10. Mason

Chapter ten

Mason

M y wolf was going fucking crazy, desperate to find any trace of Shya. His need to protect her, to ensure her safety, was a pulsing, living thing, threatening to overwhelm me. I could feel his panic rising with every passing second, and it took all my concentration to keep him in check as we pulled up to the Bridgetown Alpha House. Losing control would not help find Shya.

The scene before us as Derek and I got out of the car was one of chaos and confusion. People stumbled about, their faces etched with a mix of shock, pain, and disbelief. Some were visibly injured, nursing wounds, and leaning on each other for support.

I turned to Derek. "Let's start at the medical wing. If anyone knows what happened, it'll be Camille, and that's where she'll be."

We made our way through the throng of people, following the scent of blood that grew stronger with every step.

As we entered the medical wing, the atmosphere shifted from chaos to something far more somber. The fluorescent lights cast a cold, clinical glow over everything, and the air was thick with grief. There were dead here, the dead and their families.

Two enforcers I didn't recognize stood guard outside a room. I headed toward them just as Ivan popped his head out of the door. He saw Derek and me, nodded to the guards, and then disappeared inside again.

Right.

I followed, Derek behind me.

The room was small, just a single bed next to a window. Camille, Henry, and Tucker were gathered around the bed. Camille's eyes were red-rimmed and haunted, but her back was straight as she looked down at the bed. Henry and Tucker stood on either side of her; Henry looked to be in shock, his face pale and stricken. Tucker had obviously been crying recently, but I recognized the rage flowing through him now. I could see it in every strained muscle of his small body. He would need watching. Ivan, stoic as always, stood guard by the door, his face grim.

There was one more person in the room. Michael lay on the bed, his body still and lifeless, a black sheet covering him from the waist down.

Fuck!

I'd hoped it hadn't been true. That there had been some mistake. But there was no mistaking his body, fragile and broken, his chest unmoving and his eyes closed forever.

Camille finally looked up. "Mason," she said, her voice dull and lifeless. "Derek."

When she didn't say anymore, I stepped closer to the bed, my eyes taking in the gruesome wounds that marred Michael's body. His throat had been torn out, the flesh ragged and bloody. Deep gashes ran along his arms and torso.

"What happened?" Derek asked, directing his question to Ivan.

"Tristan and his men, about forty of them, attacked the west end of town. They killed the sentries posted on our border, so we had little warning. They came out of nowhere and caught us off guard. I was there with several enforcers, trying to hold them back, but we were losing ground."

He paused, his eyes shifting to Michael's lifeless form. "That's when Michael arrived. He tore through the attackers like they were nothing. For a moment, it seemed like we might push them back.

"But while Michael was focused on the main group, Tristan came up from behind. He was in his wolf form. He was fast, too fast. He …" Ivan's words faltered, his eyes closing briefly.

"Tristan severed Michael's hamstrings," Camille said, her voice hoarse with grief.

It was a coward's move. Sneaking up behind and cutting the hamstrings meant Michael would have been on the ground. A bad position to be in when faced with a wolf.

"I arrived just as Michael fell, unable to stand. I tried to reach him. I tried, but … Tristan … I watched him tear out Michael's throat. I was too late. There was nothing I could do."

I think I was the only one who noticed Tucker's eyes flash green, his wolf coming to the fore.

"I'm going to kill Tristan," Henry stated, his fists clenched at his sides. He looked like he'd just woken up from a nightmare to find he hadn't been dreaming, which was probably exactly how he felt.

I understood their need for revenge, but the last thing we needed was Shya's brothers going after Tristan right now.

"Your family needs you right now," I replied, staring hard at Tucker and hoping he'd get the message, too. "You need to step up and look after them first."

Henry glared at me, and for a moment, I thought he was going to hit me. Then the fire died down, and he nodded once. "Pack always comes first."

Good . There might be some advantages to that mantra being drilled into this family after all.

Tucker averted his eyes, and I had no clue what he was thinking. I turned to Camille, keeping my voice gentle. "Michael was a great leader and an even better father and mate. His loss is a tremendous blow."

She nodded. "He died as he lived; protecting our Pack, protecting our people."

"Tell me about Shya."

Camille's eyes filled with fresh tears, and she seemed to crumple for a moment; it was all too much for her to handle. "They took her. Tristan's men … they grabbed her off the main street during the attack."

My heart stalled, a cold fear gripping my chest. "How?"

Camille shook her head, her voice breaking. "When the attack started, I sent her to town to protect the humans. We have fifty tourists in town this week, plus the humans of Bridgetown. They are innocent in all this. Reports say she was surrounded by ten of Tristan's men. They were waiting for her. They took her."

My wolf threw himself against my insides, a growing sense of urgency and desperation taking hold. He wanted out.

Calm. We need more information.

Hunt. Hunt now.

Soon. We'll hunt soon.

Derek suddenly spoke up. "Tristan's men. They were waiting for her?"

Camille nodded. "It seems that way."

He turned to me. "They knew she would be sent into town. The goal was Shya. The rest was a diversion."

Ivan nodded grimly. "I believe your appraisal is correct. As soon as they had her, a message went around, and Tristan's forces scattered."

Tristan had orchestrated this attack with a singular purpose—to take Shya. I was going to rip him limb from limb. No one touched my mate.

I don't know what Derek saw in my face, but he jerked his chin at Henry and Tucker.

Right. Rage was not a good look in front of them right now.

Derek passed me a tennis ball from his pocket. I took a deep breath and took it. This whole thing was such a fucking mess. This family needed to concentrate on the things they could do, and that started with making sure this Pack was defended.

"Camille, I know how much you're hurting right now, but your Pack needs you. They need their remaining Alpha to guide them through this crisis."

Camille's eyes flashed with pain, her gaze snapping back to Michael's body. I could see the internal struggle playing out across her face, her grief and need to be beside Michael warring with the responsibility she now had as the sole Alpha.

"I can't leave him," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Not like this."

I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Michael would want you to be strong for the Pack. For your children. They need you now more than ever."

Camille closed her eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath. When she opened them again, there was a flicker of resolve in their depths, a glimmer of the fierce Alpha I knew her to be.

"You're right." She nodded, her voice steadier now. She turned to Ivan, her demeanor shifting, a quiet authority settling over her. "Ivan, gather the enforcers. We need to secure the borders and make sure all of Tristan's Pack is gone. Ask Danni to oversee it. After that, coordinate with the medical staff. Make sure everyone who is injured is taken care of. Tell the humans nothing. The less they know of this, the better. And send word round that all Pack werewolves are to meet here in two hours. We'll need to tell everyone what happened."

Ivan nodded, his posture straightening as he recognized the command in Camille's tone. "Yes, Alpha."

I was proud of her. She wasn't falling apart.

Camille's attention then turned to, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Mason, I appreciate you coming here, but we are officially in mourning now. We are locking our territory down. It is a private affair. Bridgetown Pack only."

And she went too far.

"You have got to be kidding me. I'm here for Shya. We need to pool our resources and find her."

Camille shook her head. "The Bridgetown Pack will handle the search for Shya. She is our responsibility."

My wolf snarled within me, and I had difficulty pushing him down. "Shya is my mate, Camille. I won't sit by and do nothing while she's in danger."

Camille's eyes flared. "You're not part of this Pack, Mason. I can't tolerate outsiders right now. Not after this. We will protect what is ours, and Shya is ours. We will find her."

I stepped forward, my frustration mounting. How could she be so blind? How could she turn away help to find her daughter?

Derek placed a hand on my arm, his voice low. "You won't change her mind. Not at the moment. They're circling the wagons. They need to feel safe, secure, in control. You push too far on this now and there won't be any coming back from it."

I paused, Derek's words piercing through the haze of my own anger. I looked at Camille, really looked at her, and saw the devastation etched into every line of her face. She had lost her mate, the father of her children, and now she was being forced to put aside her own mourning to lead her Pack. She needed to feel her family was back in control of this. Derek was right; if I pushed this right now, I'd lose any hope of getting their cooperation in the future.

Derek squeezed my arm. "Let it go for now, Mason. We'll find another way."

I nodded reluctantly, accepting that I wouldn't find the support I needed here. The Bridgetown Pack was closing ranks, and I would have to search for Shya on my own.