Chapter 19 - Astrid

I paused at the entrance of the hideout, hesitating as I raced through my options, trying to come up with anything stealthier than waltzing right in and searching for my sister, and coming up with nothing.

It was Saturday afternoon. Mostly likely most of, if not everyone, was close to Brixton, preparing to move on the Silver Wolves. I hoped they were all right. At least with Tannen having all the information he did now, they should be able to prepare and figure out how to protect everyone.

If anyone caught me, they would know instantly why I was here, and then Thea and I would either be dead or in separate cells. But I couldn't think of that. All that mattered was getting her out and to safety.

I tentatively punched in the code on the door, half-expecting it to have changed since I left. The keypad beeped, and the light turned green. I pushed the door open.

Nothing but silence greeted me. I peered in, looking both ways, then stepped inside.

My heart pounded as I waited for the alarms to ring, for a dozen shifters to come out of the woodwork and attack me, stopping my rescue mission dead in its tracks. But again, nothing.

I took a deep breath, then moved up the stairs, heading toward where I remembered the bedrooms being.

I crept through the corridors, hoping I was right in my guess that everyone would be occupied elsewhere. Hoping that maybe my luck had turned.

Finally, I reached a vaguely familiar hall lined with identical doors that were evenly spaced on either side. The bedrooms. My stomach clenched. If she weren't here, I didn't know what I was going to do. I pressed on.

As I walked, I sniffed the air, and a familiar scent reached my nose. I paused, my heart thumping as excitement soared through me. Thea. She was nearby.

I opened the door.

Thea was lying on a bed, staring up at the ceiling.

I stared, unable to move or speak as relief flooded through me. She was here. My wolf growled her approval. I nearly collapsed. It almost didn't feel real. She was safe, and I'd found her.

"I swear to god, if you fuckers don't let me out…" She shot up straight, nostrils flaring as her head spun toward the door. "Astrid!"

She raced toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I pulled her into a hug, breathing in her scent, reassuring myself she was all right.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "This is all my fault. You were right. We should have left ages ago."

She stepped back, still beaming. "It's okay. To be honest, I don't fully know what's going on. A guy called Ansel just came to the house one day with a couple of guys and told me I was coming with them. When I asked what the hell was going on, he said you wanted him to keep a closer eye on me. I called bullshit since you would have told me. Then they just grabbed me and dragged me into a car, which brought me here."

I rubbed my forehead. "I'm so sorry."

She flapped her hand. "Apologize to me later when you give me the full story," she said. "Right now, I just want to get out of here."

I gave an ostentatious bow. "At your command." I straightened, then pulled a thick knife from my pocket and took the gun belt from around my waist. "These are for you."

Thea grinned. Once our parents had died, I'd insisted on making sure she learned how to use a gun and a knife. They might not necessarily kill a shifter on their own, but they at least gave her some form of protection. With an expert eye, she checked the clip, then holstered the pistol.

"Let's go," I said.

We hurried through the complex, trying to make as little noise as possible. My ears stayed pricked, waiting for the sound of running footsteps. I was barely breathing, but no one came running. The hideout seemed completely deserted, just as it had when I'd walked in.

A creeping suspicion washed over me the further we got. All of this felt too easy. I started to wonder if something was wrong. Had I walked into a trap? Had Ansel guessed this was how I would react the entire time? My stomach churned with unease, and my heart pounded so loud, I was certain Thea could hear me.

But we kept moving, and still, nothing came running toward us. All the smells of shifters that came my way were stale and old. If I was right, then the entire complex was deserted.

Thea seemed to notice the same thing. She glanced around, turning to look over her shoulder at me. "Does all of this seem off to you?"

"There's a mission tonight," I explained.

"Sure." Her brow furrowed. "But that doesn't change the fact that you would think someone would still be here if they had a captive."

I nudged her, trying to inject a bit of playfulness into the gesture even as tension rippled through me. "They probably made the normal mistake of underestimating you."

She gave a ghost of a smile. "Maybe," she said. "We'll see."

As we got closer to the exit and still came across no one, a sense of relief began creeping over me. For a moment, I thought we might actually get out of here. I started breathing easier. The instant we got outside, I could shift. Thea could climb on my back, and we could run far away from here and start over away from all this nonsense.

Rand would still be in trouble , that guilty voice reminded me. I winced, trying to push the thought away. Rand would be able to take care of himself. The Silver Wolves would be fine. I'd warned Tannen. Still, the thought that I would never see Rand again set a pang of loss and longing through me that startled me with its severity. I was going to miss him.

I pushed those thoughts from my mind. They weren't going to do me any good. I could see the door. We were almost there.

I opened my door, and my stomach dropped.

Ansel stood in front of the woods, watching with cold eyes, surrounded by a group of massive thugs. Any of whom could snap Thea like a toothpick.

Silence fell over the woods as we stared at one another. There was no use coming up with a lie. I'd gone against his orders and broken Thea out of the hideout. There was no other interpretation.

"I thought you would be in Brixton by now," I said.

"I can see that." Ansel looked past me at Thea. "But when Dana told me she had lost track of you and couldn't find you anywhere in town, I wondered if you might have done something inadvisable." He raised an eyebrow. "It appears I was right. Did you think you could warn the Silver Wolves and keep your sister? There's a phrase about having your cake and eating it. I believe you probably should have listened to it better."

I snarled, bristling. "You're not going to touch her," I said. "You're going to let us go without a fuss, or I'll tear out your throat."

He simply raised an eyebrow again, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Yes, please tell me how you're going to get out of this against ten other shifters," he said dryly. The smirk on his face vanished, replaced with distaste. "You're going to pay for betraying us."

I pushed Thea behind me, eyes scanning the group, trying to get a rough head count, though I knew it was pointless. We were outnumbered. Thea was competent with a blade and a gun, but that wasn't going to do enough against nearly a dozen shifters.

Ansel frowned as he studied the two of us. "I knew you were stubborn," he said. "I didn't realize you were stupid."

"Just let us go, Ansel," I said. "We're done."

"Yes," he agreed. "You are. But you're not getting out of here alive. And you have only yourself to blame."

"Go to hell," I snarled. "Thea, stay back."

I shifted.

The large men turned into larger wolves, dwarfing us. Still, I stood in front of Thea, bristling, baring my fangs. If I was going to go out protecting my sister, I'd do my damnedest to make sure she got out of this alive. I just needed to give her enough time to run.

Just as the nearest shifter darted toward me, a loud growl echoed around us, reverberating in my chest and through the ground.

As I braced myself for the worst, new sounds came from deeper in the woods, and the familiar scent of maple slammed into me as a large sandy brown wolf charged through the brush, larger than any of the others in the clearing.

The giant wolf jumped in front of me, spinning around to face the oncoming attacker. He swiped him away as if he were a ragdoll.