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“We’re here?” she asks quietly to fill the silence, rubbing her hands up and down her arms as she looks around with wary eyes.
I nod my head, also taking in the unassuming trees. “Yes, the city is hidden in the forest.” I hate seeing her like this. “Are you okay?” It’s a stupid question, as she’s clearly not okay.
Huffing out a humourless laugh, she shakes her head and rolls her eyes up to look at the canopy, but really she’s trying to stop tears from escaping.
“Kano…” She trails off, her voice going tight at the mention of my brother.
My heart squeezes painfully in my chest, and I reach out to pull her against me, hugging her close. I have no words of comfort, especially when things looked so dire when we left, and I can’t lie to her, so I simply stay silent. I can hold her, though, and let her share her fears.
Joel’s steady presence appears behind me, stopping a few steps back so as not to startle Luna, but I can feel how much he wants to wrap me in his arms. “We should check the perimeter and see who’s around, make sure we have an idea on numbers before we do anything,” he suggests, but there’s not much room for disagreement in his tone.
I nod my head in agreement. What he said makes sense. Before we walk into a dangerous situation, we should make sure we know what we’re up against. To my surprise, Syn shakes his head.
He seems different, his body stiffer and more like the old Syn. I can still feel him, but it feels as though he’s muffling his side of the bond from me, and it’s throwing me off. Syn’s past here is long and filled with trauma, so I was expecting some reaction from him, but being back here is changing him, and I don’t like it.
“No,” he argues, stepping forward. “We should get closer. We won’t find out anything from this distance, and we shouldn’t split up.” He glances at the others around us, but it’s Joel he directs his words to.
My alpha frowns, his eyes taking in the dark edge that Syn’s giving off right now. “It’s too dangerous. We could be seen and captured. It’s much less likely to happen from back here, and if we’re in smaller groups, we can stay undetected.”
“You want me to leave my mate here with only one or two protectors?” Syn scowls, making his feelings clear on that point. He takes a step closer to Joel until they are almost chest to chest. Joel is a calm and reasonable leader, but he’s also an alpha wolf, and there are certain things that make it harder for him to control the primal side of himself. Being challenged by another alpha is one of those things. Chest puffing out, he looks down at Syn with a dark expression.
Alpha power fills the air, and Syn presses on, not bothered that he’s angered an alpha almost double his size. “We could get caught either way, but at least this way I’m making sure my mate has as many good guys on her side as possible.”
Joel doesn’t say anything to acknowledge Syn’s comment, but my other mates mutter amongst themselves. Clearly bringing my safety into it makes them more hesitant, even though Joel’s plan is the safest.
Sighing, Atlas steps over to my side, affectionately brushing back some of my unruly hair before facing the two alphas. “I hate to admit it, but the crazy one makes a valid point.”
Syn half-heartedly snarls at Atlas’s comment, which is a pretty mild reaction for him, especially with him being in this strange mood, but my witch is on his side, so thankfully it stays at that.
“It’s not as though she’d be alone though. I would be here, and in case you forgot, we both have magic,” Luna calls out, a small frown between her brows, offended at the implication she couldn’t protect me if it came down to it.
Growling with frustration, he runs his hands through his hair, his claws pressing against the skin of his knuckles, begging to be released. “Look, I know this city like the back of my hand. I know every nook, crevice, and secret passage. If anyone is going to get through unseen, it’s me.” Once again, Syn addresses all of us, but he keeps his firm position in front of Joel. “I can lead us all into the centre without getting caught.”
He sounds so confident that I can’t help but lean towards his idea. If we’re all together, we can watch each other’s backs, and I won’t have to worry about my mates splitting up. We are stronger together, the goddess told me that, so perhaps this is the right path after all. Reaching out to his closed off bond, I attempt to comfort him, metaphysically pressing myself against it and asking him to let me in. He doesn’t, but I see something shift in his eyes as he senses it. It makes me uneasy, but I know that being back here is difficult for him, so I hold back my own discomfort.
“If Syn thinks he can keep us safe, then I trust him,” I say, my voice as confident as I am in his abilities. Above everything, my safety is Syn’s top priority, so he would never do anything that might endanger me.
There’s a twinge in the bond between Syn and me, but when I reach for it again, that muted barrier is still there, stopping me from feeling him properly.
Joel lets out a long, heavy sigh and glances over at me. I smile back at him, knowing that the group will follow what he decides, and I need him to be confident in that decision. He brushes against our bond, his hesitation fleeting. Turning his attention back to Syn, he frowns and stares at the other male, a battle of wills taking place before us. It doesn’t last long, his mind was already made up.
“Fine, what’s the plan?”
* * *
We travel in near silence. Liam, Julie, and Dale are in wolf form, their ears perked and listening for any sounds that might indicate there are people nearby. My mates and I move with the grace of werewolves, and Nicolai still carries that stillness about him even without being a wolf any longer. Atlas is quiet for a human thanks to his skills as a fighter.
Luna, on the other hand, sounds like a herd of elephants moving through the forest. Once we get out of the forest and hurry through the town, she still manages to make so much noise that I’m cringing with each step she takes. In reality, she’s probably not that loud, but with our sensitive hearing, it makes her movements sound all the louder. In any other situation, it would be fine. Unfortunately, we’re sneaking through a place that’s full of creatures with incredible hearing, and any misstep could get us caught.
The plan is simple—get into the city, scout the area, see what’s happening, and learn the council’s movements. Once we have a better idea of the situation and numbers, we’ll move back to the forest and make a new plan. We all know the risks we’re taking and that we might not get another chance, so if the situation is appropriate, we’ll grab my father and take Bates out in the process.
My stomach is in knots over the whole thing, my instincts telling me that the council is up to something, but my priority is my father. Once he’s safe, I’ll focus on working out how to take down the council. I follow Syn’s lead, the others sticking close as we move from the shelter of one building to another. It’s been a relatively easy journey. The streets are practically empty, which only puts me more on edge. It’s too quiet.
Just ahead is the centre of the city, a large, flat meeting point surrounded by tall buildings. I’m surprised that Syn has brought us this close, but I’m guessing that my father will be in one of the council buildings, which are just beyond the meeting point.
He raises a hand above his head, and we all freeze, waiting for him to decide our next move. My heart beats so hard in my chest, I’m sure the others can hear it, and I’m going to give us away. It’s only when Syn’s body seems to relax that I take a deep breath, not realising that I’d been holding it in the first place.
He turns to face us, his expression tight. “Take a quick break. The next part is going to be the most difficult.” His voice is low as he leans against the wall of the alley we’re sheltering in. The others do the same or take off their backpacks, sharing the bottles of water we carry in them.
