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Wearily, Owen got them a cab, and they headed to Oakland to see what was happening. They quickly found out that Connor was still hunting them and that they should keep their heads down. Connor was being groomed for the alpha position, and he intended to rise to power and bring down his brother as proof of his worthiness.
After being warned by friends of his brother, Owen took his mate farther out toward the Redwood den. He had always loved it as a child, and he felt comfortable and at home there. Owen believed that if he could just hold out a little longer, he could fix everything. If he became alpha of the Raff pack, he could force them to accept his mate and his child.
He and Reika were walking down a quiet street on the outskirts of the city, planning to find a vehicle so they could get out to the Redwood cabin. Owen was beginning to worry about his mate, even though she kept a smile on her face for him. There was a sense of defeat hanging around him that he just couldn’t shake. He was distracted, and he knew it.
Owen didn’t even see the attack coming. Suddenly, they were surrounded by massive, dark-coated wolves. Reika screamed, grabbing onto Owen. He was tempted to shift and tear into them, but he knew it would leave his mate exposed. He put his arms around her and glared at the circle of wolves.
“Connor,” he hissed, recognizing his brother. “What do you want?”
“You were a fool to come back here, Owen,” his brother said, his voice husky as it rumbled from his wolf throat. “Even more of a fool to think you could seek asylum here.”
“Where is Father?” Owen said angrily.
Connor laughed. “Father is on one of his fabled hunting trips. He might be gone for some time.”
“So, just kill me, then,” Owen challenged.
Connor shook his head. “No, brother, that would be too simple, wouldn’t it? I can see that you have no intent to shift, and you know it is against pack law to attack another member if they are in human form.”
Owen set his jaw and glared at Connor. “So, what do you plan to do?” he hissed, holding Reika even tighter.
Connor grinned, his long tongue lolling out of his wide jaws. “Seize them!” he yelled.
The circle of wolves shifted, moving in like lightning to grab them both. Owen struggled, but there were too many of them. He watched helplessly as they grabbed Reika and jerked her arms back to tie her hands.
“Be careful!” he cried. “Please, don’t hurt her.”
“We won't,” Connor said. “Not yet anyway. You’ll be kept in a nice, safe cell until we decide what to do with you.”
Owen was almost frantic, his muscles bulging with tension as he fought the ropes. His pack members … his former friends … dragged him to his feet. He heard Reika cry out as they yanked her along, almost making her fall.
“Please!” Owen cried. He knew that it might make the situation worse, but he had to say it. If it could make any difference at all, he had to say it.
“Please, be careful,” he said, his head dropping in defeat. “She’s pregnant.”
Connor raised an eyebrow in surprise, looking between the two of them. Reika hadn’t said a single word, but Owen could tell by her face that if she could shift, she’d happily tear out Connor’s throat.
“That is interesting,” Connor said, an ugly gleam in his eye. “It seems we will have much to discuss with Father upon his return, won't we?”
Owen gave one last, futile struggle as the goons shoved him forward, forcing him to walk up the street where Connor probably had a vehicle waiting to transport them back to Oakland. Once they arrived there, Owen knew they’d be heading straight to the dungeon, and for all he knew, they would never leave it.
TWENTY-SIX
REIKA
For days, Reika tried to console herself with the fact that she was comfortable and relatively safe. The Raff pack did not want her to abort the baby, and they had set her cell up with any amenities she might need, as well as regular visits from their healer.
They had separated her from Owen, though. She didn’t think he was being kept with the same care that she was, and even though she begged her guards to tell her if he was all right, they never answered her.
Would they kill him? Would they?
Reika really didn’t know, and that was why she couldn’t relax and accept the questionable hospitality of the Raff pack. She had never felt so lonely or so frightened in her entire life.
The guards and other Raff members only scared her more. It was obvious that none of them liked her, and they weren’t happy about the fact that she was carrying a Raff baby. Clearly, hundreds of years of war were not let go as easily as she’d hoped.
Even though her cell was set up with a good bed, a TV, and a small washroom, it was still a cell. Reika was often too tired and sick to do anything other than lie in bed. The pack made sure she had plenty of food to eat and extra vitamins, but the source of her sickness wasn’t related to the physical strain on her body this time.
It was because she missed Owen. Reika felt a need for him that was deeper than her urge to breathe. Every second that passed without him weighed heavily on her soul, and when no one would tell her what happened to him, her anxiety began to rise to a point where she could no longer rest, even if she was able to sleep.
