34. Ryan

Chapter thirty-four

Ryan

D esperation fueled me as I fought my way towards the main building, my mind racing. We needed to change tactics.

The outbuildings. If we could lure some of Brock's men inside, funnel them into a bottleneck, we could take them out more easily. It would buy us time, give us a chance to regroup and push forward.

I caught Derek's eye across the battlefield, signaling my intentions with a sharp nod towards the nearest outbuilding. He bared his teeth in acknowledgment. I charged over to him, smashing through a wolf standing in my way. Bending, I scooped up Sam and slung him over my shoulder. Derek surged forward, clearing a path.

"With me!" I roared, my voice cutting through the din of the fight and alerting our fighters to the change in plan.

We broke away from the main battle, sprinting towards an outbuilding on the left. It was long and narrow, with a rusted tin roof that had partially collapsed in on itself. The walls were made of weathered planks, some of which had rotted away, leaving gaping holes. Not ideal, but it would have to do .

I adjusted Sam's weight on my shoulder. The sound of footsteps followed behind us, the snarls of pursuit as some of Brock's men took the bait.

I reached the door first, my shoulder slamming into the wood with enough force to splinter the frame. I ducked inside, setting Sam down gently against the wall.

Derek and the others ran in behind me, then turned to face the fighters coming after us. Waylen went straight for Sam and stood over him, his knife ready for anyone that went their way. Ronnie and his final two men came to stand beside me.

I jumped straight up, grabbed a beam with one hand, and swung myself up into the rafters. I ran along the wood back toward the door as wolves piled in beneath me.

Ava and Rafael were a blur of motion, their lithe forms weaving through the attackers. I dived off the beam and crashed into the wolves streaming in through the broken door. Rage boiled inside me, a searing, white-hot fury that threatened to consume me. It fueled my every move, my every strike, as I tore through the wolves. The confined space worked to our advantage, limiting the enemies' ability to surround us. Derek and Mason used their brute strength to drive those inside back toward me, where I slashed and clawed them into a bloody pile of bodies.

But even as we thinned their numbers, I knew it wasn't enough. We were running out of time, the precious seconds slipping away.

If Jem was here, I had to find him. I had to end this before it was too late.

I let out a roar that shook the very foundations of the building, a primal, savage sound that seemed to come from somewhere deep inside me. It was a rallying cry, a call to arms, and my Pack answered it with howls of their own.

I charged out of the outbuilding and smashed into the wolves that stood between me and my mate's brother.

We fought like demons, like creatures possessed, a Pack driven by a desperate need to save one of our own. I could feel the blood dripping down my face, could taste it on my tongue, but only one thing mattered. For Mai, I had to save Jem.

And then, suddenly, it was over. The last of Brock's men fell to the ground, his throat torn out by Derek's powerful jaws. The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by our ragged breathing and the soft whimpers of the wounded.

I stood there for a moment, my chest heaving, my body drenched in sweat and blood. I looked around at the carnage we had wrought, at the bodies that littered the floor, and felt a grim sense of satisfaction that we were still standing and Brock's men were not. I Shifted my hands back to human and pulled out my phone. We were late. Mai was due to give the nomination two minutes ago.

Fuck!

I could only hope she'd found a way to delay.

I wiped the blood from my eyes and turned to my Pack, my voice hoarse but steady.

"Search the buildings," I ordered. "Every room, every corner."

I could feel their determination through the Pack bonds as they sprung into action. I headed left, toward a cluster of smaller outbuildings, and had just got to the first one when I heard it—a howl, loud and urgent, coming from the direction of the main building.

Derek.

He had found something.

I took off at a dead run, my heart pounding in my chest as I raced towards the sound. I burst through the doors of the main building, following the scent of Derek's adrenaline and the faint, yet unmistakable scent of Jem.

I found Derek standing at the top of a narrow staircase, his dark wolf form tense and alert. His ears were pricked forward.

He looked at me, his gray eyes gleaming in the dim light, and let out a soft whine. Then he turned and bounded down the stairs.

I didn't hesitate. I plunged down the stairs, taking them three at a time, my senses straining for any sign of Jem. The scent was stronger now, a blend of earth and coconut.

I reached the bottom and found myself in a small, damp cellar. The air was thick with the smell of mold and decay, and the only light came from a single, flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling. A dead guard lay to the side, his blood still pooling out beneath him.

And there, in the corner, was Jem. He was lying still, his body thin and battered. Derek was beside him, his large wolf body standing protectively over Jem's fragile form.

I approached slowly. Derek looked up at me, let out a soft whine, then nudged Jem gently with his nose.

Jem stirred at the touch, his eyes fluttering open. They were glazed and unfocused, but when they settled on me, I saw a flicker of recognition.

"Ryan?" he whispered, his voice weak and hoarse.

"I'm here," I said. "We've got you. You're safe now. "

Derek let out a soft whine and pressed his nose against Jem's cheek, his tail wagging slowly. Jem reached up with a trembling hand and tangled his fingers in Derek's fur.

We'd done it. We'd found him. He was alive, and I was bringing him home to Mai. I pulled out my phone and hit Mai's name.

It rang once, twice, three times. Each second felt like an eternity. We had to be on time.