I glared at him. “I swear to the goddess, if you mansplain myself to myself one more time, I’m going to pull some hero shit on your ass next.”

  Drew and Silas exchanged a look.

  “I think she’s fine,” my brother said, lips twitching.

  Silas grunted, which was apparently an agreement.

  Finally, we shifted and began the hunt.

  It didn’t take long for us to pick up the scent, and once we had that, spotting tracks became easy. They hadn’t bothered to cover their trail; evidence of just how confident they really were. Drew seemed to agree because, the moment he caught sight of the two sets of footprints, he let out a low growl.

  The three of us hurried to follow, and I let my wolf take the lead, needing a break from the racing thoughts of my human mind.

  Tracking, as Silas had taught me, was easier as a wolf.

  So was turning off my brain.

  Drew was a quick study in giving over to his own animal. Through nudges and body language, Silas showed him how to follow the trail without needing to constantly drag his nose along the ground.

  We developed a system for communication too. Grunts and short barks and other sounds that meant we’d found something or we’d lost it again. Or for just generally annoying one another. I managed to trip Drew without him ever seeing me coming, which resulted in him tackling me and Silas snorting out in wolfish laughter as we rolled in the dirt.

  Eventually, I sobered and got back to the business at hand, but it felt easier now. Like those few moments of play had lifted something inside me. I knew full well whatever waited for me back at the coven house wasn’t going to be good. But this, today, being with Silas and Drew, without trying to hide ourselves anymore, was a freedom I planned to enjoy to the last drop.

  Less than an hour later, I spotted two figures just ahead on the trail.

  They moved slowly, and I noted that each one carried a heavy-looking pack they hadn’t possessed when they’d escaped. Which meant Travis had stashed them out here. He’d planned this entire thing. Right down to LaDonna the bitch helping them.

  My suspicion of Miranda’s involvement skyrocketed.

  But there’d be time to sort that out later. Now, all that mattered was dragging these two asses back to Kel’s doorstep. And salvaging what was left of my life as an Archer coven member. Or leaving it behind once and for all.

  Silas nudged me and then Drew, motioning for us to veer off the path and into the thick brush that lined the trail. He shifted back to his human form, eyes intent on mine.

  “Okay, listen, if we want this to work without anyone getting hurt, we need to capitalize on our element of surprise. They don’t know we’re coming.” He glanced at Drew. “And they don’t know about you, so they won’t be expecting more than two of us.”

  Drew nodded.

  “Good. I’ll circle around and come at them from the front. They’ll try to run. Chloe, that’s when you make your move from behind.”

  I shifted back too, ending up nearly falling over in the cramped space, thanks to legs folded against my chin.

  “Merle had cuffs on him,” I said. “They block his magic so that means only Travis will be a threat.”

  Silas nodded at that. “We’ll go for Travis first. Together. Once he’s down, we’ll all go for Merle.” He glanced at Drew, adding, “You take the right side. If Merle tries to run, that’s where he’ll go. Stay on him, and we’ll be there to help as soon as we have Travis handled.”

  “We can’t kill them,” I said.

  Silas looked back at me with zero remorse and not a hint of mercy. “We’ll do whatever we have to in order to stop them.”

  “No, Silas.” My voice was firm. “You saw Miranda back there. It’s bad enough the way Drew and I have outed ourselves. Even if they don’t hate us for being shifters, we’ve spent our entire lives lying to them, and for that, they don’t trust us.”

  “You had your reasons,” he began, but I shook my head.

  “It won’t matter. If we kill them, we’ll be seen as monsters. And we’ll be the ones on trial next.”

  Drew huffed, which I assumed was his way of agreeing with me, albeit reluctantly. Silas looked less convinced.

  “I’m not asking for them,” I said. “I’m asking for me.”

  And for him.

  But I knew better than to expect him to do the right thing for himself.

  “Fine, but I won’t stand by and let them hurt you,” Silas said.

  “Same here,” Drew echoed.

  “Fair enough,” I said with a sigh.

  “Ready?” Silas asked.

  Drew and I both nodded, and then we all shifted back to our wolf forms.

  My heart thudded wildly as we took our positions.

  Even if everything went smoothly—which I wasn’t stupid enough to actually expect—we still had the coven to deal with, a secret twenty years in the making, and all the fallout to go with it.

  Forcing myself to focus, I nodded at Silas and Drew as they each split off to circle around our targets.

  I crept closer from behind, my eyes locked on Travis’ back as I approached with silent paws. My wolf was more than happy to go into stealth tracker mode for those two assholes.

  “…and when we get to Blackstone, we’ll be untouchable,” Travis was saying to Merle.

  Blackstone? As in the Black Moon pack?

  On my left, a branch cracked, and both Travis and Merle jerked toward the sound.

  Drew.

  Dammit, he’d given himself away.

  “Something’s out there,” Travis said nervously.

  “Did you bring what I asked for?” Merle’s voice held no trace of fear. Only malicious intent.

  “Yeah, but, Dad, shots fired will only alert the others to where we are.”

  “Let ’em come, son. We’ve got enough bullets for the cavalry.”

  Travis unzipped his bag and handed over two metal pieces that Merle quickly assembled into a gun.

  I had no time to even wonder where he got it from before Merle was loading bullets and readying it to fire. Fear was like ice in my veins, paralyzing me.

  I thought of the mental link Silas had told me about and wished like hell Drew and I had one now. Without it, there was no way of warning him. Not without making myself a target too.

  Up ahead, a growl sounded, drawing the men’s attention. Merle raised the gun and swung it forward.

  “Come any closer, and I’ll put you down,” Merle said.

  Silas stepped into view, and I panicked.

  Shooting forward, I caught Merle in the back of the leg with my teeth. Travis jumped away, but Merle only jerked away and then doubled back, aiming the gun right at me.

  It was a point-blank shot.

  There was nowhere to go and no time to get there.

  Behind Merle, another growl sounded. A blur of fur. And then a second wolf racing at us from the side.

  But Silas and Drew were both way too late.

  Merle glared down at me and fired.

  Something knocked him to the side just as the bullet discharged. Even with the wild shot, something hot stabbed through my right hip. I let out a sharp cry and retreated as Merle fell.

  He grunted, and the gun tumbled from his grip. With a shaky hand, he reached for it, but a gust of wind sent it sliding out of reach. I watched as Vylan stepped out of the trees.

  Gratitude rose in me. Vylan had gone against the coven by coming out here to help us. That meant something to me, no matter what happened.

  Merle glared at the older man and began getting to his feet.

  “I wouldn’t,” Vylan told Merle coldly.

  With a wave of his hand, Vylan sent another gust of wind that pinned Merle to the dirt.

  Merle grunted, but instead of climbing up again, he twisted awkwardly. It took me a second too long to realize why. I spotted the narrow pin in the lock just as the cuffs sprang open.

  Before I could move to stop him, Merle raised his hand. Shards of ice burst forth, burying their sharped edges into Vylan’s torso.

  My wolf let out a piercing howl as Vylan went down.

  Merle struggled to his feet, already moving toward the gun.

  “Dad,” Travis screamed. “Catch!”

  Travis tossed Merle his weapon. Merle caught it as Silas reached him, and the two of them faced off. A blur of fur streaked past me, and a second later, Travis went down as Drew slammed into him.

  Shit.

  If this kept up, things were going to get ugly fast. And then, there’d be no stopping this without ending their lives—before they ended ours.

  Glancing back, I saw that the bullet had gone all the way through, which made it a clean shot and an easier wound to heal. Putting weight on that back paw was another matter, but I ignored the pain and approached the fight, determined to salvage this mission.

  Merle managed to knock the butt of the gun against Silas’ head hard enough to send my mate reeling. The blow was something I felt in my gut, and the realization of our shared bond woke something inside me I’d been trying like hell to keep buried.

  The beast inside me roared to life, and for once, I didn’t shove it back again. Instead, I let go.

  Finally, after all these years, it broke free.

  Power surged from deep inside me. I gasped, shocked at the feel of the energy rising up. My magic had never felt like this. It had always been so controlled. So obedient to my commands.

  This was a force all its own.

  A sensory overload that came from a place inside me that felt completely untapped. And untamed.

  This kind of power did what it wanted.

  And that’s because it wasn’t magic, I realized.

  As if to prove it, my wolf opened her mouth and let out the fiercest growl I’d ever heard.

  Travis and Merle both paused in their efforts to fight back. It was all the opening Drew needed. His teeth sank into Travis’ throat and ripped it open. Beside him, Silas began to do the same, but I couldn’t let that happen.

  Loosing the power, I felt the ripple shudder out into the air around me.

  Alpha, something inside me proclaimed.

  And then—Silas and Drew dipped their heads and lowered their bellies to the ground. Offering themselves to me in deference.

  My alpha.

  Their words slammed into my mind.

  A statement and a request.

  I gasped, surprise giving way to understanding. This was still my choice. I could say no. Go back to pretending to be the meek, quiet girl who always played by everyone else’s rules. Or I could choose to embrace my wolf on the highest level possible.

  But it wasn’t even really a choice anymore. I wouldn’t go back to being that girl. Not ever.

  Instead, I opened my heart, solidifying my connection with my wolf—and theirs. Accepting them. And my wolf.

  From this moment on, we’d always be connected.

  From now on, Drew, Silas, and I were a pack.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Merle roared and started toward Drew, gun in hand once again. Before he could get far, a gust of wind knocked him to the dirt. I looked over to see Vylan gasp then fall back again as pain twisted his features. Drew stood over Travis, heaving with labored breaths. Blood coated Drew’s mouth, and Travis moaned in pain. Silas stood over both Travis and Merle, his growl a reminder of what would happen if they tried to get up again. Unfortunately, a quick glance at Travis’ injury made it clear that was the last thing he’d be doing.

  Blood leaked from his ripped throat, already pooling on the ground. His moan turned to a gurgle as his windpipe became flooded. He was drowning in his own blood.

  Even from here, my wolf could smell death already creeping over him.

  Shit.

  Out of the corner of my eye, Merle made a sudden movement. I looked over in time to see him go for the gun one last time. Silas slammed into him, knocking him back, and Drew jumped onto Merle’s chest, pinning him.

  I let the change take me over and shifted back to two legs, heart pounding as I hurried toward Travis.

  “We have to save him,” I said. “Silas, come here.”

  Silas gave me a look that made it clear how he felt about my idea. But he was at my side in an instant.

  “Drew, if Merle tries to get up again, take a bite out of his ass,” I said, barely glancing at where he still had Merle pinned.

  “Drew?” Merle’s eyes widened, and he looked from me to my brother. “Chloe?”

  “Surprise,” I muttered and then turned back to Silas.

  “I need you human again,” I said.

  It took him all of three seconds to comply.

  “There’s nothing we can do,” Silas said grimly. “He’s too far gone.”

  “There’s nothing medicinal,” I agreed. “But there’s one thing you can try.”

  I watched as the meaning behind my words clicked into place.

  “Chloe, I don’t know if I can—”

  “You did it with Rusty,” I said.

  “That was different. I took Rusty’s pain. Not his wound, remember? You fixed that.”

  “You’re a siphon. Vylan said that means you can take anything you want. Magic. Pain. Wounds.”

  Silas shook his head. “His entire throat is gone.”

  “You can do this,” I said, my voice never wavering.

  “If we’re going to help anyone, it should be Vylan,” Silas said.

  “I’m fine,” Vylan called out. “Deal with him first.”

  His voice was steady though pained. He was stable.

  Silas hesitated another second, but adrenaline had me grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to look at me.

  “Silas, you can do this,” I said. “And I need you to do it now.”

  “Okay.” He knelt beside Travis and lifted his hands, placing them just above Travis’ mangled throat.

  Travis stared up at us, his eyes glassy. He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was more blood.

  “Hurry,” I whispered.

  Silas’ expression tightened, and I watched as he called on his gift.

  Even Merle was silent and still as we all waited to see what would happen.

  I felt the magic surging in Silas, but Travis remained broken and bloodied.

  Fear gripped me.

  If Travis died, what would the coven do to us?

  I knew the answer without having to ask.

  He had to live.

  He had to.

  “It ain’t working,” Merle spat. “At least, let me say goodbye to my own damn son.”

  Drew growled and pressed a paw against Merle’s throat, forcing Merle to lower his head back to the dirt.

  Travis’ breaths were shallow now.

  We were out of time.

  “Control it,” Vylan urged Silas. “You can do this, son.”

  I bit my lip.

  Then Silas inhaled sharply, his shoulders rearing back with the force of his breath. His head tipped up as if something had yanked him. He stopped breathing, suspended.

  I reached for him tentatively then pulled back when I saw the torn skin of Travis’ throat knitting itself back together again.

  “Holy shit.”

  Merle’s shock must have echoed Drew’s because my brother didn’t bother to knock the asshole down again. This time, we all just stared in awe as the wound closed itself up and Travis was healed.

  Then I watched as a thin red wound opened on Silas’ throat. Blood leaked from it, running down his chest and dripping onto the ground. Panic clawed at me, but the wound began to close almost immediately.

  Wolf healing.

  I breathed a sigh then gasped again as Silas slumped forward, his exhale ending in a cough that seemed to draw from the depths of his insides. He crawled away, still coughing, and threw up blood.

  Fear speared through me, and I rushed to where Silas sat crouched over the edge of the trail. Blood poured from his mouth in heaves that wracked his shoulders.

  “Si,” I said. “Tell me what I can do.”

  “Watch…him,” Silas rasped.

  I turned in time to see Travis just beginning to roll onto his side. He was whole again, but he looked like shit. Pale, sweaty, and still wheezing with every inhale. I walked over to where Merle had dropped the gun and picked it up. Then I aimed it at Travis.

  “Bitch,” Travis rasped at me. “You’re one of them. I should have known.”

  “You know nothing,” I snapped. “How could you possibly think you’d get away with something like this?”

  “A little hypocritical, don’t you think?” His glare was pure venom. “I’m not the one who’s been lying to her own kind about what she really is.”

  “The only reason I have to lie is because of monsters like you.”

  “The only monster I see here is the one standing in front of me, aiming a gun at my chest.” He climbed slowly to his feet and I took a step back, muscles tensing.

  “Stay where you are, Travis.”

  He scoffed. “You’re going to save my life just to kill me again? I doubt it. Put the gun down, Chloe.”

  “I’m warning you. Take one more step, and I’ll shoot.”

  “Let us leave now,” he said in a hard voice.

  “Chloe, I can knock him down again,” Vylan said in a voice that made it clear using any more magic was only going to make his condition worse.

  I looked at Silas still vomiting. Then Drew still standing over Merle.

  “No,” I told Vylan. “I’ve got this.”

  Then I raised the gun, aimed, and fired.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Travis screamed, the sound ringing in my ears even after he’d fallen silent. Merle roared, straining toward me before Drew was there, shoving him back again. Vylan sighed so loudly I heard it from where I stood.

  “That’s one way to do it,” Vylan said wryly.

  “You fucking shot me.”

  The shock in Travis’ voice made me roll my eyes.

  He looked up at me then down at his big toe—or the place where it had just been. I’d blown it clean off.

  “And I’ll shoot you again if you try to escape,” I told him.