Claw, Click, Bite, Boom.

My parents are alive.

Or rather, not exactly alive, according to Margo. They’re frozen somehow. I don’t really understand what that means, but it’s enough to give me hope.

And I will not let Kade take that away from me.

I look over at Will, and there’s a glint of understanding in my mate’s eyes that makes my heart ache. He gives me a small, sad smile.

“Do what you have to do. We’ll get you as close to the bunker as possible, and then I’ll get your aunt and the others out of here. Once it’s done, I’ll circle right back to you.”

A bullet smashes through one of the rear windows, narrowly missing the detective. We all hold on to whatever is available as Will speeds towards the mansion.

Neither one of us wants to split up, but it’s the only way.

“I have to do this,” I tell Will, but he doesn’t need an explanation.

He’s my family. He knows me better than I know myself.

“They’re your parents,” he says simply. “As soon as the others are safe, I’m coming right back to you. Marcus and Luke can get the word out to the other packs once they’re out. Hold your ground in the bunker until backup arrives.”

Another bullet dents the trunk, and there’s a soft click as the car doors unlock. This is as far as we’re going to get.

I glance at my aunt, still broken and breathing heavily in the back, as Marcus holds her. Beside them, Luke’s expression is cold and hard. I don’t know how many wolves he lost in the massacre, and I don’t know how many more of us are yet to fall. But I know one thing for certain as the young Alpha gives me a curt nod.

If we’re going down, we’re taking Kade with us.

I look back at my mate with one hand on the door handle. I see the love written there in his eyes, and he doesn’t have to say it. Saying it would only make this feel like goodbye, and I refuse to believe that this is the end. Instead, I hold his gaze for a long moment and acknowledge what we both already know.

“Always,” I whisper. Not a goodbye but a promise.

“Go.”

I throw the door open and leap out of the van as my wolf lunges out of me. I shift in the air, landing fully transformed on all fours. The van continues to speed away, and one door smashes against one of the nearby trees, ripping it right off the hinges, but they don’t slow down.

Neither do I.

I run for the manor as bullets rain around me. Will drove up to the side of the library, and luckily, one of those bullets aimed at me actually hit the window ahead of me. I crash through what’s left of it as I throw myself into the library.

The bookshelf that hid the secret passage down into the bunker has been smashed and shoved aside, but I don’t stop to take in my surroundings. Instead, I bolt right through the opening in the bookshelf and race down the stairs, my claws clicking softly against the polished marble. There are so many stairs, and I can’t run down them fast enough.

Finally, I reach the strange, bright corridor at the base of the bunker. It’s a mess. Doors have been forced open, with the contents of each room turned over and tossed aside as someone tore through this place. There’s a clanging noise up ahead, and I rush toward it. The thoughts in my mind have solidified into a feeling that burns within me, fueling my every step.

My parents are alive. Kade is here. I will not let him take them from me again.

I skid right through a doorway that leads into a shorter corridor. On the other end is a large steel door, and Kade is pointing a gun at the handle, ready to shoot the lock right off. There are several vicious dents on the metal where he must have tried shooting the door. Leave it to Kade to fight harder instead of smarter, wasting bullets in his rage.

There’s no cover in the small hallway, nothing but empty space between me and Kade’s wrath. We’ve both underestimated each other before.

It’s a mistake I won’t make again.

I lunge down the hallway, and Kade whirls around suddenly with wide eyes, startled by my sudden appearance. It takes him a second to gather his bearings, points the gun away from the door, and right at me.

Click. He shoots.

Boom. He misses, and I’m halfway to him.

Click. Another bullet whizzes past me, so close that a deafening ringing in my ears drowns out Kade’s cursing.

Boom. The next shot hits the spot where I was standing less than a heartbeat ago as I zig-zag across the small hallway toward him.

Click. I reach the other end and swerve out of the way as another bullet soars. I leap toward Kade’s outstretched hand, sinking my teeth into his arms with all my strength.

Boom. The shot goes off, and Kade screams as the metallic taste of his blood fills my mouth, and my snout drips crimson.

Click. He moves to push me off, shooting blindly as he tries to wrench his hand free.

Boom. He hits the wall behind me, and I sink my teeth in deeper, canines crunching into his bones.

The gun flies out of his grasp as he wails in agony, but then he swings his arm around, sending me flying into the steel door. My muscles scream as I slam into the cold metal. Kade manages to wring his hand free and throws himself toward the gun as I fall to the ground with dark spots dancing in my vision. I pant, lifting my head in time to see him point the gun directly at me. We’re barely a few feet apart, with nothing obstructing his view.

It’s a clear shot.

Behind me, I can practically sense my parents on the other side of that steel door, frozen but not forgotten. Nothing is lost. Not forever. Ash is somewhere in there too, and so is Elder Hilda, both of them holding their ground to defend my family until their last breath.

Outside the mansion, I can feel Will, on the other end of our mating bond, racing back toward me. Marcus, Luke, and Margo must have made it out. Good. I give a soft tug to that bond, sending a thought to my mate as Kade’s finger presses the trigger.

‘I love you.’

Click.