27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Nero's panther wanted blood. Surprised on his own turf, the beast within him was spitting mad—and the Raeth who'd entered his territory with the intent to do harm was courting death.

The intruder was wearing a Shield, rendering the sovereign incapable of latching onto his psychic signature. But Nero trusted his wards and teleported to the breach.

When he manifested behind the clanless Raeth along his border, his blade was already in play. It sung through the air, but his enemy had split-second reflexes.

Dodging the blow, the man spun. Shock laced the air. It bled into Nero's gifts, potent and alien. Their blades met in a volley of steel and sparks. As they fought, Nero catalogued everything about his opponent. Black hair. Light blue eyes. Young. Clanless. Born of destruction. Based on description alone, this was the Raeth who was working for the Citizens .

And he was here for Eden.

Nero, motivated by protecting his turf and mate, easily gained the upper hand. His blade met flesh over and over and came away red, as his enemy grew desperate.

Nero recognized the bundling of energy for what it was: preparation to teleport. At the last moment, he lunged forward, wrapping his hand around the intruder's neck as the teleport took him.

There would be no escape.

A split-second of weightlessness was followed by a jarring landing. The man Nero had fought with was clearly unaccustomed to a passenger, and the pair of them landed hard on a concrete floor, several feet apart.

It only took a second to gain his bearings, but in that moment, the other Raeth teleported again. This time, Nero had no hope of following. Without being able to acquire his psychic signature, the sovereign couldn't pinpoint the other man.

He'd lost him.

Cursing violently under his breath, he finally took stock of where he'd landed. Nero's eyes adjusted to the low light instantly, and what he saw sickened him. As he sucked in a breath, pungent odors assaulted him. His horror was instantaneous.

Tens of wolves were crammed in cages less than five by five feet. They each wore a silver muzzle device, and their coats were mangy and matted. No food was visible in their cages, though scraps of meat had been left just out of reach outside of the silver bars. Soiled beyond comprehension, the cement floor was gouged by claw marks, testament to the wolves' struggle and failed attempts to escape.

Everywhere he looked, Nero saw evidence of torture. Cattle prods, batons, and long silver knives lined the gore-stained tables shoved against the walls.

Nero's psychic gifts exploded out of him, cataloging every nook and cranny, along with any living being inside. The bitter fear and overwhelming anger of those kept caged churned his stomach more than the putrid smells.

Given the situation, he didn't pause to send the polite telepathic ping before he spoke into Zeke and Nina's minds.

The Citizens Raeth intruded on my clan lands . He teleported, I latched onto him—and we landed in a kennel. There are tens of tortured and dying werewolves here, in really bad condition. I need backup immediately. Teleport to my signature.

Without waiting for a response, he switched the psychic channel to connect with his lieutenants. The Citizens' Raeth was the intruder. He may be coming back—be on guard; protect Eden at all costs.

If the Citizens' Raeth went back to his clan lands, Nero would know. For the moment, he needed to remain here as a beacon for the others. They couldn't allow this hellhole prison to continue.

Zeke, Aidan, Kaien, and Nova were the first to arrive. Only moments later, Remmus and Ava appeared. All of them stopped short. Aidan and Ava's sounds of absolute horror fisted a hand around Nero's heart and yanked. They immediately moved toward the wolves that still showed signs of life.

During the previous Citizens attacks, Nero had discovered that rabid wolves would not be swayed by his psychic influence. The affliction had taken any measure of emotional intelligence and abolished it beneath a swell of rising bloodlust. Regardless, he could still confirm to Aidan whether there was any shred of the person remaining behind.

Aidan went cage by cage. With every single one, Nero confirmed the wolf in captivity had been forever lost to them.

Jason. Tabitha. Manoj. Sai. Aidan knew all of their names and stories. The alpha did his duty to each of them, offering them his strength and mercy, holding their gaze while the light left their eyes. It tore Aidan's heart each time, and Nero felt him slip further and further into despair.

Then there was one Aidan couldn't identify.

"I don't know who this is. This wolf isn't linked to any pack, nor any alpha I'm aware of. She's young. Maybe a month old, if that."

Zeke was the one to speak the bitter truth into being. "They're creating rabid wolves. The Citizens are turning humans."

Devastated, Aidan caught himself against the cage. "Just one bite from a captured werewolf would be enough to transmit it to a human. Now that they've figured that out, it'd be easy to create new wolves."

Despite the affect it was having on him, no amount of torment could make him turn against his responsibility; the wolves deserved an honorable death, no matter how they'd been created.

A single Citizen bullet filled with liquid sunlight could potentially condemn a wolf to rabidity. Even though they had developed a vaccine, it wasn't as effective as the werewolves had hoped—and the rates of inoculation were not rising fast enough.

The more newly turned wolves they found, the more Nero worried for Aidan. The alpha was gradually slipping into a place beyond pain. His mind sought Nina's, sending her a telepathic ping that was immediately returned.

Nero, what do you need?

Aidan is close to the edge, he replied. We've destroyed nearly thirty wolves, and there are more still to come. Please warn his mate—he will need her when he returns.

Thank you, Nero, I appreciate the forewarning. A hesitation, then: Has Eden decided?

Bristling inside, Nero almost missed the wolf that lashed out at him. He barely sidestepped the claws aimed from his torso. Aidan, as if on autopilot, accounted for the movement and gave the wolf a swift ending.

No. She's yet to make her choice. We'll let you know.

By the time they'd cleared every cage, Nero's hands and clothing were soaked in blood, painting a macabre picture that marred his soul.