49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

I t was a fortress. A colossal monstrosity of wire and metal that lay hidden in the woods on the outskirts of Bluffhill. The scent of Hunters was as overwhelming as the stench of death that hung over it.

Jax's eyes were red and his claws extended as he watched from the treeline. There was a wall of Hunters guarding the perimeter, hidden from his view and a thick wall topped with barbed wire all around the property. He was willing to bet it was silver.

‘We should wait,' Dylan said in the mindlink. ‘We need backup.'

Wait? His bond with Layla was still distorted, but her scent led him there. She was writhing his reach. How could he wait when he didn't know what they were doing to her? He could sense hundreds of people inside, most likely all the wolves that had been kidnapped, but he could feel just as many Hunters. It had been hard enough fighting the few that came after him at the hotel. He could get many of them if shifted fully, but how would he fight their weapons? Going in blind wasn't a good idea.

But still, how could he wait?

"Chase is walking around town to make sure we don't get any surprises when we go in. I'll walk around the perimeter,' Dylan continued.

The truck that took Gavin went through double gates. The Hunters didn't mess with their security, it seemed. This was the first time he'd ever seen a Hunter base, but he was willing to bet anyone who saw one didn't live to tell any tales.

‘I'll go around the perimeter. Go and meet up with Chase.'

‘You should go back into town. Chase will book a motel so you can calm down a little. We can't afford any mistakes right now.'

He looked down at his clenched fists, still partially hairy. He still couldn't return to his human form. He knew his eyes were glowing, and bumping into anyone was a no-go. But there was no calming down now. Dylan knew that.

‘You should stay out here or meet Chase,' he said. The command rippled through their bond, and Dylan's disappointment was evident as he stepped back.

‘Jax...'

‘Hope will need you. You and Gavin have done more than enough by getting me here. You're more important than I am right now; you have to raise the future Queen. A hybrid that we have never seen before. The Circle will want to get their hands on her. You have to stop here, Dylan. I can't trust anyone else with her.'

‘But if you just wait—'

‘I'll only wait long enough to make a plan. I'm going in, Dylan.'

With that, he stepped back from the tree line, using his strengths to tread lightly to find a better vantage point. The Hunters had somehow changed, so he couldn't risk getting closer in case their sense of smell had also improved. So that meant he was also working against the wind. They would catch him if the wind changed direction while he looked for a weak spot.

There were no weak spots. It took him an hour to safely assess the perimeter from every direction, but there were no fucking weak spots.

‘Just go through the gates. I dare them to stop me,' Cain growled in his head.

There was no other way. He couldn't let another night go past with Layla trapped with the Hunters.

He felt the presence of other wolves before he rounded back to where he had a view of the front gates of the Hunter base. Many wolves. His ears pricked as he listened to their approaching footsteps.

Why did they come? The Hunters would wipe all of them off the face of the earth.

He turned and walked in their direction, keeping to the shadows of the trees until a few abandoned buildings came into view. The Hunters probably chose their base's location because this side of town did not look desirable to the humans. They even had their landfill nearby, which drove most people away.

But the stench of their waste still couldn't cover up the smell of the Hunters and the wolves they killed in that warehouse.

His fists clenched as he waited for the wolves to show themselves. Ryker walked out from behind a building first. His hands were in the air, his eyes lowered, and his steps were cautious.

If they all knew how dangerous he was, why the hell did they come? They sent their vulnerable people away; who would watch over them when they returned?

"We're coming with you, Your Majesty," Ryker said.

His usual arrogant tone was gone. It was hard to tell if Ryker still believed he was better than him because he captured him once and hung him up in chains in his dungeons.

"Who told you we were here?"

"Alpha Chase. We were tailing you from when you left, but we would have come anyway. They have my people, too," Ryker said.

"And if you die today, you'll be no good to any of them," he growled.

"If I die today, I'll have no regrets," Ryker said, lifting his gaze briefly. "And it's not only my people I'm here for."

He couldn't react to the other man's obsession with his mate. It wasn't important anymore.

A few more wolves walked out to stand behind Ryker. The Night Walker pack warriors were fully dressed but looked uncomfortable in their clothes. They were barefoot and their hair unkempt as usual, but they all looked ready to follow their Alpha wherever he led them. Their pack was legendary in battles, but fighting Hunters was a different story.

"It's a suicide mission, Ryker."

"Then so be it. I'm tired of those fuckers dictating how we live. I say we end this shit once and for all."

"I second that."

He looked at the group of wolves who were approaching behind the Night Walkers. Brax and his warriors walked beside Chase and his warriors. Had they planned all this while he'd been asleep in the car? That was reckless of all of them; he couldn't condone it.

"Looks like you got yourself an army," Chase said.

"You're all going to die," he growled again.

"We'll all die someday," Dylan said as he stepped out behind him. "Everyone here has been trained to fight since we could walk. All our children and elderly are safe. We'll never get a better chance than this to make a stand."

He turned around to his Beta. Dylan lowered his eyes, too, unable to meet the beast's gaze.

"You know this is just one base out of Goddess knows how many," he growled. "This is just the beginning. You're better off going home to make sure everyone else stays safe after I attack them. I'm the King. Let me go in there and do what I can. If I fail, get as far away from the city as you can."

"As I said, Jax," Dylan said, raising his gaze to meet the beast for the first time since the Hunters took Layla. "You're not fighting alone. And I'm sure that Cain would appreciate the help."

Cain remained quiet in his head, which he would have taken as acceptance if it wasn't for the fact that both he and the beast were lost in uncharted territory. He was a King who focused only on his mate and his rage. He wouldn't be able to worry about anyone else.

"Alpha Jax," Brax said, stepping forward. "We've been taught all our lives not to fight them. To hide and tuck our tails between our legs. The Circle destroys packs that even come anywhere near the Hunters' radar. We're all tired of the uncertainty. Isn't it time we fought back?"

"And we know you can turn around and order us to head back home, but shouldn't this be our choice? We have to fight them," Ryker said. "For all our kids."

And that included the kids he brought to his pack for protection. Their parents were probably in that warehouse with Layla.

He looked at the whole group, less than a hundred wolves. They were right; he didn't have the right to stop them, and they had all been tired of the Hunters long before Layla showed up. But he was their King; their lives were his responsibility. His father hadn't cared about shit like that, but the past year, with Layla's light in his soul, changed him. His focus was Layla, but she wouldn't want him to leave anyone else behind.

He turned around and started walking back towards the base.

"Do what you want. I'm going in as soon as I find a way. Stay out of my way," he growled over his shoulder.

The wolves behind him didn't hesitate to follow him. He could hear their heartbeat and the light footsteps as they entered the woods. Fools. They were willingly heading to slaughter. But he wouldn't stop them because, as much as he wanted them safe, they were right. He couldn't fight alone.

Before he made it back to his hiding spot, the sounds of engines running drifted towards him. Did they bring more wolves? Had they devastated more packs with their kidnappings and killings?

Many blacked-out SUVs and trucks appeared at the top of the road leading to the gates. About fifteen vehicles, all full of darkness. He didn't sense any wolves among them. The front gate slid open before they reached it, and then the heavier-looking second gate was manually opened. Four Hunters stood on either side, standing at attention as the vehicles drove in.

The gates were open longer than when they took Gavin in. From where he stood, he saw a parking lot to the side of the warehouse where several military vehicles were parked. The firepower on the tanks alone rivalled any human military base.

The first vehicles stopped, and Hunters piled out. They looked less intimidating than the ones he'd fought at the hotel—more human.

"What's going on?" one of them asked.

"The Commander moved up the schedule," another replied. "Everyone has to come back by tomorrow afternoon."

"But this isn't protocol," another voice said as the gates started to close. "Are we supposed to—"

"Just follow your orders, recruit. You don't want to miss the show."

The hair on the back of his head stood when he felt the excitement that rippled in the air. What show? What the fuck were they planning to do to his people?