Jackson POV Jace growls when we lose Nicole's scent again, it feels like I have been running around in circles for days. My head feels like it will explode; controlling my temper is impossible. Where the fuck has the mutt taken my family? It would have damn near killed Nicole if she had to carry Alec all this way. Kyle’s voice enters my head, “We have something over here, Alpha.” I shift, running to his location; he is bent over, looking at something on the ground. As I get closer, the scent of Nicole's blood fills my nose. Jace knocks Kyle out of the way. His fur bristles as he growls; I take back control before he attacks Kyle and shift back into my human form. The ground has been disturbed, showing signs of another struggle. Fear for my mate and pup gnaws at my insides, causing a knot to form in my gut. The only thing that keeps me sane is the blood on the forest floor is fresh, and it's a small amount. Jace settles back down again as Kyle motions me to his side; he has found N
Layla POV Nathan and I have not been able to spend any time alone since he started preparations for Jackson's attack. Lea's voice has been grumbling in my head all morning. “We should just mark him and be done with it, Layla.” “No, Lea, he can't afford any distractions right now.” She snorts, rolling her eyes as she recedes to the back of my mind. I understand her frustration. Nathan's scent makes my mouth water; the thought of not having him beside me is terrifying. I just want all this over and done with so we can start our life together, the idea of having a pup of my own has never been something I had thought about before I met Nathan, but now I cant wait to have a family with him. I won't lie; I am still angry about not fighting alongside him, but mom has assured me she will be able to stop Jackson from attacking us. My heart starts to race; my breathing quickens; fear consumes me. I know it because I am scared that I will lose Nathan. I whisper a little prayer to the moon-g
Sasha POV I stumbled across a small cavern last night; something flashed brightly in the torchlight when we were unloading the car. When I investigated the room, I found the silver shackles and bones of wolves that witches who lived in the cave had tortured. Large silver pins have been hammered into the roof and floor of the cavern. These women had thought of everything; replacing my gloves, I pulled on the pins to ensure the silver hadn't eroded over time. Everything is ready; putting my gloves back on, I put the silver shackles I found in the cave in the trunk of the SUV. I start the car and head back to the packhouse to collect Isaac, Tate, and Seth. The other two will be staying behind; I don't know if I am willing to trust them with my plans. Neither Tate nor Seth knows the cave's location. Once I have Layla, we will return them to the packhouse before Isaac and I return to the witches' lair. I tap my fingers on the steering wheel, trying to contain my anger; if they are not o
Nathan POV My wolves slowly emerge from the bunker; Alec squeals with delight when he sees Jackson; he was running so fast I thought he would face plant the ground. When he reached his father and wrapped his little arms around his knees, Jackson picked him, swinging him in the air. Nicole chuckled as Marian whispered something in her ear, her face reddening slightly. I decided to give him some time to reunite with his family. I think there is more going on than we know about; we still don't understand why the mutt brought Nicole to our territory. As soon as Amy sees Drew, she runs toward him, jumping into his arms, knocking him off balance. He falls, taking her to the ground with him, laughing as she smothers him with kisses. Drew gets to his feet and offers Amy his hand, pulling her up and wrapping his arms around her protectively. I can feel the tension coming off him; he is still pissed that we have unknown warriors on my land. Layla hasn't come out of the bunkers yet; I don't thi
Nicole POV Nathan's words keep replaying in my mind, increasing my anger by the second. “How would you know, Nicole? You haven't been a proper mother to Layla for years; you are a pathetic excuse for a mother.” Who the fuck does Nathan think he is? And how dare he do that to my daughter? Layla has already been through so much in her young life. Then the one person supposed to love and protect her turns his back on her discarding her like a piece of garbage. Fucking Alpha’s, right now; I could kill the lot of them. I stop at the edge of Nathan's border and flip him the bird. “Fuck you, Nathan.” Jackson's eyes widen in shock as he says, “That won't help Layla, Nicole.” I turn on him, whispering, so Alec doesn't get upset, “Now is not the time to push my fucking buttons, Jackson.” He holds his hands up in surrender, “I wasn't trying to piss you off when we get home, and I make sure our pack is ok. I will organize some of our scouts and warriors to search for Layla.” I hand
Layla POV The shock from ice-cold water hitting my face wakes me up, I jerk backward, smashing my head against the stone wall behind me, and my ears ring as pain flows from my head to my shoulders. Rough hands grab me, pulling me to my feet; pins and needles run through my arms and legs as my circulation returns—Isaac grunts when my legs give out from under me. Sasha growls as she helps him attach the shackles around my wrists to the silver pin in the roof. My arms are stretched above my head; my feet can't touch the ground. My wrists burn, my elbows hurt, and the muscle in my shoulders scream for mercy as they support all my weight. The pounding in my head gets louder; my breathing is shallow, and my broken ribs grind against each other when I try to breathe. Wolfsbane mixes with the damp stagnant air that fills the cave. Sasha slaps my face sharply; the sound echoes in the confined space. “Wakey, wakey sis.” As soon as I hear her nasal voice, flashes of what happened last night
Nicole POV I snarl at the male wolf, “Where is my daughter?” He looked at me with a smug smile on his face and said. “You won't hurt me.” The boy is young, maybe a year older than Layla, but he is wrong. I don't want to hurt him, but I will. “What is your name, and what pack are you from?” “Joseph from the Silver Moon pack” “You are a scout?” “Yes” “Is my daughter alive?” He shrugs his shoulders; the little fucker couldn't care less whether Layla was alive. I kneel before him, looking him in his eyes, so he knows I am serious. “I will hurt you, Joseph, if you don't start talking.” He laughs and spits in my face. After I wipe his saliva off me, I look at him, and all I can see is Michael's face. His eyes widen with shock when my fist connects with his nose. All the pent-up hurt, frustration, and anger I have inside me I unleash onto him. My knuckles are swollen and bleeding when I walk out of the room. Diana shakes her head as she rips a cloth in half and wraps my h
Layla POVIt is so dark I don't know if it's day or night or how much time has elapsed since Sasha and Isaac left. Silent tears run down my face; I want the pain to stop. Drifting in and out of consciousness, I don't hear when my tormenters return. Sasha slaps my face, “Wake up, Layla.” Opening my eyes slowly, I mumble,“Kill me and get it over with, Sasha.” She steps back, her face filled with contempt, and snarls, “I am so disappointed in you, Layla; I thought you would put up more of a fight. But then you always were weak, weren't you?” My heart and mind are numb; I don't care anymore. Sasha picks up a bottle containing wolfsbane. Isaac holds my head tightly; Sasha lifts the bottle to my mouth, laughing as she pours the liquid down my throat. I don't fight them, choking and sputtering; I swallow the burning liquid. She snorts in disgust and screams. "Your fucking pathetic, Layla.” Then storms from the room; Isaac chases after her, “You can't just leave her there, babe.” Sh