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Static sounded on our old school walkie talkie and Carlo’s voice came through. One phrase was all we needed to hear and the moment he said it, we all froze.
“Follow the moon.”
She turned to me with panicked eyes and I met her halfway. My arms wrapped around her and I squeezed her to me like that could hold us both together in this moment. Vanya was our only hope at saving us all and I was confident she could do it. But that didn’t make me like this any more. She needed a protector and though she’d have Nyx… he wasn’t me.
“I love you.” She smiled up at me with watery eyes.
“I love you too,” she said as her voice broke.
“Stay safe, brother. Keep our pack alive,” Nyx said as he gave me a quick hug. I returned it as I searched for the words to express, but it all felt inadequate.
“You as well. Protect our mate,” I begged. He smiled sadly.
“With my life.”
“We have to go, shift change is finishing,” she hissed as they both took off for the back door. They left it open as they ran off into the night. I watched them shift and disappear into the trees. The night was quiet in their absence, and I stayed rooted in my spot until I was positive it would stay that way.
“Come on, Leven,” Garren urged. I jumped at the sound of his voice. I’d been so intent on watching the shadows I didn’t realize he’d come up behind me. “They’ll be swinging by soon enough. I have a feeling they won’t go unnoticed for long.”
“As long as they’ve had enough time to flee, that’s okay,” I said gruffly as I closed the door and followed him into the kitchen. “I’ll make some tea.” Even after being poisoned, he’d refused to give up on his favorite calming drink. And right now, I could use something to soothe my racing heart. My best friends and mate were out facing the demons I couldn’t and now I’d be facing a battle on the home front, ensuring that Steele didn’t hurt a single pack member.
We drank our tea in silence. The minutes turned into hours and soon dawn was rising. I was exhausted yet wired at the same time. Garren was slumped over the table snoring softly and had been for about an hour, I just hadn’t found the energy to get him to bed yet.
The front door burst open, scaring Garren from sleep, and I rushed to put myself between him and the person breaking in. Steele and his favorite guards were charging forward. He stopped just before me but it looked like it took every ounce of his restraint not to attack. He had his guards, but I was a warrior for a reason, and even he wasn’t stupid enough to outright cross me.
“Why the fuck are you in my house?” I challenged as I straightened to my full height. He glared at me and stepped closer. Of course his guards were right on his heels.
“This entire pack is mine, house included, now tell me where they are,” he demanded.
“Who?” I played dumb. The fury in his eyes almost had me laughing but I held back.
“We found evidence of two wolves escaping the pack. I’m not stupid enough to think that she just went for a little stroll into the night without you. What are you planning?”
“Nothing,” I said evenly. “I don’t know where she went. Out here, we don’t try and suppress women.”
His lip curled into a sneer. “And that is why you aren’t in charge of this pack anymore, clearly you lackalpha characteristics.”
That had a chuckle escaping. “It’s adorable that you think alpha simply means strength. You don’t know the first thing about being an alpha.”
He lurched forward so his nose was brushing against mine in an odd show of intimidation. I’d have laughed if it wouldn’t have made things worse. But at this moment I could easily rip his throat out. But what consequences would that have for the pack’s future?
“Stand down, because if you keep this up, I have ways to punish you.” His eyes flickered to my grandfather who stood in stoic silence behind me. Steele’s eyes flashed with sick enjoyment as he assumed he’d accomplished his intimidation.
This time I said nothing. I wasn’t about to dig a deeper hole and let Garren get caught in the crossfire. My silence had him chuckling and shaking his head.
“There might just be a beta wolf in you yet,” he said. “You have twenty-four hours to come to me with information. In the meantime, I’ll be sending out a team of trackers for your girl. With explicit orders to kill upon capture.”
He raised an eyebrow when that didn’t get a reaction from me but just shrugged and walked out. Whether I gave a reaction or not he knew his words would hit home. And they did. One tracker had nearly taken her from us. A team? That would be child’s play. Fear cracked at my chest at the thought but I shoved it away. Now wasn’t the time for doubt. She could do it, even if their destination would be painful as hell.
She had to.
ChapterEighteen
Vanya
If I thought I felt paranoid with the tracker on my tail, it was nothing compared to knowing the entirety of the Grave Pack would be looking for us now. Somehow Nyx and I had made it to the storage yard without incident but I don’t think either of us breathed the entire way. We changed as quickly as possible, into the clothes Carlo had stowed away for us, and combined all of the supplies we could into one of the cargo vans. If they followed us and we didn’t take them, we’d lose everything, and we couldn’t risk that.
We didn’t stop for hours on end, shifting between highways and backroads, and taking the long route to shake any possible tails. This method wasted far more time than I liked but it was necessary. If I learned anything escaping the tracker it was to make spontaneous changes in your route… often.
