Chapter Twenty-Seven

Rylan

‘Rylan.’Pearl’s voice whispered through my mind. I closed my eyes, letting her presence soothe me and my wolf.

Instinctively, I reached into her mind, making sure she wasn’t injured or harmed in any way. What I found was that my mate was sad and… grieving? My thoughts went immediately to Estella. Was she hurt?

I wrapped my conscientiousness around Pearl, offering comfort as her sadness flooded my senses. I was able to piece together that Estella and her wolf were fine and that all three of them were in relative safety.

For the first time since they’d been taken, I was able to relax. Knowing Pearl was safe went a long way to calming me. My hands had partially shifted, my claws biting into my palms as I tried relentlessly to break through whatever was blocking our bond.

‘Pearl? Baby, what’s wrong? Talk to me,’I begged her, needing verbal confirmation that she was all right.

‘We’re okay,’she replied, but the way she said it made me think that the opposite was true.

‘Do you know where you are?’Hopefully, she hadn’t been taken somewhere she didn’t recognize.

‘The Cage,”Pearl said, making my wolf’s hackles raise at the thought of our precious mate in that horrible place. ‘We’re in Faela’s cell.’

I wondered briefly why Tamra would take them there, but since I wasn’t insane, I thought it best not to try to make sense of it.

‘All right, I’m grabbing some wolves and we’ll be there soon.’

‘No, you need to bring everyone.’

‘I can’t bring everyone. I’m not sure if being part of my pack will protect the wolves’ minds from Tamra’s control.’

‘It will,”she assured me.

I gripped my hair in my hands, the pain in my scalp a welcome distraction. ‘How do you know?’

‘I just do. You have to trust me, Rylan.’

I did trust her, but I knew that if the opportunity presented itself, Pearl would sacrifice herself to save others. My mate was selfless, and while it was an admirable trait for an alpha female, it made me and my wolf antsy.

‘Promise me you won’t do anything reckless.’I needed to hear her say that she’d protect herself until I got to her.

‘Reckless? Me?’she snipped, some of her spunk coming back, making me feel less anxious. ‘I’ll do my best.’

I knew that was all I was going to get from her, so I let the subject go.

Deacon’s wolf huffed his annoyance as he paced the living room. Shortly after we realized that Pearl and Estella had been taken, he’d shifted into his wolf form. He was agitated, and it was taking more energy than I liked to keep him here. If I’d let him, he would have run off in search of Estella and would have walked right into a trap or worse.

I had no doubt in my mind that this was Tamra’s impatience. She had always hated waiting, so she’d stolen the two wolves we would do just about anything to draw us out. Gritting my teeth, I tried to think rationally.

‘Do you know what she is planning?’I asked Pearl gently. She still seemed volatile, and I didn’t want to upset her more.

‘I think so.’Pearl’s response was quiet, telling me that she knew more than she was saying. But I couldn’t demand answers from her. She was my equal in every way, and if she was keeping something from me, I knew in my gut there was a reason. Didn’t mean I liked it though.

“Estella is okay,” I said to the still-pacing wolf.

The outline of Deacon’s wolf blurred at the edges as his form shifted and changed into that of a naked human. Ledger tossed him some sweatpants that he hurriedly pulled on. His movements were shaky, which wasn’t like him at all. He was usually the level-headed one, but I guess finding one’s mate threw all control out the window.

“Where are they?” His voice was deep and growly, and I knew his wolf was close to the surface. I couldn’t blame him for his reaction. Hell, it took everything I had not to let my wolf charge off on his own. We needed to be smart about this.

Tamra wouldn’t try to lure me out for no reason. She was planning something, and I had a feeling it had to do with Pearl, and through her, me. She had to be stopped. Her path to more power was paved with blood and darkness.

‘Someone’s here. I have to wake up now.’

‘Wait!’I yelled, surging toward the bond to keep it from closing.

I was too late. Pearl was gone, and our bond was once again silent.

“She’s gone,” I gritted out, black fur starting to sprout from my arms as my control slipped.

“Where are they?” Deacon asked again. His eyes darted around wildly.

I had to act before he did something stupid. “They’re in the Cage.” I reached out and grabbed my beta wolf by the shoulders. “You need to keep it together, man.”

“We need a plan,” Ledger cut in, ignoring the annoyed growl from Deacon.

“Why the Cage?” Deacon glared at Ledger, who didn’t even flinch.

“It must be important somehow.”

“Estella said she went to a place high on the mountain to meet her sister before she died,” Ledger rubbed his chin absently. “Didn’t she mention rocks?”

“What the fuck do rocks have to do with anything?” Deacon snarled, fur beginning to appear all over his chest and shoulders.

“Because… there’s a place near an entrance to the Cage that’s rocky,” Ledger murmured as he began to pace the same path that Deacon had been earlier. “It’s the same way Faela escaped, which means something to my mother.”

“She can’t be that sentimental.” I scoffed, never having gotten the impression that my aunt cared.

“She’s not, but that’s also the place where her initial plan with Estella failed. I’d bet my life that my mother is planning to go there.”

“How sure are you?” I asked, before sharing a quick look with Deacon.

“Very sure.”

“Let’s send a scout first. Teo?”

The big Enforcer wolf grunted from the kitchen while speaking to one of his wolves.

“Check in when you get there.”

“Now what?” Deacon flexed his arm and chest muscles like he was hyping himself up for a fight.

“Do you have any theories as to what she might be planning?” I asked my cousin.

“From what I’ve witnessed and seen, I don’t think she’s satisfied with the amount of power that she has. At the Gala, you ripped through her control, easily freeing other wolves.”

“She wants more power. Why?”

What more could she possibly want?

“Think about it. She had no control over anything in her life. This power from the Shadow Wolf gives her control but only a small amount. If I had to guess, I’d say that Mother wants to be the most powerful creature in the universe.”

“How does one do that though?” Deacon frowned and gripped his hands into fists.

“A sacrifice,” Ledger answered quietly. “She’s going to need a sacrifice. She’s already used her sister. I wonder what sort of power the Moon Spirit would grant her if she threatened the Alpha Seeker.”

My eyes grew wide as my brain registered what he was saying. Tamra was going to sacrifice Pearl to the Shadow Wolf in exchange for power from the Moon Spirit. With control of both the light and the dark, no one would be able to stop her.

It was a terrifying thought. One that I couldn’t just sit by and let happen. My mate would not be my aunt’s sacrifice.

Not if I could help it.