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The door to my cell slams open and Man Two stands there, breathing heavily, his face a deep, angry shade of red
“I’ll kill you!” he yells, storming down on me. “I won’t let you escape so you can harm innocent people!”
His blonde hair is in disarray, his shirt torn at the shoulder. But the thing that truly scares me is the craziness in his glare. This man has one thing on his mind.
My death.
****
Nico
Since day one, I have been welcomed into the Katu pack with open arms. Our previous Alpha, Slade, tried to kill Caine and take his mate from him. And he almost succeeded. He left destruction in his wake, but in the end, the Katu pack persevered.
And even after all that, they welcomed us, the remaining members of the Hatcher pack, into their ranks. All that Caine asked of us, the members of the Hatcher pack he allowed in, was that we do our part. Honestly, I couldn’t see a problem with that. The Katu pack is worlds apart from what I was used to, and instead of being used and abused we are supported and trusted.
Slade was eager to break people down and show his dominance where Caine prefers to build his pack up. He always has time to show support or give advice and it shows in how the pack lives. No one is treated with less respect than another. And Hadley, his Luna, is the same. Always opening their pack and their home to anyone who needs it.
With the Katu pack, I was able to make a home for myself, make friends, and look forward to what the future could hold. Hell, I’ve even allowed myself to dream about finding my fated mate someday.
This is why, when Caine asked for volunteers for a possibly deadly mission, I was one of the first to jump in. He has done more for me in the three years I have been here than Slade did in all the years I was with his pack. He has given me a home and a purpose, and I would follow the man into Hell if he asked me.
Now, we stand in the woods beyond a compound the twins’ mate, Iris, brought to our attention. This is one of the safe houses she knows her father, the leader of the Hunters, has built. Inside, he keeps shifters prisoner, to experiment on. He uses our own kind against us, learning our strengths and weaknesses by experimenting on our kind. Weapons are made that cause more harm than regular bullets and packs are destroyed before they even know what has hit them. It sickens me and I can’t wait until we eradicate the entire Hunter organization.
“Do we know how many people are inside?” Godrick asks, staring at the nondescript farmhouse. The gears in his brain were working on formulating a plan that would save as many lives as possible.
“Iris said this was a smaller location, usually no more than five people at a time,” Sayer replies, never taking his gaze off the red brick building in front of us.
It always amazes me how normal these compounds look. I could easily image an old couple sitting on the porch swing, drinking some iced tea on a hot summer day. But that couldn’t be father from the truth. The horrors this picturesque little building hides would make most people’s skin crawl.
“There are at least three shifters I can scent,” Max adds, breaking into my thoughts. “There are some older scents and a tinge of death clings to the entire area so it might be more.”
Anger spikes through my veins and I have to hold my wolf back. He is ready to go to war, but we have a plan, and he needs to stick to it. The feel of cold hard steel against my back has a shudder working its way through me. I hate guns but I see the logic behind using them in this situation. The Hunters will have weapons of their own after all.
Iris has spent two weeks training us on how to use weapons, and even though none of us were happy about it, we are all sufficiently capable of using them now. Having a known Hunter in the compound wasn’t easy for anyone in the beginning, but she really has been an asset to us.
Iris has more knowledge about the Hunters than we could ever hope to gather in a hundred years. She knows their habits and their numbers. Iris has been giving us what she calls “Intro to Hunters” training for the past week. Teaching us to fight and think the way they do.
“What are we waiting for?” I ask, impatience lacing my words.
Raleigh’s phone vibrates and we all face him as he presses the device against his face.
“Thank you,” he says before ending the call. “Iris says her father is on his way to one of the other locations. Remember to keep someone alive. We need to know where the rest of the compounds are. This is the last one on Iris’s list.”
All of us nod before stalking closer to the building, creeping through the trees. Iris has been lying to her father, feeding him fake intel to keep him busy chasing his own tail and helping us gather what we need to take him down. I know it has been hard for her, but she keeps pushing through, doing the right thing.
We need him to believe she is still on his side, that all the attacks on his men are uncoordinated. We want to keep him in the dark for as long as possible while we dismantle his entire operation, brick by brick, until only dust and memories remain. Then, and only then, will we go after the head of the snake.
Standing just inside the tree line, I track a man as he walks around the edge of the building, putting his gun back in its holster as he lights a cigarette. The tip shines red in the darkness of the night with every inhale he takes.
Slowly, I creep up behind him, not making a single sound. It only takes a heartbeat for me to wrap my hands around him and snap his neck before silently lowering his body to the ground. Slipping into the shadows, I edge further around the building looking for my next victim.
An explosion rocks the ground beneath my feet. None of us would have used explosives and I know the Hunters are trying to destroy the evidence of what has happened here to cover their tracks. I also know we can’t allow them to do that. I need to find a way inside this place to try and save as many shifters as possible.
My wolf pushes hard at the inside of my mind, forcing me to fight him once again. I’ve never struggled to keep him in check before and I can’t understand why he is being so obstinate.
Then it hits me—the smell of passion fruit tainted with the acrid scent of fear—and my knees nearly give out. Somewhere in this godforsaken hellhole is my mate.
My wolf bursts forward the moment my guard is down and goes charging inside. The shift is so seamless, and effortless. I’ve been doing this all my life and I no longer feel pain or discomfort at the change. My wolf directs us with his senses, his nose taking the lead. We storm down a set of stairs and deeper into the building, not heeding the shouts of our friends as we barrel forward with only one thought on our minds.
