We parked in a garage right downtown. My heart was going absolutely crazy as we stepped outside into the cold night air. I wasn’t used to the city, having been in the camp for so long after leaving Kade. All the lights felt overwhelming compared to living out in the woods. I could barely see the stars when I looked up.

The Portsmouth Renaissance. That’s where Tyler had gone with his dad for his business meeting. That’s where he’d met Harvey and been given the address. As we walked down the sidewalk, I saw it on our left.

“There it is,” I said to the group.

The streets had an odd feel to them as we walked. It was cold, so maybe most people were inside, but it almost felt like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie or something. There was the occasional couple or loner out, huddled up in their coats, shielding their faces with their collars up against the snow, but that was about it.

There was no night life tonight. No college kids or high schoolers with fake IDs. But somehow that helped. It was just me, my pack and our mission. And nothing was going to stop us.

I had the piece of snakeskin clenched in my fist, and although I knew I had his scent fixed in my mind, I raised the scrap to my nose again and took a deep breath. His acrid stench filled my nose and disgusted me. I was fueling my anger, which would fuel my strength for what had to be done tonight.

I couldn’t get to the address fast enough, and had to stop myself from breaking into a full run. We had to be careful not to arouse any suspicion.

We’d pheromone-blocked in the truck. Hopefully, if we ran into any shifters, they would mistake us for humans. That was asking a lot, though. The alphas in our group were no joke, and their size was beyond what most humans could achieve without the use of drugs – especially Charles, who towered over everyone like a half-giant.

“This way,” Matias said as he took a left at the end of the block. He’d taken the lead, which was his right as the pack leader. “We’re getting close. Be prepared.”

At the end of the street, we turned right, then left again, and after a couple blocks we were there.

“Thirty-four Blackborne Street,” Dwayne said slowly, his voice a sharp knife against the cool air.

The building stood silent in front of me, stoic and monolithic, like a lockbox containing countless secrets. And that wasn’t far from the truth.

But as soon as I lay eyes on it, I knew we were too late.

“Shit,” I shouted in a whisper. “They’re gone.”

No one said anything. They knew I was right. All the windows were dark and the outside lights were off. There was a light spot on the top step where a mat had been, but it was gone too. They’d packed up shop and left.

My heart sank.

“Missed them,” Charles said. Even he was upset.

Trying not to have a breakdown, I crossed the street and took the steps up to the building. I didn’t care who saw me. If they’d left a lookout to watch the place, at least maybe that would lead us to them.

The door was solid and imposing as I ran my hand down its surface. I knew it was futile, but I grabbed the knob and turned. Of course it was locked, though.

Somehow, the sound of the latch set me off. I felt my wolf stir deep inside me and my fangs extend, and before I knew it, my hand was balled up into a fist and I was swinging a punch.

“Wait, Nate!” It was Matias’s voice behind me, but it was a thousand miles away as far as I was concerned.

My knuckles screamed with pain as my fist smashed into the hard wood of the door. But I heard a crack, and that was all I needed.

I swung again. Blood sprayed as my skin cracked against the wood. But the door cracked again. Screaming until my lungs burned, I put everything I had into my swing and smashed the door like it was the face of the man who had taken my child.

The wood buckled and broke. Splinters shot into the air. I reached into the hole and snatched the wood with both hands, tearing and pulling until I could get my arm through. I reached in, found the deadbolt on the other side, twisted it and snatched the doorknob.

With one twist, it opened and I was inside.

I heard my pack rush up behind me and close the door behind me.

“Shit, Nate!” Charles exclaimed. “When’d you get to be such a beefcake!?”

“That was reckless,” Dwayne said under his breath.

“Not the wisest decision,” Matias scolded. “But here we are. Everyone look around.”

Blood dripped from my hand onto the expensive checkered floor below. Everything was exactly as Tyler had described, and I knew where I had to go.

Marching forward, I found the door straight ahead of me that should have led to the auction space. It was unlocked, and I pushed it open and stepped into total darkness. I found the light switch beside me and flipped it on, only to be greeted with a large empty room.

“Shit!”

I raced to the second door at the far wall, tore it open and found myself in another empty space, the same size as the room behind me.

“Goddamn it!”

I sniffed the air, but it was pointless. The place had been scrubbed with pheromone-blockers. There was nothing to pick up at all.

Charles was coming in as I was on my way out.

“Anything?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I replied.

Back in the foyer, I made my way to one of the side doors and found myself in an office that looked like it belonged to a mob boss. Matias was already there, and when he turned, and I saw the look in his eyes, I knew we were onto something.

“Smell that?” he asked me, but I was two steps ahead of him.

There, on the air, was the acidic stink of the snakeskin-suited alpha. It was slightly faint, but it was there, and it led to a door at the back of the room.

I raced over to it and grabbed the handle.

“Nate, wait!” he shouted. But I was possessed. I yanked the door open and found myself staring down a cold staircase. Hitting the lights, blue fluorescents lit above me as I started down the steps.

“Guys!” I heard Matias shout behind me, trying his best to be quiet. But I was already at the bottom. I was fueled by a rage that burned so hot there was nothing left in me but determination. Despair, sadness, grief – all those emotions were secondary to the laser focus that had taken me over.

But when I turned the corner and pulled open a heavy steel door, the sight that greeted me left me speechless.