Chapter 23

chapter 23

. . .

Logan

T he heat of the sun bore down on me as I waited, hidden in the shadows outside Henry’s mansion. My heart raced with anticipation and worry; my hands clenched tightly into fists. The sandy courtyard stretched before me, and all I could think about was Carmen.

I needed to know where she was and if she was safe.

After a whole hour, Tyler and his pack emerged from the mansion. Their faces were void of emotion as I watched them closely, trying to discern any signs of what had transpired within those walls.

“Where the hell is Carmen?” I muttered to my pack, unable to keep the concern from my voice. “Why isn’t she with them?”

Tyler, Axel, and Jaxon made their way around the wall where we were.

“This fucking sucks,” said Tyler.

“What does? Is Carmen alright? Where is she?” I demanded, fighting to keep my voice steady. My love for her was a storm raging inside me, and if I didn’t get answers soon, I was ready to kill someone .

Tyler’s face grew serious as he met my gaze. “I saw her. They’re eating right now, but once they’re done… Henry intends to rut and mark Carmen.”

My eyes widened in horror at the thought.

I hadn’t marked Carmen yet, and if Henry did it first, she would be forever bound to him. The engagement ring I bought for her felt like a heavy weight in my pocket, a symbol of my failure to protect her.

“Why aren’t you with her?” I barked.

“I wanted to get backup before blowing my cover,” explained Tyler.

“Once he marks her, she’ll be gone forever,” I growled. Tyler simply nodded, confirming my worst fears.

“Then what the hell do we do?” Griffin’s voice cut through the tension like a knife.

“You’ll go in as my prisoners. It’ll get us inside,” suggested Tyler.

I nodded in agreement. It wasn’t ideal, but it was our best option. “Then what?”

“Once we’re in, we find the room where Henry plans to claim her,” Tyler said, his voice hardening. My hackles rose at the thought of another alpha rutting Carmen, let alone someone as vile as Henry.

“Alright,” I ground out, clenching my fists. “I want to kill him.”

“Leave Henry for me,” growled Tyler, and I nodded. The only person I cared about was Carmen. “The rest of you should focus on taking down the guards and any other alphas that stand in our way.”

“This is an all-out war,” said Axel, puffing out his chest.

“I’m fucking ready,” said Talon. “Every minute counts.”

“Nice catch, Tyler,” one of the guards sneered as Tyler led me into the mansion, handcuffs biting into my wrists. I burned with rage but kept my expression carefully neutral, playing the part of a defeated captive.

“Thanks,” Tyler replied without missing a beat, his tone casual, betraying no hint of our plan to kill Henry. Beside me, Griffin and Talon were being escorted by Jaxon and Axel.

Disbelief washed over me as we entered the mansion despite the circumstances. We were finally in, and now we could move forward with our plan to save Carmen.

Tyler led us to his office, and once the door closed behind us, he swiftly removed my handcuffs. I rubbed my wrists, glancing around the room. “This is your spot?”

“Yep,” he confirmed, already scanning the security monitors. He checked every camera, not finding Henry anywhere. “This room. This is where he is.”

I looked at the screen, and all I saw was a closed door.

“Are you sure she’s in there?”

“That’s where he takes all his new omegas. They’re definitely in there,” confirmed Tyler, his jaw tense. I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest as we prepared to decimate some alphas.