ETHAN POV
“What do you mean that she’s been taken?” I asked, Dex right below the surface.
The captain refused to meet my gaze. “Joanna and Piper witnessed it. They reported that the Luna was talking to someone in the tree line. She did not approach the tree line. She turned to come back to the Alpha House and four men came out of the trees. One hit her and three tackled the Kunisada before she had time to shift. Troi fought and killed two of the men, but the remaining two were able to take the Luna. The Kunisada was badly hurt, and the two men disappeared with the Luna.”
I didn’t bother to fight Dex anymore. I let him have control and he shifted with a roar, racing out of the arena. I had been on border patrol when all of this had happened, and my captain had found me beginning my training in the arena, oblivious as to what had happened. Training forgotten, Dex
IZZY POVI woke up with a splitting headache. I put my hand up and I bumped it on something. Waking up more, I began to panic.I was in a box. A long, flat, narrow box. Like a coffin.I started banging on it. “Let me out!” I shouted. Nothing.I tried to shift. I couldn’t.Heka? I tried. I panicked even more, not being able to contact my wolf.I’m here. Just weak, she finally responded. I relaxed a little. I was grateful not to be alone.What happened? I asked.I don’t know. Vampires, I think. I think they want our babies.Funny thing is that calmed me a little. They wouldn’t want to hurt me or hurt my wolf, at least until the babies were born. Hurting me would hurt them. I was okay, as long as my theory was correct.I strained my ears and hear
ETHAN POV“Where do you want to wait?” I asked Alessia. She gestured.“Back door. The women’s bathrooms were back there. She’ll act like she’s going to the lavatory and then slip out.”I nodded. I knew that the girl in leather had something for us, something good. I also knew that she was afraid, despite the bravado that she had displayed. I knew that the vampire world was a lot more brutal than the werewolf world ever would be and she had every right to be afraid. I was hoping that my hunch was right, though, and that she would attempt to talk to us.We didn’t have to wait long. Alessia was lounging against the dumpster, oblivious of the smell. I was pacing when I heard the back door squeak open. I halted.“You out here?” the female asked. I could see her outline in the glow from her vaping pen.I stepped close
IZZY POVThe first thing I realized was that I was out of the box. The next thing I realized was that I was colder than I had ever been in my life before. I was freezing.I opened my eyes and realized that didn’t make things better. It was pitch black and I couldn’t see where I was. I tried talking to Heka; her vision was so much better than mine at night, but she was quiet. I could sense her, but she was weak.I felt around, trying to identify things. I was shackled; I figured that out almost first thing. It was an ankle shackle, and I could tell it was silver from how it burned my hand when I touched it. I adjusted my legging bottom to cover my ankle, protecting it from the searing property of the silver.I was laying on a pile of straw that had been tossed on a stone floor. My body felt bruised and sore. I shifted and sat up, moving to my knees and feeling around my prison. I
CALEB POV“Well, that makes sense,” Reese said. “The prophecy mentioned a traitor.”“Dammit,” Ethan swore. I could hear Alessia next to him, shouting.“We need to go back,” she was saying.“Why?” I asked, curiously. Ethan put her on speaker phone.“We need to get Troi. Remember the prophecy? We need to keep her close. The prophecy was very specific.” Alessia was adamant.Brian and I looked at each other. “I got this here,” Brian said to me, quietly. “Go. Go get your mate back.”“You guys keep going. I’ll bring Troi,” I said into the phone. “I’ll be there in six hours.”IZZY POVI took Bart’s advice and I covered up with some of the straw. It was a little warmer. I w
IZZY POVThe jerk didn’t even give me shoes or slippers. I wasn’t wearing any when I was taken, and they didn’t bother to give me any to use. They marched me out of the jail cell across the packed snow and ice to a huge house that loomed in the distance. My feet were numb within the first five steps.I looked around the property. I could see a massive concrete wall around the entire perimeter. Razor wire looped over the top of the wall and there were cameras spaced every few feet. I wondered if it was to keep people in or people out.We stepped out of the shelter of the jail and the gale of wind caught me. I put my arms around my body, trying to shield myself from the icy wind. I was wearing a loose hoodie, and the wind was relentless, finding every opening to blow into. I was shaking hard from the cold by the time we made it to the house.I was unceremoniously pushed into
IZZY POVIt took me a minute to find my voice. “I will not betray my mates,” I said, my voice shaking. I did not look at him, expecting a blow or some other sort of retaliation for my defiance. He did not move, just stood next to me for a moment before walking back to his desk.“You will come to me soon, begging me to take you to my bed,” he said, taking a seat in his chair. He sounded matter of fact.I said nothing, still sitting on the floor in front of the fire. He looked at me, his mouth quivering with amusement. “I see you doubt me.”“I do,” I said. “I know that I won’t betray my mates, no matter what you do to me.”He studied me for a moment. “Perhaps you should be worried about your pups?” he suggested. “Would you betray your mates for your pups?”I shook my head. “I would not.&nbs
REESE POV“What do you mean you can’t get me any closer?” I demanded. Travis looked nonplussed.“See this?” he asked, showing me a computer screen with a blue swath over most of the map. “Snow. A massive storm is starting. Going to be a few days before it even begins to clear up.”“So you won’t even bring us up there?” I asked in disbelief. “What about our wolves? Can we go on foot? Wouldn’t they make it?”Travis looked at me with exasperation. “Reese, you haven’t changed a bit from Alpha School. You were always my most pain in the ass student. There’s a reason I teach survival skills and a reason I’m a guide up here. I’m good at it. I will keep you alive. You need to believe me and understand. Our wolves won’t make it. The only way to m
IZZY POVI was cold. I woke up because my face hurt from the freezing air. I opened my eyes to see snow drifting into the little slits that let in our sunlight. I groaned and rolled over, pulling my hoodie tighter around my face.“This storm will last a few days,” Bart said, his voice gloomy. I opened my eyes again.“Yesterday morning you weren’t so pessimistic,” I said, critically. “What changed?”He shrugged. “I thought I’d be able to enjoy some conversation for the first time in years. But you either slept or you were gone. I didn’t get to talk to you.”I snorted. “Believe me, my time with Cornelius wasn’t a picnic.”He began to giggle and then the giggle turned into a booming laugh. After a second, I joined him. And, honestly? After we were done laughing, I felt better about things.&n