Tonya POV

Almost 20 hours have passed since my mates were kidnapped and five since I felt the beginning of Noah's rape. Silver howls inside me, wanting to kill everyone, everyone who touched him. Her bloodlust is my bloodlust, her rage is my rage, but the guilt is only mine.

I failed as a mate, as an Alpha... I haven't noticed the danger; I wasn't there when they needed me. I let those who had hurt them before hurt them one more time.

The road to Shadow Pack is torture; we keep discussing strategies as I grip the door so hard I may destroy it. I can't make the car move quicker, I can't let myself charge there unprepared, and I can't do anything but pray for both of them to be alive when I finally get there.

My father will make all the decisions because I'm so agitated that I can snap at any moment, which will only bring more destruction.

I made that happen; I let Shane torture them again.

As we get close to the Shadow Pack,  we are united with Carson, my Gamma Jake, and the 25 warriors he has brought with him alongside hunters led by Anne.

"Why are you here?" Amaria asks, and Anne smirks.

"We are allies, whether the treaty is signed or not. I suggested the possibility, and our people agreed with me that we should come."

"Well, still, we have around 35 people, and Shadow Pack has around 90 warriors; I'm not counting the other pack members," my father says." They may not love their Alpha, but we have no idea how they will react to our presence."

"According to the information we gathered," Kathy states," Around forty warriors live in the packhouse; they are the most privileged so that they will protect their Alpha. We have two options: sneak inside and kill Shane as quickly as possible. The loss of Alpha will cause chaos, and we should be able to escape."

We nod to her words as I point out that the best for us will be to access their land through the north border. If my uncle Kyle goes first with the Trio, with his nose, he will be able to find us the safest route, the most rarely used by the patrols.

Kathy, my father, and I, along with Chandler and one squad of my warriors, will follow them straight to the packhouse. Amaria, Anne, and the hunters will create a slight diversion for us when we are close to the packhouse. That should lure warriors there, and the packhouse will be less protected.

Jake and the other warriors will stay in the woods to shield our retreat. At least that's the plan, the plan we must proceed extremely fast because the moment my uncle, his mate, and sons enter the woods, I feel another intense sensation in my chest, and my knees buckle. I fell to the ground.

"Fuck, Tonya, what's wrong?" my father screams, kneeling next to me with Kathy.

I try to compose myself as my fear intensifies and panic rushes through me.

"We must hurry," I manage to whisper. "My child has been born."

"You can't shift now; you are too agitated. Silver will take over, and it can ruin our plan," Kathy says, and I stand up. Fuck she is right; I may not be able to hold Silver back; her mother's instinct can be too strong.

"So you carry me, we can't wait... we just can't," I growl as the fear chokes me.

We run, and I grip my hands on Kathy's fur. Charlie projects his fear and struggle towards me. I'm not sure what is going on, but he is fighting. At the same time, I also stop feeling Noah's pain and yet I know he isn't dead, at least not yet.

But Charlie, the feelings I've got from him till now were faint; he was in the paint, which was the only thing I was sure of. How the fuck I didn't think that he could have been in labor? It could be caused by stress, but there is also a chance that Shane had done something to induce the labor.

We run fast as my uncle leads the way because, strangely, we don't have to avoid any patrols. I don't understand why, but there are no patrols for some reason. As if every warrior was somewhere else, but why?

It's dark, the moon is shining bright as we flee among the trees, and the paws are hitting the ground almost soundlessly as Silver growls inside me, ready to take charge any moment. The sensation I got from her is similar to when we were under the influence of silver, but not the same.

We pass some houses from time to time unnoticed.

My uncle mindlinks that we are very close, but somehow, no one attempted to stop us, which bothers me much more. As we get closer, I whisper to mindlink those waiting with hunters not to take any action and not start their diversion yet, but something is just not right.

The packhouse is in front of us; we have a perfect view of the front entrance as we slowly come closer, still hidden among trees and bushes. Some people step from it, and my blood runs cold, and my eyes widen. 

Why the fuck is he here? What the fuck is going on?

Liam Brixton is standing there talking with the big guy, who gives me bad vibes. We stop, my father and I agree that we should wait, because everything has changed, and everything is happening too fast.

Behind Brixton and the guy he is talking to, two more people drag Shane outside, to my biggest surprise. He looks battered and seriously wounded. He is not unconscious,  and yet his face is dead; the whole light has left his eyes.

He doesn't protest as he is forced to his knees, and something is injected inside him, and he is chained and muzzled and next pushed into the car.

Liam Bixton nods to the man, and he and his five people step inside the car and drive away.

My father's wolf is looking at me, and I see hesitation on his face for a brief moment.

We could follow him, maybe we should? Liam is alone; we would be able to chase after him and probably kill him. It could end it all, he doesn't expect us, it can be the only chance we will ever have but.., I don't care, my mates are what matters, and nothing more. And they are still alive, and that is all that matters.

Noah POV

I feel water in my mouth, and subconsciously, I swallow, although I'm not welcoming the return to the world of pain happily.

Someone is holding my head. I would flinch away if I had any strength and try to attack if I had any hope left. My body screams in pain, and yet I manage to open one of my eyes.

Nick, the only person I considered a friend in Shadow Pack who helped me escape from here, is holding the cup to my lips. I swallow once again; I'm so thirsty.

"There is not much more I can do for you. Drew will kill you when he finishes with Shane."

I want to ask what he is talking about, but the door to the dungeon opens, and someone goes downstairs. Nick stands up and withdraws instantly to the cell entrance.

Soon, Drew is squatting next to smirking evilly; I'm scared... I'm afraid of another rape, of more pain, of being more helpless. I would huddle away from him if I had more strength. But he grips my hair and forces me to look at him.

"That bitch of yours gave birth. He was tougher than I thought he would be. My idea was to just cut that baby out from him, but Luna... let's say she had a different idea. Cutting the child out would kill him, and she wants him alive. The pack doctor has given him small doses of silver to induce the birth, and the fucker's wolf must have resisted it because it took so much time..."

I don't try to speak, not that I have any strength, but my heart is beating rapidly, the baby is here, what are they going to do? I try to open my mouth and say something, making Drew giggle.

"Luna wanted to check paternity at once but imagine my surprise when your bitch actually shifted and killed our pack doctor. But not worry, Shane had made him bleed a lot, but there was no one to check if Daniel was really a father. Smart, Alpha and Luna had to find another doctor, and now the infant had got more time. Not that it matters," he says, standing up. I grab his ankle, and he smirks once again.

"All Shane was thinking for the last months was sinking his claws in you, and I... I had a chance in my life. I got an ally, Noah, and soon I will be a new Alpha of Shadow Pack."

He reaches his hand to touch my cheeks and leans closer to whisper into my ear.

"Most of the warriors who fucked you are going now into the direction of the west border, per my orders. They are loyal to Shane, and something is there my ally has sent here specially for them. Only those who would obey me stayed in the packhouse, and they wouldn't react. I actually felt Shane screaming through the mindlink to me to come and save him. He didn't know I let my new ally and his people inside the packhouse. They probably killed your mate and child, too, since my ally had a powerful grudge against Shane. And Shane is now in the truck being taken somewhere far away."

He stands up, kicking me in the stomach.

"You will be killed soon; your mutilated body will be put on display as Shane's murderer. At least that's what I intend to inform the Council ab.out."

He wants to leave but stops because I manage to whisper:

"Is it a boy or girl?"

I don't beg; I know him long enough to be sure there is no point in it. I don't understand what he was talking about. I'm too much in pain, too much wounded to care about anything.

"It's a boy, Noah, or it was a boy," Drew states. "And Shane was blind; it took me only one glance at this child to notice that he has your eyes. I should go upstairs and..."

But he doesn't finish because of the snarls and loud paw hits, as I think wolves jump inside the dungeon. I think Drew is screaming, but he had no chance of shifting because he was surprised.

Nick isn't stupid; he kneels instantly, bowing his head in submission. My body is slowly shutting down; I struggle not to lose consciousness once again. My senses scream when someone touches me, big hands and the scent I know.

"I've got you, son, we've got you," Mikkeli Blackwood whispers, and the darkness engulfs me once again.

Chandler POV

Just like Tonya, I recognized Liam Brixton, too. At the sheer moment, I wanted to notify my mother and at least try to catch him. But I couldn't betray Tonya that way; I just couldn't.

Noah and Charlie come first, no matter what.

I get off Mikkeli Blackwood, and we nod to Tonya, who is still in her human form, as we wait for the car, which is Liam Brixton, to drive away. Maybe his end won't come today, but one day it will, Tonya and I see to that.

We don't waste any more time as we approach the packhouse's main door, which nobody seems to guard. I nod to Anne, Tonya, and Kathy's wolf barges through the door. There is a warrior in the corridor, but he has no time to scream as Kathy jumps, sinking her teeth in him, and he dies instantly.

Tonya runs upstairs; I don't question her because I'm sure that the bond is guiding her. Kathy, Carson, Anne, and I go after her. Mikkeli Blackwood and the rest follow Mikkeli's brother, who sniffs eagerly and leads the way farther inside the house.

Almost no one tries to stop us; the packhouse seems empty, and the few warriors from Shadow who happened to appear on our way are dead or wounded quickly by Tonya's, Kathy or my hands. A few regular wolves, probably omegas, are avoiding the confrontation, then observe, as finally, we are in the part of the house that looks sterile, probably the pack's Infirmary.

Tonya howls in anger when she destroys another door, and we are inside the big room, which reminds me of the operation room, which now presents a gruesome view.

In the middle of the room lies the dead body of the woman, gutted and twisted unnaturally. Her dead eyes point to nowhere, and the fear and pain on her face are evident.

There are traces of a fight; the medical equipment is scattered around alongside two other bodies lying near the door. The splashes of blood are on the walls and floor, and from the corner of the room, the faint sound of soft sobs is coming.

I noticed the small, naked figure curled there, watching us with his big brown eyes, cradling a bundled towel towards his chest. Tonya is instantly next to him as Charlie throws himself into her arms and starts sobbing, burying his face in her chest and shaking.

She holds him, whispering that she got him, and it's over. I relish the breath, feeling such a big relief that they are alive. Tonya looks at the infant he is holding in his arms, gently touching its head as the baby wriggles, not stopping his soft sobs.

"Tonya, where is Noah? I can't feel him, "Charlie whispers.

"He is alive; my father got him. Let's help you stand up; you must be in pain..."

"Tonya, we must run away now; they are coming..."

"Charlie, who is coming?" she asks, confused, and I swear in my mind.

He seems to have problems with forming sentences. His eyes dart around the room as he tries to say something... anything. He is so pale and exhausted that it's actually amazing that he is still conscious. Tonya gulps and presses her forehead towards his. Suddenly, there is such peace on her face.

"It's okay, Charlie. Breathe slowly and show me... show me what has happened here."