Chapter 53 — Rainn

My vision fills with red. My fears explode, then converge into a single point of rage. I want to seize Gage and tear him to pieces. “What did you say?” I snarl.

“She wanted me to tell you she decided to return to Falling River.” Leonidas Gage laughs. “Apparently, being mated to the immature alpha of a tiny pack wasn’t enough of an incentive to keep her here.”

I lunge for him, fully intending to do as much damage as I can before his companion can stop me, but suddenly Caleb is behind me, arms around my chest, holding me back.

“It’s a trap,” he whispers, his voice urgent. “There are more than a hundred Sierra shifters in the woods. I’m sure they want you to attack their alpha and give them an excuse to fight us.”

I push Caleb off me with a growl and face Gage’s renewed smirk. Derek pushes forward until he’s beside me. He glares at Gage. “Where are they? What have you done with them?”

Gage turns to study him, his face twisting into a scornful expression, as if a non-alpha wolf is beneath his notice. “You’re also concerned about the human girl, I think.” He smiles again. “I can smell her all over you. Since she seems to like wolf-shifters, she’ll be getting to know many of them intimately in the coming months, I believe.”

“Are you insane?” My dad sounds almost too shocked to speak. “This violates every treaty and agreement that has ever existed between the packs and humans. You’re talking about kidnapping and worse.”

“Yes,” Gage agrees with a mocking sneer. “Worse. For humans. You’ll find out, Professor. You’re one of them, after all.”

With this menacing statement, he turns his attention back to me, his eyes challenging me to attack him. “You should have joined my pack, Rainn. Better to be my lieutenant than the leader of whatever rabble you’ve cobbled together. You’re fighting plans that have been coming together for decades. You have no hope of standing against me. I’m going to remake the world, Rainn. It’s a pity you won’t be a part of it, or even live to see it.”

“No,” I retort. “It’s you who has no hope. You will fail, Leonidas Gage, and I will stand on the ashes of your failure and laugh.”

His eyes flash with anger. “You—”

“Get out,” I hiss, cutting him off. “Get out of this land. You’re trespassing.”

He chuckles, though his eyes are still angry. “I’m going.” He gives an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose the next time I see you, I’ll have to kill you.”

“No.” I return his smile. “If you harm one hair on Bree’s head, the next time I see you, you’ll beg me to kill you.”

“Fair enough,” he says, then turns and walks back to his car. I watch him leave, his wolves following behind like a bloodthirsty horde.

“I witnessed this,” Zack says. “Whenever you choose to report to the wolf summit, I will testify.”

“There’s no time for that.” My voice is surprisingly calm, given the chaos I’m feeling inside. I take a breath and let my insides turn to ice. I can’t lose my head. Not now. Now, more than ever, I need to step away from my feelings and make my decisions from a place of calm. “Caleb,” I continue. “Assemble the wolves. Zack. I don’t believe there’s anything more to discuss. Gather your soldiers. Tonight, we are going to Falling River.”

“We’re not ready. We can’t…”

I turn a cold glance toward Cherise, and her words freeze in her throat. With a small growl, I take a step in her direction, only stopping when Caleb places a cautious hand on my shoulder.

“How long would you like to wait, Cherise?” I ask coldly. “Until they’ve murdered my mate? Assaulted her friend? Started their plan to subjugate the world? Is your desire to challenge me greater than your duty to fight in the face of evil?”

She doesn’t reply.

“You can leave if you want,” I say dismissively before turning to the others. “Do as I say.” My gaze goes from Caleb to Zack. “We’re leaving within the hour.

***

We run so swiftly the trees lose substance around us. We bound over earth, rocks, and water, paws barely touching anything beneath.

The race of the wolf-pack is a mystery, even to the most seasoned of wolf-shifters. As my pack and the Cedar Ridge warriors run together, speed turns into an impossible rapidity that feels almost like slow motion but is faster than any run should be.

Obstacles blur as we move, fading into nothingness.

Our howls split the night.

Ahead of us lie the unclaimed lands and whatever we must face beyond it.

Ahead of us somewhere is Bree.

I’ve probed our bond, trying to search out her location, but either she’s too far to reach, or…

I try not to think of the alternatives.

Gage wants to lure me to Falling River.

I’m going to give him his wish.

And it’s no longer because I need revenge for my mother. For my pack.

No.

It’s for Bree.

And to find her and end the danger Hugo and Gage pose, I will risk everything, even my life.