Chapter 10

It was cloudy when they passed through the woods, so the moonlight didn’t filter through the thick canopy of trees. But Jasper didn’t need much light to see because of the enhanced eyesight of his wolf. Alfie had gone ahead to scout the prison, which was a concrete building with cells and only one entrance. He’d never been put in the prison, but he’d been shown it as a teenager with others his age as a deterrent to pissing off the alpha.

Some people learned the lesson quickly, others didn’t. Jasper never wanted to be imprisoned and at the mercy of the temperamental alpha, so he’d toed whatever line the alpha wanted him to. Up to and including leaving to keep Melody safe.

He heard footsteps in the quiet of the woods and paused, along with Indio, Lucius, and Patton. Alfie came into view.

“One guard outside the door and one walking the perimeter,” Alfie said.

“Anyone patrolling the woods?” Jasper asked.

“Not that I could smell or hear,” Alfie said.

The plan was pretty simple because simple worked best in these situations: strike fast and silently, take out the guards, find Finn and Viola, and set them free. Then get the fuck out of Dodge.

“Let’s do this,” Jasper said.

They moved through the woods as a unit, using the trees and shadows for cover. Jasper didn’t scent anyone patrolling the woods either, which told him that Ludo didn’t think there were any threats from outside the pack’s territory.

The prison came into view. Spotlights along the roof cast bright yellow light along the stone walls. There were lights on inside the prison, visible through the barred windows that were a good six feet above ground.

They stopped at the tree line and hunkered down to watch.

“Melody said her parents were in the third cell from the right,” Jasper whispered

“I’ll grab the edge and lift myself up to tell them to be ready,” Patton said with a low voice.

Jasper nodded, sending Lucius and Indio to the left of the building and following Alfie to the right as Patton headed for the prison.

With swift silent movements, Jasper and his friends kept to the shadows until they crested the edge of the building and could see around the front. As reported, they watched one male on foot walking around the prison. He passed by them without noticing, his gaze on his cell phone, which would be a costly error on his part. As he moved around the back of the prison and out of sight, Jasper heard a loud thud and soft grunt and knew the male was out of commission.

He glanced at his friends, then nodded, and they moved forward quickly, taking the guard by surprise. Jasper slapped a hand over his mouth and cut off his air supply with his arm across his neck, waiting until the guard went limp to drag him into the shadows and out of sight. Patting the male’s pockets, he located the keys to the building and hurried back to the door.

The lock was loud in the quiet of the night and Jasper glanced over his shoulder, wondering how long it would be before someone noticed there was no guard at the door or keeping patrol on foot.

Swinging the door open, they hustled inside and went directly to the third cell, where Melody’s parents stood at the bars.

“Where’s Melody?” Viola asked. “Is she safe?”

“She’s behind the wheel of one of our vehicles at the access road, along with one of my friends. She’s safe,” Jasper said.

On the third try, he found the right key and unlocked their cell. Viola gave him a quick hug. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“Thank you,” Finn said.

Lucius, who was keeping watch at the door, said, “Shit, we’ve got company.”

“Let’s go,” Jasper said, grasping Viola by her upper arm.

“We have to set the others free,” Finn said, “and fight Ludo.”

“Hey, I’m here to set you free, it’s the only thing I promised,” Jasper said. “You can stay, but I’m not getting involved.”

“Guys,” Lucius said, “now or never.”

Jasper shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t set anyone else free.”

“We can’t leave them,” Viola said.

A low growl echoed from outside.

“Time’s up,” Jasper said.

“Damn it,” Finn said. He grabbed the keys from Jasper and tossed them into the cell of another male. “Hide those. Get free and get to safety, I’ll be back.”

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Jasper said.

Melody tapped her foot to a song in her head, humming softly and staring out the windshield into the dark. Her window was down, but she didn’t hear anything aside from the occasional bird or bug, or rustling leaves. She wished that Jasper had been on board with her coming with him to the prison, but she knew she’d be a distraction if he was worried about her safety.

She couldn’t believe she’d finally gotten back in touch with him again. Seven years didn’t sound like a whole long time, but it had felt like an eternity. A lonely, terrible eternity.

She didn’t know what to expect once she saw her parents again, and how they’d feel with her planning to go back to New Jersey with Jasper. They’d understand, she was sure, but she doubted they’d be happy. Maybe they’d ask Jasper to come back to… what was that?

Her wolf stirred and she swore she heard the crack of a branch that sounded entirely out of place among the natural sounds of the forest.

Sliding down into the seat as far as she could, she peered into the side mirror and saw someone in dark clothing sneaking up the road behind Benjamin’s vehicle.

Oh shit! She didn’t have a way to get in touch with him, and he didn’t seem to realize someone was coming. If she honked the horn, she’d alert the whole damn pack of bad guys, so she couldn’t do that.

What could she do?

Her mind raced. It wasn’t like she had a weapon or any serious fighting skills. The males who’d taken over the pack were well-trained and dangerous. She’d never even thrown a punch before.

Reaching over, she felt for the latch and opened the glove compartment. A small light illuminated the space, which showed a flashlight, a first aid kit, and a manual.

She figured the tire iron was probably in the back with the spare tire, which was not helpful at the moment.

Well, the flashlight was better than nothing.

Grasping it, she opened the passenger door and hefted herself over the console, nearly falling out of the SUV into an ungraceful heap. Catching herself on the door, she bit her lip to keep from shouting out in surprise, then got her footing and squatted down, running alongside the vehicle.

She heard a grunt and peeked around the corner to see the male in black trying to choke Benjamin.

Grasping the flashlight tightly, she hurried across the open space and down the other vehicle, peering around the corner of Benjamin’s vehicle to see him struggling to punch the male in black.

She inhaled deeply and pushed back the fear that was like a living thing inside her, and rushed forward, flashlight lifted high.

The male looked at her at the last second, just as she swung it toward his head. He let go of Benjamin with a shout and stumbled back. She pulled open the SUV door and Benjamin climbed from the vehicle, choking and coughing, and pushed her behind him.

Claws sprang from his fingertips and he snarled. “Fucker.”

With a low growl, Benjamin leaped and took the male down, the two rolling on the ground as claws slashed and fangs gleamed in the moonlight.

Benjamin threw a punch and the male’s head snapped back with a sickening crack, and then he flopped on the ground and didn’t move.

“Damn it,” Benjamin said as he rolled to his knees. “I didn’t want to kill him.”

She hurried to him and ducked under his arm to help him get to his feet. “You did what you had to do. He was definitely going to kill you.”

“Yeah. And you too probably. Thank you for saving my life.”

“It was my first time being aggressive.”

“You did great.”

She helped him to the SUV, and he sat behind the wheel and rubbed his throat, where deep red marks were visible on his skin. “I hope they show up soon,” she said. “I’m worried there will be more.”

“Me too. But if they do show up, they won’t catch us off guard again.”

Hurry, Jasper .