Tears continued to stream down her face, and words seemed to evade her as she stood there silently. He felt warmth flowing from her hand against his cheek. Nick choked on the emotion that rose inside of him as she attempted to use her power to comfort him. As he’d done with Sally, he carefully lifted her hand from him, then took a step back. Though he cared for her as a friend, it wasn’t her, or Sally’s, touch that he needed or wanted.

  Heather’s head fell forward, and her shoulders shook. “I’m so sorry this has happened,” she said, her voice trembling.

  “Shh, lass,” Kale soothed as he turned her and tucked her face against his chest. Then he looked at Nick. “We will fight with you.”

  Nick nodded, unable to speak because his control was slipping. His wolf was barely keeping the man in check, and he knew he had to hold it together if he didn’t want Drayden, or worse, Fane, commanding him to stay behind.

  “You have to tell us something, dammit.” A female voice filled the room, grabbing the attention of the group surrounding Nick. They all turned to see Jennifer, Decebel’s mate, standing a couple of feet away from the sprite queen. Her body was coiled to attack, and her mate stood behind her, his hands gripping her biceps as if he knew she was a second away from striking Andora.

  “I told him to lock her in the cell,” Sally muttered. She started toward the group that surrounded the two females who were currently in a staring match.

  Short of telling everyone in the room to go to hell and leaving to look for his mate on his own, he could do nothing other than follow them and hope the discussion would shift from whatever was going on to planning Kara’s rescue.

  “The Romanian healer is right” his wolf said. Nick followed the two couples. “Our mate is strong. And we need the help of everyone willing to assist in order to bring her back to us.”

  “It pisses me off that you’re able to remain so calm about this,” Nick snapped at his beast.

  “I am not calm. I am resolved that there is one way to get our Kara back. Raging like a lunatic is not the way.”

  “Perhaps not, but it would be very satisfying to destroy something, anything, instead of standing here waiting for someone else to tell me when I’m allowed to search for her.” Nick knew his wolf was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to refrain from taking things into his own hands.

  Warmth spread through Nick’s body, and a comforting sensation wrapped around him—one that only came from his Creator. Then the Great Luna’s voice filled his mind. “Be still, Nickolas, beta to Drayden and mate to Kara. I will fight for you. You need only wait and trust.”

  His knees almost buckled at her declaration. Though he kept himself on his feet, he could not stop the tear that slid down his cheek as he responded the only way he could. “I will wait.”

  Fane’s eyes held his mate’s while she rested in a plush chair provided by the sprites. Slate lay sleeping in her arms, and he wanted nothing more than to hold them both.

  “We are fine, Fane,” Jacquelyn said through their bond. “Deal with Jen before Andora does some sort of sprite voodoo on her ass and Decebel loses his crap.” She was weak but attempted to cover it up with bravado and attitude.

  “I love you, Luna,” he told her for probably the hundredth time in the last couple of hours.

  She smiled at him, sending her love flowing through their bond.

  “I swear on all the lives of every stupid person, which you know is a hell of a lot, that if you don’t get your all-seeing sprites in here and tell us what they know, I will start cutting people. I don't even give a flying pixie’s ass who I cut, but someone is getting sliced.” Jen’s anger was palpable, and Fane knew he had to intervene or else his mate would be proven right when Andora decided she was done dealing with the blonde's temper.

  “Jen.” Fane walked toward her and Andora. “We are all frustrated. But threatening our allies is not conducive to achieving our goal. Stand down or you will return to the mansion and assist Wadim in his search for the information we need regarding Perizada.”

  She looked as if she was going to follow through with her stabbing threat, and her blade would be coming for Fane first, but his wolf growled at the challenge in her eyes, and she dropped them immediately. Jen took a step back, though her movements were stiff, as if she was doing it against her will. But Fane was not using any sort of alpha command on her.

  Fane looked around the room and saw that all of the alphas had arrived, as well as Synica, one of the djinn elders, Gwen, a high fae, and Thalion and Cyn. “Thank you all for convening on such short notice,” he said. “Much has happened in the past couple of weeks. I know that some of you have sighted vampires near your packs. The Order is getting bolder. And now they have taken a healer.”

  “Again,” Jen growled. Fane didn’t reprimand her. She was hurting. Kara being taken was no doubt bringing back all of the emotions she felt when Sally had been kidnapped, and Fane could give her some grace as she worked through those feelings.

  Fane looked over at Nick. “We will do everything in our power to help you bring her home. You have my word.” The wolf nodded at him. Drayden stepped closer and leaned against his beta.

  “The challenges went as planned until one wolf attempted a coup. During that attack, my mate suffered a serious injury that requires the help of sprites that have, unfortunately, also been taken by the Order.” He paused as voices rumbled around the room but then continued. “Dillon called me, which is one of the reasons I requested this meeting. He shared that the human news reported an earthquake in Arizona that caused an electrical fire at a huge compound. There is nothing but a massive hole left where the buildings of that compound once stood.”

  Sally gasped, and all eyes turned to her. Blood drained from her face, and her skin was ghost white. “Peri.”

  “What about her?” Dillon asked at the same time Lucian appeared, accompanied by Adam and Crina.

  Sally glanced at Jacque, Jen, and then Lucian. Whatever she saw in Lucian’s gaze seemed to render the healer speechless. Her lips pressed tightly together, and her body trembled.

  Jen must have realized that Sally wasn’t able to speak, so she answered Dillon’s question. “We spoke to Peri. Myself, Sally, Adam, and Elle, just after the attack from the rogues.” Jen turned her attention away from Dillon and instead held Fane’s uncle’s eyes.

  Fane’s wolf pushed forward. They both saw the complete devastation written in the lines around Lucian’s eyes, his crestfallen brow and tense jaw. He was looking at a man who felt as if he had nothing left to live for. Fane knew that look because he’d seen it on his own face, and on Decebel’s and Costin’s as well. And each time it had been because of the loss of a true mate. He refocused on the moment at hand as Jen continued.

  “Sally said she felt like Peri was going to do something dangerous. Maybe it’s a healer thing, or sprite thing, or whatever weird thing she can do. But Sally was adamant that Peri was going to do something we”—she motioned to Lucian—“and especially you, wouldn’t have agreed with.” Jen folded her arms across her chest as her eyes narrowed. “And there was another fae present that we didn’t know, and she told him she’d meet him in their planned location. But she also told the rest of us that we didn’t need to worry about the Order any longer.” Jen’s voice was as sharp as the blades she liked to wield. “Peri had the nerve to say she would take care of it, dismissing us as if we meant nothing. I swear I’m going to wipe the floor with her until it’s spotless and then do it all over again.”

  “You won’t be able to,” Lucian said.

  Jen took a step toward him, but Fane held up his hand. “Don’t.”

  “Lucian,” Jacquelyn called out from where she sat. “Why won’t she be able to? What has happened?”

  He looked at Sally when he spoke. “She’s gone.”

  “What the hell do you mean she’s gone?” Jen growled. “Please tell me you’re saying she’s decided to go on some spiritual journey and travel the world until she gets her crap together.”

  Lucian did not look away from Sally as he answered Jen’s question, his body rigid as he spoke. “My mate has left this life.” His eyes never wavered from the healer when Sally’s head began to shake from side to side.

  “No,” Sally whispered. “No.” Fane could see the horror in her eyes, and he could feel it through the pack bonds. “She’s not dead, Lucian. You’re wrong.”

  Lucian just stood there staring at her. Words seemed to evade him as he, like Fane, watched the calm, gentle Sally fall apart.

  Fane saw Costin reach for her, but his mate was already moving. The room erupted into gasps and shouts as she ran straight at Lucian. Sally didn’t seem to hear any of it. She had one target, and when she reached him, her hand cracked across his face. “TAKE IT BACK,” she screamed while her hand flew again. “She wouldn’t do that! She wouldn’t leave us!” Lucian stood as still as a statue as the healer hit his chest, pushed at his shoulders, and attempted to shake him. “Peri would not leave us like this. With everything so broken. She wouldn’t!” Then she turned on Adam, slapping at Costin’s hands while he continued to try to contain her without hurting her. “I told you to make him see,” she pointed at Lucian. “He is the only one who could reach her!”

  “Sally.” Jacquelyn’s voice rose over the sounds of male’s growling, females calling Sally’s name, and Slate crying.

  “Did you even try?” She whipped back around on Lucian and threw her hands in the air. “Or did you just give up because things got hard?”

  Lucian growled, and his eyes began to glow.

  “Oh, now you show some damn emotion?” Sally prodded. “Peri running off wasn’t enough for you? She had to die in order for you to stop acting like an unfeeling beast?” Her finger jammed into his chest. She glared up at him with agony that Fane had only seen on her face one other time, with Costin. “You should have gone after her.” With every heated statement, she emphasized it with a jab to his chest. “You’re her mate.” Jab. “This is. On. YOU.” Fane saw his uncle's eyes flare and knew Sally had pushed too far.

  Several things happened at once. Fane lunged for his uncle. Lucian roared like a rabid beast at his accuser. Costin ran forward, grabbed Sally by her shoulders, and shoved her into Jen’s arms. As soon as his mate was out of the way, Costin’s shoulder barreled into Lucian’s stomach. They flew back and would have plowed into Jewel, Dalton’s mate, if he hadn’t moved with supernatural speed and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her out of the path of the males who’d become living projectiles.

  As they came to a halt, Lucian wrapped his hands around Costin’s ribs and wretched him away. He stumbled back at the same time Heather stepped toward him, her hand raised as if she’d been planning to get his attention. As soon as her finger touched him, Lucian whirled around and grabbed for her. His hands began to phase, and wolf claws extended from his fingertips. Fane felt the horror in the pack bonds from Lucian as his claws raked across Heather’s face.

  Females were pushed back, and every male in the room moved to subdue Lucian. They needn’t have worried. Fane watched his uncle stumble, his eyes staring in shock and alarm at what he’d done. His knees hit the floor, just as Kale jumped on him. He ripped his own claws across Lucian's face, leaving slashes identical to the ones his mate bore. The Ireland beta didn’t stop there. He used his other hand to mark the other side of Lucian’s face as well. Fane recognized the murderous rage in the male’s eyes. His mate had been hurt—badly. It was his right to take Lucian’s life. But Fane was alpha, and enough life had been lost.

  His wolf took over. He bared his teeth and snarled. “STOP.”

  Every person in the room froze. The only movement came from his right. His mate attempted to stand. “Luna, please.” Her eyes, red and filled with tears, lifted to his. He knew she wanted to go to Sally. She wanted to hold her friend, whose emotions were too fragile to bear the reality of what Lucian shared. Jacquelyn nodded and then sat back in the chair. Slate was calm, his head resting on her shoulder and his thumb in his mouth. He glanced to his left and saw that even the sprite queen was still, only her eyes moving as she looked around the room and then back at him.

  Fane turned his attention back to the rest of the great hall. “I am going to release my command. If any of you move to harm anyone else in this room, I will take it as a direct challenge to my authority.” He didn’t need to elaborate. The males knew that Fane was telling them a challenge meant a fight. Fane pulled his power back in, and the entire room seemed to exhale at the same time. But no one moved.

  “There has been enough death and enough loss this day.” He looked at Kale. “I am not justifying or belittling what happened to your mate. But I know he didn’t mean to harm her. And I will deal with him.”

  Kale opened his mouth, but Heather placed a hand on his arm. “Let it go,” she said gently. “It was an accident, Kale. And last I checked, none of us are perfect.” Kale’s eyes still glowed bright with his wolf, but he shut his mouth and then looked down at Heather’s face. Jewel walked toward her, glancing at Fane as she did, and Dalton followed close behind. Fane nodded his head at the healer, letting her know that it was okay to help her friend. Fane’s order had been for them not to move to harm anyone; Jewel and Dalton were in no danger of his punishment.

  “I know the loss each of you feel, not only because I have that same emotion in me, but because I can feel it through the bonds that tie me to all of you. And I am sorry that more death has come to our doorstep. I am sorry that this is the price we will pay for standing against the tyrants of evil.” Fane took a deep breath. He looked at Sally, tears streaming down her face as she wept in Costin’s arms. “Regardless of our sorrow, we have to remain united. We cannot and will not turn on each other.” He met Costin’s eyes, and his third dropped them after three seconds. A wolf pack was not a democracy, and he needed to remind them of that fact.

  “Some of us have human mates. They share their humanity with us, and we forget that we have a beast that lives inside of us. We are not human.” Fane met the eyes of his wolves, not only the Romanian pack, but all of the packs represented. “We are Canis lupus. Our wolves fight for dominance inside of us, and if left to their own devices without a leader, they will fight for dominance with others. And I will have to deal with your lack of submission.” His jaw clenched as he remembered all of the lives he’d taken during the challenges. “There is only one way to handle a wolf who will not submit. We are too dangerous if we go feral.” Fane’s eyes moved around the room again, looking at each of the true mates of his wolves. “Any who is mated to a wolf is now pack and subject to the same authority. If you do not remain in control and submit, your mate will feel the need to protect you to the point of being a danger to the rest of us.”

  Fane folded his arms across his chest and took a deep breath. “The Order is no longer standing at our doorstep. They have battered it down and taken Kara: a mate, a healer, a sister, and a pack member. If killing each other is more important to you than fighting those who actually hate us and want to harm the innocent, then I will remove you from the equation now before you have an opportunity to get in the way of what needs to be done. My prayer, even as I fought those rogues, was that they would submit because I would rather stand beside them in battle than over them in death. The same is true for all of you.” He let his words sink in as he watched different emotions pass over their faces. Some already looked resolute, but others took a little longer to come to the realization that Fane meant what he said.

  Finally, he looked at the sprite queen. “Do you have a place to hold him?” He motioned toward his uncle who still knelt on the ground, shoulders rolled forward and head bobbing slightly. Fane looked closer, and he realized Lucian was crying. “He weeps for his mate,” his wolf said. “And for the little blind healer. He did not mean to hurt her.” Fane agreed with his wolf. But intention did not mean punishment could be waived.

  “Of course,” Andora said.

  “Decebel—” Fane started, but Adam stepped forward.

  “I can take him,” the male said. Crina stood next to him, her eyes darting back and forth between Lucian and Fane.

  Fane tilted his head. He and his wolf studied Adam and Crina’s behavior and what he was feeling from the bond. “Do we need to talk?”

  Adam nodded. “And we need to do it while we’re with Lucian.”

  Fane gave a curt nod and then watched as Adam lifted Lucian to his feet and headed in the direction Andora instructed.

  “I know the search for Kara needs to begin, Fane,” Jacquelyn said through their bond. “But not with Kale, Dalton, or Costin. They’re too volatile and would only put the rest of you in danger. They need to be with their mates.”

  Fane looked at his Luna, her green eyes still shining from her tears. “I agree, love. I also know you want to speak with Sally. Costin is like a brother to me, but his mate is pregnant, and she was nearly attacked today. After everything he has endured, his mind is not going to be in a good place, and he will not let her out of his sight.” He didn’t want to say that he was worried Costin would hurt her, but as he’d mentioned earlier, they were wolves, and they protected their mate and children against any threat real or perceived.

  “I’ll make sure Titus is with us. He can tame any of you.” Her voice was playful, but it didn’t disguise her anguish.