Now that his mate was here, the maelstrom of emotions inside Petros was finally calming down. His wolf seemed mollified at the sight and smell of her too, and it lay quietly inside him. Still, his wolf was anything but relaxed, and neither was he. No, they would be on alert at all times, at least until they hunted down Milos and put a stop to his madness.

After his video call with the Alpha, Kate had not texted him that she was home. It was strange because she usually had something witty to say or sent him a provocative picture the moment she was in the door. When he called her, Petros tried not to panic when she didn’t answer, but his wolf was screaming at him to make sure she was all right. He asked Christina to check if she had come home, and when she said no one answered when she knocked on the door, Petros knew something was wrong.

He sent someone to go to her house, but the agent wasn’t even gone five minutes when he got the call. The Mustang was found on the side of the road, the door open, and Kate’s things inside. There were no signs of a struggle, but Petros knew Kate would never abandon her brother’s car like that. He immediately called Christina, Jason, and all their agents to begin the search.

“Petros, I’m here,” she said in a soothing voice. She was planted on his lap as they sat on his chair in his office. His arms were wound around her, unable to let her go.

“I know,” he said.

“Then stop growling, yeah?” she said, giving him a weak smile. She placed a hand over his chest and rested her head on his shoulder, which indeed had been rumbling with the unsatisfied growls of his wolf. Her touch soothed his animal, and it quieted down.

“Catch us up with what’s happening,” Jason said as he and Christina walked into Petros’s office.

Kate slipped off his lap but remained at his side, their hands linked. “I was driving home when this animal showed up on the road. I went to check on it and ….”

Petros couldn’t help the anger building in him as Kate told the story of what happened to her. Hearing for the second time did not tamper his anger; it only fanned the flames. Milos had tried to kill his mate, and he was doing it as revenge. The only way he could describe the torment he was feeling right now was like trying to grasp the blade of a knife. There was no way to make it less painful, no matter which way he positioned his hand. He had to protect his mate from the man who had been like a brother to him growing up, which could mean ending Milos’ life. But when the choice came down, he knew which one he would make.

“Wait, how did you overpower him?” Jason asked.

Kate grimaced. “The man on the Harley. Mason Grimes.” Her face scrunched into distaste at the name. “Scared Milos off.”

“Where have I heard that name … Tim’s nephew?” Jason said, his brows scrunching together. “I remember him. He was here, what, three or four years ago? Stayed the whole summer while he was on leave from the military.”

“Don’t remind me,” Kate said. “Anyway, what are we going to do about Milos?”

“We are not going to do anything,” Petros said. “You will stay out of this. I will handle Milos.”

“Just wait a Goddamn minute!” Kate pulled her hand from his and placed it on her hip. “You don’t get to tell me what to do! I can help—”

“No!” Petros got to his feet. “I will not have you in harm’s way.”

“You can’t—”

“Stop acting like children, both of you,” Christina said. “Calm down. We’re dealing with one wolf here. A near-feral wolf, but it’s not something The Agency can’t handle.”

“Christina is right,” Jason said. “I’m assuming you want him captured alive and unharmed?”

“If possible.” His gut clenched as he looked at Kate and thought of how close he had been to losing her. “But not necessary.” If Milos had truly gone feral, then death would be a merciful thing.

“Then we have to try to help him,” Christina said in a calm voice. “I’m sure Father would agree. He was one of us, part of our pack, and it is our duty to help him.”

Relief swept over Petros. It was one of the rules of the Lykos pack: always care for the sick, the old, and the injured. “We need to draw him out and be ready.”

“How do we do that?” Kate asked.

“We give him what he wants,” Petros said. “Me.”

“No freaking way!” Kate protested. “I’m not letting him get his claws on you!”

“That won’t happen,” Jason said. “He’s on our turf. We can control all the variables.”

“Jason is right,” Petros said, trying to reassure Kate. “And we need to capture him before he hurts anyone else or himself.”

“We need a plan,” Jason said.

“It’s obvious he’s not going to stop until he kills me,” Petros said. “But he’s also going to start making mistakes.”

“He’s been observing your movements and striking whenever he sees a vulnerability,” Christina said. “First after you guys had dinner at Rosie’s and tonight when Kate was alone.”

“How can we draw him out then?” Kate asked.

“Milos will strike soon. He knows we’re on the lookout for him,” Christina said. She tapped her finger on her chin, then her face lit up. “Tomorrow. At the Block Party to celebrate the reopening of Main Street.”

“That’s tomorrow?” Kate asked, a confused look on her face.

“If you two had come up for some air at some point,” Jason said with a knowing smile, “you would have seen all the flyers and signs.”

“He won’t strike tonight because he knows I’ll be on alert,” Petros said. “But he will not wait any longer because he knows we’ll be closing in on him.”

“You should just stay put,” Kate said. “Go somewhere secure, and The Agency—”

“Then he will know something is wrong,” Petros pointed out. “Milos is much smarter than he seems. He needs to think my guard is down again. We will mingle at the party and look relaxed and carefree.”

“But we’ll have eyes on him the whole time,” Christina said.

“And everyone else?” Jason asked. “What about the people at the party?”

“He won’t strike in front of a crowd, especially not a group of shifters, including three dragons,” Petros said. “He’s crazy but not stupid. I’ll leave the party at certain points and attempt to draw him out.”

“You mean we’ll leave the party.” Kate clasped her hand around his. “Together. We can pretend we’re going to have a quickie or something.”

Petros bit his lip. “All right.”

Christina stood up, then clasped her hands together. “All right, inform the team. Let’s go to the conference room and work out the details.”

Kate nodded at him. “We’ll get him, babe. And then you can have your best friend back.”

“I know we will.” Despite Kate’s reassurance, his insides were twisting. While he didn’t want to have Milos put down, he was not going to let his mate get hurt again. But if he forbade her from being there, the more she was going to resist. He had to find a way to keep her safe so he could concentrate on catching Milos.

By the time they walked into the conference room, he already had a backup plan forming in his head. He only hoped Kate would forgive him.