We were close. I could smell the border from here. I wanted to do this my way. Travel alone. Hit the tunnels near Crane’s Hollow unseen, unheard. But, with each step I took, the damn dragonsteel chains rattled something awful. I had fantasies about dropping low then wrapping them around Luke Tully’s neck.

“We’re almost there,” he said, sensing the direction of my thoughts. Derek stayed to the right of him, his own pack spread out over a quarter of a mile radius. Alec Martel flanked my other side. The members of his pack stayed even further back. I supposed I should have been grateful for the escort. Never mind the treaty keeping Able’s Chief Pack on the other side of the border, I couldn’t imagine any of them being stupid enough to try anything with this many free shifters around.

I wanted to be one of them so badly I could taste it. Sure, my own territorial nature would never allow me to drop my guard around them. It was more than that though. My heart twisted with jealousy as I watched each of them with their mates. Alec’s mate Olivia carried their child. They were easy with each other. Enraptured.

For me, my heart felt like I had a smoking black hole where Lena’s pulse used to be.

“When we get within sight of the highway,” Luke said. “We’ll unlock those.”

“You sure that’s wise?” I said. “I might just rip your arms off.”

Luke bared his teeth and tugged on the chains. “We’re trying to help you, asshole. Do you not get that those things keep you safer than they do us?”

“I get that you’re all afraid of what I can do at full strength,” I said, my voice low and irritable. I knew I should probably show a little more gratitude. After all, these men had entrusted me with precious weapons and ammo. With them, we might have a real shot at bringing down Able. But, the dragonsteel chafed, dammit. Something about it sapped my strength a little too. It was hard to believe something as simple as thousand-year-old steel forged with the fetid breath of an extinct species could still have such potency.

Alec laughed. “It makes it harder for Valent to zone in on you,” he said. “Or hadn’t you noticed?”

I stopped walking. Son of a bitch. He had a point. I’d assumed it was distance and two border crossings keeping me from sensing the pull of the Pack. But, we were no more than a mile from the Kentucky line and I still didn’t sense anything but the weight of the chains.

“Good to know,” I said, trying for a more conciliatory tone. Alec recognized it and laughed.

I had it in me to apologize to him for being an asshole. I didn’t get the chance. A scream ripped through the air. It was close, due south. Luke’s wolf sprang forth at the sound of it.

“Oh, shit,” Derek said. He whistled and gestured downward with two fingers, calling his pack in. Alec did the same. My own wolf raged.

“Get these fucking things off of me!” I yelled. “I can’t fight like this.”

“You don’t need to fight,” Derek called. “You need to run. Stay low. We told you, those chains make it harder for Valent to sense you. If he’s close you need to keep them on.”

My heart racing, I did run. Alec and Derek didn’t shift. Their packs closed ranks around us though. A field stretched in front of us and a new rumbling filled my ears. This time, it was manmade. A small, twin-engine plane sat idling in the clearing.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Derek called out. The pilot in the cockpit looked terrified as we covered the distance. Derek clearly knew him. He didn’t stop for introductions.

A second scream erupted, followed by a gunshot. I dropped to my knees as Lena’s racing pulse cut through to me. Derek’s exclamation made sense and so did the plane. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I echoed Derek’s sentiment as he yanked on the chains and hauled me to my feet.

We hit the edge of a deep ditch. Luke’s wolf stood a few yards away, growling, fangs bared. He stood in front of Pat Bonner. She had a gun pointed at the highway. A slain wolf lay at her feet. Beside her, another figure lay in a fetal position.

My heart cracked into a million pieces. It was Lena. She wasn’t moving.

“Get these off of me!” I yelled. Derek ran ahead of me. I went for Lena. When the slack in the chains tightened, it knocked Derek to the ground. Nothing on this earth, not even dragonsteel, would keep me from getting to Lena’s side.

“Baby!” I yelled. I pulled her into my lap. Her body went rigid; her eyes were fixed and sightless. Her lips were moving, but she wasn’t saying anything I could hear.

I’d been so stupid. I thought cutting her off would keep her safe. “Where is he?” Alec yelled to Pat.

“He went back over the border,” she said. “I got that fucker right in the jugular,” she said, waving her gun at the fallen wolf. “He moved so fast though. Alec, I tried. He put his hands on Lena. Then she just...went. Is she dead?”

“No,” I said through gritted teeth. “No. But she’s…”

I couldn’t say the rest of it. I knew that look. I’d seen this before. Able Valent had a hold of her. He was controlling her body, maybe even her thoughts. He’d gotten in. She couldn’t break away.

“Unhook him!” Luke shifted back. Kneeling beside me, he felt for a pulse along Lena’s neck.

“I told you,” I said, pulling her away from him. “She’s not dead.” The voice coming out of me didn’t sound like me. The tone was low, guttural, lethal.

Derek, Alec, and Luke argued about something. I pulled Lena to my chest, pressing her ear to my heartbeat.

“I’m here, baby,” I whispered. “Hang on. Don’t give in.”

I couldn’t feel Able anywhere. If I couldn’t find him, I couldn’t fight him. With every beat of her heart, Lena was slipping away.

When Derek Monroe put a hand on me, I struck. Dragonsteel or no, I lashed out, hitting him across the chest with my forearm. He flew about ten feet back, landing on all fours, his wolf eyes flaring brightly. Alec got between us, keeping Derek from striking back.

Derek snapped his jaw then threw something at Alec. “Fine,” he said. “You do it.”

Alec locked eyes with me. A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I’m going to unlock those,” he said. “Don’t try to kill me.”

My muscles went rigid as I let Alec get close. With two quick movements, he slid the key into the padlock around my chest, freeing my arms. The chains fell away. It allowed me to get my arm beneath Lena. I held her in my lap, my heart breaking.

“Payne.” Luke knelt in front of me. He was careful not to touch me. “You don’t have a lot of time.”

“No,” I said through tight lips. “Get the fuck away from me.”

“You can get her back,” he said. “At least, I think I know a way you can try.”

I couldn’t speak. I held Luke’s stare. His eyes were bright green, just like mine. Pain etched his brow. “I know this,” he said. “I’ve been this. Listen to me. You have to go in.”

“What do you mean, go in?”

Except, I knew exactly what he meant. It was the thing I’d fought against since I was old enough to feel the pull.

Alec pulled the last of the chains free. The instant he did it, I felt Able. He was everywhere and nowhere. Suddenly, I knew what I had to do.

I closed my eyes and let go.

I had no anchor, no tether. Able had hidden that from me as he pulled Lena away. I couldn’t see her. I’d foolishly believed the moment I gave in to the pull of the Pack, I’d find her at the center of it. Though I could still feel the weight of her body slumped against me, she had no heartbeat. The pulse beating inside of me was my own.

“It’s time,” Able said.

There he was. I wanted to shout a warning to the Wild Lake men. They were all around me, but they didn’t see how close Able was. He stood in the shadow of a pine tree just across the highway. His eyes flared red and I knew mine did too.

“She can be yours again,” he said, cutting to the heart of me.

“She isn’t yours to give,” I answered. “She never was. That’s why you had Shelby hurt her the way you did. She had more fight in her than either of you bargained for. Lena’s different. She was always different.”

Able shrugged. He leaned against a birch tree, his hands in his pockets. He wore black pants and a crisp, white shirt unbuttoned at the collar. Tufts of his gray chest hair poked out. “She might be the one, Able. Her father was a shifter. Her brother is a shifter. Who knows? I’d like to try with her myself while I still have some juice left in me. She could produce a female shifter. A queen for all of us. My line would be secure. But, if it doesn’t work. I’ll give her to you. I can’t promise how much fight will be left in her by then, but like you said, she’s different.”

My stomach rolled with rage. He made me sick. My claws came out, digging into my palms. The more I gave in to fury, the easier it was for Able to pull me in. I never understood his power over me until that very second. He ate my rage. It fueled him. My feet began to move. He drew me closer. The more I tried to push away, the closer he came.

“That’s it,” Able said. “Now, you see. This is what you’re best at, Payne. Think about it. The greatest things you’ve ever done, you did for me. Jonah was a masterpiece. I can give you so much more.”

Able reached for me. His wolf eyes flared scarlet. They seemed lit with hellfire as his rough fingers scraped my chin.

Lena stirred in my arms when he did it. As I looked back up at Able, I knew he’d overplayed his hand. If my rage fueled Able, Lena’s love broke through.

I pushed back.

At first, Able’s smile only widened. He reached for me again. Fingers curled around my wrist then traveled up. My heart thundered inside me. First it was just mine, then, I felt Lena’s. He was right. She was a fighter. There was no one else like her in the world.

“Payne.” The soft whisper of Lena’s voice curled around my heart. Her fingers laced with mine. Though it was my hand reaching for Able, I felt her strength right alongside it.

“No,” I said. A simple word. One Able Valent didn’t often hear. His outstretched hand froze. His eyes changed. Still lit with red fury, they flickered. This was new.

I pushed harder.

Able’s palm turned up. His elbow bent. His fingers started to tremble.

I shoved back with everything I was.

Able’s eyes widened. His arm bent at an awkward angle as he tried to regain control of it. But, I had it now. We had it now.

I pushed him over the edge.

Able’s arm arced high above his head. His lips went white. Then, his elbow bent and his claws came out. He tilted his head to the side, then slashed his own face from his left eye all the way across his chin.

Four red lines opened up and blood poured out. Able staggered back. His eyes went from red to gold and back again. I moved in for the kill.

“Payne!”

There was a hand on my arm, pulling me back. Wolves howled in every direction. Sweat poured down my back. It seemed a thousand eyes stared back at me, surrounding me.

The Pack was here.