Mad had kidnapped. And the worst part is that Jae is with them. Whoever they are, apparently, her sister hired these goons to come find her.”
That tells me Mad’s men intercepted the outsider pack and must have taken one of their own. That’s who the Alpha in here was before.
I grind my jaw at hearing how my fated mate has been used as a trading pawn. Fury bleeds through me that anyone dared lay a hand on her in the first place.
“Guards are all over the woods,” she says. “I just hope Bardhyl and Lucien are safe.”
With the Ash Wolves tracking the surrounding forest, my Second and Third will lie low until they get the chance to come in here through the tunnels. Unless the location has been compromised.
“What else is going on out there?” I ask. “Is Mad part of the search too?”
She leans in closer, pressing her face between two metal bars, and it kills me that there is an empty prison between us and I can’t hold her or brush away the terror painted on her face. “The man who negotiated with the northern wolf declared himself the Alpha of this sector. But he’s just a guard. And if Mad had been there at the time, he’d have rushed out the moment he saw me.”
I nod. “You’re right, which means he doesn’t yet know you’re in here or he’d be here in a flash.”
My chest tightens, but I refuse to voice my concerns to Meira. Mad’s plans are straightforward. Now that he has Meira captured, there’s no more need for me. My end is near. Sweat rolls down my spine, and I ought to be fearful, but what I worry about more is what the lunatic will do to my beautiful mate if I’m not here to stop him.
Lucien and Bardhyl are my last hope.
“We’ll get out of this,” she assures me, most likely picking up on the deepening of my concern.
I’ve fought my whole life for a better place for our pack. And the one person I protected all his life will now be my undoing.
I glance over to the door, my racing heartbeat sounding like a countdown until my stepbrother marches in here for Meira. I swallow the bile at the back of my throat. Anger echoes in the confines of my head, and I try to push away the mounting dread. I comb a hand through my hair, needing to shake the nerves away.
“Dušan, are you all right?” Meira interrupts my thoughts, and her singsong voice draws my attention to her. Her beautiful eyes study my every move, every reaction.
My mouth curls into a smile, but on the inside, I break, my emotions spilling free. To never look on her face again, to never feel her warmth, to never hear her laugh destroys me. And in its place, fury builds over me, swallowing me. I ball my hands at the thought that Mad will do everything to take her away from me.
“I refuse to believe we won’t make it out,” Meira says, and it takes me a few moments to roll the word believe over in my mind for it to finally settle into my thoughts. For so long, I’d been that person that convinced the pack members we were safe in this compound. To have faith in me and believe their future is secure from the zombies. But little did I know, the true enemy was in my ranks this whole time.
I shift my gaze to Meira’s beautiful face, which I’ve memorized, every line, every curve, every color. She’s a painting in my mind I will never forget. “You’re right, gorgeous. We will get out of this.”
I take a seat and listen to her as she tells me about her rescuing Lucien and Bardhyl, her diversion with the undead, and even some strange zombies that seem to follow her. Which is unusual in and of itself, but I can only imagine it has something to do with her still being immune to the undead.
Her voice calms the beast inside me bursting to go ballistic at being locked up.
Everything about her is addictive. She smells so good, like the fresh meadow on a spring morning. I crave to feel her body pressed against me, her soft breasts, her long legs wrapped around me, the fire between her thighs. I miss her terribly. We may share the same room, but she’s too far away.
I want out of his fucking prison now!
When I meet her gaze,