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Arlene had warned me about this rogue camp. About the way certain rogues looked at her with barely concealed hostility since Candice came. About the whispered conversations that stopped when she entered a room. About Candice’s sudden, inexplicable friendship with the prison guards. She was the rogue sector leader’s mate. I told Arlene to get close to Candice because she came from a pack. Arlene and her wolf said something was wrong with Candice. And I told Arlene she was being paranoid. Told her I could keep her safe because who would dare challenge an Alpha? No one here was stronger than me.

I return to the tent, my mind racing. Candice has left, thank the Goddess. The pups sit exactly where I left them, Darlene now clutching both her stuffed wolf and Damian’s hand.

“Daddy?” Darlene’s voice is small, uncertain. “Is Mommy really gone forever?” Her little Alpha aura starts to slip out. My red eyes glow, my wolf helping to safely suppress her aura, my wolf nudging our little pup in her mind. The question breaks something inside me. I kneel before them, gathering them into my arms. Their small bodies press against mine, and I can feel their hearts beating fast with fear.

“Of course not, baby girl. Mommy would never leave you.”

“But Miss Candice said...”

“What did Miss Candice say exactly?”

Darlene looks up at me, her eyes so like Arlene’s that it physically hurts. “She was talking to one of the guardsmen. Then she came in and told us Mommy left because she didn’t want us anymore.” Everything clicks into place. Arlene was right. Candice couldn’t be trusted. We should have left, but I can’t search for Arlene and keep the pups around Candice.

“We’re going to find Mommy,” I mindlink my pups, holding them tighter. “Tomorrow, before the sun comes up. But you can’t tell anyone, okay? Not even Miss Candice. It’s our secret mission.” Their eyes widen with excitement, fear momentarily forgotten. “Like spies?” Darlene asks in our mindlink.

“Exactly like spies.” I press a kiss to each of their foreheads. “Now pack your special things, quietly. Just what you can carry.”

*****

We leave before sunset instead of waiting for dawn. Something in my gut tells me we don’t have that much time. I’ve managed to scrounge some clothes, ill fitting but serviceable, and a small pack with water and dried meat. The pups each carry their most precious possessions: Darlene carries her stuffed wolf Arlene made, Damian a small leather bound book Arlene made for him, while homeschooling them.

We move through the forest, staying off the main paths. The pups are remarkably quiet, following my lead as we put distance between us and the rogue camp. “Daddy?” Darlene tugs at my pant leg as we pause to catch our breath. “Are we going to find Mommy?” I look down at her hopeful face, so trusting despite everything. “Yes, my little cub. We’re...”

The snapping of branches cuts me off. In seconds, we’re surrounded. Six warriors materialize from the trees, their eyes glowing in the gathering darkness. “Darian.” The leader, Zeke, Candice’s mate, steps forward. “Candice was worried when you disappeared with the pups.”

I push Darlene and Damian behind me. “We’re going for a walk.”

“At this hour? Without telling anyone?” Zeke shakes his head. “Candice thought you might be confused. Grief does strange things.”

“There’s no grief here. Move aside. Let us leave and no one has to die.” They don’t move. I shift, my body expanding as my wolf takes control. My massive form towers over the warriors, a snarl ripping from my throat.

“Stand down, Zeke. I don’t want to kill you.” The fight erupts without warning. Zeke shifts, his gray wolf lunging at me. I meet him mid air, our bodies colliding with a sickening crunch. My teeth find his shoulder, but I’m immediately attacked from behind. Claws rake down my flank. Teeth sink into my hind leg.

Through it all, I keep my body positioned between the attackers and my pups. Blood sprays across the forest floor as I tear through the warriors, my Alpha strength giving me the advantage despite the numbers against me.

“Daddy!” Damian screams as a warrior breaks through my defense, heading straight for him. I pivot, abandoning my current opponent to intercept him. My jaws close around his throat, and I throw him against a tree. His body goes limp. Three warriors remain. Zeke is bleeding heavily from multiple wounds but still fighting. The others circle, looking for an opening.

Damian grabs Darlene’s hand. “Run!” They dart between two trees, heading back toward the camp. Toward safety. Towards… Oh no.

“Candice!” Damian’s relieved cry makes my blood run cold. I turn just in time to see them reach her. Candice stands at the edge of the clearing, her expression unreadable as the pups throw themselves against her legs.

“Miss Candice! The bad wolves are attacking Daddy!” She strokes Damian’s hair, but her eyes never leave mine. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll protect you.” One of the warriors lunges at me again. I tear into him, but my attention is split. I need to get to my pups. Need to get them away from her.

“Enough.” Candice’s voice cuts through the chaos. The warriors back off. Zeke shifts back to human form, clutching his bleeding side. Candice reaches into her pocket and pulls something out. A syringe, filled with a dark liquid that catches the moonlight.

“Silver nitrate,” she says conversationally. “And wolfsbane extract. Quite the cocktail.” My wolf goes absolutely still inside me. The pups look up at her, confused.

“What are you doing?” My voice comes out gravelly, barely human.

“Ending this.” She brings the needle close to Damian’s neck. “Stand down, Darian. Shift back, or I inject your son.” The world narrows to that needle, that threat. I shift immediately, my body reforming as I hold up my hands.

“Let them go, Candice. Whatever this is about, they’re innocent.”

She smiles. “Drop to your knees.” I obey without hesitation. We lost a pup about a year ago. It nearly broke us both. I can’t lose my pups. Once I find Arlene, I can’t face my mate if she loses another pup. It will destroy her. I drop to my knees. The forest floor is cold and hard, sharp rocks cutting into my bare knees.

“You know,” she says, pressing the needle against Damian’s skin, “I always thought you’d be as clueless and useless as that moron Ronan. He left me for his mate. But you actually have the sense of an Alpha. But you also have one weakness.” She rubs my pups’ heads.

“Let. My. pups. Go.” My wolf syncs, ready to spring into action at any time. Each word feels like it’s being torn from my chest. Zeke approaches from behind. Something cold and metallic wraps around my neck, a silver collar. The burn is immediate, my skin blistering where it touches.