10. Lorenzo

TEN

LORENZO

I stood in the shadows of Last Drop bar's parking lot, feeling my panther pace close to the surface. He was restless and ready to pounce, hating this plan as much as I did. The idea of Mia being used as bait for Lucius turned my stomach.

My panther and I weren't the only ones feeling that way, either.

Ethan felt the same. I could tell from the tension rippling off him in waves. It mirrored my own. However, despite how we felt about the situation, we'd both agreed to go along with Neo's plan.

One, he was our alpha. Two, Joe was inside with Mia, monitoring things. And three, this was our best shot at taking Lucius down.

I exhaled a slow breath, trying to calm myself and my panther down. It didn't work. On either account. My panther wanted me to march in there and end Lucius for even daring to look at Mia. I wanted the same, but I knew I had to follow the plan.

We couldn't screw this up.

My gaze zeroed in on the entrance of the bar while I went over the plan in my head again. Mia was supposed to strike up a conversation with Lucius—I didn't want to think about the details of how—and then she was supposed to say she was calling it a night. After she exited the bar, she was going to acknowledge to us that she'd spoken with him, and then we were ready for phase two of the plan. She was supposed to pretend her car wouldn't start and head back inside to ask for Lucius's help. When they came out, we were going to ambush the asshole, making sure we drew blood or snagged something of his in case the asshole escaped us again.

"I don't like this," Ethan muttered from beside me. "She should have come out by now to tell us she was ready to begin phase two."

"I don't like it either," I admitted, my eyes snapping back to the entrance of the bar. "She should be out here soon."

At least, I hoped.

I wasn't sure how much longer I could sit here, waiting for her to make an appearance. It was killing me not being in there with her—not having her in my sight.

"Trust Mia and Joe," Daxton said. "They've got this locked down. Besides, this is the best plan we've had."

Ethan let out a heavy sigh. "I know. It's just—she's my little sister. I can't stand the thought of her being in danger and me being right outside the damn building."

"I get it, man," I said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's killing me being out here, too. All I want is to be in there with her."

The minutes dragged by, each one feeling like an eternity, while we all continued to wait for Mia to make an appearance. My mind filled with worst-case scenarios, and my panther's urge to storm inside intensified. Tension coiled through me. When the door finally opened, my heart kickstarted inside my chest, but it wasn't Mia. It was a couple leaving the bar instead. Another few minutes passed and then there she was.

My gaze trailed over her, searching for any sign of injury and finding none, before settling on her face. She gave a subtle nod, and the corner of her lips twisted into a cute smirk. Her attention drifted to her car, and she rumbled through her purse for her keys. As she unlocked it, my gaze swung back to the bar, looking for Lucius to follow her out.

He wasn't anywhere in sight.

While I knew everyone wanted the plan to go without a hitch, I hoped the asshole threw a wrench in it and stepped outside now. I didn't want her going back in there to him. I didn't want her out of my sight again.

She was safe right now.

And then it happened—the door to the bar opened and Lucius came strutting out. It was like a prayer answered. My panther roared at the sight of him, but I refused to set him free. Instead, I glanced at Neo. His gaze was fixed on Lucius, his panther close enough to the surface to make his eyes glow yellow.

We were all ready for what would come next—the end of Lucius.

All of us watched as he made his way to Mia. She was already climbing out of her car and flashing him a smile.

Damn, she was good at pretending.

If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought she was into him.

"I don't know what's wrong," she said, walking toward him. "It won't start. I'm glad you came out when you did. I was about to head inside and see if anyone had any jumper cables."

"Get ready," Neo whispered.

No one responded. We didn't need to. Our anticipation of taking this asshole out could be felt rippling through the tribe bond.

Lucius's reign was over.

No longer would he threaten us. No longer would we be forced to watch our backs and the backs of those we loved. We'd finally put all this behind us and live the lives we wanted.

The lives we deserved.

My jaw clenched as I watched him approaching Mia. The smirk forming on his face while he stared her up and down made my blood boil.

I loathed him.

"Let me take a look." He moved to the front of her car. "Pop the hood for me."

That was what we'd been waiting for.

The instant Mia popped the hood of her car, we sprang into action.

Kiera and Miranda rushed forward with a cloaking spell, securing the whole scene from anyone who might have otherwise caught a glimpse of the takedown, and Neo led the charge on Lucius. Ethan, Daxton, and I followed suit.

The prick barely had time to react before we were on him.

Neo gave way to his panther and the rest of us released our inner beasts as well. Pure power pumped through my panther.

My panther made his way to Mia, sliding between her and Lucius to protect her, while the others advanced on him. While my panther and I wanted to be in on the action of the takedown, making sure Mia was safe was our top priority.

"Mia!" Miranda shouted. "Over here."

My panther nudged Mia in that direction, but she barely made it two steps before Lucius sidestepped the others and grabbed hold of her arm. He slung her against his chest and snaked his arm around her waist, keeping her flush against him. His pupils elongated, his snake close to the surface, as he tipped her head back, exposing her neck. A tiny gasp pushed past her parted lips, and her eyes grew wide.

A heartbeat later, they brightened with her panther.

Before anyone could rush in and save her, Mia saved herself by setting her panther free. She burst from Mia like a force to be reckoned with and released a roar of pure hatred at Lucius.

Good girl.

The doors to the bar opened, and Lucius's minions poured out. His army was here, but they didn't matter. We knew all we had to do was take him down. Once we did that, every one of his minions would be released from whatever mind fuck he'd done to them.

Neo's panther charged Lucius, drawing first blood. It was his right as alpha. We all knew it, no matter how strong our urge to spill it first was.

Lucius was fair game now.

Any one of us could end him now that first blood had been spilled. We attacked as a team, with precision and force. Surprise flashed in Lucius's eyes as he realized he was outnumbered, and that this wasn't going to end well for him.

My panther's fury toward the prick fueled his strikes, and I knew everyone else did the same. I sank my teeth into his upper leg, thinking how that bite was for looking at Mia. The next was for talking to her. And the next was for all the shit he'd done to my tribe, everything he'd put us through.

Daxton's panther fought off the minions attacking us from behind, and Ethan's bear helped. Neo's panther and mine continued to tear into Lucius. While Miranda and Mia tag teamed a few more minions.

It was a task that grew easier by the second as Lucius weakened.

He attempted to shift into his snake, but he'd lost too much blood. Knowing his end was close, we descended on him like the animals we were. There was no way for him to get out of this situation, and there was no way in hell we'd stop.

Neo's panther sank his teeth into the side of Lucius's neck and pulled. When he released him, Lucius crumpled to the ground, and then we all watched as life faded from his eyes.

It was finally over. We'd won.

My panther stepped to the side, allowing me to shift back so that I could search for Mia and make sure she was all right. When I found her, she stood staring at Lucius. Her eyes swirled with a mixture of relief and shock from the scene before her. I erased the distance between us in a few short strides and pulled her into my arms. She melted against me and sighed with relief.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concern she might be hurt slid through me. "I'm sorry you had to shift and fight. I didn't want you to have to do that."

Her hands smoothed across my back, and I could feel the tension draining from her body. "I'm fine. I was worried about you, though. I didn't want anything to happen to you. The thought drove me and my panther insane."

"It's the mate bond. It's strong." I pulled back to look into her eyes. "You were incredible. Your panther is fierce." I smiled at her while brushing a strand of hair away from her face.

"She is." She grinned.

"Thank you," someone said from behind us. It was a man with sandy blond hair and sharp green eyes. "He was in my head—in all of our heads. He could control us. I don't know how, but I swear to you everything was all him. Nothing we did was of our own accord."

"We know," Neo insisted, stepping forward. "This isn't our first run in with him."

"Here," Kiera said, shoving clothes at Mia and me. "Everyone needs to get dressed and clean this all up. The cloaking spell won't last much longer."

I pulled on a pair of athletic shorts and turned my attention back to Mia, letting Neo handle explanations with the others while Kiera and Savannah passed out clothes to the rest of our tribe.

"You sure you're okay?" I asked her, watching as she shimmied into a dress with little sunflowers printed on it.

"She's more than okay," Ethan said, making his way to us as he tugged on a shirt. "She's a badass!"

"Oh, I know," Mia replied without a moment of hesitation. "Still think of me as a little kid now?"

"Nah." Ethan pulled her in for a hug. "Now you're at least eighteen in my head."

"Oh, okay." She rolled her eyes, and I laughed.

It was nice seeing the two of them joke around with each other. The last thing I wanted was to cause a rift between them because Mia was my mate.

"So, does that mean you're okay with me and Lorenzo?" Mia asked, her boldness surprising me.

Ethan grew silent, his gaze shifting between the two of us.

"Do I have a choice?" he asked.

"Not a chance," I chimed in, a grin twisting my lips.

"Didn't think so. I can feel the bond between you. It's strong—like mine and Miranda's," he said. "Your panthers picked each other, didn't they?"

Mia tossed me a look. Warmth spread through my chest at the sight.

"They have," she whispered.

"That's all I needed to know," Ethan said. He held his hand out to me. I took it and held his stare. "You have my blessing."

"Thanks."

Even though his blessing wasn't something we needed, it was still nice to have.

"I'm glad," Mia said, melting into my side again.

"All right, let's pack it in," Neo shouted, authority ringing through his tone. "It's time to get out of here."

"What about Lucius's body?" Mia asked me. "Shouldn't we bury him or something?"

A few of the shifters who had been under his mind control stepped to his body. They hoisted him into the air and carried him to a pickup truck parked two spaces away. A tarp was secured over him, and then he was driven away.

"Where do you think they're taking him?" Mia asked.

"A place where no one will ever find his sorry ass," the man with the sandy blond hair and sharp green eyes spat. "Trust me."

The door to the bar swung open and a group of people exited the bar, talking and laughing among themselves.

Kiera and Miranda's cloaking spell had been lifted.

"Wait, don't y'all think we should head inside for a celebratory drink?" I asked, looking around at my tribe.

"I could go for a drink," Miranda replied. "Ethan?" She looked at him expectantly.

"Yeah, I think there are some celebrations to be had," he said, pulling her to his side.

Everyone shifted to look at Neo. It was his call.

"One drink, and then we get out of here," he insisted.

"We'll see," Kiera chimed in, interlacing her fingers through his and tugging him toward the door.

I slung my arm around Mia's shoulder as we followed everyone inside.

Lucius's reign of terror was finally over, and the Ashen Tribe was stronger than ever. Peace settled over me because I knew we were going to be just fine.