It felt good to run. Gunnar, Payne, and I stayed at the southwestern edge of the great woods as we approached Birch Haven. It gave me a taste of what a true pack should feel like. All of us in tune with each other’s strengths and weaknesses, serving a common purpose. The power of each of our natures uncoiled, little by little, as we neared our target.

I expected judgment and resentment when I went back to the caves. I would have deserved it. When Liam came back after coupling with Molly, it felt like a betrayal in a way. He’d put his own needs above the safety of the rest of us. Now, I understood. Without our true mates, there really was no point to any of it. I couldn’t imagine not having Molly under our protection now. She was part of us. She was family. I just prayed the others would feel the same way about Eve.

That was if I could get her to safety.

But, I got no judgment. Instead, Payne and Gunnar asked me a single question. When do we leave?

“We should stop here,” I shouted. We were still tucked deeply in the woods about two miles south of Birch Haven. Close enough that I could sense Eve, far enough that any patrolling Pack members wouldn’t be able to sense us in return.

Sweat poured down Gunnar’s brow as came to a stop beside me. “You getting out of shape?” I said, slugging him in the shoulder. “When’s the last time you ran more than a few miles at top speed?”

Gunnar’s scowl brought a smile to my face. He was in peak fighting form, just like the rest of us. I turned toward Birch Haven. On this low ridge, we could just see the top of the wall. The park was to the east. The cool scent of Rough River reached my nostrils. That would be the path to safety. Once we found the girls, we’d take to the water. It would make it that much harder for the Pack to track us. I wished we could have brought more men. If all went well, we’d have Eve, Lena, Jasmine, April, and Kat to spirit away. Jagger should be here. A cold stab of grief went through me as it always did when I thought of him.

Payne emerged from the woods. He’d take the rear, watching our sixes. “You sure about this?” he asked, sniffing the air.

“You smell something?” Gunnar asked.

Payne scanned the horizon. His expression darkened as his eyes glinted green. We were all having trouble keeping our wolves in check. Every predatory instinct we had came right to the surface. Though I couldn’t sense the Pack, I sure as hell could sense something.

“Nah,” Payne answered. “Just keyed up. You sure your girl can trust those others? You said the one had been marked already.”

“Yeah. And the bastard who did it is dead. She’s got more reason than the rest of them to want to break free. She knows what it was like being under the influence.”

Payne shook his head and let out a bitter laugh. “I’d like to kill all those fuckers.”

I shared the sentiment. It was Gunnar who played devil’s advocate. “We could have been those fuckers. Hell, for a little while I was one of those fuckers. You know what it’s like under the Pack’s control. Most of them don’t have a damn choice.”

“You should run for president,” Payne snorted. He cast a hard glance at Gunnar and moved around to the front. “Stay here, I want to get a closer look.”

He charged through the trees, leaving Gunnar and me to ourselves. Gunnar rolled his eyes and leaned against a tall poplar. He looked downright uncomfortable. I knew him well enough to guess what was on his mind.

“Yes,” I answered the question I knew he wanted to ask. Though he’d given me no judgment, I knew he had plenty of questions. “She’s worth it. To me, this is all worth it.”

Gunnar put his hands up. “I’m not saying shit. You know that. Hell, you know it’s why I left the Pack in the first place.”

I laughed. “You left the Pack ‘cause I damn near dragged you kicking and screaming. You’d be the Alpha’s bitch if it weren’t for me.”

I was teasing, but Gunnar’s eyes hardened. He faked a punch and I ducked. He started to pace. We were all keyed up. I just wanted this over. I wanted Eve and my sister the fuck away from Birch Haven.

“Molly thinks Jagger’s going to come out of it someday. You really believe that?”

That was the thing with Gunnar. He didn’t always come directly to his point, but it was easy to figure out what was really bothering him. Sure, we all wanted to claim the mates we were born for. It was tougher for Gunnar and Payne though. They only saw the damage it had done to Jagger when he lost his. Gunnar was probably thinking maybe it was better to live forever without a mate than to risk becoming what Jagger was. I knew better.

“I think Molly’s pretty damn smart. If anybody can figure out a way to get through to him, it’ll be her. I also think if Jagger were in a position to tell you, he’d say yeah, Keara was worth it.”

“I used to wish for it,” Gunnar said. “After Keara died though, I’m praying it never happens to me. Can you believe that? I hope to God I never cross paths with my fated mate.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “It doesn’t work that way, brother. That’s why they call it fate. If and when you’re meant to find your mate, you will. There won’t be anything you can do to stop it. I came here for Lena. I’m staying here for Eve. It isn’t even a question. And, I know the risk you and Payne are taking for me. If this all goes well, I’ll never be able to repay it.”

A heavy silence fell between us. Leaves crackled as Payne came back. Then, Gunnar’s face split into a smile. “Shut the fuck up, man,” he said. “Let’s go get your girl.”

“It’s fucking weird,” Payne said. “Where’s the Pack? I mean the heavy hitters? They’ve got low-level grunts patrolling that place. No generals, no Alphas.”

“One of the girls we’re gonna try to bust out had a pretty good theory on that,” I said. “Too much bait. The Alpha’s afraid if he puts too many stronger members in there, they’re going to start helping themselves.” Even as I said it, my wolf raged. Eve and Lena were among the bait.

“Still,” Payne said, shaking his head. “It seems off. I don’t like it.”

“So let’s get this the fuck over with quick,” Gunnar added. “What’s the plan again?”

“Eve and the others are going to meet us near a break in the wall. There’s a park that opens up about a mile and a half that way. It’s right along the riverbank, so we’ll use it. We move quiet and fast enough, we’ll make it.”

Gunnar stopped. He took an uneasy posture with his hands on his hips. I didn’t like the scowl on his face.

“In and out, Gunnar,” I said. “This is a quick extraction. That’s it. We’ve done this shit a hundred times.” And we had. Hell, we’d done it with Gunnar. He’d been a friend of Liam’s before we went rogue. We’d busted him out of a Pack barracks near Lexington almost two years ago.

“How many are in there?” he asked.

“No idea,” I answered. “There are only four or five Pack members patrolling campus at any one time. Dressed up as campus police, the fuckers.”

“No,” Gunnar said. “Not shifters. Shit, that I can sense. Can’t you? There’s maybe fifteen, twenty tops in the whole fucking town. Like Payne says, they’re low-level. Hell, I think if it came to it, we could maybe even take ‘em on just the three of us.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Payne said before I could. “We can’t take on fifteen or twenty even if they’re bottom of the Pack barrel. It only takes one of ‘em to put a call out to a general. Just ‘cause the big dogs aren’t manning the town full-time doesn’t mean they don’t have a system in place for emergencies. The Alpha’s smarter than that, and you know it. Fuck, it if were me...that’s exactly what I…”

Payne’s voice trailed off. His green eyes brightened to emerald as his wolf stirred. It made him light up like a damn Christmas tree with his red hair. His expression was enough to make my own blood run cold.

“Son of a bitch,” Payne said. “You don’t think…”

“Yeah,” I answered. “We could be walking into a damn trap. Of course I’ve thought of it.”

Payne turned on me. His wolf simmered, changing the line of his shoulders. My own wolf flared inside of me, spoiling for the same fight. “This is fucking why mates are bad news for any of us right now. Goddammit. It turns your brains to jelly, man.”

I couldn’t stop myself, I reached for Payne and grabbed a fistful of his shirt. “We are the only chance those girls have. Never mind Eve, that’s on me. But, what about Lena? She’s my sister. You more than anyone know what her life is going to be...what it already has been if I walk away from this.”

It was a low blow. Payne had spent the longest time under the Pack’s control out of any of us. He’s been slated for promotion to one of the Alpha’s top generals. It would have been an easy life for him had he just given over to it. But, Payne was a strong Alpha in his own right. He’d seen too many of the horrors the Alpha inflicted on Pack members who didn’t fall in line. Payne himself had been named Executioner. How many punishments he’d been forced to carry out under the Alpha’s control, he wouldn’t say. It was a secret and a curse he’d carry to his grave.

I let Payne go, shoving him hard. He growled and bared his teeth, but kept his wolf at bay. God, if given the freedom to choose his own pack, Payne would have been one of the fiercest Alphas in the world. Thank God he was on our side. For now.

“Don’t you ever throw that in my face again,” he said, his voice low.

“I’m not throwing it in your face, you asshole. I’m just reminding you why this matters. If you don’t want to risk yourself, I’m not going to judge you for that. I know what you’ve been through, man.”

“You don’t know shit.”

“Enough!” Gunnar said, trying to step between us. Payne put a hand up, cautioning him to stay where he was.

“I mean it,” I said, addressing both of them. “I told you this back at the caves. I’ll say it again now. You don’t owe me. You don’t owe Eve or Lena either. You want to bail, do it. I’m not going to hold it against you. But, this is something I have to do. I can’t live if I don’t try to get them out. And if I fail, then at least my sister and Eve will know I died for them. But, I’m not planning on dying today.”

The corner of Payne’s lip twitched, then curved into a wicked smirk. “Yeah? Me neither. Let’s get this the fuck over with.”

Clenching my jaw, I gave him a solemn nod and clamped my hand on his shoulder. I didn’t have to say anything. Payne knew.

“Good,” Gunnar said. “Let’s go.”

We were done talking. The three of us turned toward the wall and followed the riverbank. With each step, my heart soared. Eve was there. I could sense her. There was something else too. She wasn’t alone. It had been so long since I’d seen her, but I picked up another scent carried on the strong breeze. God. It was Lena.

“Hold up!” Gunnar whispered. “Don’t just charge in like that.”

He put a hand on my arm to slow my progress. It took everything in me not to turn around and slug him. I was so close. Lena and Eve were so close.

One by one, we dropped low to the ground. The urge to shift was nearly overpowering. We hit the shallowest part of the river where it came to little more than a surging stream. That’s where we crossed. The park was just a few yards ahead. Full night had fallen and a crescent moon formed a sliver of light above.

But, the park was empty. There was no sign of the girls.

“Fuck!” Payne said.

Then, he slumped to the ground and started to twitch.

“Payne!” Gunnar got to him first. “What the fuck, man? What is it?”

By the time I came to his side, I knew the answer. My ears started to buzz, and when Gunnar looked up, his eyes had gone silver.

“We’re fucked,” he said. “The Alpha’s here!”