Page 44 of Wicked Fate

We went into the living room and found the others waiting. As soon as they saw us, we all headed out the door, not needing to make a sound.

At the alpha house, Reid was leaning on the porch rail with no cane. Bruce flanked his right, arms crossed and face carved from stone, while Sun’s gaze kept darting around from the other side of her mate.

When we reached the bottom of his steps, Reid whispered, “The scouts say the vampires are on the eastern side of the property. If we move fast and cut around the western edge through the tree line, we’ll avoid their line of sight.”

“What about getting to the mansion?” Kendric asked. “We don’t have a vehicle. Vampires will notice if we take one.”

I grimaced. He was right.

The vampires might catch us if we didn’t take a vehicle, but the noise of one would alert them too. We’d been so focused on the mansion that we hadn’t considered a way out of Reid’s territory.

If there was something we could—

My stomach dropped. There was one answer. An answer that lodged in my throat, making it difficult to voice.

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

Iswallowed hard, bile burning the back of my throat. The last thing I wanted to do was suggest this, but the situation was bigger than the impact it would have on Briar and me.

“If they’re west, that means the area toward the Sinclair pack territory should be clear.” I swallowed hard, but I had to get the rest out before I changed my mind. “We can use vehicles from there. There’s a back way out of the territory, so we won’t even have to drive down the main road.”

Everyone turned to look at me, and Ryker’s concern spiked.

“No.” Ryker shook his head, already feeling how the thought alone had impacted me. “We can find another way.”

Reid bit his lip like he was weighing what to say, and Bruce wrung his hands.

Sun bowed her head slightly, her focus remaining on me with something like respect gleaming in her eyes for the first time. “That’s our best bet, so if Ember is willing, then we should take her up on the solution and move fast before the vampires change course.”

I linked with Briar,If you aren’t up for it, you can hang back. There’s no weakness in that.

No, I agree with you. It’s not something I want to do, but we need to find the vampire queen before she harms any others and get justice for our packs.

“That’s too much to ask of her and Briar.” Ryker shook his head as he took my hand and tried to move in front of me. “We can run in wolf form.” His determination flowed through our bond.

This wasn’t something he would budge on, so I needed him to know that we’d be okay.

I turned and locked eyes with him. His golden flecks almost looked like real gold with the intensity of his concern.

I smiled sadly, placing my hand on his chest. “It’s all right. I need to do this. Not just for the group but for me as well. Going back…” I paused and grimaced. “It’s going to hurt. But avoiding it won’t bring them back, and it won’t stop the queen. This is how I prove I’m not broken, and it’ll help us get to the witch faster. We can use things from my home pack to make them pay.”

His jaw clenched, the muscles twitching. But he didn’t speak.

I cupped his face and linked,You risked your soul with a spell to find justice for your pack. Let me do something for mine as well.

The bond between us pulsed—hot, thick with emotion. The others remained silent, no doubt knowing that the two of us were communicating via our connection.

If you so much as waver, you tell me.His brows furrowed, and he grabbed my wrists, holding them gently but with enough pressure to make sure I heard every word.You tell me, and we alter plans.

I nodded once, my heart growing twice its normal size because he was listening to me.Deal.

Ryker sighed. “Ember is convinced that it’s the best way, so who am I to argue against that?”

“I think it’s the best strategy too,” Briar added, taking the spot on my left side so we presented a united front.

“Then I won’t argue.” Bruce karate-chopped the air. “I agree. It’s our best bet. Running in wolf form would take us too long and exhaust us physically.”

Footsteps broke the silence as Cassi rounded the corner and hurried toward us with her satchel. “Sorry I’m a little late. I thought I detected something on the way here, and I was trying to investigate.”

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