Chapter 24 - Mia

I've never been one to just blindly follow orders, but when I saw the look on Evan's face, I didn't ask questions. I turned and ran back to the cabin, exactly as he said. Rafe was running patrol in front of the tree line, so when I saw him, I yelled out for him. As soon as I told him Evan went off on his own, he shifted and ran off. That helped me breathe easier, knowing my husband wasn't out there alone, facing whatever threat he detected without any help. Rafe would get him and bring him back safely.

Now, all that's left is for me to go home and wait for Evan to return. He'll tell me what's going on, and we'll deal with it together. But for now, I have to get home and get some clothes on. It's not that I'm worried about the other shifters seeing me naked—that comes with being a shifter—but it's starting to get cold.

When I get inside the cabin, I shut the door and lean against it, taking a deep breath. Evan will be back soon. There's no reason to worry. Whatever threat he sensed will be taken care of, and everything will be okay.

That's when I catch a smell coming from the kitchen. One I recognize but haven't smelled in a long time.

"Callie?" I call out, walking slowly toward the kitchen.

I turn the corner, and there she is, sitting at my kitchen table with a hot mug of tea in her hands.

"Hey, Mia," she says with a smile. But then she runs her eyes over my nakedness and giggles. "Out for a midnight run, I take it?"

"You could say that," I answer, feeling a little bit self-conscious. I glance around the room, trying to spot a shirt or a pair of pants or something I can cover up with, but I'm more distracted by why she's here. Callie has been in Stardust Hollow for months now. Why would she come back to Green Lake?

Oh, shit. She came for me. Ram must've sent her when they figured out Evan brought me here. Since she used to belong to this pack, she would be the obvious choice. No one else would have a shot at making it onto the property without getting attacked on sight. At least Ram just sent a mediator instead of an entire army.

"Give me a minute," I tell her, holding up my hand. "I'm just going to get some clothes on. I'll be right back."

"Hurry," she says, the urgency clear in her voice.

I nod and turn around, heading back to the bedroom. I throw on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, and then I grab my shoes. I put them on, and as I tie the laces, my hands are shaking. I can't believe this is happening. If Evan gets here before she's gone, he's going to lose his shit. In his eyes, Callie is a traitor who now works for the enemy. The minute Ram took her in, he became Evan's greatest foe.

Once I'm dressed, I go back into the kitchen, but Callie's not at the table anymore. Instead, she's standing by the window, peeking out through the curtains. What strikes me the most is how at ease she looks. The possibility of Evan or his pack members finding her isn't affecting her at all. She's perfectly calm and composed, as if she has everything under control.

"What are you doing here, Callie? How did you get past the guards?"

"I'm here to bring you home," she announces, turning to face me. I can tell from her expression that she's expecting me to jump at the chance to return to Stardust Hollow, to return to my family and the town I grew up in, but all I can do is take an involuntary step back.

"What's wrong?" she asks with a frown. "Aren't you happy to be rescued?"

"I'm not sure," I admit, not wanting to lie to her. "I can't believe you're actually here."

"Believe it," she says with a smirk. "Come on, we need to hurry. I'm not sure how long our guys can hold Evan and the others off, and we don't want to be here when the fighting starts."

All the blood in my body runs cold. "Fighting? What fighting?"

"Mia," Callie says, her eyes filling with worry, "you didn't really think Ram would just leave you here, did you? Once Ram found out Evan had brought you to his pack, he ordered a full-scale attack. We're not leaving until they pay for taking you. We're here to rescue you and take the Green Lake Pack down."

I stare at her, trying to process her words, but all I can hear is a roaring in my ears. A few weeks ago, those words would have made me so happy. I would have thought it was the greatest thing that could happen. But now... now, all I can see is the destruction and chaos. There will be injuries, maybe even deaths. My husband is going to die; I know that for a fact. Ram won't leave here without his head on a spit as a trophy just to prove a point.

And it's all because of me.

"We have to go," Callie says urgently, pulling me toward the door.

"Wait," I protest, digging in my heels. "Evan and the others don't stand a chance. They have no idea you guys are here. They're going to be slaughtered!"

"That's sort of the point, Mia. That's what happens when you mess with someone else's pack—they fight back. We can't let the Green Lake shifters get away with kidnapping you. Your family needs justice. They need revenge."

"No," I say, shaking my head. "This is wrong, Callie. You can't do this. There are children here. Innocent people will die, including my mate."

"Your mate?" She scrunches her nose in disgust. "Don't you mean your kidnapper? That's right, you've been living in the same cabin as Evan. Ram said he's probably been manipulating you. He probably tricked you into thinking you care about him, that you want to be his mate. That's called Stockholm Syndrome. It happens all the time. We can get you treatment for it as soon as we get home."

"That's not true," I tell her, whipping my head from side to side. Callie and I may know each other, but we've never exactly been friends. To hear her standing here, pretending like she knows me and what's in my heart, makes me square my shoulders and take a step in her direction. "I care about him. He's good to me. He's a good person."

"He kidnapped you!" she shouts, her voice so loud, it echoes in the room. "He took you away from your family. He's the enemy, Mia. He's the one who deserves to die, not us. Don't you get it?"

I don't say anything. There's no point. She's not going to listen.

"Come on," she says, grabbing my arm. "We need to go. Our wolves are waiting in the woods. They've tracked Evan and Rafe, and they're going to attack any minute. I want to make sure we're far away before that happens."

She opens the front door, and the cool night air hits me. I feel numb. I don't know what to do. Callie is pulling me outside, and my body is following, but my mind is screaming. My wolf is clawing at me, begging me to fight back, to protect my husband. To protect the man I love.

As soon as my feet hit the grass, I pull myself out of her grip and run. I have to get to Evan. I have to find him and warn him. Callie is shouting after me, calling my name, but I don't stop. She's not chasing me, and I don't look back. I have to get to him.

I race through the trees, pushing myself as hard as I can, shifting into my wolf. The shift is painful and rushed, but I don't have time to wait for it to be easy. Every second counts. Every step brings me closer to Evan. My paws dig into the ground as I run faster than I ever have. I can't let anything happen to him.

I'm halfway there when I hear the sounds of fighting. The sounds of battle. There are snarls and growls and the sound of claws ripping into flesh. It's coming from just up ahead.

I'm too late. They've already begun.