Chapter Thirty-Two
Luca
It’s a chilly morning when the day we leave for the rescue mission finally arrives.
Not that it matters to us. Wolves don’t feel the cold much.
But I can’t help the shiver that runs through me every few moments.
I still can’t believe Sofia has agreed not to come with us.
But she hasn’t said a word about it. She simply helped us plan.
She’s been an integral part of the strategy meetings, always looking at things from a different angle. Making us think about the omegas and not only the mission. My wolf puffs out his chest, full of pride at how smart and caring our mate is.
She’s the whole damn package: smart, sassy, caring, stunningly beautiful, strong. She’s incredible. And she’s going to stay behind, so she’s safe too.
“Okay, everyone,” Ryan calls out to the group of warriors.
“Those of you staying here, I want double patrols until we get back. For those with me, it’s an eight-hour drive.
We’ll drive in convoys until we’re an hour out and then split up so as not to draw attention.
Luca, Jackson, and I will meet Caleb at the rendezvous point, and then we’ll breach the building.
Warriors, you have your locations, and your objective is clear: pick off any security that makes it past us and keep watch for any signs of perimeter security or reinforcements.
These wolves are responsible for killing and abducting our pack members.
We get those females out, and we leave no survivors behind. ”
The warriors load the cars with the remaining supplies from Doc, who will stay at the bus in case any of the omegas need medical attention. As an elderly wolf, and unranked at that, it wouldn’t be safe for him to come any closer. Doc pulls me aside and hands me a tranquilizer gun.
“Just in case,” he says.
A weight drops into my stomach, but he’s right.
Ryan has been doing okay, but tonight is a full moon.
He’s at a higher risk of succumbing to moon madness tonight, and as much as shooting my alpha fills me with dread, it’s better than the alternative: him going feral and not being able to shift back.
I’m about to climb into my SUV when I catch my favorite scent. Bergamot, tangerine, and cinnamon. Sofia.
I yank the door open of another SUV and glare at her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Princess?
” I ask. My voice is low and deceptively calm, but I’m so angry I could rip this door off its hinges, and I have to actively stop myself from squeezing it so tightly that I warp it beyond use.
She rolls her eyes and climbs out, stepping into my space.
“I’m coming,” she says, crossing her arms and popping her hip out.
“The hell you are,” I growl. My wolf howls at the thought of our mate going anywhere near that place. Where female shifters are hurt and imprisoned. No fucking way.
“Last I checked, it’s not fucking up to you what I do,” she grits out, glaring at me. I should bend her over the hood of this car and spank her ass for trying to put herself in danger. I should have tied her to my damn bed and fucked her unconscious.
“You sure about that?” I ask, raising an eyebrow and smirking at her. Trying to take a different approach, even as my wolf threatens to tear through my chest to defend our mate from the danger of the mission.
“No, you don’t get to do that here,” she snaps. “This isn’t some low-stakes bullshit that doesn’t matter. You can't get me orgasm drunk and agreeable about this.”
“Goddess, someone please stab me in the ears,” Ryan groans before trying to reason with Sofia. “We agreed that no females would go anywhere near this place, Fia.”
“No, we didn’t agree on shit,” she retorts. He’s not getting anywhere, and her immunity to alpha command is really fucking annoying right now. Fates, she is so damn stubborn.
“Enough,” I say, gripping Sofia’s arms and staring into her eyes. “You are not coming.”
“You can’t stop me. You idiots need me there! I’m the only one with enough of a brain to come up with a plan if something goes wrong!”
“Sofia, you are the smartest one of us,” I plead, trying to force her to see it’s not about me not valuing her.
It’s about not being able to think straight if she’s in danger.
“I have no doubts about that, but you’re acting pretty damn stupid right now.
You’re not coming. No one is letting you put yourself in danger. It’s not happening.”
“Try to stop me, Beta,” she snaps, crossing her arms and glowering at me.
“Come with me; we need one last strategy meeting,” I say, steering her away from the warriors and into Ryan’s office and the pack house. There’s no way she’s coming with us, but I can at least do this away from the warriors. I don’t want to make her look bad.
Ryan and Jackson follow behind us, like we are actually strategizing. Sofia huffs a breath out but doesn’t fight me until we get into the office. She pulls her arm from my grasp and stomps into the room. Her eyes dart around as if she needs to work out her exit strategy.
She’s not wrong, and I hate myself for it.
Because I know I’m about to do something unforgivable. My wolf is already clawing at my chest, snarling, trying to stop me as the idea tumbles around my head. He wants to protect her from me. I’m sure she’ll hate me for this, but damn it, she’ll be safe.
My fingers close around the tranquilizer gun. It feels like it weighs a hundred pounds. I tell myself this is protection, not betrayal, but the lie tastes like ash in my mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, even as I fire.
“What the fuck?” Jackson yells at me.
The dart sinks into her thigh. Her eyes widen, disbelief flashing hotter than rage. For a heartbeat, she looks less like a warrior and more like the female who had finally started to trust me again. Then her knees buckle. She rips the dart free with a curse, but it’s too late.
“Motherfucker…” she grits out before slumping back against the desk, consciousness leaving her.
My wolf howls like I’ve murdered her. My stomach twists so hard I nearly gag as I catch her. Her body is limp, warm, heartbreakingly heavy in my arms. I can’t believe I did this to her.
“Why the hell do you even have that?” Jackson asks, rushing to check on Sofia.
I shrug my shoulders noncommittally, because we’ve agreed not to tell anyone else about Ryan. Including Jackson. I lift Sofia in my arms and carry her to the couch.
“I hope you weren’t too attached to your balls,” Ryan says. “She is going to eviscerate you when she wakes up.”
“Yeah, well, better me than her,” I reply before turning to Jackson. “Can you get Emily to come and wait with her?”
I hate leaving her unprotected in this state, but this is the safest place for her. No one in the pack is going to go near her, and she’ll be awake in twenty minutes.
She’ll be fine.
She will want to claw my face off. But she’ll be safe.
“Come on, we better get going,” I mutter, climbing into the jeep. Dread settles firmly in my stomach. But I can’t let the idea that I might have just caused my own rejection settle in. She’ll forgive me. hopefully.
Even if she doesn’t. She’ll be safe.
That’s all that matters.
Fates, I hate myself.