Angela

Her brain started to re-engage itself once she was settled into one of the big leather La-Z-Boy-style chairs in the shifter lounge at the Cadian embassy. Noah wrapped her in blankets and had just stepped away to fix her some hot chocolate when the tears started.

At some point he returned, his form more of a blur behind the liquid than anything tangible, but his arms enfolding her into a hug were real enough. Noah simply held her until she’d cried herself out.

“It’ll be okay,” he said. There was no false reassurance in his voice, no empty words and necessary lies.

Only truth. It rang loud and clear, like a bell in the watchtower on a clear summer day, radiating strength and conviction through her. Angela heard it. Felt it. Could almost see it. But she couldn’t believe it.

“They have Cooper,” she whispered. “Noah. They took him. My son.”

Her entire body reverberated from the growl that sounded deep in his chest. “I know. I’ll get him back, Angela. You have my word. Chase is going to pay for this. He doesn’t know who he’s messed with.”

She met his eyes, seeing the killer within for the first time. The trained soldier and bodyguard, veteran of the Cadian-Fenris war and numerous smaller fights before and after that. The scars on his body came back to her, the ones she’d seen and felt with her fingers as they made love, the marks of wounds too horrific for even his shifter healing to completely do away with.

Before she’d always seen him as mostly docile, but with great strength and old injuries he’d suffered at the hands of others. Now she saw them differently. Now they appeared as badges of honor, as marks of someone who knew when to fight, and who wasn’t afraid to back down when necessary. Of someone who would do whatever it took to win.

Angela shivered at the sight of a warrior of death, someone who would stop at no limit. He was here, before her now, revealing himself like a boxer throwing back his hood as he entered the ring. Chase had awoken something dark within her mate, and she had a feeling he was going to regret having done so. Noah was ready to kill, and all he was waiting for now was the target to reveal itself.

“How do we make him pay?” she asked, barely recognizing her own voice as hatred filled it, oozing out of every word.

Noah’s smile could have frozen the devil’s heart. “We wait for him to reveal himself. Then we make him believe he’s won.”

Eyebrows narrowed as she stared at him. “And then?”

His smile somehow grew frostier. “Then I rip his fucking throat out.”

She shivered. Never before had Angela wished death upon someone. It was a new sensation for her. But this was also the first time she’d ever had her child threatened. All of a sudden she saw animals in the wild in a new light, those who defended their offspring. She would have done anything to stop Chase from taking Cooper if she’d been awake. It would likely have been futile, due to the strength differences, but that wouldn’t have stopped her from trying.

There was a polite cough from the doorway interrupting her thoughts.

“Come in,” Noah said, his arms still wrapped tightly around her. She reached up to lay one hand on his arm, then rested her head on that. Right now his touch was the only thing keeping her sane and indoors. She needed as much skin contact with him right then as possible, lest she run out into the night searching for Cooper.

Gray appeared in front of her, squatting down until he was face-to-face with the two of them. “Angela, I need to know what happened,” he said gently. “I’m sorry to ask you to relive it, but I have to.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “I didn’t witness anything traumatic, besides the bear attack. I hit my head on the seat in front of me pretty hard and blacked out. Once I came to, he was gone.” Her voice caught, but she grimaced and pushed her way through it. “And he had taken Cooper with him.”

“Who, Angela? Who took your son?”

“I never saw his human face,” she admitted. “But it was a polar bear. I know they’re fairly rare, right?”

She saw Noah and Gray exchange glances.

“I think I owe you an apology,” Gray said to Noah. “It would appear you’ve been telling the truth all along.”

She felt her mate shrug. “It’s okay. Now that I know what’s at stake, I don’t blame you.”

Gray spoke to Angela once more. “Chase is the only known polar bear currently in Cloud Lake. He’s also supposed to be confined to his room like Noah here, but is suspiciously missing.”

“He took my son,” she hissed. “What are you going to do about it?” Her voice became panicky. “The bag was still in the car, Noah. He didn’t take the bag. Cooper wasn’t wearing his snowsuit, only some warm clothes. He’ll be freezing.” She looked around frantically. “What time is it? He’s going to need to feed soon. His food is in the bag. He didn’t take the bag. Are they going to starve him?” she asked, trying to fight back the panic and losing.

“No,” Noah said firmly. “Chase would have taken Cooper for ransom only. I doubt he wants to keep him. He’ll trade him for the information he wants, I’m positive of it. The only question,” he said, looking around, “is how we’re going to handle it?”

She started to speak again, but before she could, her phone started to buzz in her pocket.

Three sets of eyes watched as she pulled it out, the screen showing an unknown number.

“It’s him,” Noah said harshly, reaching for the phone. “It has to be.”

Angela didn’t try to stop him as he grabbed the phone, and, with one last violence-promising look, lifted it to his ear.

“Hello?”