“No way!” Jagger fumed. He stalked along the river’s edge, his wolf eyes flashing. He was having a hell of a time keeping from shifting. His agitation fueled Gunnar and Payne’s. I tried to go to him, but sensed instantly that I made things worse. Lena shot me a look. I gave her a nod and she went to him instead.

“Get it together,” she said. “You go all wolf on us here, we’re sunk before we even start.”

For my part, I was a hell of a lot more calm than I probably should have been, under the circumstances. We were at the edge of the Tennessee River, a mile from Heartland. By dawn, this would all be over, one way or another. The moment Jagger laid out his plan last week, I knew what my role would be, even if he didn’t. Now, that I’d given voice to it, he was straight up going berzerk.

“Jagger,” I said. I stood with my hands folded in front of me. Once I’d settled on my course of action, a strange peace settled over me. It was as if the pieces of my life had all aligned in a certain way, leading me to this time, this moment, this action. It was simple. It was right. I couldn’t think about the things Suzanne and Molly had told me at my Aunt Grace’s gravesite. I was dying. The moment she’d said it, I knew in my heart it was true. But, I couldn’t think about that now. Maybe after.

“Do you have any doubt that what you saw in Sampson’s mind was true?”

Jagger stopped pacing. His eyes were wild when he looked at me, but his jaw hardened. “No. He’s upped the guards around the prison house. There are eight of them. All betas.”

“And where is the bulk of the Pack now? Can any of you sense them?” I asked. Gunnar and Payne stepped forward. They stood shoulder to shoulder with Jagger.

“No,” Payne said. “But he’s got a few strong Alphas left as his top generals. If they’re where Jagger says they are, he’ll call them in as soon as he senses a threat.”

“I want to be with you,” Jett said, moving to Gunnar’s side. “I can help. I know what I’m doing.” She had an AR-15 rifle slung over her back. Lena had the same weapon. Each of them was loaded with wolfkiller ammo. One shot would immobilize an Alpha. It would kill a beta or omega instantly if the shot hit them in the head or heart.

Jett and the women would be the second line of defense. We had men and women stationed near the entrances to the Mammoth Forest caves in case any of the Pack broke through our lines. Liam and Mac were there to protect them. Liam had railed against the plan the most. It was Jagger who’d talked him down. If things went sideways, Eve and her son needed to be far away from the heaviest of the fighting. They needed to live. And Molly and Suzanne would have to tend to the wounded. I prayed they wouldn’t have to. But, I knew it would probably be inevitable.

That left Jagger, Gunnar and Payne leading the main assault. Gunnar and Payne would try to flush out the Alphas left under Able’s control. Jagger would go after Able himself. With my help.

“No,” Jagger said again. He came to me.

“Baby.” I reached up and touched his face. “We’ve been over this. You know it has to go down like this. Those guards near the prison house, I know how to control them. I’ve done it a dozen times before. And I’m the only one who can get close enough to even try without them sensing me first. Heartland is my backyard. They expect me to be here. They catch one whiff of any of you, and this whole thing falls apart before it can really start. Everyone has a role. This one is mine. You know it.”

Jagger hissed through his teeth. He threaded his fingers through my hair and pulled me close. “No,” he said. “I hate this. I can’t do this again.”

My eyes locked with Payne’s. I didn’t know if he or the others knew my secret. If he did, his expression betrayed nothing. I wasn’t scared today. And I wasn’t blowing smoke. I knew this was my destiny as much as Jagger was. It’s why he was put into my path.

“This is easy for me,” I said. “Those betas can’t catch me and you know it. Let me do my thing. The minute they’re on the ground, you move in. Jett will be right behind me with the guns. She’ll take them out.”

“You bet your ass I will,” Jett said. “Jagger, those wolves won’t get anywhere near Rowan. I know what I’m doing.”

“There are too many,” he said. “Rowan, you’ve faced up to two or three at once. Not eight.”

“It doesn’t matter. You have to trust me. This is the best way. Pheromones, remember? I’ve got ‘em in spades. Suzanne says they can’t resist.”

Jagger growled.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” Payne said. His back was up and he too started to pace. “The minute we move away from the river, they might be able to scent us. If we’re going to move, we need to do it now. You decide, Jagger. Go or no go.”

Jagger and Payne stood nose to nose. Payne clasped Jagger’s hand. A muscle jumped in Jagger’s jaw as he ran the plan through his head one more time.

We were the vanguard, me, Jagger, Lena, Jett, Payne and Gunnar. I would go in, short-circuit the brains of the betas guarding Valent. Jett and Lena would help me take them out once they were on the ground. At the same time, Jagger would breach the fence and find Valent. Gunnar and Payne would handle the bigger Alphas Valent would inevitably call down as soon as he sensed the threat. After that, things would start to get messy.

Jett had a line of troops she’d trained at the edge of the woods leading to the prison. They were our third line of defense. If Able’s wolves got that far, we’d be in deep shit.

We had no idea what the rest of the Pack would do if and when Valent was taken out. We had allies all through Kentucky who’d been warned what was to come. Jett had dispatched some of the friends of Mammoth Forest with the weapons to defend themselves. What we didn’t know is if anyone would turn.

A chorus of howls reached us from the other side of the river. My senses pricked. The Pack was agitated, but they didn’t yet know we were there.

“It’s now or never,” I said. “Jagger?”

He still held his hand at the back of my neck. The skin flared hot there. Squeezing his eyes shut, he let out a breath and made a decision. “Dammit. I hate this.”

“I know,” I said, smiling.

“Everyone knows what they need to do,” Jagger said. Gunnar and Payne gave him quick nods. They turned to their mates. Each of them shared a supernatural link. They didn’t need words. Jagger and I still did.

“Give us a minute,” I said. “Jett, Lena, I’ll meet you in the clearing about ten yards due east. You’ll find a stream. Follow it down.”

Gunnar and Jett embraced; so did Lena and Payne. The rest of them moved off, leaving Jagger and me alone for one last moment.

“I could tell you to be careful, but I know you won’t,” I said.

His grip was strong. His eyes fierce. “Rowan…”

“I know.” I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him. I was lying to him. I kept my emotions calm. If he found out what Suzanne told me, we’d never get through this. I needed his mind and his heart clear about what had to happen next.

“Rowan,” he said. “When this is over, when I kill that bastard, and make no mistake, I will...I’ll come find you.”

“Of course you will.”

“I want you,” he said. His wolf eyes went pure silver. An answering shiver went through me. I knew what he meant and my heart broke in two.

“Jagger…”

“I mean it. I love you. I love you, Rowan. I don’t know how it happened. I didn’t even know it could. But you’re mine. I’m yours. I want it to be forever. If you’ll have me, I want to mark you, claim you, the way it’s supposed to be.”

A single tear fell from my eye and my heart burst. I couldn’t tell him the truth. It would kill him. Later, it might anyway. But for now, at this moment, my answer would have to be enough.

“Yes,” I gasped and my heart soared. Desire flashed through me. If there was time, I wanted it to be now. He could do it so quickly. One bite at the back of my neck and he’d mark me forever as his mate. The bond would strengthen us both. But, I knew the instant he did it, Jagger would know the truth about me. While Able Valent was still alive, I couldn’t take that chance.

“After,” I whispered, going up on my tiptoes to kiss him. “After, my love. And then I’m yours until the end of my days.”

His smile gutted me. I stepped away and pressed two fingers to my lips. “Don’t be a hero,” he said. “Jett and Lena are devastating with those rifles. You let them have the kills. As soon as you get those fuckers on the ground, get out of there. Promise me.”

“And promise me you’re not planning to go kamikaze again,” I said.

Jagger smiled. “No chance, baby. I’ve got too much to live for.”

With that, he kissed me deep and hard. It was the kind of kiss meant to last a lifetime. I threaded my fingers through his hair and said a silent prayer that we could have one.

We broke. Jagger took a step back, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. Then, he turned and ran out of sight.

Now, there was no turning back. I hit the trail by the stream. In seconds, I was back by Lena and Jett’s side. Jett had darkened her face with camouflage paint. She was just about finished applying it to Lena’s. When she held the jar out for me, I waved it off.

“I don’t need that,” I said. “I have war paint all my own.”

I took a step back and tilted my head into the wind. Closing my eyes, I let the scent of the woods fill my nostrils. As I inhaled, I picked up the trail of the Pack patrol. It was just as Jagger said. There were eight of them, forming a line around the prison fence.

My skin tingled as I let the shift come. Since I’d been in Mammoth Forest, I’d checked myself. Never letting my own inner beast through. I told Aunt Grace I’d gotten better at controlling it and I had. Now, I wanted to bring a little chaos back in.

The sky brightened. My spine cracked and I dug my toes into the ground. Colors flared hotter. Power sparked along my nerve endings. I threw my head back and growled.

“My God!” Jett came forward. She adjusted her weapon on her shoulder. I’d grown taller, towering over the two women now.

I was beyond words. My urge to hunt thrummed through me. My prey was just over that ridge.

“Rowan,” Jett gasped. Her eyes shone through the darkness. “You’re beautiful. I...I had no idea.”

Lena’s eyes filled with tears of wonder. In my full power now, it was time to go. I lowered my chin and locked eyes with each of them. We needed no words between us. I turned and headed toward the fence.