by Fel Fern
“Let’s talk about the hawks’ plan,” Mal began after updating Russ about the situation.
Ryan sat in stony silence while Mal explained, but he had to say his piece. “There’s nothing to discuss. Nathan and I are going with Kayden and Tanner. You bastards can sit here and hold the fort.”
“Noel would advise you to stay here, wait for reinforcements from the Darkfall pack,” Russ said.
Ryan snorted. “I can’t wait. Kayden mentioned those humans are planning something. If I don’t move now, it might be too late.”
“You guys might just be walking into a trap. Any number of things could go wrong,” Mal accused. Ryan knew Mal had a point there somewhere, but he was past caring about trending carefully. “This source of theirs could betray you guys. For all we know, we can’t trust them. Wait until we verify their story with their flock and the Darkfall pack at least.”
“No. They’re in the same situation as us. They want their brother back. Period.”
“Nathan, convince him this isn’t the right thing to do,” Russ said, turning to Nathan.
Ryan growled. “Don’t use him against me.”
Nathan placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m standing by Ryan’s decision no matter what. Count on me to watch his back.”
“I don’t like this,” Mal said.
“That doesn’t matter. The decision’s made. Tell Noel I don’t care.” Ryan left the table, bringing Nathan with him. “We need to get ready.”
Ryan pulled Nathan to his bedroom and packed up some basic necessities. He dragged out his weapons’ bag and shoved his favorites into a smaller bag. Oh, he knew they weren’t planning on doing any serious killing, but it was better to be prepared. Noticing Nathan was simply standing there, Ryan paused.
The submissive wolf bit his lower lip as if he had other words to say. Through their mate bonds, Ryan could sense Nathan’s worry, and it was probably all on account of him. It occurred to Ryan that for most of his life, he only worried about himself, but he had a mate now.
Nathan didn’t drag him down. In fact, Nathan was his anchor. At the present, Ryan couldn’t think clearly, and his control over his animal was about to snap any moment. He needed Nathan more than Nathan needed him, but he couldn’t pull Nathan into this mess.
“If you want to say anything, spit it out,” Ryan said, impatient.
“Mal and Russ have valid points, but there’s no changing your mind,” Nathan started.
Ryan could tell Nathan chose his words carefully. His heart ached. This wasn’t how he imagined the day turning out. Ryan envisioned spending more time with his mate and getting to know each other, but there was time for that later on. Once they retrieve Allie, he could focus on making his mate happy.
“No,” Ryan agreed. With or without Nathan, he was going to mount a rescue. “Are you still coming or staying here?”
Nathan lifted his chin and crossed his arms. “I’ve already given you my answer. Wherever you go, I go.”
At that, Ryan tugged Nathan close and brought their lips together for a searing kiss. He leaned his forehead against Nathan and let out a breath. “You have no idea how much those words mean to you. Buckle up, baby. This is going to be one wild ride.”
* * * *
Tanner Johnson paced the length of their room, restless. His older brother didn’t seem worried but continued polishing his favorite revolver.
Tanner couldn’t help it, he blurted, “Why did you leave the discussion like that? What if they say ‘no’? Worse, what if they call their Alpha and find out we’ve lied?”
Kayden looked up from his gun.
“Stop worrying too much. The plan’s already in motion.”
“How can you be so confident?” Tanner fired back.
“Because I saw the expression on Ryan’s face. He’d do anything to get his sister back.”
On the surface, his brother might look calm, but neither of them was really fine. What they were about to do turned his stomach, but what other choice did they have?
Tanner knew the chances. No one came out of a facility run by Alpine Industries alive. Only the Darkfall wolf pack had attacked a facility near their territory head-on but suffered heavy causalities.
If Ryan Sandoval had been thinking straight, the Beta would know their chances of success was next to zero. The Beta and his mate seemed like decent folks too. Ryan merely wanted to save his sister the way they wanted to get Ryan back. They had so many similarities.
According to the flock information pool, Ryan and Noel Sandoval raised their sister on their own after their parents passed away. It was the same for them. Before the Darkfall Hawk flock took them in, Kayden, Ken, and he wandered from place to place and didn’t have a place to call home.
Darkfall, with its diverse animal groups and welcoming community, was his home. Turning their back on the flock was one of the hardest things Tanner had ever done.
How would Ryan react, once he found out the truth?
That they weren’t allies and that this was all a trap? There was no source. Kayden and he did the legwork themselves. Their intentions had been pure. They always intended to get Ken out of that hellhole but got captured instead.
They struck a deal. Alpine Industries wasn’t happy with the Blood Ruby pack after Ryan’s pack killed some of their men. They also wanted to study a mated pair. Their Alpine Industries contact initially wanted the pack Alpha and his mate, but Ryan would do, now that the Beta was mated as well.
Kayden had already called their contact and updated Mr. Smith about the situation. The lab was eager to get its hands on a mated pair. Tanner didn’t like the sound of that. Remembering Nathan’s kind smile made his stomach queasy. He lied about having a mate so Nathan would trust him.
He was sick of lying.
“Say, Kayden, are you sure about this?” he asked again.
Finally, there was visible anger in his older brother’s face. “There’s nothing else to discuss. We both agreed this was the only way. Besides, remember this?”
Kayden showed him the incision on his left forearm. He also bore a similar mark from where the scientists implanted a GPS tracking device. All experimental subjects had them and once the captives stepped a foot out of the facility, the tiny bomb in the device would detonate.
Once Kayden and he delivered Ryan and Nathan, Mr. Smith promised to take off their tracking devices and leave them Ken. Apparently, the scientists were done cutting open their brother and had no further use for Ken. That pissed him off even more. They were nothing to these humans, merely disposable lab rats, but what could they do?
“What if Ryan sees reason and backs off? He hasn’t contacted us,” Tanner interrupted.
As if on cue, the phone on the bed—also provided by Alpine Industries, rang. Ryan’s name flashed across the screen. Kayden listened for a few moments and nodded.
“See you downstairs,” his brother said.
Every word they exchanged on the phone was monitored, Tanner realized. Was this really the right decision? They were putting everything on the line. What if Alpine Industries went back on their word and this was all for naught? Still, he had the folder of photos.
Unlike Ryan, he’d seen the cells up close. He remembered Mr. Smith walking both Kayden and him down the corridor holding the captives. Tanner recalled the angry faces of the captives peering at them.
It could be them in there, Kayden told him after. Tanner knew that as well, but his heart tore seeing all the shifter prisoners. Those who had enough energy to glare at them were the fighters, he remembered thinking. If Tanner was inside one of those cells, he’d be like most of the shifters, with nothing left but misery and desperation in their eyes.
They lingered by Ken’s cell, but no matter how many times Tanner called his brother’s name, Ken wouldn’t respond. He remembered Ryan’s sister was different. She still had some fight in her and explained to Tanner it was no use. Ken might still be alive, but Tanner knew the brother he’d raised and played catch with was
gone. Kayden still believed Ken could heal from this, but Tanner wasn’t so sure.
Kayden cut the call. “I know you have concerns, but we need to put up this charade a little longer. Once we get Ken back, we’ll be a family again.”
Tanner told himself that lie too, but it was beginning to wear off. Was it truly worth risking two other strangers to save his younger brother? Kayden certainly thought it was. However, destroying another pack to achieve their goals, didn’t that make them as bad as the humans who took Ken?
Chapter Six
Nathan anxiously glanced around the motel reception. Ryan couldn’t stand small spaces, so he was pacing outside the sidewalk. Nathan checked his watch, feeling apprehensive. Fifteen minutes later, the hawk shifter brothers arrived. Kayden walked to the reception to check out. Tanner approached him, tugging a backpack with him.
“Sorry we took so long, we wanted to make sure we got everything we needed,” Tanner explained.
“Done,” Kayden said a few minutes later, joining the two of them. He looked to Nathan. “Where’s Ryan?”
“Outside.”
They exited the inn. Ryan was waiting by their car.
“It's better if we take our car,” Kayden said. When Ryan hesitated, Kayden continued, “We need to trust each other for this to work.”
Nathan wasn’t too sure about going with Kayden and Tanner on this suicide mission either, but he couldn’t just let Ryan go by himself. Suicide. There was no other word for it. There were merely four of them up against an entire facility manned by mercenaries and guards, mercenaries packing ammunition specialized to kill any shifter on sight.
Back when his old pack, Kian, and he were being hunted down by Alpine Industries, they always thought it was a better alternative to die quickly as opposed to being opened up by scientists who saw them as nothing more than disposable subjects. Recalling those days, Nathan shivered. As if sensing what he felt, Ryan reached out for his hand and gave it a squeeze.
“You all right?” Ryan asked.
Nathan nodded, not wanting to show weakness in front of everyone. There was only one reason Ryan took him along. He would cause more trouble if he stayed in Blue River, but he wanted to prove to his mate he could be useful. They drove in silence for a while. The car passed by the town sign. Trees bordered either side of them, but it would soon make way to flatlands.
“I’m sending you both the information I’ve compiled via e-mail, can you give me your addresses?” Tanner asked from the front.
They gave it to him, and seconds later, Nathan heard his phone beep and Ryan’s cell phone vibrating in his pocket. He fished it out, looking over the facts.
“The facility’s in New Destiny Falls?” Nathan asked with surprise.
“You know that town?” Kayden asked.
“I used to take my brother there when we were kids. There was always a carnival or circus there, but that was ten years ago. I’m not sure if it’s still the same,” Nathan replied.
Tanner had done a good job putting all the necessary information in one file. The hawk brothers must have done their best, but in essence, they would still be running blind. Of the four people in the car, only Nathan could think rationally. Kayden, Tanner, and his mate only had one agenda, and that was rescuing their siblings. He needed to be the voice of reason.
“We’ll need to do more scouting, see the guard rotations and check out this tunnel you guys intend to use,” Nathan said.
“Agreed,” Kayden answered in a curt voice.
The older werehawk seemed to be in a hurry, but Nathan couldn’t blame him. Remembering the photos of the prisoners they’d shown made him shiver. If the Darkfall pack didn’t offer the surviving members of their old pack sanctuary, they would be in one of these cells or probably dead.
“Where are you from, Nathan? I understand the Blood Ruby pack roams, but how about you? Are you a new member or transferred from another pack?” Tanner asked, probably to lighten the mood.
“I grew up in Blue River together with my brother and we were taken in by the local pack. That pack was nearly decimated, hunted down by Alpine Industries. We survivors decided to take refuge in Darkfall.”
The brothers seemed to share a worried look.
“You’re a member of the Darkfall pack?” Tanner asked.
Nathan detected a hint of nervousness in his voice, but he couldn’t blame the hawk shifter. Other groups feared the Darkfall wolves for their black reputation.
“I’m mated to Ryan, so my loyalties are to him and his pack,” Nathan said firmly. That got a smile out of his mate. Ryan gripped the back of his neck and gave him a quick, fleeting kiss. He wanted more, but it would be inappropriate given the situation.
“I see. So you’ve never met any of the Darkfall flock?” Kayden asked.
Nathan finally understood. The brothers went behind their flock to save Ken, so their old flock must be on the lookout for them. “Don’t worry. I’m not that close to the Darkfall pack. They’ve been helpful. My brother and I almost adjusted to living in the town of Darkfall, but there was always something missing.”
“Me?” Ryan asked with a suggestive wink of his eyebrow.
“You,” Nathan concluded.
Tanner groaned. “God, another unbearable couple in the backseat.”
“You mentioned having a mate too. It must be hard leaving him behind,” Ryan stated.
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” Tanner replied, tone curt. Nathan had a feeling the werehawk wasn’t interested in talking about that particular topic, so he gave Ryan’s arm a squeeze.
“Well,” Nathan declared. “After we get Allie and Ken out, we’ll celebrate, all four of us. You guys can return to your flock with your brother. I’m sure they’ll welcome you back in.”
“I hope,” Kayden said. The older werehawk always sounded so gruff, Nathan noticed.
They drove six hours straight, taking turns behind the wheel and decided to stay overnight at a roadside inn. Tanner steered the car into the mostly empty parking lot.
“This is a good place,” Kayden said.
“Yeah, it’s only a couple of miles until we reach New Destiny Falls. There will be undercover mercenaries in town watching for outsiders,” Ryan pointed out.
“Let’s have dinner there and go over our plans?” Kayden suggested, nodding to the diner beside the inn.
They got out of the car, found rooms, and entered the diner. Nathan’s stomach grumbled, but when the greasy food arrived, he found he couldn’t eat. Worry ate at him, so did apprehension. When tomorrow arrived, anything could happen.
Shit. Over the last hour, he’d been getting a series of texts from his brother. Ryan was the same. Their phones had missed calls and messages. Mal and the rest probably updated them both. Nathan couldn’t blame them.
Kian’s last message haunted him. Take care, brother. Make you sure you come back safely with your mate.
Once upon a time, Nathan lived for his brother. Without parents to rely on, Kian had been his whole world. He knew he could be overbearing and protective. Kian had Noel now, and he’d been insanely jealous of their link until he realized Ryan was his mate. He understood why his brother once risked his life to save his Alpha because Nathan would do the same for Ryan.
His only regret had been not being able to talk to Kian one last time. God knew they had plenty of misunderstandings to fix. If they failed—no, Nathan couldn’t think of it that way.
“Nathan, are you listening?” Tanner’s voice dragged him back to reality.
Ryan looked concerned, and he realized they were going over the plans for tomorrow.
“Yeah,” Nathan answered. He understood the gist of it anyway.
Someone would shut down the electricity powering the building section where Ken and Allie were kept. Kayden and Tanner’s source would meet them via the tunnels the facility and lead them to Allie and Ken’s cell. With Allie and Ken, they would make their escape the same way without alerting the guards. It soun
ded simple and yet a thousand things could wrong.
“Wait,” Nathan said.
His mind raced. They’d forgotten one vital fact. The scientists were close to completing Latitude or L, the drug enhancing pill that gave normal humans a shifter’s speed and strength temporarily. That damned pill was Alpine Industries’ greatest invention, milked from millions of dollars spent on tearing and cutting open shifters.
“How are we going to enter the town undetected? Last I’ve heard, the scientists have nearly perfected Latitude. One of the Darkfall wolves who recently brushed up against Alpine Industries reported the humans can sense shifters now.”
Ryan’s face darkened. Only recently, a mercenary managed to spy on the cabin, completely undetected because the human took a different strain of L that came from a chameleon shifter.
“We’ve thought of that. Sorry, with everything going on, some of the details escape me,” Kayden explained. The werehawk took out something from his coat jacket and placed it on the table. It looked like a simple bottle of white pills, but Nathan had a bad feeling about it.
“The Darkfall wolf pack probably hasn’t released this information yet, but on our side, we have our own scientists developing this drug. It hides our abilities, makes us smell like humans, but it has a side effect,” Tanner said.
Nathan held the bottle and scrutinized it. He uncapped the top and sniffed, surprised he didn’t scent anything. Handing it to Ryan, the dominant wolf did the same.
“What’s the side effect?” Ryan finally asked.
“We can’t shift. It’s a double-edged weapon, but it’s the only way we can get inside New Destiny Falls undetected. We’ll pose as tourists,” Kayden explained.
Nathan did not like this plan one bit. Being able to shift, to fight back with claws and fangs was the only upper hand they had left. While L could give humans better reflexes, speed, and strength, or other rare abilities, they weren’t able to change forms.
Taking this drug would cripple them, but he could see Ryan thinking it over. The brothers looked intent on seeing the plan through.
