Drake’s POV
I could kill Martin where he stands.
Behind me I can hear Bastien’s Betas’ frantic mutterings, reminding the other Alpha that the scum kneeling before me is trying to distract us, to turn us against each other. They beg him to stay calm, not to react, but I barely notice.
I don’t care that Martin told Bastien I kissed his mate, though in fact I failed. I care that he took Selene and Lila, and I especially care that he’s been abusing his sister. If you’d asked me this morning who I cared about more, I would have unequivocally chosen Selene – but that was before: Before I heard what this monster did to the sweet wolf I grew up with, before I realized how oblivious I must have been to overlook his cruelty.
No one deserves to be hurt by someone responsible for taking care of them, especially Sophie. She’s bright and warm, she loves and is beloved by everyone she meets. I had no idea she had feelings for me, and I’ve never looked at her as anything other than a friend… but knowing she’s in danger has changed everything.
It’s a strange thing, not realizing how important someone is to you until they might get taken away. Yet that’s exactly what’s happening now. I don’t think I’ve gone more than a week without seeing Sophie since I was little, and the thought of never seeing her again makes me want to tear the world in two.
I would give anything to slaughter Martin like the pig he is, but I can’t. Not until Selene and Lila are found, and not until Sophie is safe.
“Where is she?”
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Bastien’s POV
Aiden and Donavon are still muttering in my ear when Drake begins snarling at Martin, demanding to know his sister’s whereabouts.
More than anything else, seeing how upset he is about the other she-wolf calms my temper. When this is all over, I intend on having words with both him and my mate about the incident, but now is not the time.
“I’ll tell you once I’m safely out of the territory,” Martin suggests.
“You’ll tell me now.” Drake commands, more powerfully than I’ve ever witnessed before.
“It’s Sophie or the Volanas.” Martin counters maliciously. “You choose who comes first.”
Drake looks to me with rage and desperation, and I try to send him a silent message using eye contact alone. I need him to trust me, not to interfere. I don’t want an innocent wolf starving to death, and I would never abandon her thus. Drake has to understand that for my plan to work.
I’m not sure if I’ve succeeded when I begin moving toward Martin, but I can’t risk extending the contact further and giving away the game. I circle the prone kidnapper and lunge forward, closing my hands around his head and digging my knee into his spine to hold him still. In this position I could snap his neck with the flip of my wrist, and he knows it.
“I don’t give a shit about your sister.” I hiss in his ear. “I care about my mate. I know she’s here somewhere, so I don’t need to keep you alive. As soon as you’re dead I can follow her scent and have her back within minutes. The only reason you aren’t already lying in pieces is because of him.” I jerk his head towards Drake, enjoying the strangled whimper that lodges in his throat.
“But I’m done waiting.” I lie, “you have five seconds to tell us where Sophie is. If you do, we’ll at least give you the chance to run. Keep quiet, and I’ll simply snap your weak neck now and avoid the hassle of chasing you. It’s no loss to me if your accomplice dies with you.”
Drake’s nostrils flare, and his hands close into fists. “That wasn’t the deal!” He objects, catching on and playing his part.
“Fuck the deal.” I answer savagely, “this has gone on long enough.”
Applying slight pressure, I begin turning Martin’s head to prepare for the snap, and the vile wolf breaks like a twig. “She’s in a cabin in the central valley!” He exclaims, rattling off an address. Drake’s Beta immediately jumps back in his car and takes off, no doubt headed for the location.
“And where is my mate and the pup?” I press, keeping up the stark pressure on his bones. “The trunk!” He squeals. “They’re in the trunk!”
I drop him like a bag of bricks, nodding to Aiden to take over as I move towards the car. I can hear Martin trying to crawl away in the dirt, then unmistakable cries of outrage when Aiden stomps down on his spine, pinning him in place.
I rip the trunk hatch right off the car, throwing it aside and reaching inside to gather up the sleeping bundles inside. They’ve been bound and gagged, even though both are unconscious. I’m already counting the minutes until Drake’s beta calls in to confirm Sophie’s safety.
I’m going to enjoy killing Martin almost as much as I enjoyed killing Garrick.
Ripping the ropes off of Selene and Lila, I cradle them both, carrying them back to Drake’s car and settling into the back seat. As I try to revive them, Aiden follows my mental instructions and continues interrogating Martin. “What did you give them?” He interrogates.
“Nothing!” Martin insists desperately.
Selene is breathing easily, but Lila’s pulse is very slow and her skin is pallid. I don’t like the look of her, and I’m very afraid that something is wrong.
“They’ve clearly been drugged.” Aiden persists, “Tell us what you gave them!”
“It was nothing,” Martin groans, clearly in pain. “Just a little Starlight.”
“What?!” Drake exclaims, seeming suddenly panicked, “You gave them Starlight?”
I’m not sure why the information concerns him so much, Starlight isn’t a dangerous drug – almost every hospital on the continent prescribes it as a sedative. Nonetheless, another glance at Lila makes my heart plunge below my navel. She’s at least two shades paler than Selene, and a sheen of sweat has formed on her forehead.
“Yes!” Martin wheezes, equally confused. “They’ll wake up soon.”
“Bastien.” The other Alpha’s voice is sharp as a knife. I jerk my head up, pausing my attentions. “Lila is allergic to Starlight.”
“How allergic?” I immediately clarify. It’s a stupid question, I can already see the damage the drug is doing to the tiny pup.
“Very.” He answers gravely, “We need to get her to a hospital right now.”
I’m already moving, adjusting the she-wolves in my lap and pulling the car door shut as Drake returns to the driver’s seat. “Does Hugo have Sophie?”
“He just got there.” Drake nods, turning the key in the ignition. “Martin was telling the truth.”
I’d planned on killing Martin myself, but Lila comes first. As we pull out of the trailhead, I issue my orders to Aiden through our link. Kill him – and make it hurt.
Martin’s screams follow us as we race off into the night, and I don’t regret delegating the job. The sound of his torment is satisfying enough, I can only pray that we reach help in time.
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Selene’s POV
I’m in Bastien’s arms when I wake.
I don’t know how he found us. The last thing I remember was Martin stabbing me with the syringe. It seems impossible that we’re safe. Yet Bastien is here, so I know we are.
My mate’s handsome face is peering down at me intently, his brow furrowed with concern. His features soften briefly when he sees my eyes open, but even as he welcomes me back to the waking world, the tension doesn’t leave his body. “Hello, little wolf.”
“What happened?” I ask hoarsely, “Where’s Lila?”
Belatedly I realize we’re moving, bundled into the back of a car with the world whizzing by at dizzying speed. Bastien is frowning deeply. “Martin was the tipster.” He explains grimly, turning my head toward his other arm. “Lila’s here.” My eyes land on my pup, and ice floods my veins.
Why does she look like that?
“We’re on the way to the hospital baby.” Bastien explains, “He gave you Starlight.”
Everything is still very hazy, a thick fog clouding my senses and slowing my brain. “What?” I ask dumbly.
“Starlight.” He repeats, stroking my cheek. “Lila’s having an allergic reaction, but we’re almost to the hospital.”
Understanding clicks much too slowly. Last year Lila was stung by a bee and her little hand swelled to the size of a melon. It took a massive dose of steroids to counteract the reaction, and I decided to have her tested for other allergies.
Other that bees and wasps, there was only one other substance that returned a positive result on the test: Starlight. The doctors told Drake and I that if she ever injected the drug, it could kill her.
“No.” I whisper frantically, trying to move and realizing that my body is still too deeply under the influence of the drug. I can’t make my limbs work. “Give her to me.” I beg, tears welling in my eyes.
Bastien does so immediately, settling her on my chest and holding her steady, “It’s alright sweetheart, we’re going to get her help.”
I stare down at her sweet little face, fear unlike anything I’ve yet experienced consuming me. It’s not alright. Even if we get to the hospital in time, there’s only one antidote for Starlight allergies. The doctors offered to prepare an emergency dose for us when she tested positive – in case she ever needed it – but it wasn’t possible at the time.
The antidote requires blood from both parents, and we only had mine. Bastien is here now so we might have time for them to prepare the potion, but there’s no way around it now – I’m going to have to tell him the truth. Lila is his daughter.
