~  CARA ~I woke up, but even when I blinked I couldn’t see anything. Something soft but thick brushed my eyelashes.A blindfold? What?I inhaled, about to call for Rig—was this a game? If so, I could probably get behind it if he let me brush my teeth first—when the scent of the Night Walker hit the back of my throat, and everything that had happened came rushing back. I sat bolt-upright, then winced and grabbed my head, which was screaming with pain and spinning so badly I wondered if I might throw up. "You'll want to give yourself some time before you move. You may have a concussion."The first thing that struck me was how warm the man's voice was, as if he was actually concerned for me.

~ RIG ~I paced the living room of the packhouse, heart hammering and all my instincts screaming.Dad had her. I knew it. It had to be him who’d taken her. Nothing else made sense. But he hadn’t reached out. Hadn’t threatened me or her. He was utterly silent.She couldn’t be dead. She wouldn’t be dead. I’d know if the bond was severed… wouldn’t I? Fuck. I was going to throw up.And what the hell had he done with Charlie?Fear and rage speared through me, but my head spun too.Did I confront him head on? Just get it over with? Could I win?

~ RIG ~Charlie stared at me, half the house still between us. His eyes were pleading and I could feel the ache, the tearing inside him. He opened his mind, begging for me to see…Mate. Meg was his mate.He couldn’t deny it. But he was conflicted.He’d ached for me to come back from our trip, to remove the order, to give him the freedom to give himself to her, then last night I’d been nothing but suspicious. Unwilling to hear anything except that we keep watching her, because in my mind she was now connected to the Night Walker, and he was my father’s man. Or thing.And for the first time, Charlie had fought his own loyalty. Wrestled with it—and overnight secretly determined that he wou

~ MACK ~Surprisingly, the next he approached was Natalie. I held my breath, uncertain if he was naming her to something or challenging her—this Rite could be used to remove threats, too.“Sister, I stand today for freedom, for unity, and a new dawn. I will take down our Alpha, or die trying. Will you stand with me?”“Yes.” She didn’t even hesitate.Rig nodded. “I stand in my mate’s stead. And she Names you Second. Beta for her power. If she is… is harmed, will you step in for her and call the packs to safety?”Natalie sucked in. We hadn’t expected Cara’s Naming since she wasn’t here. It was the role of the Luna to call retreat at the loss of th

SOUNDTRACK: “How Soon is Now” by AG & Dresage*****~ RIG ~‘The packs are moving. You can’t leave it too much longer, Rig. They’re trying to be casual, but the numbers are too big. Someone’s going to catch wind of this pretty soon. It’s time.’Natalie’s sending was both reassuring, and horrific.It had been hours. Meanwhile, neither of us had heard from Mack yet. He’d had time to get to Stephen, to make the call, and should have been on his way back by now. Even if he was out of range of the link, he should have been in cell coverage by now.