Cages.

Rows and rows of cages, some larger than others, made from thick steel bars the color of oil. The place was thick with the musk of omegas, countless of them, their scents mixing together like some horrible cruel cologne.

This is where they keep them.

I heard the footsteps behind me as the alphas came down the steps, and realized I was clenching my jaw so tight my muscles were starting to ache.

“Shit,” Charles said. He sounded astonished, which was rare for him. “What the fuck is this!?”

He knew the answer, but none of us wanted to believe it. Flashbacks of the trucks Kade had kept me in came speeding through my mind as I looked around the underground prison.

How could such detached cruelty exist in the world?

“I smell him,” I said, breaking the silence. The snakeskin man’s scent was overpowering down here, and I made my way across the room as I tracked him. The cages flanked me on all sides like ghostly visitors, my mind filling in the blanks within their empty shells.

“Here,” I said as I reached a back door. It was grated metal. I slammed a button on the wall and a motor churned somewhere above as the door rose from the ground to reveal an underground garage.

There were several black SUVs and a few vans, obviously used to transport the “merchandise.” I spat on the ground as the snakeskin man’s scent threatened to overwhelm me.

Moving forward, I tracked his scent through the garage. The gray concrete sloped up at the back to a garage door that must have led to the outside.

“Come on!” I shouted at the alphas who were lagging behind. I reached the door and hit the button to open it. Snow spilled in at my feet as the metal door rose and pulled back overhead. The scent was as clear as day out here in the night air. Like a fish on a hook, I was pulled out into the snow by it as I thought about my baby boy. Each step was taking me closer to him.

The scent was growing stronger as I raced ahead. Blocks whizzed by as I ran, away from downtown and toward the industrial district. Street lights were mere blurs in my peripheral vision as my legs pushed me forward. The alphas were behind me, and as I reached the railroad tracks, the snakeskin-suited man’s scent was so strong my wolf could not contain itself any longer.

I shifted as I leapt over the tracks, snaking my body through a hole in the chain link fence. Ugly orange lamps cast an eerie glow across the lot I found myself in. The snow was falling harder now. A breeze was blowing strong, causing it to fall sideways. I squinted my eyes against the chill and scanned the area for the source of the smell.

And then I saw it.

A warehouse. Old and decrepit, and looked like no one had been in it for years. Windows were smashed out, boarded up or taped to keep the glass from shattering. But on the left side, cloaked in shadows, was a figure. A man in a suit.

It’s him!

I heard Matias, Dwayne and Charles come up behind me, but I was already leaping forward, kicking off the ground at full speed toward the man. He looked up when I was halfway to him, and he definitely saw me, but made no signs of shifting. In fact, he just stood there, like he had no care in the world.

What’s he doing!? I thought as I closed the distance between us. I was a dense ball of burning revenge, hurtling toward him like a meteor carving through space.

My mouth was open – ready to strike, when something happened.

A blue light formed at his feet, then expanded to the sides and grew behind him. A door was opening to the inside of the building, and when I smelled what was inside, I braced myself against the ground and skidded to a halt.

The other alphas came up behind me as the garage door to the warehouse opened, and it was then that I saw why the man was not afraid.

Inside, flanking him like his own personal army, were at least ten alphas and a few betas. It was hard to make out all the bodies and scents. I couldn’t tell exactly how many of them there were, but I knew one thing for sure: we were in big trouble.

“Welcome. I am Bates,” the man in the snakeskin suit hissed. He was just as Tyler had described him. His head was bald and his eyes were dangerous, unpredictable. He carried himself like a man accustomed to getting what he wanted, like a boss, but one who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. “I don’t know who you are, but I can assume why you are here. How did you find us?”

I wanted to dart forward and tear his throat out, but there was no way I’d reach him before his bodyguards were on me. I was simply outnumbered. Growling, I shifted back to human form.

“You have my son,” I said simply. I let my statement sit there, searching his face for a hint or a clue as to what would happen. I knew I was being stupid, but for a moment, I prayed that this man had one ounce of a soul and would give me my son back. I was ready to die for my child, but I knew if it came to a battle, there was no way we would win, and my son would be forever gone.

“Ah, I see it now,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Heterochromia. That’s the term right? Yes, we indeed have your son.”

“Give him to me!” My voice boomed, exploding from my chest like a bomb.

The man simply smiled and shook his head. “No can do,” he replied, his words slithering out of his mouth like a horde of sickly worms. “He’s already sold. Real high price on that one. Rare.”

The flames inside me flared to an all-time high as I fought to hold myself back from hurling myself at him.

“Now, I’ll be a gentleman,” Bates continued. “I’ll give you all the chance to walk away – or we can kill you all. Right here. Right now.”

My eyes darted from wolf to wolf, the horde of alphas behind him, flanked by the betas. He was right, this was unwinnable, and I felt my sorrow threaten to overwhelm my courage.

I looked behind me to Charles, Dwayne and Matias, who were still in wolf form, braced and ready for whatever was about to come. But I saw in their eyes that they knew the truth: we were simply outnumbered.

My heart sank as I turned back to him.

“I’ll find you,” I told him. “I’ll find you again and I’ll tear your throat out.”

A look of amusement came over the man’s face as he heard my words, and I knew instantly I’d made a mistake.

“Well, we can’t have that now, can we?” he replied, signaling to his pack. The alphas crept forward, baring their teeth to strike. “I guess you’ll all just have to die now.”

He raised his hand, but before he could signal for the attack, a scent came across the breeze. I looked in its direction and saw Tyler, my fearless mate, leaping over the fence, followed by every alpha of the Scarlet Mountain Pack.

Tate, Martin, Bryce, Aiden, Seth, Carlos. Even the foxes, Red and Kitchi were with him. They cascaded over the fence and over to our sides like a brave waterfall, sending my soul souring as a renewed hope flooded into me.

Bringing up the rear of the line were Buck and Will, two of Tyler’s friends from back home. After the way things had gone between Chase and Buck, I was surprised to see him here.

They all raced over to us and filled in our ranks. Tyler slid up beside me and shifted.

“What – what are you doing here?” I gasped as he put his arms around me.

“I thought you guys might need some help,” he said with a grin, showing his fangs which were ready for battle. “Now come on, let’s get your baby boy back!”