My eyes shoot open, and I’m on the floor. Growling, I get to my feet, my wolf desperate to break free. Fucking Killian. I’m going to kill him if it’s the last thing I do.
“Faith, can you hear me?” Closing my eyes, I concentrate on our link, but it’s silent, just like it was when I tried to get her to run away. Tia had put a spell on her to make her sleep so she wouldn’t hear us in the house.
My body shakes with rage as I replay it over in my head.
Reaching into the refrigerator, I grab a few more beers and put them in the cooler. Before I can close it, my arms and legs begin to feel heavy. “What the hell?”
“Look who I found?”
I jerk around, but it takes a monumental effort, like a colossal weight presses down on me. The second I get a good look at the cocksucker in front of me, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who he is. Killian Vilkas. He even has his fucking witch beside him.
“How the hell did you find us?” I hiss. I try to reach Faith through our bond, to tell her to run away, but it’s like I’ve been blocked.
Tia waves her hand in the air, and I drop to my knees. She saunters over to me and traces a long, red fingernail across my cheek. “Wolves are so sexy when they’re pissed.”
Gritting my teeth, I glare up at her. “You won’t be saying that when I’m ripping off your head.”
She leans in close, and I fall to the floor, fighting to stay awake. “You’re a strong one.”
Killian chuckles. “But not strong enough.”
My wolf fights to break free, but he’s trapped. The weight presses down on me, crushing me to the floor. Killian walks over to the back door and looks out, grinning when I know his eyes fall on Faith. He peers over at me and winks. “Sweet dreams.”
The darkness creeps over me, and I try to fight against it, but Tia’s voice echoes in my ear. “Nu sunt dușmanul tău.” I have no clue what it means, but I know not to forget it.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, pulling me back to reality. It’s Micah, but I’m not ready to speak to him. The last thing I want to do is tell Faith’s pack that I failed. When I look at the time, four fucking hours have passed since Killian took her. I run outside, and the only trace of Faith is the towel she laid on. I hurry back inside, and all of her belongings are gone in the bedroom.
Scrambling around the room, I throw all my stuff together in my bag and call Faith’s phone. It has to be somewhere in the house. The call goes through, but I don’t hear it ring anywhere. But then a voice answers on the other end.
“I figured you’d call at some point.”
“Where the fuck are you taking her, Vilkas?” I demand.
He laughs. “Don’t worry, she’s fine. She’s just sleeping it off for a while. We’re about to take off. I’ll be more than happy to tell you how to find her. You just have to be willing to pay the price.”
“What sick game are you playing at?”
“No game,” he laughs. “Are you in or out?”
“In,” I growl. “Now, where are you taking her?”
“I have to get there first, Grayson. I’ll call you when it’s time.” And with those words, he hangs up. Fucking bastard. I scroll through my contacts and press send on Chase’s number. I need his jet to get me back to Montana … and fast.
It’s early morning, and I’m almost home. The jet ride felt like an eternity. I spent the entire time wondering where Faith was and if she’s truly okay. I hate myself for what happened. I talked to Micah and found out that Faith had sent him a text to alert him that something was wrong. He and some of the others from Faith’s pack had a head start and are on their way to my house. They should be there when I arrive, along with my family and Anson, if I can ever get in touch with him.
When I pull up to my house, the driveway is full of cars. Kami rushes out and races over to me. “Where’s Anson?” I ask her. “I haven’t been able to get in touch with him.”
She throws her arms up in the air. “Hell, if I know. Everyone has been trying to call him. No one around here has seen him either. Ansley was on her way to his house not long ago, so hopefully, she’ll get some answers.” Ansley is Anson’s sister and one of Kami’s close friends.
Red flags shoot up in my head. “How long has it been since anyone’s seen him?” I haven’t spoken to him since I left for Florida.
She follows alongside me up to the house. “Ansley’s the last one. It was the day you left.” I pause mid-step and look at her. She blows out a sigh, her gaze concerned. “Dad tried calling him about a job the other day too, but he never got in touch with him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “We didn’t want to worry you.”
“I don’t have a good feeling about this.” He’s the only one who knew how to find Faith and me.
“Neither do I,” she admits.
Where the hell could he be? My dad comes out on the front porch with Micah, Colin, Cedric, and Laila. Micah walks forward and slaps a hand to my shoulder. He can see the turmoil on my face. “Nobody blames you, Grayson. It happened to me too, and I’m her protector.”
Colin agrees with a nod. “It could’ve happened to any of us.”
Nothing they say is going to help. I failed at protecting Faith, and I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my life. “Yeah, but I’m her mate,” I say. Colin’s eyes widen, and my dad gasps. Micah, Kami, and Cedric already guessed it earlier. I’m pretty sure Laila knows because of Cedric.
My dad places his hands on my shoulders. “Oh, son. I’m so sorry.”
“We have to find her, Dad. I won’t rest until I do.”
He nods. “You will. And when you do, you’ll bring her home, and we’ll make her a part of the family.”
I want to know she’s okay. As long as Killian and his witch don’t find out Faith and I are linked, we’ll be safe. I’ll be able to connect with her when she wakes up.
“Come on,” I say to everyone, “there’s a lot you all don’t know.” They follow me inside and gather around my living room. I can feel my patience running thin. All I want is to find Faith.
“Is there anyone who knew where you were?” Micah asks.
I nod. “Anson, my second-in-command. It turns out he’s missing.” I have my thoughts about what could’ve happened, and none of them are good.
My dad steps forward. “Do you think he turned on us?”
“No,” I say in all seriousness. “He would never do that. If Vilkas and his witch traced Faith to here, they could’ve used magic to infiltrate his mind somehow. It’s the only way they would’ve gotten the information out of him. He would die before betraying me.”
“So, what do we do now?” Colin demands. “We can’t just sit here. My sister’s out there.”
“We’re not,” I growl. “I’m going to find her. Killian’s an alpha. He’ll feel the strongest on his own turf. That’s why I think he’s probably headed to Canada.”
“I agree,” Laila cuts in. “I know him.”
“Let’s head up there now,” Colin states adamantly.
Cedric places a hand on my shoulder. “Did you by any chance share blood yet?”
Everyone looks at me, and I nod. “We did. But right now, she’s under Tia’s sleeping spell. I can’t get through to her. When she wakes up, we’ll be able to communicate. If they knew I was her mate, they would’ve killed me.”
Colin throws his hands up in the air. “What the hell is this Vilkas fuck doing anyway?”
Clenching my teeth, I run a hand angrily through my hair. “I don’t know yet, but when I called Faith’s phone after I woke up, he answered.”
Gasps erupt in the room, but Micah’s the one who speaks up. “What did he say?”
I look around at everyone. “He said that if I want to see her again, I’ll have to pay the price. He’ll call when he gets to his destination.”
The room falls silent. I’m more than ready to head up to Canada if that’s where she is. It’s a gamble no matter what I do since there are so many unanswered questions and uncertainties. Not knowing is driving me in-fucking-sane. All I want is to talk to her, to make sure she’s okay.
Loud, thunderous knocks sound on the door, and my dad hurries over to open it. Anson’s twin sister, Ansley, rushes in, her breathing frantic. She looks just like him only she has green eyes whereas his are gray. Kami runs over to her. “Oh, my God, what’s wrong?”
“Have you heard from your brother?” I ask her.
She turns to me and bursts out crying. “Anson was taken, Tate. I don’t know who they are.”
Kami pulls her into her arms when she starts to hyperventilate. “Ansley, it’s okay. Breathe. Tell us everything.”
Eyes wide, I step toward her. It takes her a few minutes to get settled down. She wipes away her tears but more flow. “I went over to his house to check on him, and the door was unlocked. He never leaves his house unlocked when he’s not there.” She sniffles. “I went inside and looked around but couldn’t find anything amiss. That’s why I decided to check his camera footage.”
A sinking feeling settles in my gut. I don’t know what I’m about to hear, but I know it’s not good. “What did you see?”
Her lips tremble. “Two people. A man and a woman.” As soon as she says that, I already know it was Killian and his witch. “They knock on the door, and when Anson answers, words are exchanged, and when he tries to go on the attack, he falls to the ground.” She closes her eyes and sobs. “The guy tossed him into the backseat of the car, and they drove away.”
“Motherfucker,” I growl. “That’s how Killian found out.”
“Does Anson know anything else important?” Micah asks, intentionally not saying what that is in front of Ansley.
I shake my head. “No, he doesn’t know.”
Kami leads Ansley to the door. “It’s okay, Ans. We’ll find your brother and bring him home.” Ansley nods, and she walks her out.
“What the fuck?” Colin shouts. “How is this Vilkas bastard figuring all of this shit out?”
Laila steps in. “Magic. He wouldn’t be able to otherwise. Tia comes from a long line of Romanian witches.”
“How many are like her in the world?” I ask.
She shrugs. “Not many.”
My father places a hand on my shoulder. “What are you going to do, son?”
I look into his blue eyes, which are the same color as mine. “I’m going after her. No one’s going to take Faith away from me.”
Colin and Micah both stand next to my father, and Micah says, “We’re going with you too.”