18

I will end him.

Parker

The closer we get to Henley, the stronger her fear is.

I get the feeling the close proximity isn't the reason for her increased fear.

I pull at my hair, glancing at the dashboard. "Can't you drive any faster?"

A hand clamps down on my shoulder. "Parker, Will is driving as fast as he safely can. Your mate is the one who comes back to life when she dies. Wolf shifters don't have that talent."

Blaine is right, of course. But that doesn't mean I want anything happening to Henley. The last time I saw her die, it about killed me. And that was before I found out about the mate bond. Now, I can't imagine the agony it would be.

"I asked her to marry me." I sit up straighter, trying to think about something else—anything else.

Will's eyes widen. "And she said yes?"

"Of course she said yes." Blaine smacks his arm.

Will rubs his arm. "Don't hit the driver—that's dangerous."

Blaine dramatically rolls his eyes as he looks at me. "Congratulations."

"She did say yes," I let them know, just to clarify. "We haven't told anybody yet. It just happened a few hours ago. Right before…" my voice trails off.

Right before she was taken. Right from my own home.

I knew the spare bedroom my parents tucked her away in was too far from my room. They're so worried about me breaking their rules when all I care about is protecting her.

I swear, as soon as this nightmare is over, I'm going to marry her. Then nobody will ever have a reason to separate us again. This never would've happened if I had been with her.

"Have you told your dad yet?" Will asks.

I shake my head. "No, but it's not my dad that I'm worried about."

The car falls silent.

We all know how protective Henley's dad is of her. He all but threatened me when he found out that Henley and I were mates. But after this, certainly he will see that marrying her is the best way that I can protect her.

Henley's dad was at work, but he left in the middle of his shift to come with us. He's riding with my dad, in the car behind us.

I've never seen Mr. Stone so terrified before. It was as if his entire world was crumbling before him. I know he loves Henley, but the man is obsessed with his job. I didn't realize how much he truly loves her. I won't forget it and I will make sure to always include him in our lives.

As soon as Henley is safe, I have to talk to him about the engagement.

In wolf shifter culture, when a female meets her mate, she leaves her family and pack to join the male in his pack. There are exceptions, but this is just the way things have been done. My mother was fortunate that my father and her were in the same pack. But if he had been a member of another pack, she would've had to leave.

I don't want Henley to give up her father—he's the only family that she has. Likewise, her father has lost all of his family. She's all he has. And even though Mr. Stone is part of the pack, he still keeps his distance from everybody. Since he moved here, he's only been involved in one run with the pack. Even on the full moon, he prefers to be alone.

I'll just have to make sure he always feels welcome. I know that will make Henley happy.

Henley.

Just thinking her name sends a stabbing pain to my gut.

"We have to find a way to permanently kill that phoenix," I say, through gritted teeth.

"We will." Blaine leans forward and puts a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. "But we have to focus on one thing at a time. Let's rescue Henley first and then we can think about how to kill the phoenix."

I nod.

He's right. I'm just impatient. I can't stand the thought of rescuing Henley only for her to get kidnapped again right away.

How can we beat a foe who can't be killed? How can we capture him when he can just teleport out of any trap?

I pause. "Why hasn't Henley teleported back?"

The car falls silent for quite a few seconds.

Blaine clears his throat. "Maybe she is passed out."

I shake my head, denying it. "No. I can feel her emotions. She's not passed out."

The stabbing feeling of panic settles in my chest, a reminder that she's scared. I clench my fist, trying not to focus on it. But the closer we get to her, the more her panic grows. It's almost like she's scared because she knows we're coming.

My eyes widen as I turn to face Blaine and Will. "She knows we're coming and she's panicking. I think we're about to walk into a trap."

Blaine's jaw goes lax.

Will rubs at the scuff on his cheek. "It doesn't matter if it's a trap—we have to rescue her."

I nod. "Obviously. But we can prepare better since we're aware."

"If it's a trap, it's likely a trap for you," Blaine says.

I turn to face him. "What?"

Blaine shrugs. "He seems obsessed with Henley. Since you're her mate—her fiancé—he probably sees you as competition. He probably wants to get rid of you so he can have her."

A low growl escapes my throat. "That's not happening."

Blaine grins. "I know. We'd never let anything happen to you."

I give him a curt nod. "The priority is Henley."

He knows that. We all do. The luna of the pack is the most protected member. Henley may not be luna yet, but that doesn't mean the pack doesn't already treat her as such. It's why there are so many wolves with us tonight. Everybody loves Henley.

She's going to be all right. I know she will be. We'll find a way to end that phoenix. And when we do, I will make sure nobody ever messes with my mate again.

Henley

I pace the loft bedroom, trying to calm my racing heart.

Parker is on his way. I know it now. I can feel that he's getting closer. I don't even know how I know, but he's not far now—maybe ten or fifteen minutes away.

When he gets here, Blaze is going to kill him.

I can't let that happen.

I stop and the edge of the balcony and look over the rail. Blaze is sitting on a couch on the bottom floor, casually looking at something on his phone. It's so mundane but it jars me to see.

Blaze may be a psychopath, but he's my age. He's a teenager—probably only eighteen.

"Are your parents alive?" I ask, calling down to him.

He turns to look at me over his shoulder. "No. I told you—they were killed by wolf shifters. My entire family was."

Right. He did say that.

"What happened?" I ask, wondering if it was provoked. After knowing Blaze for a short time, I wonder if his family was torturing the wolf pack.

"They didn't like how strong we were." Blaze stands from the couch, putting his phone in his pocket. "So they came after us, one by one. They knew they couldn't handle all of us at once. So they planned their attack well. I was the only one strong enough to fight my way out alive. After that, I killed the entire pack, including the children."

He says it so casually, like murder is acceptable, even expected.

I swallow hard.

There is going to be no reasoning with Blaze. He's demented.

"I thought phoenixes came back to life." I chew on my bottom lip, trying my best to look contemplative. "How could they be killed?"

"There are ways." He narrows his eyes at me. "Ways that I will not be sharing with you or your little pack of wolves."

He may be a psychopath, but he's a smart psychopath.

I let out a long breath. "Why do you feel the need to kill Parker."

Blaze flinches. "That wolf shifter has brainwashed you. The only way you'll be free from him is if I end his life."

"He's my soulmate. If you kill him, I will die also."

He shakes his head. "You really think that will work on me? Phoenixes may not have soulmates, but I know how it works. You haven't completed your mate bond, so it won't kill you. It will be agony, but you'll survive. I'll give you a few weeks to mourn him before you and I start our life together."

My stomach churns.

He can't be serious.

"Whether Parker is alive or not, I would never be with somebody like you." I cross my arms over my chest as I stare him down.

He doesn't even flinch. Instead, his smile widens, looking almost demented. "We'll see about that." He pauses, cocking his head to the side. "I believe I hear a vehicle coming down the road. I wonder if that's your boyfriend."

My heart races faster.

He's right—there is a vehicle.

It's Parker. I know it's him.

I take solace in the fact that Parker is smart. He wouldn't have come without his pack. When I was taken, his father would've woken up during the commotion. And if I know them as well as I think I do, I know they brought every man that can fight. No matter how strong Blaze is, there is no way he can beat an entire pack of wolf shifters.

Blaze smirks at me like he knows what I'm thinking. "I don't need to beat an entire pack of wolf shifters, I only need to beat one."

Can he read my thoughts?

I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before, but he may be able to. I don't know much about my powers or how to control them. For all I know, Blaze can read me as easily as I can read humans.

When I hear the sound of car doors shutting outside, I know that Parker is here.

My stomach churns with anxiety and nerves. If I could send Parker far, far away from here, I would. I want to protect him from Blaze. But I know that nothing could keep him away from me.

Parker is strong enough to take Blaze on. He's an alpha. Nobody in the pack is stronger than him except maybe his dad. And there is no way Alpha Thorne isn't here with Parker.

Will and Blaine will be at his side too.

I take a deep breath and slowly exhale.

Everything is going to be all right. I just need to trust that Parker knows what he's doing.

A loud crash makes me jump. I look over at the doorway to see wolf shifters start pouring into the building. Some of them are in their wolf form, some are in their human form. I spot Parker walking in with Blaine and Will both behind him. They come up to his side as he walks in.

My heart races as our eyes meet. I want to rush down to him, but the stupid invisible barrier keeps me from taking a step closer.

Still, seeing him is a comfort. It's like a warm blanket of familiarity. But when I see Blaze heading straight my mate, my heart stops.

No. Blaze can't touch him.

Before he gets close, a wolf barrels into him, knocking him over.

He can't get to Parker. The pack won't let him. Parker is their future alpha. He's the most protected guy here, which is a flaw in Blaze's plan.

The pack is strong enough to defeat Blaze. They'll find a way. I know they will.

A group of wolves descends on Blaze, but he teleports faster than my eyes can keep up. He's better than I am at teleporting—he's better than I am at most phoenix talents.

Because he was taught how to control his powers. By his parents. And I've been blindly trying to figure this out without any real direction.

I scan the room, looking for Blaze. A sound behind me captures my attention. Before I can move, I feel something sharp and cold pressed against my neck. Every wolf shifter in the room freezes.

"Leave her alone," Parker commands.

I feel Blaze's chest move as he chuckles. "You're worried about her? This knife can't hurt a phoenix. If I slit her neck, she'll only come back to life."

Parker growls, taking a step forward.

"I'm okay," I tell Parker. I lick my lips. "He's right. I will come back to life. But you won't. He only wants you—" My voice is cut off when he presses the knife tighter against me.

"Shut up, Serephina."

Parker, not able to stand the sight of me in pain, rushes forward up the stairs. When he hits the invisible barrier, he snarls. His eyes glow gold with their rage.

"No, Parker!" I scream at him, knowing this is what Blaze wants. He wants Parker on his own.

Faster than I can comprehend, Blaze teleports from me to the top of the stairs behind Parker. Before Parker can react, Blaze shoves the knife deep in his chest. Parker lets out a wheezed breath and he looks down at his chest. I scream as Blaze rips the knife from his chest and Parker falls backward.

The pack, as one, rushes forward. Will gets to Blaze first. He shoves the knife into Blaze's chest and rushes past him. Blaze falls to the ground, though I know he won't be down for long. Surprisingly, Will is able to rush through the barrier. He lifts me into his arms and rushes back down the stairs.

"Parker," I manage to say through my sobs.

Will shakes his head. "You don't need to see that."

My heart feels as though it's being ripped from my chest. My stomach burns and my entire body feels numb.

This can't be happening.

But I know it is. I can feel it in my very soul.

Parker is dead.

Our plans for the future are gone.

My soulmate is gone.

It's the last thing I think before the world fades to black.