Chapter 23

Chapter

Twenty-Three

Evelyn

T he weight of Rowan's presence was a living thing in the cramped room, his strength a palpable force that both grounded me and set my nerves on edge. I leaned back against the wall, trying to steady my breath as I watched him, tall and commanding with those piercing blue eyes that seemed to cut right through the dimness. It was easy to see why the Black Lake Pack followed him so loyally, why I found myself drawn to him despite the chaos swirling around us.

He hauled Justin up and slammed him down onto a chair, yanking his hands back and fastening them with a bungee cord he found in the pantry. "You shift, I tear out your throat."

Justin winced as Rowan knocked his injured knee. I doubted it was an accident. My wolf howled in approval.

I glanced down at the dagger on the table—the one thing we thought could help us. It was a fake. A decoy. My pulse hammered in my ears, betrayal stinging like a fresh wound. How had we not seen it? How had I let my guard down?

"Start talking," Rowan growled. He pulled out a chair and sat in front of him.

Justin gave us both a look of disdain.

"Where are they?" I snapped.

"Who knows?" Justin drawled, shrugging as best he could with his restraints. "Wolves disappear all the time."

"Not like this," Rowan countered, his tone icy. "Two from the lower province, two from the north. It's no coincidence." He flipped the metal canister in his hand. It had been sitting outside the door in the tunnel. I wanted a better look at it when we were done here.

"Maybe those wolves just wanted to be free," Justin suggested, his eyes boring into mine.

I swallowed hard. "Stop playing games."

Justin's eyes glinted, but he said nothing.

"Talk!" Rowan's command echoed off the walls, his power vibrating through me.

"Fine," Justin spat, the veneer of cockiness slipping. "All I know is that the full moon is important. More than usual." His eyes darted to mine, holding a flicker of something unreadable before he looked away.

"Because?" Rowan prompted, his fists clenched, his knuckles white.

"Because it's the August Moon." Justin spat blood on the kitchen floorboards. "And there's power in that, isn't there? You tell me, Evelyn. It's your birthday soon, isn't it?" His words slithered through the room.

My heart stuttered in my chest, and my blood ran cold. My birthday—how had Nathan woven that into his vile plans?

The memory of Nathan's words clung to me like a shadow as I paced the room, Rowan's gaze heavy on my back. His obsession with the August Moon—a power he believed could unlock ancient magics—suddenly took on a sinister new meaning. August . The month of my birth.

The month Callie was born.

A chill skated down my spine as the pieces snapped together with a clarity that left me reeling.

"Rowan." I turned to face him. "He knows. Nathan knows I'm here."

Rowan's eyes narrowed, and a low growl rumbled in his chest. Before I could elaborate, a fist pounded on the front door. Rowan whirled, throwing himself between me and the door.

"Justin! I swear, if you don't open this damn door, I'll?—"

Rowan was there, throwing the door wide. I'd recognized Blake's voice, and so had Rowan.

Blake stood in the doorway, heaving like he'd just sprinted through the woods. "What are you doing here?"

Rowan moved, giving Blake a better view of the scene in the kitchen. Blake rushed in, holding out his arms to hug me when Rowan snapped, "Don't touch her, Ash."

Blake froze. "I'm just glad she's okay."

"Be glad on the other side of the counter."

Blake's nostrils flared, but he nodded once and did as he said.

I swallowed hard. "Blake, I think?—"

"Nathan has Callista," he finished, throwing his arm out and clamping his hand around Justin's throat. "If anything happens to her, I'll kill you both."

Rowan didn't stop him. Even when Justin's face turned purple and he made a sound that made my insides twist. Finally, Blake dropped his hand. "Where is he."

Justin's eyes were bloodshot. He coughed, trying to drag air into his lungs.

Blake barely let him recover before slamming his fist into Justin's stomach. "I asked you a question!"

"Blake, stop." I took a step toward him. "For all we know, Nathan's forced his pack to comply with whatever this is." I didn't know if I believed Justin was only obeying orders, but I'd had enough experience with Nathan's manipulation to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Plus, we didn't need him. I knew where Nathan would be.

"He'll be at Whiteswan," I said. The place that Nathan would seek out was a geothermal pool nestled in the Rockies. It was known for its healing properties. Nathan had talked about it obsessively, how the magic pulsed through the earth, alive and breathing, how the veil grew thin there.

I thought he'd been speaking in hypotheticals.

Until he'd tried to haul me there against my will. Until he'd tried to force me to bond with him under the full moon.

That was the last night I'd spent with Kitimat Pack.

"Lyra spoke of blood and sacrifice," I whispered, recalling the witch's words. "It has to be there, Rowan."