“Mason just pulled up,” Pappy said. “If you think leaving your family is hard, I can just imagine what those two are going through.”

  Yeah, but Ian would have his mom. Lillian would be there for the small man. She would give him the comfort he needed in Mason’s absence. He wondered if Mason felt just as guilty as Brooke did leaving their loved ones behind.

  Maybe putting them all under one roof wasn’t the smartest thing to do. The last time that happened, the military had shown up in full force, trying their best to kill everyone in Brooke’s home.

  Thank fuck his Dad and Pappy were paranoid men and had built a bunker under the house. That was what saved them.

  “I know you’re worried, son. But we have to trust they’ll be taken care of. We need to concentrate on the fight.”

  Brooke wasn’t sure how he felt about his Pappy coming along. It was true he was one tough man, but he wasn’t a spring chicken anymore.

  Was he going to say that?

  Hell no. He wasn’t that suicidal. But if anything happened to Pappy, Brooke would never forgive himself. He had tried to talk the man out of coming, but once his father had his mind made up, nothing would dissuade him.

  He nodded toward Mason as the jaguar changeling passed by the truck. Mason nodded back and then walked Ian inside. He could see in Mason’s eyes that he didn’t want to leave Ian behind.

  But Rick had sent out the call and all were answering. Every last changeling and human who was on their side wanted this damn war over. Brooke had been converted into a werecoyote in order to save his life, but Deluca had elected to become one.

  He had been converted, so the two were just as wanted as the rest of the changeling species.

  Brooke sat up when he saw Deluca coming from the cabin. There was a bear changeling sitting on the porch, looking at ease, but Brooke knew it was only an act. He was trying to make it seem like all was normal there at the cabin.

  He prayed it stayed that way.

  Deluca slid into the backseat with a heavy sigh. “Trying to explain to Boston why he couldn’t come along is draining.”

  The leopard teenager had argued his point all the way here. He had said he was old enough to join in, but Brooke had received instructions from Sasha not to bring his son along. Although Boston was converted into a leopard, the guy was still too young. Sasha feared losing the boy.

  Brooke commended Boston on his need to help, but Sasha was right. Boston hadn’t been a changeling that long and he lacked the skills needed to survive out here. He wasn’t going against the boy’s father and Brooke wasn’t putting the young man at risk.

  “Mason is going to follow,” Deluca said. “He’s squirreling Ian away with Lillian.”

  They waited about ten more minutes until Brooke saw Mason exit the cabin, his jaw clenched and his walk predatory. The man was pissed. He didn’t want to leave Ian. It was apparent by the knife gleam in the man’s eyes.

  He started the truck and drove down the long road that headed toward town. They had to meet some weretigers in Iowa who were joining in on the fight. It still amazed Brooke how so many changelings were rallying together to end this war.

  He just prayed like hell it didn’t end in a bloodbath.

  Brooke smiled when Deluca opened up beef jerky and grabbed a juice box. It reminded him of when they first rescued Kell. The man was nothing more than a big kid at heart. He even played with Kell and Peanut for hours on end. It did Brooke’s heart good to see his best friend on the floor playing some sort of battle scene with Kell’s toys, knowing Deluca was having just as much fun as the baby.

  He didn’t want to lose that. Not only did Brooke worry about something happening to the people they had just left behind, but he also worried about something happening to Deluca. They had been together for far too long, and Brooke couldn’t imagine a life without the thickheaded man.

  “He’ll be fine,” Pappy said quietly from beside him as he loaded his rifle.

  “Who?” Deluca asked before making a loud sipping sound with the juice box.

  Brooke grinned as he glanced in his mirror to see Mason still following behind them. “You.”

  Deluca took a bite from the jerky, a goofy grin on his handsome face. “Ah shucks, don’t go worrying about me. I promised Kell I’d be back to play monsters with him. I can’t break a promise to our son.”

  If only it were that easy. If it were, Brooke would have made a ton of promises to everyone in the house that he would be back. But he knew their chances of survival were fifty-fifty. They were heading to the nation’s capital where most armed forces were stationed. Getting in was going to be tricky as hell.

  Brooke was pretty damn sure every road leading into the state had roadblocks.

  And that was why they weren’t taking any roads. Any humans with them were driving in—including his Pappy—the changelings were taking any and all off-road passage into the state capital. Once past the roadblocks, they were going to meet up in Piney Branch Park and head down Sixteenth Street. It was a ballsy move and one they were counting on the military not expecting them to make.

  As Brooke drove toward their meeting point with the weretigers, he wondered if he remembered to shut the stove off.

  Nate stood there slack-jawed. He couldn’t believe his eyes. There was no fucking way he was staring at his red Yukon. It didn’t seem real. He thought he would have to wait until the war was over in order to get it back and have it repaired. “How?”

  Sasha’s grin was teasing, playful. “I know how much you missed it. I pulled in a few favors from some fellow changelings and had them repair the damages and bring it to us.” Sasha waved a hand toward the dented body. The paint job was shot to hell and there were bullet holes all over the damn place.

  But he had his Yukon back.

  “As you can see, the body still needs a lot of work. But—”

  Nate grabbed Sasha and pulled him in for a fierce hug. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll never understand your obsession with this thing,” Selene said and then smiled. “But I did miss it.”

  “You’re a girl. You’ll never understand a man’s love for his vehicle,” Sasha said teasingly.

  Selene snorted. “You don’t understand it either, cat. I can see it in your eyes.” She pointed at him accusingly. “All you wanted to do was score brownie points with him.”

  Sasha leaned in close, licking the tip of Selene’s ear. “And I did, didn’t I?”

  Nate didn’t care about them arguing. It was a constant between them anyway. He knew Sasha and Selene cared about each other, but right now, all he had eyes for was his Yukon. “I’ve missed you, baby.” Nate smoothed his hand down the driver’s door, grinning at the familiar feel of his vehicle.

  “Are you seriously talking to it?” Selene asked in bewilderment.

  “Never understand,” Sasha muttered. Nate wasn’t sure if he was saying it to Selene or Nate.

  It didn’t matter.

  He cracked the door open, inhaling the interior before climbing behind the wheel. The air was a bit musty, but nothing he couldn’t take care of by driving with the windows down. He didn’t care if it smelled like garbage right now.

  He had his baby back.

  Nate turned the key and nearly had an orgasm when the engine roared to life.

  “Are you done fucking your truck or do you need more time?” Rick asked as he walked up to the Yukon and gently knocked his fist into the driver door.

  “I think he needs the rest of the night,” Selene retorted.

  “Someone’s jealous,” Sasha purred.

  One thing Nate had learned about Sasha and Selene, if she wasn’t threatening him and he wasn’t coming on to her, then something was wrong. Some might look at their relationship as bizarre, but it worked for them.

  “Seymour is going to drive the Hummer,” Rick said as he chucked a thumb at the leopard who had brought Nate his truck. “That way you don’t have to be separated.”

  The alpha was teasing him, but Nate didn’t care. He had his baby back. He ran his hands over the steering wheel and rested his cheek on the material.

  “He really is making love to it,” Selene said in an astonished tone. “I think I am jealous.”

  “Don’t worry,” Sasha said as he pulled Selene close. “I’ll pet and rub you just the same.”

  She elbowed him. “We have to get moving.”

  Sasha laughed like he always did when she was being stubborn—or shoving a gun in his face.

  “Have you heard from Remus?” Rick asked as he turned toward the leopard alpha.

  Sasha’s expression grew serious as he shook his head. “Nothing yet.”

  “He should have called by now,” Nate interjected. “Something’s gone wrong.”

  Nate could see the riot of emotions working on Rick’s face. They had to meet everyone in Washington in a few days’ time, but he also knew the alpha wasn’t going to leave men behind. Remus should have gotten word to them. It didn’t take twenty-four hours to rescue someone. Nate didn’t know Remus all that well, but he was pretty sure the guy would have let them know if he had gotten Bryson out.

  Something was seriously wrong. He could feel it in his gut. “Do you want to swing that way?” It would be extremely dangerous for Rick to show his face in Shelton. If they did this, it would have to be so covert that no one even knew they were in the vicinity. He would try and talk his alpha out of this, but Rick was a very stubborn man. If he chose to go, there would be no talking him out of it. But he had to try. “Me, Selene, and Sasha can go back and find out what’s wrong.”

  Rick rubbed at his chin. The man needed a shave. The sides of his face looked heavy with black hair. Nate had never seen Rick let it grow out that far before. As Nate stared at the man, he noticed lines around Rick’s eyes and mouth he had never noticed either. It seemed fighting this fruitless battle was taking its toll.

  Nate knew how he felt. He wasn’t getting any younger, and he just wanted to go home and settle into a mundane life with his family.

  He still hadn’t had the chance to get to know Sammy and Boston.

  Nate was looking forward to that. He had never had kids and now that he had two, he couldn’t be happier.

  “Is there anyone we can send to check on them?” Rick finally asked. The guy was torn. Nate could see it.

  “I can go,” Seymour volunteered. “Just tell me who I’m looking for.”

  Rick looked relieved. Nate was as well. He would have went, but he would much rather stick to Rick’s side now that they were heading into what was hopefully the final battle. It was his job to protect his alpha and his mate. Nate didn’t plan on failing on the most important part of this journey.

  As Rick stood there telling Seymour what he needed to know, Nate glanced at his mates. He could tell they wanted to find out what happened to Remus and Bryson. They all wanted to know. But they also had to prioritize. Half the nation—Nate was hoping they were lucky enough to get that many—was going to meet them in Washington. It wouldn’t look good if the Rebellion leader was a no-show.

  “Take the Hummer,” Rick said when he finished. “It will help you get past a lot of roadblocks. Just stay off the main highways and don’t speed. I don’t need you getting pulled over.”

  Seymour gave Rick a goofy salute as he scrambled into the Hummer and pulled away. Nate smiled. He had just met the guy, but he liked him. It didn’t hurt that Seymour had brought him his baby.

  “Okay,” Rick said as he turned. “We need to get moving. Miguel and Benito are meeting up with Clyde and his group today. We’re supposed to meet them in Pennsylvania.”

  Nate had known Miguel and Benito before all this started. But he hadn’t known them like he did now. He had to admit, he missed the two. They had grown up in the last year and a half, and Nate couldn’t be prouder of the juvenile enforcers.

  Everything in his life had changed. Some of the people he knew before no longer were around, like Graham and Olivia or Miguel’s parents. His bond with some of his fellow pack members had grown stronger, and he was now mated with kids.

  Nate knew he had a lot more to lose now. He couldn’t go off half-cocked anymore. He had to think about the people he cared for the most. He was still as lethal as he was before, but all the risks he used to take were now heavily weighed.

  Sasha climbed in the front seat as Selene stretched out in the back.

  Nate was getting excited all over again as his hands ran the circumference of the steering wheel.

  “Try not to get too excited.” Rick chuckled as he walked back to his truck.

  Dorian leaned out of the passenger window, giving Nate a thumbs-up and a wide grin. He didn’t care who thought him nuts. He loved his truck.

  As he pulled onto the road, following behind Rick, Nate knew he just might come in his pants. The familiar rush of driving this beast came back to him. He was half tempted to speed down the road.

  Hell, he was tempted to drive off road.

  “Please,” Selene said. “Contain your damn excitement. It’s making me horny as hell to smell your scent.”

  Nate chuckled as Sasha glanced into the backseat. “I can come back there and play wicked, wicked games with you, vixen.”

  “Only if I can shove my gun—shit, I left my gun in the Hummer.”

  “Well, it’s too late now,” Nate replied. “We’ll have to find one for you someplace along the way.”

  “I really liked that gun,” Selene pouted.

  “Just like I like my Yukon?” Nate asked.

  Selene rolled her eyes. “I said I liked the gun. I’m not obsessed with the damn thing.”

  “There is nothing wrong with a healthy obsession,” Nate argued.

  “What the hell is so healthy about being in love with a piece of metal?” she asked.

  Nate sat back and relaxed, giving her a wide grin in the rearview mirror. But on the inside, he was a nervous wreck. They were heading to what could possibly be their deaths. As much as he didn’t want to think about it, he knew it was a strong possibility.

  “We’ll be fine,” Sasha said from beside him. “Just keep your head down and keep moving forward.”

  Nate nodded as the cat reached across and grabbed Nate’s hand, twining their fingers together. A year and a half ago, Nate would have never thought having a relationship with the leopard or Selene possible. It didn’t seem like it would ever become a reality.

  But now that he had them both, the stakes had just gotten higher.

  Chapter Six

  Remus rolled to his stomach, barely able to open his eyes. He had taken a worse beating than when he was in the detention center.

  Everything on him hurt. He wouldn’t be surprised if he had a few cracked ribs from the way breathing hurt.

  And he was in his human form. He should have shifted to heal by now.

  “It’s a little gift I was lucky enough to come across,” Jayson said from somewhere behind him. “You can’t shift anymore. That’s been taken away from you.”

  Remus thought about the virus the humans had wanted to unleash on the population. Had he been infected with it? If he had, the virus was going to spread. Rick and the others had fought hard not to allow the humans to get their hands on the data card. He knew Rick still had it. The alpha of the werewolves had planned on showing the president just what the military was up to.

  But if they had found someone to duplicate it…

  “There is no escaping. You might as well tell me what Enrique is up to.” There was a loud scraping sound and then a shadow was in front of Remus. His vision was still blurred, but he could scent the human.

  If he wasn’t beat to shit, he would gouge the man’s throat out.

  Never in his life had he hated someone as much as he hated this man.

  Remus swore to himself that if he got out of this alive, he would—he stilled when the scent of blood filled his lungs.

  Even if Jayson hadn’t fucked with his DNA, Remus knew he would still be reacting. It was his baser instinct to react to that which bled. The fact that he wasn’t reacting told him whose blood had been spilt in such a heavy excess.

  Marco.

  Remus lowered his head, closing his swollen eyes as the truth tried to settle inside of him. His best friend and the man he knew he wanted to mate was dead. There was no other plausible explanation to the saturated scent of blood that filled the room to overwhelming.

  He lay there and wept, uncaring if Jayson and any other onlookers saw him. His body was too fucked up to fight, but it didn’t matter anymore. His heart was being torn from his chest. Marco was dead.

  All because Remus had been too afraid to come alone. He was the one who had put Marco in this situation and the leopard had paid the ultimate price.

  “I see your strong scent is still working,” Jayson said. “You know I killed that animal, don’t you?”

  “Why?” Remus asked in a strained whisper. “Why didn’t you just inject him so he wouldn’t shift any longer? Why did you have to kill him?” He hated himself for asking, for begging Jayson for an answer.

  But Remus had to know.

  “It was my way of paying you back for escaping the detention center,” Jayson said with a snarl in his tone. “You can’t make fools out of humans and expect to get away with it. Besides,” Jayson said as he yanked Remus’s hair back, “it’s a sick, mental disease for two men to be together. Don’t think I was clueless about your relationship with the little punk. I did you both a favor.”

  As badly as it hurt, Remus curled into a ball and continued to weep. He wasn’t even sure about Bryson at this point. Remus didn’t know if the werewolf was alive or dead. He couldn’t open his eyes enough to see what was right in front of him, let alone anyone further away.

  But Bryson wasn’t the one he was concerned with right now. Not when a big, black hole was opening up inside of him and sucking him into a vortex of loneliness and despair.

  Marco was gone.

  Remus wrapped his arms around his midsection, ignoring the pain, and rocked back and forth while images of his best friend played in his mind. Marco had been goofy, immature, excitable, and downright adorable. He had been everything Remus was looking for when it came to a mate. He had just been too blind to see it before today.