Chapter 9
Cooper
“Taylor!” Reyes screams as he bursts through the front door of his place.
I know as soon as I step inside that my mate isn’t here. Her scent is still in the air, but it’s faint.
Reyes sprints up the stairs, needing to check. I sweep the first floor, my wolf snarling at me to go, to find our mate. He’s all worked up inside me, and it’s not helping my anxiety.
We’ll find her, I promise.
We need to get to her. NOW! he roars.
“They’re not here,” Reyes says, confirming my worst fears.
Now I’m in full-blown panic mode.
I promised to keep her safe. Fuck. What if—
“They must still be in town,” he says, cutting off my spiraling thoughts.
“Let’s go.” I spin on my heel and tear out of his house.
We race down the path to town, our wolves scenting the air for any trace of our mates.
We must look wild and unhinged as we jog down Main Street, taking deep breaths.
A few tourists give us weird looks, and a family pulls their kids away from us, crossing to the other side of the street.
I pay them no mind. I need to get to Landry. I need her in my arms.
Now.
“Here!” Reyes calls.
I dart across the road in front of a car. The driver leans on the horn as he slams on his brakes, but I’m already at Reyes’ side. We hurry down the sidewalk, past a few stores. Landry’s scent is growing stronger now, and I pick up my pace, turning the corner toward the diner.
She’s probably inside, eating, I tell my wolf.
He whines. Need her. Need our mate.
Reyes jerks open the diner door, and I look around frantically.
“Looking for your girls?” a server asks as she walks past with a tray.
“Yes,” Reyes and I reply at the same time.
“They just left. Saw them head toward the trail out back.”
“Thanks,” Reyes says.
I’m already heading back outside. I beeline around the building, and that’s when I see the van speeding away.
“No!” I scream, taking off after it.
“Taylor!” Reyes shouts, dropping to his knees at her side.
“Is she okay?”
He checks her pulse. “Yeah, she’s alive, just knocked out. We need a doctor.”
“I need to go after my mate. She’s in that van.”
He gives me a dark look. “Go. You know where they’re taking her. I’ll call everyone. Expect help by the time you get there.”
I nod, swallowing hard. “Thanks. Taylor will be okay. She’s strong.”
He cradles his mate in his arms. “I’ve got it here. Go.”
I don’t need to be told twice. I run into the trees, taking the hiking trail toward the north border, toward the cult, toward my mate.
I wait until I’m away from town to shift, letting my wolf push forward and take over. My clothes explode as I land on all fours. My wolf’s paws dig into the dirt as we take off.
We run faster than we ever have, and it still feels too slow. Trees zip past us in a green and brown blur.
I skid to a stop at the top of the hill, looking down at the cult land. Fury pounds through my bloodstream, and I hold my wolf back so he doesn’t tear down the hill and rip every member of the cult to shreds.
Mate. Mate, mate, mate, my wolf chants.
I know. Where is she? Where’s the van?
We scan the grounds, and a second later, the van speeds up the road. My wolf growls, the sound loud and terrifying. We watch as the van pulls into a garage and the door closes behind it.
The ground shakes as more shifters charge up beside me. I shift without saying a word and point at the van.
“What’s the plan?” Russo asks.
“My mate is in there. I’m getting her back by any means necessary,” I snarl.
Knox, Logan, Abe, Jameson, Ansel, Pyrce, and Julian all nod, looking grim.
“The doctor is looking over Taylor now,” Pyrce says, reading the text on his phone. “Then he said he’ll be up here to help.”
“Alphas are on their way,” Jameson adds.
“Are we waiting for a plan or for them?” Russo asks.
His brother, Ansel, shakes his head. “We should go now.”
“Yes,” I agree.
My wolf claws at me, desperate to be set free, to rescue our mate.
I’m about to let him do just that when the Alphas join us.
“What happened?” Rhodes asks.
“They attacked my mate and Reyes’ mate. On Night Grove Falls land. Right in town,” I snarl.
Cyrus shakes his head and shares a look with the other Alphas, Camden and Foster.
“No more chances,” Camden says.
“This ends tonight. It’s time to finish this, finish the cult,” Foster adds.
“So, you’re saying we can kill them?” Russo asks.
The Alphas nod.
“Let’s do this,” Ansel says.
I’ve already shifted and taken off down the hill. My friends, my pack, follow behind me, but I’m focused on getting to Landry. I need to make sure my mate is safe. I need her to know that I’ll always keep her safe, that I’ll always keep my promises to her.
Gunshots and screams ring out, adding to the chaos. Russo’s bear swipes at one of the men holding a gun, and I hear him yelp. Ansel’s bear is there to help.
I race forward, straight to the garage where my mate is. My wolf dents the garage door. I shift, gripping the bottom and prying it open.
“Holy shit!” one of the men inside screams, but it’s too late for him.
I shift again, darting into the building. I can see Landry is still in the van, her body still, and my wolf howls in pain.
I lunge at the first man, my teeth sinking into his neck. His warm blood coats my fur as the life leaves his eyes. I let him drop and jump on the next man, biting his arm before he can shoot me. The gun is knocked loose, and I bite into his neck next.
The other men flee, crawling under the busted garage door. I watch them leave as I make my way over to the van.
I shift, cradling Landry in my arms as I search for a pulse.
“Oh, thank God,” I practically sob when I feel her heartbeat against my fingers.
She stirs in my arms.
I press a kiss to her forehead. “It’s okay, mate. I’ve got you.”
“You came for me,” she slurs.
“I’ll always come for you, Landry. Always.”
“I know. I didn’t doubt you,” she murmurs, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I’m just surprised you found me so fast. How long was I out for?”
“Just a little bit.”
She jerks in my arms. “Taylor?”
“She’s safe. She’s with Reyes. The doctor was looking her over.”
“Oh, good.” She sags against me with relief.
I hold her tighter. “I’m going to get you out of here, mate. Just hold on to me. Tuck your head into my neck. You don’t need to see this.”
She does as I ask.
I take off, dart under the garage door, and race up the hill toward Night Grove Falls land. I see my friends fighting, and I know I need to get back to help them, but first, I need to get Landry to safety.
I run down a hiking trail toward our house, taking her a few miles away from the border before I stop and set her on her feet. I look her over, checking for injuries, but she’s okay.
Physically, anyway.
As soon as her eyes meet mine, she bursts into tears. “I was so scared.”
I pull her against me, cradling her to my chest and rocking her. “You’re okay. Taylor is okay. It’s okay,” I reassure her. “We’re taking care of the cult. They won’t ever hurt anyone again.”
I hear someone come up behind me and spin, baring my teeth, then relaxing when I see Russo.
“Is your mate okay?” he asks.
“We’re good.” I scan him, and my stomach sinks. “You’re not.”
Blood is leaking from a bullet hole in his shoulder. “I’m fine. It’s a scratch.”
“Can you stay with my mate? Keep her safe?”
“Of course.” Russo nods. “Where are you going?”
“I promised her I would always protect her. I need to finish this.” I look down, smoothing Landry’s hair away from her face. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
“Wait! Where are you going?”
“I’m going to keep my promise to you,” I say firmly.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m going to kill every single person who had anything to do with kidnapping you,” I growl.
I see the fear flash in her eyes and wonder if I should stay to comfort her, but my wolf is screaming at me to help my pack.
“Stay put, mate. I’ll be back.”
I kiss her forehead and head back to fight with my friends.
Kill them all, my wolf roars.
I grin darkly.
I will. Now they learn what happens when monsters find out they aren’t the most dangerous thing in the woods.