Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Whoa.” Emily raised her shackled hands. The cold metal bit into her wrists as panic coated her throat. “You’re signing your own death warrant.”
“If the Slate Pack learns I’ve killed you, then they’ll know nobody’s coming to save them.” Raya’s tone was calm, final. “I’m sorry, but there’s no other alternative but to kill you both.” She angled her head, eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. “I think your sister’s dead already. I’ll shoot her a couple of times just to make sure. Do you want me to do you first so you don’t have to watch that?”
Emily blinked once. “How about you release these,” she rattled the chains, “and we fight it out? Or are you afraid?”
Raya’s teeth flashed in a humorless smile. “I’m not afraid, but I’m also not stupid. You’re taller and probably stronger, even with whatever problems you’ve got going on. I think I’ll just shoot you in the head.” She settled her stance, the gun steady in her hands.
Emily refused to close her eyes. She let the Alpha blood in her sing, digging deep for every ounce of strength in her body. One more time, she tried to shift, pushing past the pain, the weakness, and the doubt. This time, something broke free inside her. Freedom burned hotly through her muscles and bones. Her body shifted—
Just as a massive black wolf burst through the block windows, glass shattering in every direction, and crashed into Raya.
Raya yelled as she hit the floor, rolling several times before springing to her feet. The gun swung up, aimed at the wolf. Jackson.
He didn’t give her a chance.
Leaping across the distance, his fangs slashed through her throat, and the gun clattered to the ground, useless. Her headless body followed a heartbeat later.
A second wolf bounded in. Thane.
Jackson shifted back into his human form. Emily snarled in wolf form, yanking her paws free of the shackles with a metallic clink. She stumbled, her head pounding as though nails had been driven into her skull. With a soft whimper, she shifted back to her human form, dropping to her knees.
“Emily.” Jackson rushed toward her, pulling her against his chest. “How bad are you hurt?” His hands roamed her scalp, searching for injuries.
“Ouch,” she hissed, wincing. “Don’t push on that.”
Jackson swore under his breath as she sagged against him. Her pulse thudded weakly where his hand supported her neck.
“Nadia?” Emily called, craning her head toward her sister.
Nadia groaned from the floor. “What?”
“Are you okay?”
“Nope,” Nadia gritted out. “I got stabbed. With silver. Can we go to the healer now?”
Emily dropped and clutched her sister’s arm as Jackson stepped away. He crouched beside Victor, rolling him onto his back before placing two fingers to his neck.
“He’s dead,” Jackson confirmed grimly. “Did he kidnap you?”
“No.” Emily’s voice wavered. “He actually tried to help us.” She sucked in air. “There are explosives at the mine. You need to get everyone out.”
Jackson’s head jerked.
Thane looked wildly around. “I’ll find a phone.” He ran out of the room.
The room tilted as Emily’s vision wavered. She swayed, her knees buckling. The shift had drained her. She still had silver in her system, and her earlier attempts to cut through the shackles hadn’t helped. Blood trickled sluggishly down her wrists.
“Damn it,” she muttered before her legs gave out.
Jackson caught her before she hit the floor.
Again.
Chapter 38
A week later…
* * *
Emily rocked in the chair in the corner of the refined living room, her father resting on the sofa, and Nadia in a matching chair. Caidrik and Miliki flanked the doorway, standing silent and watchful. She missed Jackson. He’d been gone for a couple of days, making sure the Granite Pack was secure. They’d found all the explosives in time, and no one had been hurt.
Her gaze drifted to her father. His color had returned somewhat, though he still barely had an appetite. “How are you feeling?” she asked softly.
“I’m fine,” he replied with a tired smile. “You?”
“I feel pretty good,” she admitted. The first couple of days after her kidnapping had been rough, but strength now coursed through her, deeper and more solid than before. She’d sent blood samples to Dr. Gwen but hadn’t heard back yet. Still, something inside her felt like she was healing. “Nadia?”
Nadia stirred in her chair and winced. “Just dandy,” she muttered. The silver still lingered in her system, slowing her recovery, but she was alive, and that was what mattered. They’d spent the week trying to figure out how to protect the Slate Pack, and no good answers had arisen.
The door opened, and Emily knew who it was before she looked. Her body responded instantly, her heart picking up its pace. “Jackson.” She sat up straighter, warmth spreading through her chest.
“Yeah, I’m back.” He stepped inside with snow clinging to his boots. His eyes glinted a mysterious blue, like the sky before a storm. “I have good news.”