Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Thane
After setting Scarlett down, I get ready to meet Jake as Leon comes busting into the room. Elaine hushes him, and I move toward him, feeling the urgency and worry running through the bond.
He shows me his phone screen, and I see an unrecognized number. I go to take it from him, but he pulls it back, covering the speaker.
"It's Tal and Bree," Leon whisper-yells at me. “Rhen’s getting ready to trace the call.”
I snatch the phone, putting it to my ear. They seem to be arguing, but their voices are muffled.
"The bastard took my fucking phone!" she yells, but I can only just make it out. Rushing through the house, I wave for Leo and Raidon as they come through the front door. Rhen also comes in from the kitchen. He’s typing away on his laptop as Leon tosses him a cord.
Rhen snatches it. I mute the phone and set it on speaker, holding a finger to my lips.
Raidon and Leo automatically shut their mouths before they can voice any questions. We listen while Rhen races to get his laptop set up, plugging the cord in before jamming the other end into the phone. He presses more keys while we listen to Tal and Bree argue.
"Don't touch me," Tal snaps. “I can barely look at you after what you’ve done.”
"What did you expect me to do, let you fucking die?" Bree says as I glance at Leon.
"Yes! Better that than her being trapped here. They are going to fucking mark her, Bree! Force her into a fucking bond," Tal snarls.
I stagger back at his words. My stomach drops as rage sets my blood on fire. My hands tremble and fur grows along my arms when Raidon suddenly stands.
"So what? It's what she’s made for.”
Tal growls at Bree's words, and I become even more enraged. ‘It's what she’s made for’? Harlow is mine. She belongs in my pack.
It is cruel and inhumane of Bree to force this fate on her own sister and rip a baby away from her mother. Harlow will be powerless to stop Corbin, unable to resist if he commands her. She never took my serum. We found it in the Den, between the cushions.
"Calm down, Thane!" Raidon warns, feeling my uncontrollable rage through the bond.
"They have her," I snarl at him, stating the obvious.
"You’ll get her back. Give Rhen a minute to locate her," Leo speaks calmly. Their heads will fucking roll for touching my Omega, my mate, my Luna.
"Got it!" Rhen snaps as Leo moves to glance over his shoulder. "Raidon, get the plane ready. We found her," Rhen tells him.
"Where is she?" I ask, barely finding the words. Rhen and Leon stare at me. I can feel their fear loud and clear as my aura slips out. I’m on the verge of snapping, and I can't rein it in.
"Mountain Pack. He went home," Leo whimpers as my aura crushes him.
"Get the authorities there now!" Rhen snaps at Leon as he chucks his phone to him.
"They can't," Leo grits out.
Rhen glares at me. "Get yourself under control, Thane!" he snaps as my vision tunnels.
I fight the violent urge to kill something, but it isn't enough. The fury burns hotter, and I feel the shift start to take over before I feel a pinch in my neck.
"Fuck!" Leon curses.
I feel wolfsbane burn through my veins. It won't stay in my system for long, a few minutes at most, but it’s enough to act as a sedative and dull my senses. I see Raidon pull the needle from my neck, a phone propped between his ear and shoulder.
"Sorry, no choice. We don’t have time to fight your beast right now," Raidon says before returning to the pilot on the phone. He tosses the needle onto the table beside us. Rhen catches me as my legs give out. Then everything goes black.
* * *
I wake up in the car. Jerking upright, Rhen slaps a hand on my chest.
"We are on our way to the airport,” he tells me.
Peering over my shoulder, I see Leon, Raidon, and Leo jammed in the backseat. "Authorities get there?" I ask.
"We called them off. Leo says the place is booby trapped. There’s explosives at every entrance, in case he’s caught. If we send them in, they’ll trip the sensors,” Rhen explains.
"So, what, we let him mark her?" I yell.
"She can resist him, Thane. It will hurt, but she will resist. I know Harlow,” Leon says with confidence.
Yes, but an Alpha-of-Alpha aura can be deadly.
I see the vial of my serum sitting under the stereo.
I grab it and shake my head before dropping it back into the little compartment.
Why didn't she take it? She would be stronger than Corbin if she took it.
Leo reaches between the seats, grabbing the vial and examining the contents.
"I think I have a plan," Leo says before I snatch my serum back from him.
"What is it?" I ask.
"There’s a way through the tunnels. If I can get in, I’ll be able to switch off the alarms and detonators."
"No. He’ll question you, and since you’re his mate, he’ll be able to tell if you're lying to him," Rhen says.
"And I don’t trust you to not go in there and mark my mate!" I growl. Raidon's hand falls on my shoulder from the backseat. I exhale, turning my face to kiss his hand. He gives my shoulder a squeeze, which is enough to somewhat settle me.
"Well, have you got a better plan?" Leo demands as we pull up beside the plane. I growl because I don't, and I know that waiting for an explosives removal expert to come in will take too long. The pilot is waiting for us as we climb out of the car. I’m about to board when I stop, racing back to the car to grab my serum. As soon as I get Harlow back, I’m forcing her to take it and mark me. I won't have her vulnerable ever again.
"What did you forget?" Leo calls from the top step. I hold up the vial. His brows pinch as if he’s thinking before he nods, and we board.
* * *
Despite the flight only lasting thirty minutes, it seems to drag on much longer.
Every passing second feels like an hour.
What irks me the most is that Leo and I were just in the Mountain Pack’s territory grabbing Curtis.
Corbin’s probably been there this whole time.
He went home, back to the most obvious place we could have looked, but we didn’t because I didn't think he was stupid enough to do it.
Learning about the tunnels to the pack house through the mountain just infuriates me more.
Even Leo is shocked by his brazenness. He believed Corbin would try to flee the country. Thankfully he didn’t because there’s no way we could save Harlow if he escaped the country with her.
A car is waiting for us the moment we touch down. My phone rings as we exit the plane. Some authorities have arrived on the scene and are going to send in drones to see what they can pick up before we raid the place.
Leo was quiet the entire flight, and that doesn’t change as we climb into the car. He jumps in the passenger seat, and I drive. Heading up the mountain, we stop at a local gas station to get more fuel. As I fill up the car, everyone else gets out to stretch and walk around a bit.
"How much further up the mountain?" I ask Leo, having never been to Corbin's pack house before.
"Pardon?" he asks, looking at me over the car's roof.
"Your pack?"
"Another twenty minutes. It’s built half into the mountain."
"Are you okay?" I ask. It must be hard for him, knowing we are about to rip his mates and pack apart. The bond, despite how much he hates Corbin right now, would make it difficult for him to not feel anything about what we are going to do.
"I'm fine. I just want to get your mate back," he says, and I swallow. That’s the same thing I want.
"I'll pay," Rhen says, wandering into the service station. I nod to him and finish filling the car.
We know Corbin hasn't marked her yet. We would have felt the bond stretch if he had. We will also feel the tethers on our bond break if she marks him back.
Leo remains quiet as we head up the mountain. When we get close, I glance at him. "If you can't go in there, tell me now, Leo. I won't make this any more dangerous for my mate,” I snap at him. He’s making me very uneasy.
"It's not that. I know you don't fully trust me, but I can get in there. I can get to Harlow!" he snaps.
I glance in the rear view mirror to see that my mates share my worries. I know he will be able to get in there. I just don’t trust how Corbin will react.