Page 52 of Pack to the Wall

He cut the engine as he rounded the peninsula to the hidden cove where twenty of his pack's strongest fighters waited. Ewan stood at the shoreline, his muscled arms crossed over his chest, his expression deadly serious.

"Everything ready?" Zev called as he leaped from the boat, not bothering with the dock. The cold water splashed up to his knees, soaking through his expensive trousers, but he couldn't care less about the ruined suit.

Ewan nodded once. "The stealth crafts are prepped. We've got thermal imaging of Marty's boat." He pulled out a tablet, showing Zev the glowing outline. "Three heat signatures on deck—Chrissy, her father, and Marty. Two more below deck."

"Five total." Zev stripped off his jacket and shirt in swift, economical movements. "I want four of our strongest on those two below deck. You focus on securing Chrissy and her father. I'll handle Marty personally."

A sleek black wetsuit waited for him, and Zev stepped into it, zipping it with a savage tug. His blue eyes glittered with deadly intent in the moonlight.

"Remember, no one touches Marty but me," he ordered, his voice carrying the unmistakable command of an Alpha. The assembled wolves nodded in unison, their eyes reflecting the same fierce loyalty.

"Getting more possessive in your old age?" Ewan's attempt at levity didn't quite mask his concern.

"That bastard dared to threaten my mate," Zev growled. "He kidnapped her father. He violated our territory. He dies tonight."

Ewan clasped his shoulder. "Just remember we need to secure Chrissy and her father first. Your mate needs you thinking clearly."

Zev dragged in a deep breath, forcing his wolf's bloodlust to recede just enough. "I'm clear. I'm focused." The scent of the sea filled his lungs, cooling his rage to something cold and purposeful. "But he's mine to deal with."

They boarded the two sleek underwater crafts—marvels of technology that Zev had commissioned years ago for islandsecurity. Silent engines and thermal dampening. Perfect for approaching undetected.

As they glided through the dark water, Zev reached through the mate bond, feeling for Chrissy's presence. There—a bright thread of connection, humming with tension but unbroken. He could sense her fear, her determination, and her fierce protectiveness toward her father.

I'm coming, Luna,he pushed through the bond.Just keep him talking.

The crafts slowed as they approached Marty's boat from opposite sides. Zev signaled silently to his team, their movements synchronized with military precision. Years of training as a pack had made them lethal when they needed to be.

Then, clear as daylight, Chrissy's voice flooded his mind:Now, Zev. We're ready.

"That's our signal," he whispered to Ewan. "Thirty seconds to breach."

Zev took a final deep breath, letting his wolf rise just enough to sharpen his senses, strengthen his muscles, and quicken his reflexes. His eyes glinted with predatory focus.

"Anyone hurts my mate or her father, they don't live to see dawn," he said softly. "Let's go get our Luna."

With the silent grace of a predator, Zev scaled the side of Marty's boat, his fingers finding purchase on the sleek hull. Each movement was calculated and economical, his body coiled with lethal purpose. The scent of his mate—floral with a hint of fear—drove his wolf to a near frenzy, but he tamped it down. Strategy first. Bloodlust second.

He vaulted over the rail and landed in a silent crouch on the deck. The tableau before him burned into his memory. Chrissy in her red gown, fierce and beautiful despite the danger, her father bound and gagged but with defiant eyes that showedwhere Chrissy got her spirit, and Marty, the rogue wolf who'd dared to touch what belonged to him.

"Surprise," Zev drawled, straightening to his full height. "Bet you didn't expect to see me so soon."

Marty whirled around, his face contorting with shock before smoothing into calculated arrogance. "What do you think you're doing? Chrissy has willingly agreed to return to California with me and become my mate." He adjusted his expensive jacket with a smug smile. "Our celebrity wedding is already being planned as we speak. Vogue will have a field day."

"Hate to be the wedding crasher," Zev replied with deadly calm, "but that's just not how this fairy tale is going to play out."

Marty's ice-blue eyes narrowed as he turned to Chrissy. "I thought you were completely on board with my game plan."

Chrissy's lips curled into a smile that was all teeth. "Oops. I guess I can be manipulative and lie just as well as you can, Marty."

Zev couldn't hide the smirk that spread across his face. His mate was magnificent in her defiance—a perfect match for an Alpha. Pride surged through him, hot and possessive.

"You think you've won? That you'll have the last laugh?" Marty sneered, his hand sliding inside his jacket. "You've underestimated me."

From the corner of his eye, Zev spotted two sleek boats approaching in the distance, each carrying five shifters. Under normal circumstances, he might have been concerned. But Zev hadn't become Alpha by being unprepared.

"Backup plan?" Zev replied calmly. "Predictable. Rogue wolves always think alike."

He let out a piercing whistle that cut through the night air. In response, the water around the approaching boats churned as fourteen of his pack members—those stationed in the underwater crafts—rose to intercept the threat.

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