10. Orion

Ipaced, back and forth, wearing a groove into the already threadbare carpet. My mind conjured up images of Brielle, her smile, her laugh, the way she fit so perfectly in my arms. The thought of losing her, of never seeing her again, was a physical pain, a vise around my heart.

The minutes ticked by, each one an eternity. I could feel my control slipping, my wolf howling to be let out, to hunt, to kill. It took every ounce of willpower I had to keep him contained, to not let the animal take over when every instinct demanded blood.

The sound of tires on gravel had me whipping around. I was out the door before the truck had even stopped, Elise and Rafe already climbing out, their faces grim.

"Corbin and Declan are on their way." Elise's eyes narrowed, her nostrils flaring as she scented the air. "They're bringing reinforcements. Max and Cassidy too."

Cassidy. Fuck. A twinge of guilt twisted in my gut. I hadn't even thought to call her, to let her know her cousin was missing. What kind of mate was I, too caught up in my own terror to think of Brielle's family?

Before I could spiral further into self-loathing, Elise's phone rang, shattering the tense silence. She snatched it up, her "hello" sharp and clipped.

I strained to hear the voice on the other end, but even my heightened senses couldn't make out the words.

Rafe caught my eyes. "What do we know?" he asked, his voice a low rumble.

I shook my head, my jaw clenched so tight I thought my teeth might crack. "Not much. Her phone was under a couch, maybe slid in a scuffle. Her scent is inside, but it stops at the door. I'm certain it's the null scent those fuckers used around Fiona."

Elise listened intently, her posture taut as a bowstring. Every muscle in my body tensed, waiting for news, for something, anything that could lead me to Brielle.

"Okay, we'll be there," Elise said finally, ending the call with a decisive tap.

She turned to us, her eyes blazing with a fierce determination that mirrored the fire in my own veins. "A sports car was seen at Big Red's filling up, then it headed down Mill Road. Brielle's, I'm assuming."

Mill Road was the only road worth mentioning in the whole damn town. One end connected to the main route through the mountains. The other meandered as Mill Creek's main drag and faded into nothing more than abandoned homes and forgotten dreams rotting in the wilderness.

The perfect place to hide someone you didn't want found.

Rafe and Elise exchanged a look, a silent communication passing between them. I knew what they were thinking, could practically hear the gears turning in their heads. Wait for backup. Don't go off half-cocked. Be smart.

"I'm going," I said, my voice brooking no argument. "I can't wait."

Rafe stepped forward, his hand outstretched in a placating gesture. "Orion, man, I get it. But we don't know what we're walking into."

We didn't know if she still lived, in other words. Didn't know if they could keep me from losing my shit entirely if the worst had happened.

I shook my head, already moving towards the door. "I don't care. She's my mate, Rafe."

Elise blocked my path, her eyes hard as flint. "And she could be bait just like Max's mate last year. Think, Orion. The more eyes and ears we have, the better."

A snarl ripped from my throat, my wolf rising to the surface at the order in her tone. "Out of my way, Elise."

For a moment, I thought she might actually try to stop me. Her jaw clenched, her muscles coiling in preparation for a fight. But then, something in her eyes softened. Understanding, maybe even empathy.

"Okay, but we're coming with you," she said, stepping aside. "Pack sticks together."

I nodded, a jerk of my chin. It was as close to a thank you as I could manage.

We moved as one towards the cars, Rafe sliding into the driver's seat of his truck while Elise and I climbed into mine. The engine roared to life under my hands, the vibration traveling up my arms and into my chest.

I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles white with the force of my hold. The drive down Mill Road was a blur, the trees whipping past in a haze of green and brown. Worst-case scenarios flashed through my head, icing the blood in my veins and sending my wolf into a fucking terror.

What if we were too late? What if they'd hurt her? What if?—

No. I couldn't think like that. Wouldn't let myself go down that road. Brielle was strong, a fighter. She'd hold on until I could get to her.

She had to.

The end of Mill Road just… stopped. The familiar wall of shrubs and trees hid the closest of the abandoned homes, the former residents long driven out by dried up opportunity or a snarling pack of wolves. I parked haphazardly, barely taking the time to throw the truck into park before I was out and moving into Dusk Valley territory.

"We should shift," Elise said, her voice low and urgent. She threw a look over her shoulder to Rafe jogging to catch up. "We'll cover more ground, track them easier."

I shook my head, the motion sharp and jerky. I didn't slow. Brielle was somewhere ahead, somewhere I needed to be. "No. They're hunters. They'll shoot first and ask questions never if they see a wolf."

Rafe nodded, his jaw tight. "Orion's right. We go in human and pretend we're hiking if spotted."

It went against every instinct I had to not let my wolf take over. I wanted to fill that primal need to hunt and kill. But I couldn't risk it, not if it meant risking Brielle.

We moved into the trees, our steps light and careful on the uneven ground. The scent of gasoline and rubber hit me like a slap in the face, and I held up a hand, signaling the others to stop.

"Tire tracks," I said, crouching down to examine the deep grooves in the soft dirt. They were fresh, the edges still crumbling.

Elise sniffed the air, her eyes narrowing. "Brielle's car?"

I followed the tracks with my eyes, my heart pounding against my ribs as they veered off the main path and into the brush. We followed, pushing through the undergrowth until we came to a small clearing.

And there, barely hidden by a few haphazard branches, was Brielle's car.

I was moving before I even registered the decision, my feet carrying me to the driver's side door. It was unlocked, the keys still in the ignition. They'd ditched it in a hurry, probably realizing too late that a sports car wasn't meant for off-roading.

Elise was already scouting the area, her eyes tracking the ground for any sign of which direction they might have gone. Rafe stood guard, his posture tense and alert for any threat.

"Here," Elise called, pointing to a trail of footprints leading away from the car. Two sets, one small and delicate, the other large and heavy.

Brielle and her captor.

I felt a growl building in my throat, my wolf clawing at my insides to be let out. I swallowed it down and forced myself to focus. On the trail. On the prints that grew more and more erratic as we went.

I quickened my pace, each blink and heart beat still taking too long.

The trail ended at the base of a dilapidated old house, the windows boarded up and the porch sagging under years of neglect. The world tunneled, narrowing down to a single point of focus on the door.

She was here. I knew it in my gut.

And I was going to fucking destroy whoever had dared to touch her.

Elise and Rafe exchanged a look, then Elise took off to circle the structure.

Rafe jerked his chin for me to follow as we skirted around the other side. In sight of a boarded window, we left the trees and pressed close to the soggy siding. Elise reappeared on our other side and pointed back toward the front.

One way in, one way out. And I still couldn't get a read on any one scent.

I gritted my teeth, the beast inside me howling to be let loose. Every second we waited was a second Brielle was in danger. I strained my ears, desperate for any sound, any clue that she was still alive.

And then I heard it. Barrett's voice, muffled but unmistakable. Barrett, not the fuckers who'd scared Brielle before.

Brielle's father, Fiona's killer, Cassidy's kidnapper… That absolute dogshit of a human had my mate?

"It's not my fault if the local wildlife proved too much of a challenge for our fallen friends," Barrett said, the words like ice in my veins. "But to soften the blow, I offer you a batch of selenite oil. Should be enough to tear through both local packs and end their pesky healing advantage."

Every muscle in my body coiled tight with the need to charge through the flimsy door and shred every fucker on the other side. Selenite? That black magic shit turned scratches into mortal wounds.

My gums ached with the press of fangs and claws sharpened my fingertips.

Rafe's hand landed on my shoulder and a low snarl whispered against my ear. "We wait for the others."

The words were thick with power, with control, with a demand that I listen and obey. I shook my head to clear the buzz. Brielle was my concern. Brielle. Fuck Rafe and his orders. If Brielle still lived and breathed, if he kept me from her?—

"The witch is nearly drained, but I'm told she can be rested to produce another batch in the next week." Muffled movement ended with a sharp, feminine gasp, and I nearly shed my skin. Brielle! "Take this one as a bonus. Bait, amusement, I don't care. We're even. Paid in full. Leave me the fuck alone, and happy hunting."

A snarl built in my throat, primal and savage. He was bartering with her life, using my mate as a fucking poker chip in his twisted game. My wolf surged forward, ready for blood and vengeance.

"Orion, don't—" Rafe's alpha order came too late.

I bolted around the front and burst through the door without any concern of what the other side contained. The room beyond was dimly lit, shadows clinging to the corners like cobwebs. But there, huddled near Willow of all witches, was Brielle.

Our eyes met across the space, hers wide with fear, silently pleading for help. For me.

Shouts and snarls filled the air as Rafe and Elise piled in behind me.

The two fuckers from before swung their weapons towards us, fingers twitching on the triggers.

Two women—witches, and not the good kind—hissed in surprise.

Barrett moved first, lunging for Brielle.

I acted with single-minded focus, my fist slamming into the nearest threat to my mate. Bone crunched under my knuckles, blood splattered hot across my skin. My wolf snarled and snapped for more. More blood, more revenge, more death. To keep Brielle safe, to avenge Fiona.

Chaos erupted. The hunters opened fire, bullets whizzing past my head as I dove for cover. Elise and Rafe scattered, their forms blurring as they shifted mid-leap. Snarls and screams filled the air, the coppery scent of blood thick in my nostrils.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the witches start to chant, her hands weaving in intricate patterns. The air crackled with dark energy, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Whatever spell she was casting, it wasn't good.

But my focus was solely on Brielle. She scrambled to her feet, dodging Barrett's grasping hands as she made a break for the door. He roared in fury, swinging his gun around to aim at her retreating back.

"The circle!" Willow cried out, gesturing wildly around her. "Break the circle!"

My heart lodged in my throat as Brielle twisted around and threw herself at the witch. She slid forward, scattering the thick line of salt locking Willow down.

A gunshot cracked through the air, the bullet grazing my ear with a searing heat. Brielle's scream pierced through the chaos, terror and desperation in her voice. It was a sound that would haunt me, fuel my nightmares for years to come.

But in that moment, it was the catalyst, the spark that ignited the inferno within me. My wolf surged forward, no longer content to be contained. I embraced the shift, letting it ripple through me like a shockwave. Bones cracked and reformed, muscles tore and reknit, fur sprouted from my skin as I fell forward onto four paws.

The world sharpened into crystal clarity, every scent, every sound magnified. I could hear Brielle's racing heartbeat, smell the acrid stench of her fear. It mingled with the cloying sweetness of dark magic as the two witches faced off against Willow.

Even weakened, Willow was a force to be reckoned with. She stood tall, her eyes glowing with an ethereal light. The air crackled with energy, the fur down my spine standing on end.

But her dark sisters were relentless, their voices rising in a discordant harmony as they wove a wicked spell. The air itself turned icy and evil, yanking everything that felt good out of the world.

A flash of brown fur caught my eye—Elise, sleek and deadly as she launched herself at one of the hunters. Rafe was hot on her heels, his massive gray form a blur of teeth and claws as he tore into another.

The scent of blood filled the air, coppery and thick. It coated my tongue, fueled the rage that burned in my veins. These bastards had dared to threaten my mate, to hurt my pack. They would pay with their lives.

But Barrett was desperate, cornered. He saw his chance and took it, darting for Brielle and yanking her to her feet. She cried out, the sound like a knife to my gut.

"Stop!" Barrett yelled, his voice high and tinged with panic. "Stop now, or she's dead where she stands!"

The world ground to a halt, every eye in the room fixed on the barrel of the gun pressed to Brielle's temple. She trembled, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps.

Nobody moved. Nobody breathed.

And then, from outside, from behind, all around us at the boarded windows, the sound like a battering ram. Once, twice, the old wood groaning under the onslaught.

Declan and the others had arrived.

Wolves poured in through the door and smashed through the windows. Fur rippled, fangs flashed, and the pack circled.

Barrett's eyes darted around the room, the reality of his situation sinking in. He was trapped, outnumbered and outgunned.

How many had he sentenced to such a moment? How many like Fiona had trembled knowing the end was near? How many waited like Cassidy for their friends and saviors to walk into a trap?

I saw my chance and took it.

I jumped, not for Brielle, but for Barrett. My fangs closed around his arm, wrenching it downwards just as it went off. The bullet tore into the floor, spitting up wood and dust.

Brielle jerked free and dove away from her father. I shoved a shoulder into her, a hip, snarled and snapped over my shoulder as I drove her away from the fighting and out of the house.

She clung to me in the evening air, her fingers sinking into the thick fur of my neck. I could feel her heart pounding against mine, could smell the terror on her skin.

Barrett tried to run as he realized the tide had turned against him. But there was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. And then, the sweetest sound of all—Rafe's voice, hard and cold as he faced down Barrett.

"It's over," he said, the words ringing with finality.

Brielle didn't flinch as the pleading words cut short.