“I wondered the same thing. Maybe they thought a human had a better chance of slipping under the radar. The scent of a jaguar in my house would’ve woken me up. And Bart wouldn’t seem any different than a normal little boy to a human. He can’t shift yet.” I shook my head, quietly cursing myself for sleeping so soundly with Naomi in my arms. This was my fault.

  I cleared my throat and handed Vance a folded slip of paper. “Naomi wanted me to give you this. Apparently, Natasha slipped it to her last night and warned her that if she escaped, they’d come for her boys.” I stared up at the ceiling, hating myself all over again. “I should’ve been circling the wagons, but after we took out so many of them, I didn’t think they’d move on us so fast.”

  Vance unfolded the paper. “The emperor must die.” He crunched the paper. “Fuck.” He met my eyes. “I need to find Duane Clarkson.”

  “Is he the emperor?”

  “Trager told me Duane is the new chairman of the Nero board, but he’s only one of the four emperors.” Vance shook his head. “I don’t know who the others are, but Duane would.”

  I couldn’t think about anything but getting Bart back. The rest would have to wait. “Do you think Duane has Bart?”

  “If he doesn’t, he’ll know where the tyke is.” Vance tucked the folded note into his pocket. “Natasha’s alliance has always been to Nero. The fact that she gave Naomi this note for me means that whatever plan Duane has cooked up with the four emperors is bad. She wouldn’t reach out to me unless there was no other way to stop this.”

  “I can’t worry about Nero right now. Bart is the priority.” I clenched my fists. “You said a man from DC paid Duane, right? I’ll go after Brad Newport. If he isn’t behind that payment to Nero to abduct a werewolf, he might know who is.”

  Vance raised a brow. “I know I’m not officially in the pack yet, but I’ve been around enough wolves to know their Alpha doesn’t face off with danger alone, mate.”

  I nodded. “I’m not going alone. And neither are you.”

  Jett was my first call. He didn’t sound thrilled to be helping Vance, but if Vance did manage to find the new leader of the jaguar shifters in Flagstaff, I figured Jett might be our best chance at making him talk. I still wasn’t clear how Jett’s ability worked, but I’d experienced the sick sensation of having him inside my head firsthand.

  Next, I called Chandler and Shane. Chandler had the contacts through the news station to reach out to Newport, and Shane would stay with me as backup in case things with Newport got physical.

  Vance put on a baseball cap and sunglasses. It didn’t cover the cut on his mouth, but at least he didn’t look like he just went the distance with Rocky Balboa. He glanced over at me as we headed for our cars. “If I walk into an ambush, I just want you to know, I think you’re a damned fine Alpha and I’m honored to be part of your pack.”

  I chuffed, glancing his way. “I’m not Alpha yet, and if you die today, I’ll kick your ass.”

  “No worries, Asher.” Vance’s grin was crooked and swollen, but the confidence in his voice reassured me. “I’m tough to kill. See you back here soon, mate.”

  He left to pick up Jett as Shane pulled up to the ranch. Shane got out and clasped my forearm. “Hey, Asher. Any word from Chandler yet?”

  “Not yet, but I checked online and Newport had a rally in Phoenix last night, so I figure that’s where we start.”

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. The text was from a number I didn’t recognize.

  Community Cemetery. Fifteen minutes.

  A second went by before a photo popped up. Bart’s tear-stained face filled my phone’s screen.

  Dammit.

  “Is it Chandler?” Shane asked.

  “No,” I ground out. “Change of plans.” I lifted my head, jamming my phone back in my pocket. “I don’t recognize the number, but whoever sent it has Bart. This could be a trap, but we’re heading to the cemetery. Did you bring any weapons?”

  Shane opened his jacket to expose his handgun. “I’ve got a knife on my belt, too.”

  “Good.” I checked my gun and my extra clips. “Let’s get out of here.”

  CHAPTER 24

  Naomi

  While Ben was engrossed in watching Coco for the tenth time, I wandered into the kitchen. Kaya was chopping vegetables for some kind of soup. She turned around, knife still in hand. “How’s Ben?”

  “Scared, but I promised him his brother was all right and we’d get him back.” I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. “This is making me nuts. I should be with Asher.”

  When Asher asked me to take Ben over to Kaya’s, I’d fought him on it, but he had reminded me that Ben had been left behind when I was taken and now his brother was missing. If I ran off to find him, it would only add to the trauma.

  He was probably right, but I didn’t have to like it.

  Kaya set the knife on the cutting board and faced me, leaning against the counter. “Asher will find Bart.”

  I nodded, aching to believe her. “Natasha warned me they’d come for the boys. How could I have fallen asleep? I should’ve been watching them.”

  The answer tormented me. I had slept because I was in Asher’s arms. He made me forget we lived in a dangerous world. I’d been drained and exhausted, not to mention making love to him had relaxed me.

  Guilt clung to me like a second skin. I was so damned sick of my boys being in danger.

  Kaya raised a brow. “You through beating yourself up yet?”

  “I’m that easy to read?” I crossed my arms. “I can’t keep doing this.”

  Kaya started chopping again. “Doing what?”

  “Looking over my shoulder.” I ran a hand down my face and moved over to her side of the kitchen.

  Kaya and I had spent our first year of being wolves as prisoners, caged in the same storage unit at Caldwell’s facility. She had an iron will, and during that dark time, she had refused to believe we were going to spend the rest of our lives locked up. We had talked for hours on end, sharing our deepest pain and brightest dreams. Although we weren’t blood, I loved her like a sister.

  Her eyes flicked up to my face as she chopped celery. “You’re a badass werewolf, Naomi. It’s those jaguars who should be looking over their shoulders.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Then why am I hiding out here instead of finding my son?”

  “Because you have more than one little boy, and you don’t have to protect them all alone.” She laid the knife on the cutting board and focused all her attention on me. “Besides, we both know that if you went out there right now, you’d be worrying yourself sick about Ben the whole time.”

  “True, but still…” I looked over my shoulder toward the living room. “What kind of life is this for them?”

  Kaya came to stand beside me, keeping her voice low. “This is the life a werewolf is born into. It’s the only one they know.”

  I glanced her way. “What if I could change that? What if I took them to the West Coast—maybe San Diego? It’s pretty there. Probably no packs to worry about.”

  “And what about Asher?”

  That was the million-dollar question. He’d told me he’d go with me, but he was about to ascend to Alpha. And he’d be a damned good one. Maybe I’d come back when the boys were older. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Asher’s future is here. He’s going to be a great Alpha.”

  Kaya bumped me with her hip. “You can’t be serious, right? He loves you. He’s not going to stay here. He’ll go with you.”

  “And he’ll be miserable.” I rubbed my forehead. “I want him to be happy. He’s my mate, too, and running isn’t his style.” I met her eyes. “I feel like I’m being torn apart. I want to give the boys a chance at a normal childhood, and I want Asher to be the leader he was born to be… But I can’t have both.”

  “Says you.” Kaya crossed back to her chopped ingredients and dumped them in a pot. “Do you love him?”

  “Asher?” I nodded slowly. “Definitely.”

  “Then talk to him.” Kaya turned on the burner under the pot.

  “He already told me he’d leave if that’s what I wanted.”

  “Then there’s your answer.” Kaya picked up a wooden spoon and started stirring.

  “But he’d be giving up everything. He’ll end up hating me.”

  Asher’s name lit up on my cell phone.

  Vance and Jett are following up on the note Natasha gave you, and Shane and I are headed to a meetup. I’ll keep you posted.

  Another message popped up a second later.

  I love you.

  My chest clenched. I loved him, too. But my boys had to come first. I couldn’t be the reason Asher gave up his chance to lead this pack. They needed him, and he needed it to become the man he was born to be. How could I hold him back from that?

  I’d protect my boys, and Asher could lead the pack. My happiness would have to wait. It would break my heart, but it was my happiness that had allowed a stranger to come into our home and take my son in the first place.

  I ground my teeth.

  Never again.

  CHAPTER 25

  Asher

  I parked a block away from the Community Cemetery. Sedona’s scenic final resting place wasn’t far from the town proper, right at the end of Pine Drive with the residential homes hiding it from the main highway. I fucking hated it here. My parents were buried in a joint plot along the western edge. This was the spot where time had stopped for them, and my life had changed forever.

  “Do you smell that?” Shane whispered, coming around to my side of the Jeep.

  I sucked in a breath, grateful for the distraction from the unwanted memories. My heart hammered. “Vinegar. Lots of it.” I glanced his way. “They don’t want us to catch their scent.”

  Shane gripped my arm. “We should call the others. This is definitely a trap.”

  I drew my gun, shaking my head. “Vance and Jett are in Flagstaff, Ryker is recovering from a head wound, Gage is protecting his little boys, and Chandler is in Phoenix.”

  “What about Cole or Dex and Deacon?”

  The truth was, I couldn’t deal with Dex and Deacon right now. If they refused my request for backup, I wouldn’t handle it well. Besides, the fifteen minutes were almost up. “We don’t have time to wait for any of them to get here.”

  I took out my phone and showed Shane the pic.

  “Shit.” He raked his hand through his hair and nodded slowly. “Okay. But if we walk through the main gate, we might as well be wearing targets on our backs.”

  “We don’t need to. It’s not fenced.” I looked up the street toward the cemetery. “You circle in from the west, and I’ll come at them from the east. If one of us can distract them, the other can grab Bart and get the hell out of here.”

  Shane shook his head. “What if there’s a team? We’ll be outnumbered.”

  “Then we level the playing field.” I pulled back the slide on my Glock. “Ready?”

  Shane didn’t look satisfied with my insistence that we go in blind, and if Bart wasn’t mixed up in this, I’d agree with Shane, but at this point, I’d do anything to get that kid back to his mother. And whoever had texted me was probably counting on that.

  We split up, and I jogged around the perimeter of the cemetery. I sprinted between the oak and juniper trees, and their scents hit me like a truck, filling my head with memories of my parents’ caskets lowering into the ground. The gentle breeze played a haunting melody on wind chimes hanging from branches near the grave markers. Most people found this place peaceful and sacred, but for me, this was a reminder of what I’d lost. The sooner we got back to the ranch, the better.

  As I made my way upwind, the vinegar fragrance dissipated a little, but by now, my nose was somewhat numb from the assault. A skunk could have been crossing the cemetery and I wouldn’t be have been able to smell it. Dammit.

  I scanned the area. Nothing moved, other than the chimes blowing in the wind. Even though I was standing in broad daylight, with my senses overloaded by the vinegar and the windchimes ringing, I felt blinded. Something flashed, catching my eye. I squinted toward it, lifting my gun.

  The point of a blade pressed against my back, right between my ribs. “Put it down, or you’re dead.”

  The guy had a thick Australian accent, just as Ben had described. If I didn’t know that Vance was in Flagstaff searching for Clarkson, I might’ve believed he double-crossed me. I sucked in a breath and finally caught a scent other than vinegar.

  Human.

  I lowered my Glock, knowing I’d have no trouble overpowering a human attacker. I didn’t need a gun.

  “Drop it,” he ordered, the sharp tip of the knife already poking my skin right through my jacket and shirt.

  I grudgingly obeyed and placed my gun on the ground, keeping my eyes out for Shane. “Where’s the boy?”

  “Safe for now.” The man with the accent bent over to retrieve my weapon.

  I grabbed his arm and flipped him over onto his back. He swung the knife as I pinned him against the hard earth, but I managed to dodge the blade and catch his wrist. I squeezed until he dropped the weapon, but I couldn’t force his arm to the ground. This guy was strong—werewolf strong.

  We struggled until I finally head-butted him. While he was dazed, I trapped his arms under my knees.

  Shane jogged over. “You okay?”

  “Fine.” I glanced up at him. “What took you so long? Did you find Bart?”

  “Not exactly. I found another human.” Concern shone in Shane’s eyes. “I knocked him out, but it took all I had to do it.” He shook his head. “His scent is human, but he heard me coming. There’s no way a human would’ve caught the sound of my footsteps. I was being careful.”

  The Australian blinked up at me. Now that I stared down at him, it was obvious he was related to Vance. He had shorter hair but the same jawline and bright hazel eyes.

  “Who the hell are you?” I growled through gritted teeth. “Where’s Bart?

  “The boy is safe.” He coughed and suddenly shoved me off him. No fucking way a human could have overpowered me, but unless I was losing my heightened senses, this guy didn’t smell like a shifter.

  Shane tackled him, knocking his ass back to the ground.

  The human coughed. “I only took this job to find my brother.” His eyes met mine. “Vance Park. He works for Nero.”

  I shook my head. “Not anymore.” My gaze flicked to Shane. “Let him up.”

  Shane didn’t look happy about it, but he did as I’d said. The human stood up, all his attention on me.

  I rolled my shoulders back, willing my wolf to back off, despite the aggression in this guy’s eyes. “Take me to Bart, and then we can talk about Vance.”

  He shook his head slowly. “You may be the Alpha of your pack, but I don’t answer to you. I have the boy, so I’ll be making the demands.”

  The more this asshole talked, the more questions I had. How did he know who I was or that werewolves and packs existed in the first place? Hell, how did he get my cell number to text me?

  He glanced at Shane and back to me. “I invited you here to make you an offer. You bring me Vance, and I’ll give you the boy.”

  “How did you get my number?” I asked.

  “Your assistant at the tour company.” The corner of his mouth quirked up into a crooked smile—Vance’s smile. “Seems she’s a sucker for a man with an accent. Told her I was considering a tour but I wanted to discuss it with you first.”

  My mind raced to make sense of a this. Vance would probably volunteer himself in trade for Bart. Behind his easy grin, Vance was one of the deadliest assassins in Nero’s arsenal. He could handle himself with this guy.

  Unless…

  “How do you know Vance?” I asked.

  “He’s my big brother.” He holstered his blade and met my eyes. “Tell him Micah wants to talk.”

  I blinked. “But you’re—”

  “Human?” He raised a brow. “Yeah, our mum was bitten by Vance’s dad. My father was her second husband. My dad’s not a jaguar.”

  Fuck. This guy knew everything. And Vance might not be quick to kill his own blood. Suddenly, handing Vance over didn’t seem like a good idea. We couldn’t afford to lose another pack member before we were even officially a pack.

  Shane cleared his throat. “You’re stronger than any human I’ve ever met.”

  “I have all your abilities and heightened senses.” Micah looked between us with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. “Wait. You thought Nero was the only contractor working on enhanced super soldier contracts for the government?”

  My gut twisted. “If that’s all true, why do you need Vance?”

  “Because the one thing they couldn’t give me was the ability to shift.” He lifted his arm, eyeing a Special Ops watch on his wrist. “You’ve got two hours. Bring me my brother, or I hand the boy over to Nero and collect my fee. It’s your call.”

  I met Vance at his truck when he pulled through the gates of the ranch. I’d sent him a text to abort the plan to find Clarkson for now. I knew who had Bart.

  I failed to mention it was his younger brother.

  Vance got out of the car and scanned the property. “Thought you found the boy…”

  Jett got out of the passenger side of Vance’s car, all his attention on me.

  “Micah has him,” I replied, studying Vance’s face.

  Vance frowned, shaking his head. “What?”

  “He said he’s your brother. He looked like you.” Again, I waited. While my heart trusted Vance, my head was cautious at this point. I stumbled upon secrets this afternoon that had left me unsure who to trust.

  “Fuck.” Vance shook his head. “I haven’t seen him since I came to the States. It’s been over twenty years. How did he get mixed up with Nero?”

  “Looking for you.” Some of the tension eased from my shoulders. “He knows about shifters.”

  Vance nodded. “My dad drowned while surfing when I was tyke. My mum remarried a human. She didn’t grow up as a jaguar, so she had no idea when I’d start shifting. I didn’t either. Sadly, my brother and I were camping in the Outback during the new moon when my first shift came on. He saw the whole thing. Still has the scars to prove it.” He gripped the back of his neck, staring down at the ground. “After that night, I packed up and left Australia forever. I fell in with Nero, and I never looked back.”