Page 100 of Locke

“How could this have happened?” I stomped over to Bear who was still dealing with the pain in his mind.

Bear shook his head. “I don’t know, I swear we covered our tracks. With that many people we rescued, maybe we missed one that had a tracker?”

I gritted my teeth and swore. “The Moonlight Outcasts, they were to check for trackers. Were there any on the humans?”

“I think that’s irrelevant at this point. Idris is already here.” Hawke pointed out, scrolling his phone. “Idris’ followers came in the daylight. They were fast, too. They didn’t look like rogues.”

“Maybe they weren’t rogues,” Sizzle joined the conversation. “Think of all those humans he’s been experimenting on. He might have been converting all of the human guards from Delilah’s ex-husband's crime syndicate, giving them vampiric, fae, and hell, maybe shifter qualities. He’s got control over all the east coast right now.”

“Shit.” I ran my hand through my hair. “He made his own army, then. We won’t be strong enough, not with the few mated pairs we have.”

Besides most of the inner circle, we had a few randomly mated pairs around the club. Being mated strengthens them more than the average single shifter. We even had a vampiric couple from the Moonlight Outcasts. Cyran found his mate when they were rescuing Nadia. She was bloodthirsty and has been held up in an apartment feeding. Releasing her would be beneficial.

Bram limped up to the group. “The mated will not have their animals in top condition. Their animals are trying to connect to the pack-link that is being established by Tajah right now. Once Emm has completely transformed, you will all be stronger than those genetically mutated monstrosities, but, before then—”

Hawke got on the phone and handed it to me. I yelled into it, demanding whoever was on the other line to get everyone to the packhouse. Mated, unmated, almost rabid. We needed all the reinforcements we could get.

The bunker was here, full of guns and ammo, but anything they had on hand they needed to bring. Guns, knives, we needed it all.

I stared at my mate. She was trying to keep her cries to a minimum, but fuck, I remember what it was like. Emm was fucking strong, but all I wanted to do was to comfort her. This is not how I wanted my mate to be introduced to this life. This wasn’t how I pictured having her join my world.

Sure, I wanted it memorable, but it wasn’t this. I was going to make it romantic, I swear to the gods. This was fucking different. Every plan, everything I wanted to do was crumbling right in front of me.

“Save the pack,” Fenrir growled.“I will tend to our mate.”

I pressed my lips to a thin line, staring at her morphing face. Her eyes meet mine, pleading.

“Go,” she howled, withering into the dirt.

“If you don’t, there will be no mate.”

With a fierce growl, I tore my shirt apart, the fabric surrendering to my raw strength. The distant rumble of roaring engines filled the forest as trucks, motorcycles and cars invaded the landscape, their presence felt through the rustling of trees and the crunching of dirt and gravel beneath their tires.

They raced towards the packhouse. The sound of screeching tires and roaring engines filled the air. The urgency of the situation weighed heavily on my shoulders as I navigated through the surrounding chaos. Pack members quickly gathered, leaping out of the back of trucks and through the windows of cars. They armed themselves with whatever weapons they could find, their faces etched with a mix of determination and fear.

Most of them hadn’t seen the packhouse. Only the mated could be here. Their faces were of both awe and fascination,looking up at the big structure, but Hawke, Sizzle and Bear had already spouted out orders, organizing everyone into groups.

Those who still had some capability to shift transformed into their animal forms, vampires flashed their fangs, and a sense of unity pulsated through the air despite the imminent danger lurking on our doorstep.

Fenrir wasted no time intending to Emm from my mind. I pushed back his words as he spoke to her, urging her to keep going. My heart ached at the sight of her pain, but I knew she was strong and resilient. She would fight through this; we all would.

As I stepped forward in front of the club, a hush fell over the crowd, enveloping it in silence. The crackling fire behind me sent waves of intense heat searing my exposed back. Before me, the club stood, its imposing presence commanding attention. Though our numbers were not vast, the strength of our training was apparent, even though most members were rogue and unable to shift.

“I have mated with my luna.” There was no cheer, but there were looks of relief on everyone’s faces. “She is undergoing her transformation, and only then, can we create our pack.”

I could hear the haunting sound of her guttural cries as she tightly held in her pain. The blinding lightning cut through the darkened sky, followed by the deafening rumble of thunder echoing through the towering mountains.

A chilling enemy howl echoed through the air, originating from a distant hilltop. Its piercing sound served as an unmistakable warning, indicating that the enemy was drawing nearer.

Time was not on our side.

“Your objective is to protect your luna and Tajah. Without them this club will not form a pack, do you understand?” I screamed at them, my face red with anger.

The pack members nodded in unison, their expressions hardening with determination. They knew the gravity of the situation at hand, and the importance of protecting their alpha’s mate, and the future luna. The howls of the approaching enemy grew louder, signaling that the impending battle was upon us.

We were ill prepared, and no fae to help with oncoming attacks. Who even knew if they were still alive.

Hawke, Sizzle and Bear moved swiftly, organizing the pack into defensive positions. Those in animal forms were situated in the forests. Hawke grabbed his snipers and positioned themselves in trees and on top of cabins. The few vampires had positioned themselves strategically, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. The air crackled with tension as everyone braced themselves for the onslaught.

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