself between him and that weapon.
I shut my eyes briefly, and forced a slow and controlled breath through my lungs.
Across the clearing, headlights still blazed, turning everything into harsh gold and black. Mason stood there, rigid, Kai clutched to his side.
Daniel’s gun was pressed close enough to Mason’s temple that I could see the faint tremor in Mason’s shoulders, or maybe that was mine.
