Chapter 15

Becker twisted the gas on the big Harley and it surged forward, but it didn’t help. The two trucks behind him were moving too fast. They were going to hit him.

He swerved to the side, avoiding one SUV a fraction of a second before it could smash into his rear tire. The violent maneuver almost put him and his bike on the pavement, but he got control of it just as the vehicle sped past him. He turned to shout at the idiots, but his words froze as he recognized the driver. It was one of the Albanians. He should have figured it out sooner, since both the cars were big, black Escalades.

He was still trying to wrap his head around that when he was forced to slam on his rear brakes and swerve sideways again to avoid creaming into the rear bumper of the Escalade that had just zipped past him and slowed down.

The second car quickly moved in behind him. Becker didn’t have to look to know it was another one of Kostandin’s crew. If they slammed into his rear wheel, he was toast. Even a minor thump at this speed would send him flying and almost certainly get him run over. He wasn’t sure even an alpha werewolf could live through something like that.

He darted a quick glance to the side, praying he could get off the main road before some unsuspecting driver came along and got in the middle of this mess. But that wasn’t an option. The edge of the road along this stretch of highway was lined with barricades and steel guardrails. Slamming into those would be as bad as getting hit by one of the SUVs trying to run him down.

The vehicle in front slowed down even more, making it easier for his buddy to get Becker from behind. Becker slammed his right foot down on his rear brake pedal again, putting the bike into a sideways slide, then let up on the brake and gunned it, slipping around the left side of the Escalade by mere inches. He would have been home free if the Albanian in the backseat hadn’t leaned out the window and started shooting at him with one of those MP5 automatics the mobsters seemed to love so much.

Becker veered to the left but couldn’t go far because of the guardrail. Most of the spray of bullets missed him, but one 9mm round hit him in the thigh and another clanked into something important-sounding on the bike. Blood ran down his leg at the same time his bike made a grinding sound and began losing speed. He twisted the accelerator as far as it would go. Nothing happened. So much for getting past the front car.

One look in the rearview mirror told him he was doubly screwed. And with the second SUV coming right up behind him, he couldn’t drop back, either. He was completely boxed in with the first SUV on his left, the guardrail on his right, and the second truck behind him. On top of that, his bike wasn’t running well enough for him to get ahead.

The driver of the first Escalade must have realized that at the same time because he immediately jerked the car to the left. Becker would either get crushed against the guardrail, or the jackass with the MP5 was going to get close enough to put a lucky shot through his head.

Becker decided to go for option three. He yanked the handlebars to the right, slamming into the side of the SUV. Before he could lose control of the bike, he was up and leaping off it, landing on the hood of the Escalade. His move caught the driver completely by surprise, giving Becker enough time to punch his clawed hand through the hood and get a grip on something before the stunned driver could recover and try to toss him off.

He tried not to listen as his beautiful, not-even-paid-off-yet bike hit the asphalt hard and was promptly run over by the second Escalade. But it was impossible to ignore the fact that these assholes had just destroyed a frigging work of art.

Becker shifted, cutting loose a growl and climbing the hood, his hands punching through the thin steel with every lunge forward. The guy in the backseat was trying to lean far enough out the window to get a shot at him, but the driver was swerving around so much that he couldn’t get a clear pop at him. The same went for the guy in the passenger seat with the handgun. All he was able to do was hold the semiautomatic pistol blindly out the passenger window and shoot in Becker’s general direction. A few rounds nicked him, but nothing that caused any serious damage. Having a partially shifted werewolf on the hood of his vehicle probably had something to do with his poor marksmanship.

As an added bonus, the driver’s wild attempts at slinging him off were also keeping the second Escalade from passing, so Becker only had one vehicle to worry about.

The gunner in the backseat finally said the hell with it and tried to shoot him through the windshield. All the guy accomplished was pelting the driver with brass cartridge cases and getting the windshield out of Becker’s way. The driver freaked out and almost lost control of the car when Becker reached through the shattered window and ripped the guy with the handgun out of the passenger seat and tossed him aside…where he was run over by the second SUV. Somewhere, the soul of Becker’s Harley was growling its approval.

The move didn’t come without a price though. The guy in the backseat shot him through the same damn shoulder he’d been hit in a couple days ago. Damn. It hurt like a son of a bitch. Ignoring the pain, he crawled into the passenger seat to yank the gun out of the guy’s hand, then grabbed the asshole’s arm and dragged him out too.

The driver kept yanking the steering wheel from side to side right up until the moment Becker ripped out his throat. Unfortunately, the dead man’s foot wedged against the gas pedal, and instead of slowing down, the Escalade raced forward.

Becker swore and reached in to grab the wheel. He got the car going in a straight line, but it was still gaining speed. He needed to get the damn driver out of the way.

Thankfully, the driver hadn’t been wearing a seat belt, so Becker just had to shove the guy out the door, then climb into the driver’s seat.

Once he got control of the vehicle, he jerked into the left-hand lane, then immediately slammed on the brake, forcing the other SUV to swerve to the right. The moment that Escalade was even with him, he yanked the wheel to the right and smashed into it, causing it to hit the metal guardrail and slide along the barrier for a few feet, then crash through it and flip a few times before coming to a halt.

Becker slammed on the brakes, screeching to a loud, tire-squawking stop. He was out of the car before it stopped rocking. Jumping the guardrail, he ran to the other SUV. He wanted nothing more than to kill every last son of a bitch in there, but he controlled his rage. There might be more going on than just an attack on the SWAT officer who had taken down their crime family. If there was, he needed to know about it.

The Albanian who’d been driving was already dead, but the other one had gotten out and was dragging himself toward the tree line a good twenty feet away. When he realized Becker was following him, he rolled over onto his back and took a shot at him. Becker avoided the gunfire, then lunged forward and ripped the gun out of the man’s hands.

Becker grabbed the Albanian’s shirt and yanked him off the ground with a snarl. “I’m guessing Kostandin sent you, so you have one chance to tell me where he is.”

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “Kostandin had us watching the SWAT compound, waiting for you to come back. He told us to follow and kill you, no matter what we had to do. The rest of us wanted to get the hell out of Dallas, but Kos said we had things to take care of before we left.”

“That’s not what I asked you.” Becker bared his fangs, making sure the Albanian got a good look at them. “Where the fuck is he?”

“I don’t know!” The guy swallowed hard. “He and Liam said they were going to some farm near here, that he was going to kill every one of those werewolves who betrayed them. That’s all I know. Please don’t kill me!”

Becker dropped the Albanian to the ground with a growl. As much as he hated to let the guy go, Becker wasn’t a cold-blooded killer, and he didn’t have time to mess with him.

He jumped over the guardrail and ran to the Escalade with the shattered front window. He knocked the remaining pieces of glass out of his way before climbing in and speeding toward the Stones’ house.

Digging his phone out of his pocket with one hand, he hit the speed dial for Gage. As the phone rang, Becker’s gut clenched so tightly he almost couldn’t breathe. He floored the gas pedal, but he still couldn’t make the Escalade go fast enough. Something told him that he wasn’t going to get there in time.

* * *

Jayna fell to her knees beside Megan, slapping her hand over the bullet hole in her friend’s chest, trying to stop the blood from pouring out. But it was no use. It just kept flowing out between Jayna’s fingers.

It had all happened so fast. One moment, Liam had been pointing a handgun at Jayna, and the next, Megan had been flying in front of her as the gun went off. She was breathing and her heart was beating, but her eyes were closed and she was getting paler by the second. Moe, Chris, and Joseph were at her side in seconds, begging Megan not to die, while Ethan and Kathryn were stunned into silence as they took in the gun-wielding men and the girl lying on the floor of their kitchen slowly bleeding to death.

Jayna glared at Liam. It was hard to see him clearly through the tears in her eyes, but he clearly didn’t even care that he’d just shot a girl who had been like family to him.

“What the hell have you done?” she screamed.

His lips curled in a sneer. “Her fault for getting in the way. If she’d minded her own business and let me deal with you, I might have let her live. The guys too, even though they betrayed me just like you did.”

“Betrayed you?” Jayna wiped the tears from her face with her free hand. “They never betrayed you, and neither did I. You’re the one who sold your pack out to these pieces of crap.” She motioned with her chin toward Kos, who was regarding them with amusement in his hard eyes. “We told you we didn’t want to be part of this.”

“You don’t get to decide what you want to be part of!” Liam shouted. He took a step toward her, eyes flaring as he raised his pistol to point it at her head. “I was trying to give us a better life, something you would have realized if you and your cop boyfriend hadn’t been so busy trying to take over my pack.”

Jayna’s heart began to race. Liam was about to kill her and there wasn’t anything she could do about it—not without taking her hand off the wound in Megan’s chest. And she wasn’t going to do that.

So she knelt there beside the girl who was like a sister to her as Liam’s face twisted into an animal snarl. Ethan and Kathryn were behind him, so they couldn’t see the creature he’d become, but they must have heard the growls and had to know that something bizarre was happening.

“You always thought you were better than me, always looking down your snout at me when I asked you and the others to do the things that were necessary for us to survive,” Liam sneered. “And then, when we get here, when we finally have a chance to be part of something that would let us stop scratching in the dirt for pennies and nickels, you decide you know better what the pack needs. You decide to betray me with that fucking cop! Well, his ass is dead now, and yours is about to be.”

Jayna’s heart thudded to a stop. Liam was lying. Eric couldn’t be dead. She was so busy convincing herself of that, she didn’t realize Liam had closed the distance between them and put the barrel of the gun against her forehead.

She held her breath, bracing for the bullet that would take her life, when someone shoved Liam aside. She blinked, staring up at Moe standing in front of her and Megan. Joseph quickly moved to stand at Moe’s right, while Chris took up position on Moe’s left. Jayna didn’t have to see the guys’ faces to know that they’d shifted. The look of shock on Ethan’s and Kathryn’s faces told her that. Not that it mattered. The Stones weren’t going to make it out of there to tell anyone what they’d seen.

“Get out of the way,” Liam growled as he altered his aim and pointed his weapon at Moe. “This is between Jayna and me. I know she’s the one who turned you against me. She’s the only one who has to die.”

Moe didn’t move. Neither did Joseph or Chris.

“She didn’t turn us against you,” Moe said. “You did that all on your own. And if you want to kill Jayna, you’re gonna have to go through us.”

Liam growled, but Jayna knew he’d shoot them without even thinking about it. She wanted to stand up to protect them, but she was terrified of leaving Megan’s side. She looked down at her friend and was surprised to find Megan looking up at her.

“Stop him,” she whispered. “Don’t let him hurt anyone else. Please.”

Fresh tears pricked Jayna’s eyes. Typical Megan. Always so selfless.

“This is all very touching,” Kostandin said. Stepping forward, he pointed his gun at Moe, then thumbed back the hammer. “But the she-wolf will not be helping anyone. Liam may have come here thinking he could take back his pack from her, but I came here to kill every last fucking one of you.”

Jayna jumped up and lunged for Moe just as the kitchen door exploded off its hinges and disappeared into the night. Jayna was still trying to figure out what had just happened when a blur of movement caught her eye. Her heart surged as Eric’s scent filled the kitchen, but before she could even blink, he’d grabbed two of Kostandin’s men and disappeared outside with them.

Gunshots echoed in the night, making Jayna jump. Terrified shouts quickly followed, then a loud, menacing growl. After that, an eerie silence descended over the whole farm. Even the horses out in the barn seemed to be holding their breath.

Then, a single gunshot sounded from outside, and one of the Albanians over by the granite-topped island crumpled to the floor without a sound. The eight remaining Albanians aimed their guns at the row of windows over the sink and started shooting while Kos turned to fire at Moe.

Jayna knocked Moe to the floor, then threw herself at Chris and Joseph, taking them down too. She glanced over at Ethan and Kathryn. The couple was on the floor, wedged up against the other side of the island, Ethan shielding his wife with his body.

More bullets whizzed through the opening in the wall, sending Kos and his men scattering. Leaving the guys with Megan, Jayna used the distraction to herd Ethan and Kathryn toward the living room. Joseph and Moe showed up to take over for her before they got more than a few feet.

But then Kos caught sight of them. He shouted for two of his men to stay and finish them off. “The rest of you, come with me. We’re going to kill that asshole cop right now.”

Jayna froze. Eric may have been an alpha werewolf with SWAT training, but she was still terrified at the thought of him taking on Kos and the six Albanians by himself. But right then, she had to push her fears for Eric out of her head. If she didn’t find a way to get her pack and the Stones to safety, she wouldn’t be around long enough to worry about what happened to Eric.

But when she went back to grab Megan, all she found was a trail of blood leading out of the kitchen. For a moment, she thought Chris had gotten her to safety, but he was helping Moe and Joseph with Ethan and Kathryn. Crap.

That was when Jayna realized the front door was already wide open. She didn’t have to get a whiff of the two distinct scents leading in that direction to know Liam had taken Megan.

Heart in her throat, Jayna jumped up and ran for the door, ignoring the bullets zipping past her head and missing by mere inches.

“Get everybody somewhere safe,” she growled as she sped past Joseph and the other guys.

Jayna hoped the oldest werewolf in the pack was up for the task because all she could think about right then was saving Megan.

* * *

Becker had just cut the engine and was letting the Escalade coast down the Stones’ gravel driveway when he heard the gunshot. He threw open the door and was running for the house before the SUV came to a stop.

He slowed and dropped to one knee, reaching for his off-duty Sig 9mm he always kept clipped inside the top of his motorcycle boot. And swore. Before going undercover, he’d locked his weapon in his gun safe in his apartment, and in all the craziness of the past couple days, he hadn’t gotten it out.

Cursing his stupidity, he headed for the front door of the house, fully intending to kick it in and start tearing people apart with his bare hands. But one glance in the living room window stopped him. He could see Liam standing in the kitchen, a gun in his hand and a body on the floor, thick, red blood pooling beside it.

Becker’s heart stopped. He couldn’t see who’d been shot, but his mind was filling in the blanks.

Jayna.

He grabbed the doorknob and started to turn but forced himself to stop and take a breath. Even though everything in his body screamed for him to get the hell in there, he knew it wouldn’t do any good to rush in without a weapon or a plan.

As he paused, he realized the person on the floor wasn’t Jayna. He could hear Jayna’s heartbeat going nice and strong. Damn. It was Megan. She was too tiny to take a wound that serious. He could hear her heart beating, but it was weak.

Becker could hear Jayna and Liam arguing about something. He’d hoped his pack would get here in time to set up some kind of entry plan. But when he heard Liam say something about Jayna betraying him to that fucking cop, quickly followed by a threat to kill her, Becker knew he had to move. There was nothing he could do on this side of the house though, so he darted around to the back.

He got there in time to see Kostandin with his Colt .45 aimed right at Moe’s head. The look on Jayna’s face told Becker everything he needed to know—Kos was about to start shooting.

The hell with a plan.

Becker dug his claws into the wooden frame of the kitchen door, then yanked, letting the rage he usually did a good job of controlling come out with a vicious snarl. Tossing the door aside, he reached in and grabbed the two Albanians nearest the door, pulling them out. He slung one across the gravel courtyard between the house and the barn, then turned back to deal with the second guy. The man twisted in his grip, pointed his MP5 at Becker, and fired.

Becker knocked the barrel aside with a growl, slashing his claws across the Albanian’s throat, ignoring the gurgling noise as the man died. But he was so worried about Jayna and her pack that he didn’t have time to think about it.

Becker spun around just as the first man was getting to his feet and lifting his weapon. For a moment, Becker contemplated diving for the MP5 the now-dead Albanian had been holding, but he didn’t have time. So instead, he flung the body at the first Albanian just as the man pulled the trigger. The move distracted the gunman, letting Becker close the distance between them, then put the Albanian down in the most efficient way he could, regardless of how much blood was spilled.

Snatching up the man’s MP5, Becker checked the magazine, then flipped the weapon’s selector switch one click up from full auto to single-shot semi. He quickly moved to the left, aimed for the first Albanian inside the house he could see clearly, then put a single shot through the guy’s chest. Becker would have preferred to take out Kostandin or Liam, but they wouldn’t oblige by making a nice target of themselves.

All hell broke loose in the kitchen as the rest of the Albanian thugs started shooting in his direction. Becker doubted any of them could see him in the dark, but he sure as hell could see them. He started peppering the Albanians with carefully aimed shots. He wasn’t necessarily looking to hit them, just keep them from going after Jayna and the others.

His plan worked too well. The Albanians came charging out the recently renovated kitchen door, weapons blazing. Becker returned fire, dropping two of the men. But then his ammo ran out.

Shit.

One round clipped his hip, another his right thigh just above the knee. Becker bit back a howl as his leg fractured. The pain only got worse when he was forced to turn and fall back to the barn. He would have rather stuck a fork in his eye than turned tail on those jackasses, especially Kostandin. But trying to stand up against a group of well-armed thugs with nothing but claws and fangs was the definition of stupid, and he liked to think he was smarter than that.

He made it to the barn without getting his ass shot off—just barely. His leg hurt like hell and felt like it was going to give out on him any second.

His initial plan was to haul ass through the barn, slip out the back, then loop around to hit the thugs from behind. That plan changed as soon as he slipped inside the tidy four-stall structure and saw that it didn’t have a back door or any windows.

Well, shit.

Becker could hear Kos’s men reloading just outside the door and knew they’d be coming in soon. He glanced around, looking for a place to hide, but other than the stalls currently occupied by four terrified horses, there weren’t any. Hell, there weren’t even any decent sharp-edged farming implements hanging from the walls. What kind of frigging barn was this anyway?

He turned to face the door, his leg throbbing. He was going to have a hard time facing so many bad guys with his leg this screwed up. On the bright side, he’d gotten the Albanians away from Jayna and her pack. At least they were safe. That had to count for something, right?

* * *

Jayna was running full speed as she cleared the Stones’ front porch. It wasn’t hard to track Liam and Megan. The scent of Megan’s blood was so strong it made Jayna want to cry.

The moon wasn’t out yet, but she had no problem spotting Liam making his way through the rows of fruit trees along the left side of the property. He was moving slower than normal. Then again, he was dragging Megan with him. Jayna briefly wondered why Liam didn’t just let Megan go and get the hell on his way. But the answer was simple: he was keeping Megan to use as a shield or a bargaining chip.

As if catching a whiff of her scent, Liam looked over his shoulder at her. Instead of continuing toward the main road like he’d been doing, he changed direction, heading toward the barn.

Jayna growled and ran faster. She could still hear Megan’s ragged breathing and faint heartbeat. But she was getting weaker by the moment.

Oh God, please don’t let Megan die, Jayna prayed. Not that—anything but that.

Thoughts like that should have made Jayna so weak in the knees that running would have been impossible. But she wasn’t feeling weak. She was feeling furious—furious that Liam had shot the most fragile and gentle member of a pack he used to call his own, furious that he was running with her now like she was nothing but a disposable means to an end. Jayna wanted to kill him for being so cruel.

Liam was just up ahead. Jayna tensed to launch herself at him when she caught sight of Kos and his soldiers running into the barn. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. She assumed Eric had lured them out of the house on purpose. The fact that he was holed up in the barn didn’t make sense. Wouldn’t he just be trapped in there?

Gunshots sounded inside the barn. Her blood ran cold. Every instinct in her body screamed at her to run into the barn and save Eric.

But how could she do that and save Megan at the same time?

She was so caught up in the emotional tug-of-war inside her that she almost didn’t see Liam stop and turn to face her. Jayna skidded to a stop just as he dragged a semiconscious Megan around in front of him like a shield. Blood soaked half of Megan’s shirt and ran down her jeans. She looked so weak that if Liam hadn’t been holding her, she would have certainly fallen to the ground.

Liam pointed his gun at Jayna and pulled the trigger. Jayna dodged to the side to avoid the bullets, depending on reflexes and speed she never knew she possessed. But Liam had some pretty fast reflexes himself.

While she avoided the first few bullets, the next one bit deep in the muscles of her left arm. The pain stunned her so much that she forgot to keep moving. That earned her another bullet through her leg, knocking it right out from under her.

Jayna tumbled to the ground, fully expecting Liam to put the next bullet through her head. When the shot didn’t come, she looked up to find him glaring down at her over the barrel of his pistol, his eyes filled with hate.

“You brought all this on yourself, you know that, right?” he said in a tone so flat and emotionless she barely recognized the voice as his. The gentle and compassionate alpha who’d taken her off the streets and treated her like his little sister was long gone.

Between the sounds of fighting coming from the barn and watching the life drain out of Megan, it was hard to pay attention to what Liam was saying, but Jayna forced herself to try. She needed to figure out a way to get him to let Megan go before it was too late.

“I was taking care of everyone,” he continued. “But you couldn’t just be a good little beta and play your part, could you? You always thought you were better than me, questioning everything I said.”

Jayna opened her mouth to tell him that wasn’t true, but he cut her off. “I never understood why you kept asking why women couldn’t be alphas, but now I do. You wanted control of the pack all along.” He motioned at Megan with his pistol. “Well, you’ve been pack leader for all of a day now. Tell me, how’s it working out for you? How’s it working out for the rest of the pack?”

Jayna started to push herself to her feet, but she froze when he pointed the gun in her direction again. She held up her hands in a gesture she hoped would placate him.

“You’re right, Liam. I did betray you. But I never wanted to be the pack leader. I just wanted us all to be safe and together. If you want to kill me for that, fine. But you don’t need to hurt Megan. She, more than any of us, doesn’t deserve this. She deserves to live.”

Liam stared at Jayna so long that, for a minute, she thought she might have gotten through to him. But then he snorted.

“Still trying to act like the alpha,” he sneered. “Saying anything you can think of to save your precious pack. But a real alpha understands that you can’t always save everyone. Sometimes the pack has to pay for their alpha’s bad decisions. What kind of lesson would it be for you if I let Megan live?”

Jayna shook her head as he turned the weapon away from her and pointed it at Megan’s head. “I think it would be fitting if I let you watch me kill your precious little Megan before I shoot you. She was always more loyal to you than me anyway. That way, you can die knowing you completely failed as an alpha.”

Tears stung Jayna’s eyes. “Liam, don’t! I’m begging you.”

“Begging?” He let out a harsh laugh. “Yet another reason you could never have been a pack leader. An alpha never begs—ever.”

Jayna held her breath as he pressed the muzzle of his handgun against Megan’s temple. She curled her good leg under her, ready to launch herself at Liam even though she knew she’d never get to him in time.

Megan opened her eyes and looked straight at Jayna. She was obviously weak and in a lot of pain, but it was clear that Megan knew exactly what was about to happen.

A sudden howl of pain came from the barn, and Liam chuckled.

“Doesn’t sound like it’s going too well for your cop boyfriend. Maybe we should wait for Kos to finish Eric off so he can drag him out here for you. Then you can see two of the most important people in your miserable little world die before you go out. Or should I just go ahead and pop Megan before she bleeds out on me?”

Jayna knew she should beg some more, say anything to give Megan another minute to live. But she knew Liam would never grant that minute.

“You’re a complete piece of crap, Liam, you know that?” she growled, her fangs extending farther than they ever had. The nearly uncontrollable anger coursing through her made her muscles vibrate and twist so much she was trembling. “And you were always a worthless alpha.”

Liam laughed. “I guess that answers my question—Megan it is.” He cocked the hammer on the pistol still pressed against Megan’s head. “Say good-bye, Megan.”

* * *

Becker was hit more times than he could count, but he ignored the pain and threw himself into the Albanians’ midst as well as his screwed-up leg would let him. They hadn’t been expecting that and it limited their ability to shoot out of fear of hitting each other.

He tore into them with claws and fangs, letting himself slip further into his wolf form than he’d ever been. His claws ripped into clothing and flesh alike, shredding material and spraying blood. Their shouts of terror and panic mixed with his snarls as he fought for his life—and Jayna’s. He couldn’t let any of these men leave that barn, no matter what it cost him.

As tightly packed in the small barn as they were, the men still kept shooting. He ignored the stabs of pain as one bullet after another tore into him. He pushed the pain down deeper, thought about Jayna, and kept fighting, ripping out a throat here, breaking an arm or leg there. He even grabbed one of the men and tossed him into a stall with one of the fear-maddened horses, smiling to himself as the horse stomped the man to death.

Becker wasn’t sure how long the fight took—everything blurred together—but at some point, he realized there weren’t any more men to fight. And that he was bleeding a lot.

He dropped to his knees as a wave of weakness hit him and his broken leg gave out. Oh shit. He hadn’t been hit in the heart, but it really felt like he was on the verge of bleeding out.

A sharp sound made his head snap up and he saw Kostandin leaning against the wall just inside the doorway, clapping his hands.

“That was impressive, Eric,” Kos said. “I don’t believe any of those omegas that Liam brought in, or even Liam himself, could have done that. It’s a pity you had to be a cop. You could have been very useful to me.”

Becker slowly pushed himself to his feet. He was unsteady as hell, but this wasn’t over. Kostandin had to die, or the Albanian would hunt down Jayna and her pack purely out of revenge.

Kos regarded the forty-five in his hand, tossing it aside with a shrug. Then he reached behind his back and pulled out that big-ass knife he always carried. He held it so the blade caught the light, giving Becker a wicked smile. “Shooting you would be too easy. This is way more satisfying, for me at least.”

Becker growled low in his throat and started forward, but the sound of voices outside the barn froze him in his tracks. It was Jayna. He’d thought she and her pack would already be far away from here. What was she doing outside the barn? Then he heard Liam saying he was going to shoot her and Megan.

Like hell.

Becker roared and lunged at Kos. The impact hurt so badly, Becker’s vision went dark for a moment. But he fought off the wave of unconsciousness that threatened him and focused on finishing off Kostandin.

That wasn’t nearly as easy as it should have been. If he hadn’t been so beat up, it wouldn’t even have been close, despite how big and muscular the Albanian was. But in Becker’s current condition, Kos was on equal footing with him.

Becker caught Kostandin’s right wrist just as the wickedly sharp knife came at his chest. At the same time, Kos grabbed Becker’s right wrist, fighting to keep his claws away from his throat. Becker tried to bring his right knee up into Kostandin’s balls, but the broken leg refused to cooperate, turning what he had hoped would be a vicious strike into barely more than a stumble.

Kos took advantage of Becker’s poor balance and slammed him into the wall of the barn so hard Becker heard the wood crack—at least he hoped it was the wood. Either way, another wave of blackness rushed over him as his head bounced off the wall like a Ping-Pong ball.

Fuck. He didn’t have time for this. He needed to get out there and help Jayna and Megan.

But worrying about them came close to getting Becker killed as Kos yanked him away from the wall, bringing his head forward at the same time to head-butt him. Becker felt the bones of his nose crunch as blood went everywhere.

The big Albanian laughed. “You’re barely making this worth my while. But I guess it’s like I told you when we first met: for all your werewolf strength and speed, a knife through the heart will kill you as quickly as it would any man.”

Mouth twisting into a smug smile, Kostandin drew back his knife hand to stab Becker through the heart.

Becker didn’t try to grab Kostandin’s hand this time, but instead only blocked it partially. While he spared himself a thrust through the heart, he left a good portion of the left side of his chest unprotected. Kos took the bait, driving the blade into his left pec up to the hilt.

As incredibly painful as it was, it left the Albanian completely unprepared for a counterstrike. With a snarl, Becker grabbed a handful of Kostandin’s hair and jerked his head to the side, sinking his fangs into the Albanian’s exposed neck. He bit down hard, then violently twisted his jaws back and forth as he pulled away.

“And like I told you when we first met,” Becker rasped. “It’s tougher to knife a man knowing that if you miss, he’s going to rip out your frigging throat.”

He tossed Kostandin’s body aside and ran for the door. God, please let him be in time.

* * *

Jayna knew she couldn’t get to Megan in time, but she reached deep inside herself for every ounce of strength and speed she possessed anyway. If Eric was right and she really was an alpha, now was the time for those abilities to make their presence known.

And it happened.

Her legs practically hummed with power, propelling her forward faster than she’d ever moved. Her claws extended farther too, ready to tear Liam apart.

Then a roar sounded from her left, so loud and filled with rage it was impossible not to glance over to see what it was. She was shocked to see Eric racing out of the barn so fast he was nothing but a blur. But he was even farther away from Megan than she was.

Jayna turned back to see she wasn’t the only one who was distracted. Liam was staring at Eric with fear unlike anything she’d ever seen in his eyes.

Megan, on the other hand, was looking directly at her with eyes that were clear and bright and full of emotion. Nodding ever so slightly, Megan drove her elbow into Liam’s chest.

The blow wasn’t very powerful—Megan was too weak—but the move was such a surprise that Liam released her. She dropped to the ground like a rock. It gave Jayna the opening she needed, and she covered the last two yards separating her and Liam in the air.

Liam must have sensed her coming because he jerked his head up just before impact. Jayna slammed into him so hard that every bone in her body felt it. She landed astride him with a snarl and raked him with her claws, ripping the gun out of his hands and sending it flying across the graveled courtyard.

He took a vicious swipe at her with his claws, but she blocked him instinctively, like her arms just naturally knew what to do. In the same motion, her own claws—longer than Liam ever dreamed his could be—slashed across his face, cutting deep.

Screaming, he threw up his hands to protect himself. “Jayna, please. I’m begging you!”

Jayna hesitated. But all it took was one quick glance at Megan, crumpled motionless on the ground a few feet away, to remind her who she was dealing with.

Growling, she glared down at the werewolf who used to be her alpha. Now, he was nothing to her. The rage that filled her at what he’d done to her pack was almost too much to control. “Alphas never beg—ever. Isn’t that what you told me?”

Liam’s lips curled into a snarl, his eyes glowing. He took another swipe at her face, aiming for her eyes this time. She knocked his hand away, hearing bones break as she did. Liam howled and went at her with his other hand, going for her throat.

Jayna hated the idea of killing Liam, even after everything he’d done, but Megan needed her too much for Jayna to mess around with him anymore. Lifting her hand, she raked her claws across his neck, feeling them dig in deep. Then she was rolling off him before he even stopped breathing, leaping to her best friend’s side at the same time Eric reached them.

Megan’s eyes were closed and Jayna had to put her ear to her friend’s chest to hear if her heart was still beating. It was, but very faintly.

She looked at Eric to ask what to do and saw him pulling Kostandin’s big knife out of his own chest while he dialed his cell phone. He was bleeding from what looked like a dozen wounds too, and his face looked a mess.

“Oh God, you’re hurt!” she cried, wanting to pull him into her arms but terrified of leaving Megan’s side.

“I’m fine,” he assured her as he tossed the blood-covered blade on the ground, then put the phone to his ear. “Keep talking to her. Help will be here any second. She needs to know you’re here.”

Jayna leaned over and grabbed Megan’s hand, whispering in her friend’s ear that help was on the way while keeping one eye on Eric. How the hell could he be okay after getting shot up like that and stabbed almost all the way through his chest?

She blinked back tears. She couldn’t lose Eric. Or Megan.

Not now. Not ever.

* * *

Jayna was kneeling beside Megan, holding her hand, Eric by her side, when Trey and Alex slid to the ground beside them. Jayna wasn’t sure how long it had been since she’d killed Liam—maybe a minute or two—but it felt like a lifetime. Since then, she’d sat there holding her friend’s hand and counting every beat of Megan’s heart.

Eric took Jayna’s free hand and held it tightly. “She’ll be okay.”

Jayna wasn’t quite as sure, but she nodded anyway.

Trey immediately got an oxygen mask on Megan, while Alex ripped open her shirt and injected her with some kind of shot that made her heart beat stronger.

Alex carefully rolled her over to check her back, then gave Trey a pointed look. “No exit wound.”

Panic gripped Jayna. “Is that bad? Is she going to die?”

Alex’s face was glum. “I don’t know. An alpha’s body won’t start the healing process while there’s foreign material in the wound. If she were an alpha, we’d be going in for the bullet fragments, but with a beta, I don’t know what to do. I’m not sure what would be harder on her—leaving the bullet in or the shock of taking it out.”

“Take it out,” a calm, commanding voice ordered from behind them.

Jayna looked over her shoulder to see Sergeant Dixon standing there, concern on his face. The rest of Eric’s pack was gathered around too, but kept their distance. They looked just as worried as their commander.

Moe and Chris ran up then. Ethan and Kathryn followed behind, helping support Joseph. Blood ran freely down one leg of his jeans.

Could this get any worse?

“Take out the bullet,” Dixon repeated. “She’s a beta, but the same rule applies. The bleeding won’t stop until you get it out.”

The SWAT medics exchanged looks, like they really weren’t sure about this, but after a moment, Alex reached into his bag for a pair of long forceps and gently eased it into the wound above Megan’s bra. Jayna didn’t want to watch, but she couldn’t look away. She knew Alex was being extra careful because he didn’t want to cause additional damage, but it was all she could do not to shout at him to hurry up.

“Heart rate is dropping,” Trey announced urgently. “Get the bullet and get out of there before she goes into cardiac arrest.”

Jayna squeezed Megan’s hand. “Hang on, Megan.”

Suddenly, Dixon was down on one knee on Jayna’s other side. “Keep talking to her. You’re her alpha. If you tell her to fight, she’ll fight. But you have to be calm and you have to project confidence. She needs to feel your strength. Be the alpha she needs you to be.”

Jayna wasn’t sure she could do that. She looked at Dixon. Up close, he didn’t seem as scary as before. “You’re an alpha. Can’t you do it?”

Dixon shook his head. “I’m an alpha but not her alpha. It has to be you.”

Jayna looked down at Megan again. The bullet wound was bleeding even more now, and her face was pale and pinched.

“We’re losing her,” Trey said sharply.

The tears Jayna had been holding back ran down her cheeks.

Eric squeezed Jayna’s hand, placing his other one on her back and making gentle circular motions. “You can do this, Jayna. You’re stronger than you think.”

Jayna looked into his eyes, amazed at the confidence she saw there. She swallowed hard. If Eric believed in her, she would believe in herself. He hadn’t been wrong about her yet.

She glanced at Moe, Chris, and Joseph to see them regarding her with that same confidence.

She took a deep breath and turned back to Megan. “Hold on, Megan. Just a little longer, okay? Alex is almost done taking out the bullet. And when it’s out, the pain will be gone and everything will be all better.”

She waited for Megan to squeeze her hand, to give her some indication that she was listening, but her hand lay limply in Jayna’s.

“We’ll stay together and be a pack, Megan—you, Moe, Chris, Joseph, and me,” Jayna promised, fighting back another rush of tears. “We’re going to stay here in Dallas, and we’re going to find an amazing place to live. Big enough for all of us—Eric too if he wants. You’re going to have a room all to yourself, and my room will be right beside yours. We’ll put Joseph in the room farthest away. I know his snoring keeps you awake at night.”

Beside her, Eric smiled.

Jayna kept talking even after Alex had the bullet out and Trey announced that Megan was getting stronger by the second. Jayna had so many things to say that she couldn’t stop talking. Jayna told Megan how important she was to the pack and to her especially.

When Jayna stopped to a take a breath, she realized that both Eric and Megan were looking at her with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces. Everyone else, including Moe, Chris, and Joseph, had moved away, giving them privacy.

“Wow,” Megan said softly. “I don’t think I’ve heard you talk that much since I’ve known you. When you get going, you don’t stop, do you?”

Jayna bent and kissed her on the forehead. “I guess I don’t.”

“We’re really going to stay here in Dallas, right?” Megan asked. “You weren’t just saying that, were you?”

Jayna glanced at Eric to see him grinning at her, even though he looked like complete hell. He was still bleeding from nearly every part of his body. But he looked happy.

“We’re staying if Eric still wants me to,” she said softly.

He leaned close to kiss her. “Of course I want you to stay. I love you, remember?”

Jayna smiled. “That’s good because I never want to leave. It took me a while to figure it out. I had a little help from my friends.” She glanced at Megan. “But I finally realized that I love you too. So much it scares the hell out of me. But I’m ready to face that fear and be with you—to be The One for you. Because you’re The One for me.”

He kissed her again. “Good. And before you even say anything, I know you and your pack are a package deal. And I’m okay with that.”

“Does that mean you’re okay living with us too?” she asked. “Joseph really does snore a lot. And Chris listens to the most godawful country music.”

Eric chuckled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Jayna felt the weight of the world lift from her shoulders. Loving her was one thing. Loving her pack was another. She was glad Eric was up for the challenge.

She pulled him in for another kiss, but Megan interrupted.

“Guys, maybe that should wait until Trey and Alex get a look at Eric. He’s bleeding all over me.”