I had to keep her from examining me too closely. I didn’t want her anywhere near Lou. If I could draw Eva and Angus’s attention, keep their attacks focused on me, my pack could stay safe.

We are going to have a long talk about how unattractive martyrdom is to me as soon as I’ve saved your wolfy butt.

Lou, I said, my inner voice desperate, I need you safe.

I need you safe, too. The best way to do that is to work together. Distract, but don’t let them hurt you.

Okay. I love you.

I felt a rush of love from Lou before our bond went quiet. She was there, but hiding, not wanting to draw Eva’s attention. But I knew the truth. Lou was there. I wasn’t alone anymore.

I grinned at Angus, showing all of my teeth. A threat. My dad glared back at me, his shoulders bunched like he wanted to pounce.

“Are we doing this anytime tonight?” I sounded downright gleeful.

“In such a rush to die, whelp?” His voice was a deep growl, his wolf close to the surface. He moved around me, still pacing.

“Unlike you, I’ve got shit to do,” I said. “I can’t wait all night for you to get your sad excuse of a pack together.”

“Light the fire,” Angus spat.

Eva started to argue.

He spun on her. “I said light the fucking fire. We’ve waited long enough.”

Eva hesitated. Was she waiting for something besides the pack? She didn’t care about that like my father did. Which begged the question—why was she dragging her heels?

A low growl rumbled out of my father’s chest, his muscles twitching and straining. Whatever Eva was waiting for, it wasn’t as important as keeping Angus happy. “I’ll get the matches.”

I heard the low rumble of several engines coming closer and my father smiled. “Seems our audience is here, anyway. Your wait’s over, pup. Hope you’re ready.”

Chapter Thirty

After I confirmed that Declan and the ferrets were all at Whittaker Farms, Luis pulled up a map on his phone and directed my mom to an access road alongside that part of the property. From aerial photos, it looked like there were some trees, but not a lot. Places to stash the van would be limited.

My mom navigated the van down a rutted dirt road, looking for the best area to pull over. We needed to get close to where Declan was being held while staying hidden for as long as possible. There was no way we’d be able to sneak up on a barn full of shapeshifters. All we could manage was delaying our discovery.

As soon as we parked, I peered out through the tinted windows. Because of the windows, the trees, and the low level of light outside, the landscape was mostly a series of blobs. I would have to ask the pigeons for intel. They were strangely invested—partially out of fear that we’d unleash Dammit on them again, but mostly because they felt they were part of our mission now.