It was the middle of the night when I was awoken by the sounds of battle.

Someone howled outside and instantly the cabin was alive with activity. I sat up in bed but Red was already on his feet and heading for the door.

“Red, wait!”

“Stay there!” he shouted back to me as he raced out of the room. I wanted to get up and chase after him, but his voice was so firm that I stayed where I was. Something was going on, and he didn’t want me out there until he knew what it was.

I heard him call out to someone and heard footsteps approaching. The door opened and Osana and Toby, Kitchi’s mate, raced in and came over beside me. I was barely dressed, but I didn’t care.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“Mikey spotted someone outside and howled,” Toby replied.

“Someone!?”

“Someone not us,” Osana said in a way that sent a chill through my spine.

This is it, I thought as a shiver ran through me. They found us. Sonny finally found us!

More commotion in the cabin and I heard the back door crash open as people rushed outside. It would be Red, Kitchi and Jet at least, and possibly more if the wolves had heard Mikey’s howl.

“Is Mikey okay!?” I asked with concern.

“I’m all right!” I turned to see Mikey coming in through the door, completely naked and dripping wet. He must have shifted outside and run through the snow back to the cabin. “Can somebody lend me some clothes?”

“Of course,” I replied, grabbing some boxers and a t-shirt from the dresser. He took them and quickly dressed.

“What happened?” I asked nervously. “What did you see?”

Another howl from outside, this time it was one of ours – Kitchi, if I remembered correctly what his sounded like.

“Jules woke me up and after I put him back down I went outside for a breath of fresh air,” he started to explain. “And I saw some movement by the trees. But – I didn’t smell any scents, so I figured it was just my imagination.”

“Pheromone blockers,” I said grimly.

Mikey nodded and continued. “I shifted and was going to take a little jaunt around the grounds, but then I saw it again. Someone was out there, and it wasn’t ours. And whoever he was, he definitely didn’t want to be seen by me.”

“Did he come after you?” Toby asked with concern.

“Didn’t give him a chance to,” Mikey replied. “I howled and headed back to the cabin. From what I could see, he was an alpha, and for all I know there are more with him!”

“You did the right thing,” Osana told him, patting him on the hand. “They will handle it. The wolves must have heard by now and they’ll send more help from the lodge.”

I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t find the words.

This is my fault, I thought, feeling an anxiety attack coming on. Sonny’s men had somehow found me. They must have sent scouts all over New England. I wouldn’t put it past him. A man with that kind of power and wealth would never forget or let me go. I should have thought about that when I left him. If only I had thought about that when I came here with Red. I’d put everyone here in danger.

Someone yelped outside and we all rushed to the window to look out. But I couldn’t see what was going on. A figure flashed by, a shifted fox, but I couldn’t see who it was. It was an alpha, though, moving at lightning speed.

“I’m going out there!” I roared, racing toward the door. If Red was out there fighting on my behalf, I had to help him.

“No, you’re not,” Mikey replied, blocking the door.

“Get out of my way, Mikey!” I shouted. “My mate’s out there!”

“And so is mine!” he snapped back, not budging an inch. “They want us in here, and that’s where we’re going to stay. Let the alphas handle this.”

My anger boiled over and I slammed my fist into the dresser. I heard the wood crack and slammed back down on the bed, my arms crossed over my chest.

“Don’t worry, honey,” Osana said soothingly, stroking my forearm. “They’ll be fine. These alphas are the toughest I’ve ever met.”

“Besides,” Mikey replied. “There’s probably only one of them out there.”

And more on the way, I thought miserably. If Red and the rest of them weren’t able to stop him, capture him somehow, he’d run back to Sonny and bring reinforcements. And what then? There was no telling how many men Sonny would bring back with him, shifted or with guns. Then people would die, and it would all be my fault.

Why had I gotten involved with him in the first place? For money? Security? To feel like I was doing something on my own? What a complete fool I was! If I had just stayed at Mrs. Brown’s, lived like the rest of the boys, I could have had a young romance with Red. We could have spent our teenage years together, and our early twenties, and grown up together and never run into any of Sonny’s world that was invading ours.

I was starting to sink into very dark thoughts when the back door slammed open and I heard shouting voices.

“Get him over here!” Kitchi roared. Someone snarled and shouted.

“Get the fuck off me!” an unfamiliar voice roared.

“They got him!” I shouted, leaping to the door. This time, Mikey was too slow to block me and I tore the door open and leapt through the hall into the living room.

In the middle of the room, Kitchi, Red and Jet were holding a naked man down on the floor. I recognized him instantly. Giorgio, one of Sonny’s men.

He wriggled and spat as the alphas held his arms at his side. Kitchi had a knee firmly planted in his ribs, and I watched as he pulled back and drove it home, knocking the wind out of him.

“Stop moving!” Kitchi hissed, waving a warning finger in Giorgio’s face.

“F – fuck you!” Giorgio stammered. Kitchi slammed his knee back into Giorgio’s ribs, causing him to cough and sputter.

“That’s quite enough, Kitchi,” Red told him sternly. I could see Red’s anger simmering right beneath the surface, but he was in leadership mode and had to set an example for the rest of the pack. Things could easily get out of hand.

The front door opened and Tate raced inside, followed by Bryce, an alpha who reminded me of Nathan Fillion.

“Red!” Tate shouted as he came over to the group. “What happened? Who is this?”

“I’m not sure,” Red replied. “But we’re about to find out.”

“I know!” I blurted out, stepping forward. All the eyes in the room were instantly on me. I felt my face go red with shame.

This is my fault, I thought as I looked down at Giorgio. He looked back up at me and thrashed wildly, trying to escape the three alphas pinning him to the floor.

“There you are, you son of a bitch!” he roared, spit flying from his lips.

“You know him?” Red asked, looking at me.

“He’s Giorgio,” I replied sadly. “He’s one of Sonny’s men. They found us, Red. They found us.”