"Nash. I'm a lioness. I'm a fighter too. Besides, no one knows Nolan's scent like I do." I want to curl into a ball and weep at the thought of my little boy in the hands of these madmen. "He's my son."
"He's mine too. My priority is to keep you safe."
I don't spit his last words back. This is a new Nash. He's changed. Whatever his issues with stepping into his rightful role, he seems to be over them.
"I'll be smart. I can hang back until it's time to find Nolan."
"All right."
My breath leaves in a rush. "So I can come?"
"Denali, if there's something you really want, I don't think I could ever deny you."
I sag, and he's there for me, holding me. I didn't let him touch me earlier. I couldn't take it. This man broke my heart into a million pieces. But as much as I want to be angry, I need him so much right now. And he's being everything I need him to be.
"I tried so hard to keep him safe," I choke out. "I hid as long as I could."
"Shhh, baby. It's not your fault," he says in a way that tells me he thinks it was his.
"It's not yours, either."
"My lion was trying to warn me. That's what all my flashbacks were. I should've been there. I should've kept you safe."
I can't speak, so I hug him.
His lips find my ear. "Baby, if you give me another chance, I swear, I'll never walk away again." He steps back and holds my shoulders. "Ever."
Tears swim in my eyes. Will I take him back?
It would be impossible not to. If Nolan and I are the missing part of him, he's the missing part of me.
I nod, and he thumbs away the tears tracking down my cheeks. "Yes, you'll take me back?"
My head wobbles on my neck, but I manage to nod.
Nash holds my face and leans his forehead against mine. "Thank fuck," he breathes. His jaw sets when he pulls away. "I will get our son back," he swears with the timbre of an oath.
"I know you will," I whisper. I believe Nash would move mountains to make it happen. He'll get our Nolan back.
He has to.
Nash
AS SOON AS the helicopter lands, I'm on the ground. Another day, another jungle. Memories of my soldier days rise and flash through my mind. But no flashbacks. For the first time in decades, my mind is clear.
My lion is quiet, biding his time. He knows I'll let him out soon. He was born for this. Not a monster. A warrior, born for battle. Born to protect my own. An alpha.
We assemble about a mile out from the target. Everyone's quiet, readying for battle. Denali stands nearby, staring into the underbrush. She's so beautiful, her face composed. She wears dark, loose fitting clothes. As soon as we get close, she'll let loose her lioness. Despite everything, I'm looking forward to seeing her animal again.
Jackson walks by and I lean close to him. "I have a favor to ask." I jerk my chin toward Denali. "Watch her?"
"Every step of the way." He grips my shoulder briefly. Shifters touch more than humans do, but I've heard Jackson is a notorious loner. He found Sam after Sam escaped from Data-X as a teenager. Jackson took him in and Sam was the only one close to him until Kylie.
"Ready, Alpha?" Parker and Declan appear at my side. They're about to strip down and take wolf form. They insisted on fighting, and I didn't try to talk them out of it but ordered them to come in with Garrett. I sense they want to stay close to me.
I grip their shoulders. "You have Nolan's scent. I need you to be on the lookout for him."
"Aye, boss."
"Thank you."
Above our heads, and huge owl swoops onto a branch and settles. My radio crackles.
"I've got eyes on the compound," Sam says. "Layne is staking out now."
"Got it." I signal everyone. "We're moving out."
Nash
SANTIAGO'S MANSION IS A QUIET, sprawling shadow, lying between the jungle and the sea. We approach from the jungle side and wait for our moment in the darkness along the high wall.
"No moon tonight," Carlos murmurs. "And the wind's blowing off the sea. Any guards who are also shifters won't scent us coming." Above our heads, the leaves stir restlessly in the wind. "We better move soon."
"On my signal." I step forward. I call my lion and let my hands turn to paws. Carefully, I climb the compound wall. Manicured lawns stretch before me. From Laurie and Layne's scouting, I know there are gun-wielding guards at every possible exit or defensible spot of the compound, including a few pacing the perimeter.
The great white owl dives on silent wings above my head and I give the signal before leaping onto the lawn. The wolves follow, breaching the walls easily enough. There are a few startled cries along the forest line as the wolves leap from the shadows and take out the first line of guards. Black clad bodies hit the ground simultaneously.
We now have a matter of minutes to infiltrate the mansion. But first we have to cross the lawn without getting caught.
Gun balanced on my shoulder, I creep forward with the line of advancing wolves.
DENALI
"THEY'RE IN," Sam reports.
"Roger," Garrett replies via walkie talkie, rising along with his wolves. "We're ready."
"Roger, wait for my signal."
For a few tense moments, we wait in silence, the wolves giant statues, shirtless in readiness to shift. A breeze rustles through the trees and the shifting shadows play over the tattooed muscles.
A shout, and gunfire clatters in the distance.
The walkie talkie crackles. "Cover blown. Go, go, go!"
I surge to my feet, letting the lioness take my skin. I claw up the wall and hit the lawn at a dead run. Ahead of me, wolves race, noses pointed toward the hacienda, tails streaming. A flash of white from the left. I duck my head until I realize it's Laurie, his large feathered form swooping in.