Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Raura

I’m on edge. They left me here half an hour ago, and I’m a mess of agitated energy.

“Where are you?” I whisper under my breath. I’d thought my head would explode when Jagger told me to wait here. There’s a cavalcade of cars converged in the parking bay, and I’m the only one left sitting in one. I feel so powerless.

At least my suspicions had been confirmed when we found the SUV parked haphazardly, the driver’s side door hanging open.

He came here. Just as I knew he would.

But when I told Jagger that I’d be able to help them find Riot within the Enclave, he wasn’t having it.

“You’ll get in the way, Raura.” His voice had brooked no argument, even though I’d wheedled and cajoled and then stamped my feet and raged.

Stay here. Stay here, stay here, stay here…

“I’m going to go nuts!” I blurt to no one in particular – largely because I’m alone. Everyone else is up there being useful while I wait here, feeling like an annoying accessory. Flinging the door open, I slide out of the car and tug my jacket closer around me. “I can’t just sit here!” I pace in frustration, throwing anxious glances toward the path they’d taken up the hill.

Jagger and a group of the others had shifted and gone up as wolves, while Casey, Edirn, and another large team went in armed with human weapons. The idea was to launch a two-pronged human-wolf attack to cover all bases.

They’d all exuded grim confidence as they left, but now, with every minute that goes by, I get more worried.

“Where are you?” I say for the hundredth time, except louder now. My voice sounds hollow in the empty space.

I can’t take this sitting around any longer. My heart is pounding with a sickening mix of fear and anticipation. Riot is in there somewhere, maybe hurt or worse.

I have to find him.

Throwing caution to the wind, I take off at a jog toward the path we used to escape previously. It’s overgrown and rocky, but at least it’s less exposed than the direct route to the entrance. My boots crunch on the loose stones and shale as I hurry uphill, trying to stay low.

It’s an arduous climb and one that would be better taken in my wolf form, but I clamber up on foot. Once I get to the facility, I’m going to be navigating doors, locks, and security systems – my wolf is strong, but my human form has the advantage of opposable thumbs.

As I crest the top and maneuver through a field dotted with fitness training equipment, I spot Casey emerging from the access point Riot and I had used before. She’s half-dragging a slender woman with dark hair and silvery eyes. My heart leaps into my throat. There’s no doubt in my mind who this is.

Willow! Riot’s sister!

Casey spots me, and her eyes go wide. “Raura! What the hell are you doing out here?”

“Where’s Riot? Is he inside?” I demand, ignoring her question.

She frowns, clearly torn about whether to share information. “Last time I saw him, he was heading down one of the eastern hallways, but Raura, it’s too dangerous for you in there.”

“I don’t care!” I snap, fear and desperation fueling my words. “He’s my mate, Casey. I’m going after him.”

Casey’s expression softens slightly at that admission. She quickly describes the route Riot took, glancing over her shoulder warily.

“But, Raura, you can’t—”

Without waiting for her to finish, I whirl and take off through the doorway.

My heart is thundering as I slip inside, every sense pinging. The hallway stretches out before me, lined with closed doors. The air is torn by a barrage of sounds; blaring sirens and flashing red lights adding to the chaos.

Steeling myself, I plunge deeper into the Enclave’s depths, praying that I don’t run into any of Parker’s men. There are voices coming from deeper in the facility – loud yells, hoarse screams, savage snarls. A volley of gunshots has me flinching and flattening against the wall, even though I know I’m nowhere near the source.

You’re freaking nuts, Raura! You don’t know what you’re doing!

But common sense can’t dissuade me now. I’ve come this far.

I shove open the next door I reach, holding my breath as it swings open. My heart thunders even though the room is empty – it’s the security center where Riot had brought us when we’d escaped. Banks of computers and monitors line the walls, the equipment flashing wildly now.

A single door at the far end catches my eye, marked “Data Storage.” Something compels me forward, and I cross the space.

Throwing open the door, I freeze at the sight before me. Floor-to-ceiling metal shelving units stretch out in orderly rows, each one crammed full of file boxes and storage drives. But it’s the labels on the boxes that make my breath catch – each one is marked with a different rare species name.

“Snow leopard. Black rhino. Javan…” I murmur the names aloud, a creeping sense of horror washing over me as I realize what I’m looking at. This is a catalog of every creature the Consortium has captured and sold over the years.

Sliding a box out, I extract a ledger and flip it open. I suck in a breath as I take in the neat rows of information: names, dates, figures.

The sound of footsteps behind me has me dropping the ledger and whirling, hands raised defensively, but it’s only Casey emerging through the door.

“Casey! You nearly gave me a freaking heart attack!” I choke out. “What are you doing there?”

“You’re a fine one to talk. You think I’d just let you come running through here all on your own?” She looks around, taking in the rows of shelves. “What the fuck is this place?”

I point at a shelf that’s labeled “Wolf Hybrid.” Her eyes widen.

“It’s where they store all their records, Casey.” I sweep an arm, the gesture encompassing the countless rows of racking units.

“God, Raura.” She exhales a shaky breath. “You mean….?”

I nod. “This is proof of everything they’ve done. Evidence we could use against them! But more importantly, it tells us what they did with the creatures they stole.” I stoop to pick up the ledger and hold it open to her. “Look at this.” I point out a column with my index finger. “This is a buyer. This is how much they paid and the date of purchase. I’m sure of it. There are more details, but I’m not quite sure what it all means yet.”

“Holy fucking shit on a stick!” Casey’s eyes are huge. “This is…”

“This is huge,” I finish for her. “This is the answer to all the questions. The Wildview wolves would probably be listed in here.”

“My God!” Casey breathes, taking the file from me. “Jagger’s gonna flip out when he sees this.”

I dip my head in agreement. “Don’t you see what this means?”

She slants a look at me. “I sure do. We can find them. All of them.”

“Exactly! We need to take this with us.” My heart is pounding at the thought of what this could mean for everyone who’s been impacted by this nightmare.

Her brow furrows as she considers my words. Finally, she gives a curt nod. “You’re right. But we can’t take it all. Too much to carry.”

Spinning, I scan the shelves again, eyes falling on a row of external hard drives. “These. We take these.”

Casey doesn’t argue, simply sweeps an armful of the drives into a nearby crate as I follow suit. Our arms full, we turn and hurry from the room, my pulse racing with the weight of what we’ve just uncovered.

This is it. This is what we’ve been looking for…Sierra, Savannah, their families…

We finally have the answers we need.

We can save them.