Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bast O’Connor
Wolves Rising
Cold sheets. That’s what wakes me—the wrong texture against my skin where there should be warmth. Should be Bridget. My hand slides across the empty space beside me, finding only hollow absence where my mate should be sleeping.
Our combined scents linger heavy in the air—her lavender and storms mixing with my pine and earth. But something’s wrong.
I bolt upright, every muscle tensing as I scan the darkness. Waves of fear crash into me. Not my fear—hers. Her terror and guilt slam into my chest, followed by something worse. A goodbye?
No. No no no. She wouldn’t leave. She chose us.
My wolf surges forward with a roar that shakes the cabin walls. The shift ripples under my skin, begging for release, but I hold it back. Barely. Need to think. Need to understand. But all I can focus on is the wrongness of her absence.
The room holds clues my human eyes missed at first. Other scents taint our bedroom—sharp citrus, burnt sage, the metallic tang of foreign magick. At least three distinct female scents. They were organized. Prepared. While I slept like a useless fucking guard dog next to my mate.
“Bridget!” Her name tears from my throat, though I already know she won’t answer. Her scent still clings to the sheets where we made love hours ago. Where she curled against me and finally, completely chose me.
And I let them take her while I fucking slept.
The bond pulses again—she’s moving farther away. The forced distance between us burns like acid in my veins. I close my eyes, focusing on our connection. Her fear mingles with fierce determination now. She’s trying to protect me. Trying to keep me from following.
Fuck that.
I snatch my phone from the nightstand, already dialing as I yank on jeans. Liam answers on the first ring.
“Delta Team took her.” The words come out more growl than speech. “Get to Aiden’s. Now. Check Emma.”
Don’t wait for his response. Hit Aiden’s number next. Bridget’s terror spikes again, and my wolf howls.
Hold on, I push confidence and strength through our bond. I’m coming for you. No matter what it takes.
The marks on my wrists burn as I grab a shirt, Celtic knots pulsing with each heartbeat. We only just bound ourselves together forever. And I’m going to tear apart anyone who tries to break that bond.
Starting with the entire fucking Salem Court.
The gravel sprays behind my truck as I take the curves too fast, hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel. The connection is steady but distant—they’re taking her east. Up through the mountain pass. The pain is like barbed wire tightening around my heart.
Mountain air whips through my open window, carrying the first hints of dawn.
Any other morning, I’d appreciate how the sunrise paints the peaks in shades of purple and gold.
Now it just means more time lost. More distance between me and Bridget.
The bond pulses with each curve of the road, a compass pointing east. Pointing to her. And I’m headed the wrong fucking way.
Aiden’s cabin looms ahead, already alive with movement despite the early hour. Three of Dave’s trucks are parked haphazardly in the yard. Liam’s vehicle sits crooked near the porch, driver’s door still open like he couldn’t spare the extra few seconds to close it.
Then I hear it—a roar of anguish that makes my wolf’s head snap up.
I’m out of my truck and running. The scene hits all my senses at once—sharp tang of fear-sweat, low growls of wolves, the crackle of magick heavy in the air.
I burst through the door. Finn’s on the floor, thrashing against Aiden and Liam’s hold. His words come out garbled, half-human snarls.
“Emma…they took…my mate…my baby…”
My blood turns to ice. “Emma too? They took Bridget as well.”
Dave steps into my line of sight, his presence grim. “They must’ve split up. Hit both locations at once.”
My wolf surges forward, but Dave’s hand slams against my chest. “Hold, son. Can’t help either of them if you lose control.”
“Fuck your control!” Finn’s voice cracks, still fighting against Aiden and Liam. “They have my pregnant mate!”
“Which is exactly why we need clear heads.” Aiden’s alpha timbre hits me like a physical force. “Lawrence’s people are tracking them. Rachel and Lila are working a plan to get us to Boston. But we need you both in control of your beasts and not working against us.”
I drag in a ragged breath, forcing my wolf back just enough to think. He’s right. Bridget needs strategy, not blind rage. Through our bond, I push every ounce of strength I have, letting her feel my determination. My promise. Not giving up. Never saying goodbye.
“They’re heading east.” I press my palm flat against my sternum, trying to steady the ache beneath. “Through the pass. I can feel her.”
Finn stops struggling. Nods. His eyes meet mine, and I tip my chin. Wolf recognizing wolf. He taps Liam’s arm, and they finally let him up.
“Two black SUVs,” Lawrence confirms, stepping out of Aiden’s study. “My people are following. They’re on the main road through the pass and took the south fork.”
Grind my teeth. Fight back another growl. “That leads straight to a private airport. We’ll lose them.”
“No.” Finn’s voice steadies, but his eyes burn gold. “We’re going to stop them. Tear them apart. Burn their whole fucking Court to the ground.”
“Yes.” Lawrence crosses his massive arms. “We are. But not at the airport.” His gaze locks on mine.
“Salem Court has haunted my family long enough. Drove me and my wife into hiding. Separated me from my daughter.” Each word carries decades of pain, of rage carefully banked and waiting.
“We end it. All of them. But we have to do it in Salem, or they’ll just keep sending more. ”
The words settle over the room like a physical weight. Salem. Source of all this pain. All these broken families. The place that turned my mate into a weapon and aimed her at us. My wolf rises closer to the surface, hungry for vengeance.
“How?”
But my question is forgotten when Aiden’s door bursts open again. Rachel, Lila, and Marion rush in.
“They’ll expect a rescue.” Lila spreads a map across the table. “But not wolves. Not male witches. The Mathairs there keep their existence hidden from most of their own people. And they won’t expect us to come to the Court.”
“We have surprise on our side.” Aiden moves to the table, all alpha authority. “Let’s keep it that way.”
“So we just let them take that plane?” Finn’s neck cracks as gold bleeds back into his eyes.
Marion steps forward, her usual gentle demeanor gone hard as steel. “We have to. If we put everything into fighting them at the airport, we’ll lose our element of surprise at the Court.”
“We can’t all go to Denver and buy a fucking ticket to Boston.”
Lila’s hand finds my arm. “We have another charter plane on its way to the private airstrip. We’ll be less than an hour behind them. Pack what you need.”
Bridget’s fear spikes again. Not for herself—for me. For us. I grind my teeth, fighting back a snarl.
“How many on the plane?” Focus on logistics. Not the growing distance between us.
“Twenty-five,” Rachel answers. “We’ve chosen our strongest witches and Lawrence’s, plus wolves from the O’Connor and Gallagher packs.”
“I’ll handle things here,” Marion adds.
Aiden nods sharply. “Dave, you’ll coordinate defense with Marion? In case they send anyone else our way?”
“Already on it.” Dave’s expression hardens.
The room erupts into motion, but I stand frozen next to Finn. My fingers trace the marks on my wrist, remembering how they felt when we completed our bond. When she chose me. Chose us.
“Hey.” Liam appears, eyes steady on mine. “We’re getting them both back.” He looks at me and then Finn. “Both of them.”
“I know.” I meet his gaze, letting him see the deadly promise there. “Then we burn it all down.”
Finn steps closer, his face set in stone but his eyes bright gold. “For our mates.”
“For all of them.” Lawrence’s words silence the room. “Every witch they’ve broken. Every family they’ve torn apart. Every lie they’ve told.”
Something new pulses beneath Bridget’s fear and guilt—a tiny spark of hope. She feels us coming. Feels our determination.
I pour everything into our connection. Love. Rage. Promise.
Hold on, love. We’re coming to tear down every wall they’ve built. Every lie they’ve told. Every chain they’ve forged.
And this time, we’re doing it together.