Why did nothing ever go according to plan? Rayven crouched lower and tried to shrink into the shadows cast by the warehouse roof. Just her foul luck, it was almost impossible to do beneath the floodlight brilliance of a harvest moon. Shit circumstances or not, she still had a break-in to commit and a hostage to rescue.

She stared across the parking lot at building 2B. In another thirty minutes, the moon would rise over the rooftops and obliterate her narrow hiding space. Barely enough time to find a way in without alerting anyone. Much less locate the kidnap victim and clear out without a trace.

A quick sniff reaffirmed gravel dust, industrial cleaner, and exhaust fumes. She froze and bit back a curse. Fresh signatures drifted on the faint breeze: six humans and three shifters. Whether they were inside the vehicle sitting in the parking lot or waiting inside the building to ambush her was impossible to tell from this distance. All she knew was that the scents hadn’t existed fifteen minutes ago when she’d crept across the barren creek bed from the highway. However they’d gotten here, the odds had gone from high risk to near impossible.

In all likelihood, there were now additional guards posted at the back of 2B, with others around the perimeter of the industrial park, narrowing her options to a quick frontal attack or crawling away to find access to the roof. Neither afforded her speed and safety, but she’d pulled a win before out of more difficult situations. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t done the prep work.

After two long weeks of skulking around the nearby towns, searching for a trace of the Wilsons’ missing teenage son, she’d finally found this place. Her instincts screamed that the isolated and seemingly abandoned industrial warehouse complex made an ideal place to hide Nathan Wilson. The insistent itch at the nape of her neck warned the same thing. Even with a dormant beast, her enhanced shifter senses worked just fine.

Outnumbered or not, she couldn’t back away. Based on her previous missions tracking children kidnapped from her clan, she’d get one night and no second chance to free Nathan.

Tomorrow, the warehouse and parking lot would be empty of cars, people, victims, and laboratory equipment. Supplies for the Thunder in the Valley summer fireworks display would once again be stacked inside 2B, gathering dust.

She’d waited too long once, early on in her rescues, and it was a lesson she’d never forget. Arriving at a hostage site right before the structure blew sky-high, Rayven barely missed being incinerated. Her greater fear had been for the children inside. The mixed blessing came later as she’d checked through the wreckage, sniffing the rubble before the first responders arrived. No children had died in that explosion. However, given the excruciating experimentations endured by the few youngsters she’d recovered alive, death might have been kinder.

Nathan Wilson had been missing for only a few weeks. At sixteen, he was older than most of the other victims and hopefully could withstand whatever the kidnappers subjected him to until she reached him. And she would reach him. Despite lacking the ability to call her beast, her tracking and hunting skills were better than most humans or shifters. Keeping a low profile within the clan settlements, she gathered information. Her stealth and speed gave her an edge following the kidnappers, many of whom were human, and anticipating their moves. However, learning from her mistakes and adapting was by far her greatest strength.

After several early frustrating efforts searching for the children alone, she now sought help from lower-ranking members of the clan. Not people she openly claimed as friends. Her past made her too dangerous to befriend anyone. However, living on the outskirts, she watched everyone. She knew which people had access to valuable sources of information and how to uncover secrets people would rather keep hidden.

In most cases, what she uncovered fell into the category of personal information like illegal cross-breed matings and family members secreted across the territory line to other alphas for a new life. Details Rayven would never betray to the current alpha or his enforcer team.

But she’d paid attention. Remembered everything for the years she’d lived as an outcast.

When children of the same low-ranking clan members began disappearing, she did more than sit by and wait for news. She’d tracked and searched and most often brought children home. Her actions had bought her a few ties of loyalty, and more than a few enemies as well.

All of which left her here, on an usually hot but clear night, contemplating which distraction would get her inside 2B the fastest.

Rayven cocked her head as she leaned against the concrete block wall of the single-story warehouse and listened for signs of movement. For a brief moment, a teasing tremor rippled beneath her skin. As usual, nothing happened, and she released the breath she’d held, stifling regret.

She tensed at the metallic rattle of an industrial garage door followed by the low hum of more approaching vehicles. Risking a glance around the corner, she saw two large SUVs with enough mud and dents to appear well used pull past her out of the parking lot and head toward the main road. Neither vehicle warranted a second glance at night. Yet the nonreflective blacked-out windows, red LED lights flashing at the base of the rear windows, and tires with fresh-off-the-showroom tread she could make out from her location screamed professionals. Human mercenaries, most likely. She waited as a large panel van pulled away too.

The whole thing reeked of money, high-tech, and power, none of which fit the Karndottir alpha. He spurned technology, publicly opposed scientific pursuits for his people. He also wouldn’t bother to hide children if the urge to steal them suited him.

Another long sniff proved—nothing new. She squashed the urge to check over her shoulder. Perhaps she should have listened to her gut feeling about bringing backup. But throughout all her missions, she hadn’t uncovered any details about who ran this child-abduction experimentation scheme. The last thing she wanted was for the few people she counted on to risk their lives.

As the wind picked up, sweeping in the smell of chimney smoke down from the nearby mountain homes, she inched forward. The path to the front door looked clear and too easy an option, though she didn’t have a choice. Nathan might be in one of those trucks, but she hadn’t smelled any indication that was true.

Sprinting across the open lot, she kept her guard up and then folded into a crouch at the front door. She flicked a quick check behind her and slipped a key card out of her pocket. At the click of the open lock, she pressed with her shoulder and shuffled inside, staying low as the door swung inward.

On the balls of her feet, she closed the door and scanned around the room. The lights were off, but moonlight through the blinds of the door illuminated plastic bucket seats along the front wall and a narrow corridor heading into the rear. On the far side was a door she assumed led to the garage that had housed the trucks. She rose and crept down the corridor. One overhead light at the end lit the way. She sniffed again, detecting one fresh scent and a dozen or more faded ones in the space.

If they’re gone, why leave the light on? The question fled from her thoughts as she entered the main warehouse, a space large enough to hold eight to ten SUVs the size of the ones that had just left. She froze beside a twenty-foot-long row of large mobile refrigerators with glass doors that towered over her by a foot. She stepped closer and peered inside at ten-gallon plastic tubs holding pouches of clear fluids. Along the top shelves, small bottles of drugs and prepared syringes sat in neat rows. She shoved one of the units, and it swiveled a bit.

Damn. The entire stash held enough drugs and supplies to support a modest-sized clinic, and the storage units rolled easily enough to make relocation painless. No wonder she had such trouble keeping up with them. A shiver ran down her spine as she edged to the end of the units and around the side.

Biting back a shout, she rushed forward.

Nathan Wilson lay strapped to a gurney in only his jeans, IV lines tapped into his arms and ankles, with a gag tied over his mouth. She recognized his curly mop of brown hair and lanky build from the pictures in the Wilsons’ living room. He turned his head her way, and his eyes widened. The gurney squeaked and swayed as he bucked and tugged at the restraints.

“Stop.” She moved to his side, planting one hand to keep the gurney from tipping over while she checked the bags—saline. Good, given his shifter physiology, he’d probably survive without it. Time for her to get him out of here.

He grunted at her, and she reached for the knot behind his head holding the gag firmly in place. “Snarling at me won’t get you out of here faster.”

His brows drew together, and he jutted his chin higher as his focus riveted to the ceiling. She followed his gaze, and dread crawled like ice water through her veins. “Crap.”

A video camera wired to the support beams below the roof came to life as she finally loosened his gag. “A live feed?”

“They set this up to catch you,” Nathan croaked out as he sat up and spat to the side. “They wanted me, but they got warning that someone was following them.”

“Well. We’re leaving before they get back.” Rayven yanked the restraint away from his chest and turned to remove tape and IVs from his ankle. At least he seemed alert and able to move. “Just give me a minute to get you free.”

He attacked the IV in his arm. “Rayven. You need to leave.”

She halted, shocked, and spun back toward him. After plucking a lab coat from a supply cart and a pair of boots stored on the bottom shelf beside him, she shoved them at him. “How do you know me?”

With an eye roll, he stuffed one foot into a boot, then slid off the gurney and hopped behind her, putting on the next one. “Umm, why wouldn’t I? It’s not like there’s any other decent Karn—”

She slapped a hand over his mouth as she caught the crunch of tires outside. He’d heard it as well.

“There’s another door in back,” he whispered against her fingers. He pulled her hand away. “They stacked boxes in front of it.”

She ate up the distance to the crates stacked against the far wall, Nathan on her heels. Taller than she was, he plucked down the top crates and slung them to the floor. She dug in, helping him until they cleared the way to the exit and swung open the door. A gust of bitter wind stung her cheeks. As they exited, she could make out every detail of the small town of Crowsnest Pass and the stretch of interstate that ran beside it.

“They’ll see us from the road.” She motioned past the steep drop to the dry gully and the west end of town. “Head to the railroad tracks. Follow them to the next township. I’ll have someone meet you there.”

He scowled at her, fists at his side. “Come with me.”

“I’ll be fine. Besides, I’m not leaving until you’re clear of this area.” He’d need her to buy him time.

He pursed his lips and exhaled as if he’d argue, but jerked his head, accepting her command, and ran for the gully. The moment Nathan scrambled down the gravel-and-brush-covered hill, she turned back to clean up any last tracks.

She never even saw the strike coming. Pain exploded over her cheek, and she flew backward, somehow managing to scramble into a crouch that stopped her from landing on her ass. Forearms braced in front of her face, she launched back toward her attacker and landed two rapid jabs.

Between her twists and dodges, she deflected several rapid strikes toward her ribs.

A punch from behind to her temple sent her to the ground.

She blinked, uncertain where her attacker had come from, and wavered on her hands and knees. Sucking in air, she willed her legs to punch out for a sideswipe.

Another blow took her in the kidney from an unexpected direction and sent her to the ground. How had she not smelled more of them creeping up on her?

She lifted her head and counted six blurry pairs of boots. All right, her vision might be wacky, but she wasn’t dead yet. Kicking out, she spun. Her feet caught the man with a rifle over his shoulder in his shins as he reached for her.

He cursed, but someone else slammed a weapon into her head, sending her back to the gravel. Swallowing hard, she fought the buzzing in her ears and the white spots in front of her eyes. She could make out the gun shoved in front of her face.

“Don’t shoot her,” growled a man standing over her. “She’s to be delivered alive. I’ll keep her under control. Get the other vehicles.”

Oh no. She knew that voice from the alpha’s enforcement team, Sam Faust. Rolling to her side, she wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. “You’ve sunk to a new low, Sam.”

“And you’re a pain in my ass.” He countered with a vicious kick to her hip, not bothering to rein in his shifter strength. She curled into a ball, or tried to as she gritted her teeth to keep from groaning. Yep, good thing she hadn’t dragged backup into this mess.

“Pretty proud of yourself, princess?” Sam hauled her to her feet, not waiting for her response or the fact she couldn’t stand, and half dragged her toward a waiting SUV. The white panel van had returned and parked twenty feet away. The side panel on the vehicle shot open, and a long howl ripped through the air.

Nathan struggled between the four men who held him with chains and leashes, shifted into wolf form with shredded remnants of the lab coat hanging from his shoulders and punctured boots around his hind paws.

Rayven’s heart sank. They’d found him, and now he’d undergone his first shift, forced in captivity. “Hold on, Nathan. I’m not going to let them win,” she muttered under her breath.

“Get him under control and out of here.” Sam gave her a fierce shake, his fingers digging into her shoulder. “See what you’ve done? He’s shifting. No longer a valid guinea pig. Now they’ll want to put him down. That’s on you.”

“I’m not the one betraying the clan.”

He slammed her cheek-first into the side of the SUV before he wrenched her hands behind her back and snapped titanium handcuffs tight around her wrists. Then he stabbed her in the arm with a needle and threw her into the cargo hold in back with enough force that her ears rang. “You’ve never been my clan.”