15. Kirsten

I didn't even remember falling asleep. The last thing I recalled was Jace carrying me out of the bathroom. When I stirred the next morning and saw the first rays of sun glittering through the window, my sense of peace dissipated. Tonight was the night. We were going to sneak into Scottsdale and try to rescue innocent children.

Swallowing hard, I rolled over and reached for Jace, but the bed was empty. An alpha's day was long, apparently. His pillow was twisted and matted, so he had been in bed with me. He must have gotten up before dawn to get to work. I supposed that meant the alpha's mate needed to get up as well.

After dressing, I had a few moments of worry and self-doubt as I stood in front of the mirror. Could I really do this? Would my spell be ready? To test out my theory, I lifted a hand toward my toothbrush and concentrated, muttering the incantations I'd learned. I tried to imagine a moving illusion, something small. Something less difficult than an adult male.

For an instant, maybe two, a tiny mouse appeared in front of my hand. It was exactly as I'd imagined. He even had a little football helmet on his head, which I'd thrown into my spell just to be silly and see if I could do it. The problem was that it was semi-transparent as it moved. It also kept tripping and stumbling like it hadn't really figured out how to walk. No amount of concentration could get the illusion right, and after about a minute, it crumbled apart. I slapped my hand against the mirror in frustration.

After a few seconds, I looked at my reflection and chuckled ruefully. At the beginning of the summer, if anyone had told me I could manifest a mouse wearing a football helmet and make it march back and forth, I'd have called them crazy. After that, I would have been giddy. Now? I was nitpicking my magic. That didn't change the fact that I didn't think I'd be able to master it by tonight.

When I got downstairs, Waylan and Jace told me the other alphas were on their way to finalize the plan for tonight.

"I hope they have cars with good gas mileage," I said. "They've been zipping back and forth the last three days."

Jace chuckled. "Noah's land is nearly two hours to the north. Hollis's territory is beside his. The next closest is Ivy to the south. Dustin and Shayna are a little less than an hour's drive. It's quite a distance, but they don't mind. This is too important to worry about travel time."

Langston walked in through the front door, followed by Abigail a moment later.

"You got the vans?" Waylan asked.

"Yup," Langston said, nodding.

"They only had white," Abigail said, frowning. "They rented the last two black ones yesterday. It'll be like driving a flashing light, but we'll have to make do."

"It's fine," Waylan said. "We'll get in and out fast, then they'll all be on the way to Dustin and Shayna's pack for safekeeping."

"When's everyone getting here?" Langston asked.

Jace checked his watch. "Any minute now. They said they'd be here right after dawn."

"I'll make a bunch of toast or something for breakfast," I said, and started rummaging through Jace's pantry.

An hour later, the entire house was again buzzing with activity. The alphas sat around the kitchen table with Waylan, his phone in the center yet again as they spoke to Stephanie. The other council members sat or stood all around the kitchen and living room, on the phone to their packs back home and relaying information. The whole scene did nothing good for my stress. To add to that, Carter had come down. He sat on a stool with a bowl of cereal as he watched Jace.

"Does that mean everyone is prepared? What about this Byron guy? Is he still on board? He's not getting cold feet or anything, is he? If Eren is having everyone watched, I'm worried things could go sideways. All it takes is one of his fucking henchmen seeing a couple kids run out the back door of a house to arouse suspicion." Jace said.

"He's ready," Stephanie said. "He's spoken with Carter's mom. She's still good. Byron says she'd probably have killed him if he tried to keep her from her son any longer. I'll give the word, and Byron will get her out and take her to the meeting place.

"As for everyone being watched?" Stephanie continued. "Yes, they are, but the betas will be patrolling the main roads and streets. Byron is supposed to be guarding the area you'll be coming through. Eren has everyone terrified. I don't think you understand how bad it is. He thinks they're all too scared to try and run, so the houses aren't being watched as closely as they were a year or two ago. That was when he really started getting crazy and power-hungry. We're basically using his hubris against him."

"Do I get to see my mom tonight?" Carter asked.

Everyone stopped talking. He'd been so quiet that he'd blended into the surrounding room. Now, they gazed at him with apprehension and worry.

I squeezed his shoulder and leaned over to look into his face. "We're going to get your mother and a bunch of other kids. You'll be heading to Mr. Dustin's pack lands. Do you know the other boy? Morgan?"

Carter nodded. "Yeah. He was in the cages with me."

The cages. Searing anger flooded up my throat like acidic bile.

Keeping my smile in place, I said, "He's there. You'll get to see him again."

Carter's eyes suddenly shimmered. "He's okay? I thought… well, we thought something really bad happened when he didn't come back. Me and Morgan's brother Alex, I mean." Carter's face darkened. "He's going to be feral soon. It happened to me first, but Alex wasn't doing good. It's really bad there. Can you save him, too? If he's feral?"

His words sent a mountain of pressure crashing down onto my shoulders. Could I save Alex? I had no clue, and I was honest with Carter about that.

"Carter, honey, we'll do everything we can. The problem is that I don't know how I helped you. It surprised me as much as anyone else when I brought you back."

The room remained silent, even Stephanie on the phone. All of them appeared very, very interested in how I'd brought one of their kind back from being feral and didn't want to miss a word. The back of my neck grew hot.

"You can," Carter said, nodding and smiling at me. "You did it. I could hear your voice from a long way off, like someone hollering through the hills. Like Mama calling me home for dinner. I could hear you, but the angry wolf part was keeping me away. Then I felt this weird cooling all down the back of my head, like someone was pouring cold water on me after a hot day outside. Your voice got stronger then, and I could break through. You did it, Miss Kirsten, and I know you can do it for Alex."

I caught Jace's eye. It sounded like my magic had played more of a part in healing Carter than I'd thought. Deep down, I'd thought it had all been in the way I'd spoken to him with a tiny kick of magic, but from Carter's explanation, it sounded like things were the reverse. Could my magic truly be strong enough to heal a broken, twisted soul? The first threads of existential crisis slithered into my mind, but I quickly banished them.

"All I can say is I'll do my very best," I said.

"Will you stay with me?" Carter asked. "When will we go and get my mom?"

"I will," I said, ruffling his hair. "Count on it."

Jace cleared his throat. "Kirsten, any chance you've made some headway with that illusion spell?"

"Not really," I admitted. "I'm getting closer, but I don't think it'll be ready by tonight, unfortunately."

"That's what I thought," Jace said. "Maybe it would be best for you to stay here where you'll be safe."

I opened my mouth to argue, but Carter's shout drowned me out.

"No!" He clung to my sleeve, pulling me closer. "Please, no. I need Miss Kirsten. I need her."

The change in the little boy was immediate and heart-wrenching. Tears were already streaming down his cheeks, and I could feel his panic. He clawed at me until I wrapped my arms around him to soothe him.

"I can't go alone. I can't!" Carter shouted. It was as though a switch had been flipped inside him at the thought of going anywhere without the person who'd saved him.

"Carter," Jace said in a soothing voice. "Buddy, it's all right. I just want to make sure Kirsten is safe and doesn't get hurt."

"No, no, no, no, no!" He buried his face into my shoulder.

"Can we bring his mom here?" I offered. "Save her and then come get Carter? I could stay with him."

"We only have two vans," Langston said, looking uncomfortable. "It's too risky. We're taking most of them to Dustin and Shayna and the rest to Ivy. We'd have to make a forty-five-minute detour to circle back here to pick him up. That gives Eren's people too much time to come after us. This has to be fast and smooth. No wasted movement, no change of direction. It's the only way it'll work."

Jace stared at the boy sobbing into my shirt. I could see the wheels turning in his head as he came to a decision he didn't like.

"Fine, you can come," he said at last to me. "You know enough defensive magic to protect yourself." His eyes darkened as he looked at me. "But if anyone gets near you, I'll rip their fucking throats out, and that's a promise."

Everyone heard the seriousness in his voice. Each of us understood that he wouldn't hesitate to do exactly what he said.

Harley stepped up beside me to whisper in my ear as the rest resumed talking and planning. "Is this really safe?" she asked.

Turning, I saw the worry written in her eyes. Actually, it was more like terror.

Placing a hand on hers, I said, "It'll be okay. I have my magic, I have Jace, and I'll be surrounded by a ton of pissed-off shifters who'll be keeping me safe. I'll make it home fine."

Harley chewed at her bottom lip, her face a writhing mask of anxiety. Her eyes shot down to Carter, who clung to me for dear life.

"What about him?" Harley finally said. "He's so young. It's going to be dangerous. Besides, I like the little guy," she added, running a hand through his hair.

I blinked at her, my head tilting to the side. Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, I said, "Harley, is that maternal instinct I hear in your voice?"

Since high school, Harley had sworn up and down, left and right, that she was never having kids. Never wanted them, and never would want them. Now, with the way she looked at Carter, I couldn't help but believe that might have changed.

Harley rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on," she said. "He's a good kid. So was Morgan. That doesn't mean"—her eyes skipped over my shoulder to the table behind, then back to me—"that I want kids or anything."

Narrowing my eyes, I glanced over my shoulder. Waylan sat beside Jace, speaking in low tones. Hmm, was this a thing that would happen? It was obvious Waylan was head over heels for Harley, but I'd assumed my friend hadn't noticed. Perhaps she had and was open to it despite all her claims of being a "city girl."

I wanted to chide her about it, going so far as to open my mouth to joke with her, but I was cut off by the front door opening and the sounds of argument.

"Why are you here, though?" Tank said as I turned to see what he was freaking out about.

"I told you. You all need help, and I'm here to help." Tinsley grinned at Tank and patted his cheek. "You're cute when you're worried."

"Tinsley?" I called out. Carter finally released me from his death grip, and I went to the front door.

"Good morning, dear," she said, grinning and opening her arms for a hug.

Tank was right at her side again. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Tinsley released me, one eyebrow cocked and her nose turning up ever so slightly. "I'm sorry, we exchanged numbers for a date. I don't recall signing over my rights to do as I please, did I?"

Tank's face turned beet red, and his shoulders slumped. "No," he said quickly. "That's not what I meant. You can do whatever you want. I just thought you'd let me know you were coming."

Tinsley waved a hand through the air like she was shooing a fly. "Don't take it personally. I got excited to come do this. I mean, what good is being a witch if you can't use your powers for good? It's like being a superhero. I'm going, and no one can stop me." She narrowed her eyes playfully at Tank. "And if anyone should try to stop me, they will, quite suddenly, find themselves without a potential date. Understood?"

Tank grinned back at her and rolled his eyes. "Witches, man." He glanced between me and Tinsley. "You guys are something else. Fine. But if you're going, so am I. Then I can tear the face off anyone who tries to hurt you."

"Oh, goodness," Tinsley said, clutching her hands to her heart. "Bloody retribution. How romantic."

"I'm serious," Tank said, his voice strained. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Tinsley's joking tone vanished, and she nodded. "Fair enough. Same for you, big guy. If I see anyone about to stab you in the back, I'll blast them. Does that sound good?"

Tank's smile returned. "Yeah. Okay." He stood, bouncing awkwardly on his toes as though unsure what to do next. "Umm," he said, then he cleared his throat and planted a chaste kiss on Tinsley's cheek. "Gotta go. Guard duty," he muttered quickly, face going even more red as he hurried out the door again.

"What a delightfully awkward man," Tinsley said wistfully, her finger grazing her cheek.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I squeezed her hand. "I'm fine with it—we can use all the help we can get—but how did you know what was going to happen?"

Tinsley's eyes slid from mine to Harley. "A little birdie told me."

Spinning on my heel, I glared at Harley. "You called Tinsley and didn't tell me?"

She shrugged. "Thought it would be a nice surprise. You guys were so busy and stressed, I figured someone should let her know. Sue me."

Harley, Tinsley, and I took seats at the bar, watching as disagreements were sorted, questions asked and answered, and worries put to rest. Waylan stood and headed for the refrigerator. I thought I saw Harley give him a little sidelong glance as he walked by.

She turned back to us and sighed. "Can I tag along?" she asked suddenly. "I'm gonna feel fucking useless sitting here while you guys are out being special-forces witches or whatever."

"Absolutely not," Waylan snapped.

"Uh, excuse me?" Harley said, turning to him.

"You can't go. You're human. It'll be too dangerous. You could get hurt. For fuck's sake, you could get killed."

"And why exactly do you care? I'm not completely helpless, you know."

Waylan opened and closed his mouth a few times, but he quickly got himself together. "Look, I just want you to be guarded and safe. Here."

"You still haven't said why," Harley said, raising an eyebrow.

The room fell silent once more. All eyes had turned to watch this new drama unfold. Waylan glanced around at everyone, swallowing hard as he tried his best to look Harley in the eye.

I had a suspicion that Waylan might have much more than a passing interest in Harley. I hadn't confirmed it with Jace yet, but I wondered if perhaps another member of his pack had found his fated mate. Was he going to admit it here in front of everyone?

"I don't want Kirsten to be heartbroken if something happens to her best friend. That's all." He slammed the fridge shut and took off out the back door. "I need some fresh air."

When the door closed, Jace grumbled "what an idiot" under his breath.

Harley frowned at me. "Did I miss something? That was a little weird."

"Let's make some lunch," I said, changing the subject. "Everyone's going to be hungry soon."

As the hours ticked by, the tension in the house increased. By dusk, it was as though we'd all had live wires shoved into our bodies. Our anxiety levels were set to max. When Waylan's phone rang just before seven, most of us flinched in surprise. I rubbed Carter's back as I waited to hear what was going to be said.

"Waylan here," he said, answering.

"It's Steph," Stephanie said on the phone's speaker. "It's time. We need to move. Byron just extracted Carter's mom, and the others are ready."

I squeezed Carter's arm, anxious energy flooding out of me in a small wave of magic.

He winced and shied away, but quickly grinned. "Ouch, that hurt. Like a bee sting."

"Sorry," I muttered and reined my magic back in, touching Jace's medallion around my neck to steady myself.

"Okay, everyone," Jace said as he stood. "Let's move. I want most of you to shift and take the forest paths to Scottsdale. You'll get there a few minutes before we arrive in the vans. Move."

Most of the others rushed outside, shifting as soon as they hit the yard and sprinting into the forest. Jace, Tinsley, and I hopped into one van with Carter sitting beside me while Dustin, Shayna, and Ivy took the second. Tank followed behind in a truck as an extra vehicle to get Tinsley and me back once the vans headed for the new pack lands. As we drove down the driveway, the last rays of sunlight ducked behind the mountains, casting a reddish-orange glow on the horizon. It looked like the sky was on fire. Again, my magic pulsed out, crackling in the air.

Tinsley put a hand on my shoulder while we took the turn to get on the highway. "You need to mask that. Any shifter will smell you coming a mile away."

"I haven't learned how," I said, my voice rising an octave.

"It's easier than you think," Tinsley said. "Imagine a heavy box inside your mind, then imagine a massive ball of energy. The ball is your magic, and the box is your way of locking it away until you need it. Close your eyes and try."

Doing as she asked, I closed my eyes and visualized a pulsing, buzzing ball of energy—fire, electricity, and water, all writhing together as a globe. My breathing steadied as I concentrated more, and eventually, a heavy chest appeared in my mind's eye. It looked ancient. Steel bands encased it, and a heavy latch on the top kept it closed.

The visualization seemed so real that when I reached out to grab the magic orb, I almost expected to feel it in my hands. I didn't—it was still all in my head—but I urged myself to believe it. When I tucked the ball into the chest and slammed the lid shut, a new silence filled my mind. There had been a constant hum of power running through my head ever since I gained access to my powers. I'd become used to it. Now, the silence in my head was strange.

Opening my eyes, I smiled at Tinsley. "Did I do it?"

She was looking at me strangely. "Uh, yeah. That was… really fast. You didn't even struggle with it."

My cheeks felt warm as I shrugged. "I guess I'm a fast learner."

"You got that right," Tinsley said, settling back in her seat.

Jace kept his eyes locked on the road, knuckles white as he focused on getting us to Scottsdale. Carter had my arm in a death grip as we hurtled along the highway. Total darkness had fallen by the time we got to our agreed-upon meeting place: an old and decrepit single-wide trailer tucked deep into the woods on the highway about a half mile from Eren's pack lands.

So far, we hadn't encountered any of the Scottsdale Pack members on the highway. That was good. It meant Eren had them guarding the direct entrances and they weren't fanning out too far from the town. A cluster of wolf shifters awaited us as we pulled into the driveway, parking behind the trailer to be somewhat hidden from the road.

When Jace got out, the shifters all morphed into their human forms. Langston came straight toward me, eyeing Carter.

"Hey, buddy," he said, bending down to his level. "You want to piggyback? It'll let Kirsten here run faster if you do."

Carter glanced at me, worry written in his eyes. "Will you still be close?" he asked me.

"I will," I said. "I promise."

"Okay," Carter said dubiously.

Jace stepped forward, pointing to people and separating them into teams. "Waylan, take Tinsley with you, Dustin, Shayna, Noah, and Hollis. Langston, you and Kirsten will go with me, Ivy, Reese, and Abigail. The other enforcers stay here to guard the vans and keep a lookout. I don't want us rushing back here only to get caught in an ambush at the cars. Got it?"

The others nodded curtly, all eyes intent with purpose. At this moment, Jace was in charge. Pack allegiance and hierarchy had been pushed aside for the common good.

He winked at me. "Stay close?"

"Always," I said.

Grinning, he looked at the others. "All right, everyone. Remember what this is for." He pointed at Carter. "Kids. Innocent children. That fucker is torturing them to the brink of madness." He pressed his thumb into his chest. "I, for one, will not let that happen. We do this for them. No matter what happens, we get them out. This is not a mission for cowards. If you want to back out, do it now."

No one made a move. They kept their eyes on Jace, every face ready and willing to do whatever was necessary.

He gave a quick nod. "Let's move."

With silent and eerie speed, he shifted, then ran into the forest. Several others did the same, though a few, like Langston, stayed in their human form. Carter clung to the huge man's back as we sprinted into the forest, the two teams breaking off once we were in the woods.

Stephanie had told us where to meet her and the kids. We'd broken into separate groups to ensure at least one team made it to them. Waylan's group headed northeast while I followed Jace on the southeastern trail.

The shifters were all going much slower than they normally could have. Tinsley and I were both witches, but that didn't grant us supernatural speed. If there was a spell for foot speed, I hadn't found it yet. Even with the shifters going so slow, I was panting by the time we got to the outskirts of town.

Jace motioned for us all to crouch low to avoid prying eyes. A hundred yards ahead, the lights of Scottsdale glowed in the early night, small glowing orbs of light holding back the darkness.

Waylan's team arrived at their meeting point fifty yards away. Waylan let out a trilling whistle—his signal to Jace that he was in position.

Jace walked over, staying low, kneeling next to Langston, Carter, and me. "Langston, you and Kirsten take the boy and go get his mom. I'll meet up with Waylan's group and go for the kids. You remember where Stephanie said they'd be?"

"Yeah. The old gas station near the schoolhouse," Langston said.

"Right."

Jace grabbed me and kissed me hard. The world spun as our lips met. Inside me, my magic surged, fueled by his presence. The mental chest in which I'd tucked it away suddenly burst open, and a wave of magic shot out in all directions. The shifters jerked back. Jace pulled away, searching my eyes.

"Shit," I hissed. "I'm sorry. Did I give us away?"

No one answered me. They all stayed silent, listening intently. After a few minutes without a warning call or an attack, Jace let out a sigh of relief.

"I think we're good. I don't hear or scent anyone coming." He took my hand and looked me in the eyes. "You've got to get a handle on that."

"It's difficult," I said through gritted teeth. "And it was your fault." Knowing how good shifter hearing was and not wanting the others to hear, I stood on my tiptoes and put my mouth to his ear. "Being around you makes it surge like that."

Jace grinned and cupped my cheek in his large hand. His eyes flashed, and I thought I could almost see his wolf in that gaze. He kissed me again, this time so slow and gentle that my knees went weak. My magic threatened to burst forth again, but I envisioned the chest and stuffed the ball of energy back inside.

Jace pulled away, but kept his lips so close, they nearly still touched mine. "I like that your magic reacts to me the way my wolf reacts to you." He turned to Langston then, breaking eye contact with me. "It's time to go. You ready?"

Langston nodded, his grip on Carter's hand firm. "I'm good, boss. I've got precious cargo. I'll take care of them. Both of them."

Jace turned his eyes on me again. The sweetness was gone, replaced by a fearful intensity. "Be careful. I mean it."

"I will. I love you."

Jace sighed, and his smile crept back to his lips. "I love you, too. I'll see you when this is over."

Langston led me and Carter away from the group into the darkness. As we departed the safety of numbers, I suddenly realized how crazy it was that we'd brought this small boy into this. If anything happened to him, I'd never forgive myself. We should have had one of Dustin's betas take the boy back to their pack, where he could wait in safety to be reunited with his mother. The stress of everything moving so fast had ruined our ability to think rationally. I had to pray that didn't carry over into the mission tonight.

Langston knew the area better than I did, having been here multiple times for past mating parties as well as business with Eren's now-dead enforcer. He moved so gracefully for a man so large that it was hard for Carter and me to keep up with him. We skirted the main thoroughfare through town, coming close enough to actually see the trotting forms of shifter wolves patrolling the streets. Thankfully, Langston managed to keep us upwind of them, and they never noticed our passing.

After what felt like an eternity, an old gas station loomed out of the dark, long-forgotten and covered in moss and overgrown weeds. Even the street lamp beside it was dark.

Langston knelt and held up a hand for us to stop. Raising his voice only enough to be heard by anyone in the station, he said, "Byron? Steph sent us."

A large man emerged from the shadows, head shaved and a thick beard hanging to his chest. He eyed us suspiciously, but when he saw Carter, relief broke through the tension on his face. An instant later, he opened the back door of the gas station, and a woman, roughly my own age, came running out.

Carter jerked his hand free of mine and sprinted toward her. His mother looked like she wanted to scream with joy, but she was smart enough not to do that. Carter slammed into her, and I could hear him crying "mama, mama" as she wrapped him into a tight embrace.

Tears pricked my eyes as I watched the woman run her hands over Carter, checking him for injuries.

"Are you all right, baby?" she whispered.

"Nuh-uh. Miss Kirsten helped me. She saved me," Carter said, pointing back toward me.

His mother turned her eyes to me, her cheeks wet with tears. "Thank you. I can't thank you enough. I'll do anything you need. Anything ever."

"You take care of that boy. That's all the thanks I'll need," I said, my voice thick with emotion.

"Hate to break this up," Byron said, "but you need to get going. They've probably already noticed she's been gone too long. You don't have much time. I'll trail behind you about a hundred yards to make sure no one follows, but you need to go. Once you're in the clear, I'll break off for the second meet-up to hand off the kids."

"Come on," Langston said, gesturing to Carter and his mother. "I'm Langston," he said to Carter's mom.

"Donna," she said, wiping her nose. "My name's Donna. I'll follow. Don't worry about me."

Langston nodded, and the four of us hurried back the way we'd come, skirting even closer to the woods this time. Knowing Byron was behind us made the trip a little less terrifying.

At the farthest edges of the town, Langston plunged into the woods and broke into a run. Donna and Carter, both shifters, kept up easily. Me? I was fighting a side stitch and nearly hyperventilating by the time we returned to the vans. The others acknowledged our arrival and helped Donna and Carter into one of the waiting vans.

"What do we do now?" I asked Langston.

"The only thing we can do," he said with a shrug. "Wait, and pray."