Page 16 of Freed Wolfsbane

Whoops.

I shrug and walk over to the empty seat next to Kai. When I plop down, Kai grumbles, “Nice of you to finally join us.”

I flash a smile and force a levity I don’t feel. “It is, isn’t it?”

Kai shakes his head. He tries to keep frowning at me, but I see the corners of his lips twitch up ever so slightly. “Where were you?”

Flattening my lips into a line, I look away, not wanting to tell him I spend my nights in the ballroom lost in my memories and wallowing in my pain. Xander doesn’t get the memo because he rats me out. “At Briar’s piano.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kai’s face soften in understanding. I pretend not to see him because I don’t want to worry Kai with my feelings. He’s struggling enough as it is. Instead, I turn to Rhys expectantly.

The mage shakes his head at us but doesn’t say anything as he points to the map. “As I was saying, we found what we believe to be an underground Knights of Aeneas facility in the north-northwest sector of our search area. We need to finish combing through the rest of the area to be sure, but from all indications, this is where Briar Wylder is being held. Any questions?”

“Yeah, when do we leave?” I ask before anyone can say anything. Both my wolf and I are eager to get out there and bring her home. I’m filled with restless energy that has my legs bouncing and my fingers tapping on the table, much to Xander’s annoyance probably.

Rhys stares at the four of us apprehensively before seeming to choose his words carefully. “We hope to be ready to extract her within three days. However, until I know exactly what we’re working with, I can’t give you an exact timeline.”

“Three days?” Kai repeats incredulously. “We know where she is. Why are we wasting even another second not getting her?”

“Gathering all the information and making a plan isn’t wasting time. Charging in after Briar half-cocked won’t help her, son.” My dad’s normally stoic face is pinched with worry as he volleys his gaze between Kai, the map, and a stack of documents sitting in front of him.

Kai clenches his jaw but doesn’t argue, knowing better than to disagree with our dad in front of this many wolves. While Dad doesn’t care about the hierarchy when we’re alone, he has to maintain his alpha image when we’re in public. If the pack senses any weakness, he’ll be swamped with challenges for his position. That means we have to be very careful with disagreeing with him in front of other shifters.

Even the Elemental mage can sense the tension between Kai and our dad. He looks between them like he’s waiting for them both to charge at each other in a flurry of fur and claws and wickedly sharp teeth. When that doesn’t happen, he breathes a small sigh of relief. “Any other questions?”

Saint raises a couple fingers up like we’re in class, waiting to speak until Rhys points at him. “Can we help comb through the remaining search area?”

Rhys shakes his head, an unspoken apology swimming in his gaze. “No. It’s too risky to have you all out in the field. But the search shouldn’t take more than twenty-four hours. Then the four of you can be involved in creating a plan to get her back.”

“We’ll be involved in actually going and getting her, right?” I’ve sat back this whole time with the understanding that we’ll be part of the operation to bring her home. There’s no one out there who cares more about bringing Briar home or who will do anything to ensure her safety than the four of us.

Rhys gives me a genuine half smile. “Of course.”

I stand up and clap my hands. “Then let’s get to it. We have my pretty girl to bring home.”

CHAPTER9

BRIAR

I’m in the containment circle, yet again, watching Ryker pace back and forth. The days have all been a blur of attempting to shift, beatings for failing to fully turn into my wolf, and trying to heal myself enough to survive another day. In between beatings, the scientists and doctors have been poking, prodding, and running invasive tests to try to figure out why I can shift.

Anson always tries to make me feel better when I’m dumped in our cell after a session with Ryker, but there’s not much he can do for me. I’m mentally, physically, and magically exhausted. I need a break, but I doubt that’s going to happen anytime soon. So, I just suck it up and keep stalling as I try to figure a way out of here.

With how increasingly frustrated Ryker has been with me, I’m getting the feeling that my time is up. I’ve pretended to shift incrementally more every couple times he pulls me in here. First it was my eyes, then I showed off claws, then fur rippling over my skin, and the past couple times my magic has shown my legs breaking and reforming into hind legs.

The increasingly complex illusions are draining my magic faster than I can replenish it. I doubt I have enough magic to do more than change my eye color, so I have to hope that Ryker will be happy with that. Otherwise, he’ll hurt Annabel or one of the other kids he drags in here.

Annabel got moved to another cell block once Ryker realized how useful she is to control me. The only time I get to see the little girl is when Ryker’s threatening her. I’m sure she regrets ever talking to me, but I do everything I can to keep her safe.

A loud boom sounds, shaking the room and startling me. Ryker looks around, like he can see the source of the sound if he searches hard enough. Three guards burst through the doorway next to the two-way mirror.

“Sir,” one of them starts. “They’re here.”

“Yes, I figured that out, Rodgers,” Ryker snarls before turning to the three scientists cowering in by their machines. “How close are we?”

“We can’t solve the final piece until we actually see her shift.” Clark’s voice shakes as he gives Ryker the bad news. I breathe out an internal sigh of relief because they’re no closer to discovering how to strengthen their spell. All the data they’re collecting is on my mage magic, not my shifter power.

Ryker growls and stomps over to me. I brace myself for a hit, but he just growls and mimes strangling me. “I would kill you if I could. Now fucking shift. We’re out of time.”

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