Chapter 98 Stand down
The plane engines roared to life.
Kane forced himself to stay calm. He glanced at Amanda. She was looking out the window. Jacob sat beside her, arms crossed.
“Are you sure?” Kane’s voice was barely audible.
Aria nodded. “I memorized every detail of that attack. The mark was burned into three different walls. I saw it over and over when I closed my eyes for weeks.”
Kane’s mind raced. If Amanda was part of the group that attacked the Sanctuary, then everything made sense. The witches finding them. The convenient rescue. Amanda’s insistence on coming with them to Seattle.
This wasn’t salvation. It was infiltration.
“What do we do?” Aria asked.
Kane looked at Leo. His son’s chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. They were already in the air. The plane banked left, gaining altitude.
“Nothing,” Kane said. “Not yet.”
“Kane.”
“If we confront her now, we’re trapped. We’re in the air. Jacob could be dangerous too. We can’t risk the plane going down with the kids on board.”
Aria’s hands clenched. “So we just sit here?”
“We wait. We get Leo medical help first. Then we deal with her.” Kane met her eyes. “Trust me.”
Aria wanted to argue. Every instinct screamed at
her to do something. But she looked at Leo again. At Lily, who had finally fallen asleep against her shoulder.
“Fine,” she said. “But the second we land, I want answers.”
Kane nodded. He stood and moved to the front of the plane. The pilot’s door was closed. He knocked once.
It opened. A man in his forties looked out. “Yes, sir?”
“How long until we land?”
“Four hours, give or take. Weather’s clear.”
“Good.” Kane lowered his voice. “When we land, I need you to radio ahead. Tell Devon to have extra security waiting. Armed. Ready for a threat.”
The pilot’s expression didn’t change. “Understood.”
Kane returned to his seat. He kept his body angled so he could watch both Amanda and Jacob without being obvious about it.
Amanda caught his eye. She smiled. “Everything okay?”
“Leo’s stable for now,” Kane said.
“Good.” Amanda leaned back in her seat. “Seattle will have everything he needs. You made the right call coming home.”
Kane said nothing.
Jacob spoke up. “You know, I never thought I’d be going to Seattle. Always heard it was beautiful this time of year.”
“It rains a lot,” Aria said flatly.
Jacob shrugged. “I like rain.”
The conversation died. Silence filled the cabin except for the steady drone of the engines.
Kane watched Amanda. She seemed relaxed. Too relaxed. Like someone who had already won.
Two hours passed. Lily woke up and asked for water. Aria got her some from the small galley. Leo’s fever hadn’t broken, but it hadn’t gotten worse either.
Kane stood and stretched. He walked toward the back of the plane, passing Amanda and Jacob.
Amanda’s bag sat on the floor beside her seat. It was open slightly. Kane could see the edge of something inside. It was a paper.
He kept walking to the bathroom. Shut the door. Counted to thirty. Then came back out.
As he passed Amanda’s seat again, he stumbled. His hand shot out to catch himself on the armrest. His other hand dipped into her bag.
“Sorry,” he said.
Amanda barely looked up. “No problem.”
Kane returned to his seat. His hand was in his pocket. Inside was a folded piece of paper he’d pulled from the bag.
He waited until Amanda was looking out the window again. Then he unfolded it carefully.
It was a map. Seattle. The pack territory was marked with red circles. Specific buildings were highlighted. The medical center. The pack house. The alpha’s residence.
Handwritten notes covered the margins. Entry points. Guard rotations. Weak spots in the perimeter.
Kane’s jaw locked. This wasn’t just reconnaissance. This was an invasion plan.
He refolded the paper and slipped it into his jacket. He leaned close to Aria.
“Look at this,” he whispered. He showed her the map.
Aria’s face went pale. “They’re planning an attack.”
“Soon. Probably as soon as we land.”
“We have to warn Devon.”
“The pilot’s already alerting him. But we need to be ready.” Kane looked at the twins. “Keep them close when we land. Don’t let them out of your sight.”
Aria nodded. Her hand moved to Leo’s forehead. Still too hot.
The plane began its descent. Kane felt the shift in altitude. His ears popped.
Amanda stood and moved to the front of the cabin. She looked out the windshield at the city below.
“Beautiful,” she said.
Jacob joined her. “Never seen it from up here.”
Kane watched them. They were positioning themselves between him and the cockpit.
The landing gear extended with a mechanical whine. The plane dropped lower. Buildings rose up on either side.
They touched down hard. The brakes screamed. Kane braced himself.
The plane taxied to a private hangar. Through the window, Kane could see the familiar black SUVs of the pack security team. Devon stood beside them. At least twenty wolves flanked him.
The plane stopped. The engines powered down.
Amanda turned. Her smile was gone. In its place was something cold. Sharp.
“Well,” she said. “This is awkward.”
Kane stood slowly. “Yeah. It is.”
Jacob moved to block the door. His hand went to his waistband. Kane saw the outline of a gun.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Amanda said. Her voice was calm. Professional. “You’re going to tell your people to stand down. We’re going to walk off this plane together. Nice and peaceful. No one gets hurt.”
“And if I don’t?” Kane said.
Amanda’s eyes flicked to Leo. “Then your son doesn’t get his medicine. And you know how fast dreamveil root works in children.”
Aria surged forward. Kane caught her arm.
“You said you’d help him,” Aria spat.
“I said a lot of things.” Amanda stepped closer. “But here’s the thing. Just as you don’t trust us, we also don’t trust you.”
“Why?” Kane’s voice was steel.
“Why?” Amanda scoffed, “I know you saw the map in the bag. Which means your suspicions of us are even higher now. But I’m not letting you sabotage my plans so we either do it my way, or no way.”
Jacob pulled the gun. He aimed it at Lily.
Aria froze. Her daughter sat three feet away, small and fragile, with a weapon trained on her chest.
“No.” The word tore from Aria’s throat.
Kane’s wolf surged. Every muscle coiled to strike. But Jacob’s finger rested on the trigger.
“Don’t,” Amanda said. “I can see you thinking. Don’t.”
The cabin door opened. Devon’s voice called out. “Kane? You in there?”
Amanda nodded at Kane. “Answer him. Tell him everything’s fine. Or Jacob pulls the trigger.”
Kane looked at his daughter. At the gun. At Amanda’s cold smile.
He walked to the door.
Devon stood at the bottom of the stairs. His eyes narrowed when he saw Kane’s expression.
“We have a situation,” Kane said carefully.
Devon’s hand moved toward his weapon. The wolves behind him tensed.
“Tell him to stand down,” Amanda called from inside the plane. “Now.”
Devon’s eyes shifted past Kane. He saw Amanda. Saw Jacob and the gun pointed at the small girl.
His jaw tightened. “Kane?”
“Lower your weapons,” Kane said. Each word cost him.
“Kane, we can take them,” Devon said quietly.
“Not before he shoots my daughter.”
The wolves hesitated. Devon’s hand stayed on his weapon.
“Now,” Amanda said. Her voice was pleasant. Calm. “Or the child dies, and we move on to the boy.”
Devon looked at Kane’s face. At the desperate calculation in his Alpha’s eyes.
“Stand down,” Devon ordered. His voice was rough.
The wolves lowered their weapons. Slowly. Reluctantly.
Amanda smiled. “Good. Now we can talk.”