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“All right. If we want to do this, we have to move quickly.”
While Iris remained at the home base, she received steady reports from Derek. The shifters in the field seemed to be making good progress and even managed to find a scent trail that matched the dagger hilt quickly.
That was good news, but Iris had a feeling in her gut that she couldn’t shake. Even as every new piece of information came in, she herded more of the remaining pack members into the safehouse, where they were almost certain not to be found. A series of well-hidden bunkers sheltered them, offering enough food and water to protect them through a nuclear winter if that were in the cards.
Before he left, Derek had shown her the vaults and confirmed that he had changed the location since Cyrus left their ranks. It was the safest place for them to be, just in case the fight should come to them a second time.
As she led yet another older pack member to the shelter door, she could still hear Derek’s voice in her head.
“We never like using them, but we’re glad to have them, regardless.”
There was a tinge of resentment in his voice, and Iris realized it still hurt him to talk about Cyrus, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
“You’re prepared for everything, aren’t you?”Iris joked.
But Derek hadn’t been laughing.
“Just about,” he said. “Comes with the territory. Soon, they’ll be counting on you to do the same.”
All at once, Iris was hit by the implication of the memory. Namely, the gut-wrenching possibility that Derek might not be coming home. She thought of sending him out to war against a sadistic and unpredictable adversary who would stop at nothing to seize his title.
And she thought of finding Derek on her doorstep, which was the event that had instigated all of this.
She had to hope his luck hadn’t run out yet.
FIFTEEN
DEREK
Daybreak was itching and clawing to climb over the horizon as Derek and his men crept through the shadows of the early morning. The pack leader made the call to move out before dawn to cross as much ground as possible while they had cover.
The brisk air was ripe with a chill that pierced the thick clothing they wore. As they ventured deeper into the forest, it became deadly quiet, with the only sound Derek could hear being the beating of his heart.
All the alpha thought about was confronting Cyrus and ending this once and for all. He swallowed the pill of truth, knowing he’d have to kill to protect his pack. Gone was Cyrus's chance to fall under Derek’s ranks and join his family.
I made that mistake once before. I won’t be a fool and do it twice.
He jumped over a fallen tree, landing softly on dry soil. Glancing behind him, he saw Mason and the enforcers following suit. He waited until they all regrouped before they moved forward.
“The hideout is just up ahead. Let’s climb this hill to get a better look.”
The group ascended to the peak, their silhouetted figures blending with the darkness. Derek was a ghost in these conditions, as were his men. He led them to the precipice, where they spied Cyrus’s hideout.
It appeared to be an old, abandoned mansion, its age showing terribly through glassless windows, with some rooms visibly having actually fallen apart. The building was two stories with a vast open courtyard situated centrally. The whole place smelled of misery and suffering.
“I can barely see a damn thing,” Mason groaned. “But there are patrols on the upper floor. You can see them passing by every few seconds, too many of them to count.”
“We knew Cyrus’s forces had been growing. We might be outnumbered here, so we need to play it safe,” Derek said.
What followed next was a sound that would stay with them for the rest of their lives … a child's terrified cry. His wolf howled in anger.
“I’ll tear them to shreds!” Mason rasped.
Derek reached out, grabbing the collar of Mason’s shirt and jerking him back, using all his strength to keep him planted.
“Stop it! You’ll rush in there and give yourself away!”
“Did you not hear the children?”
