Ethan

I’m worried about Jane.

She’s out of the car the moment we get to the police headquarters, and it’s all l can do to keep up with her. Her emotions have been all over the place the last few days; she’s so tense and tightly wound that I can no longer predict how she’s going to react to anything – one moment she’s laughing, the next she’s crying. But no matter how she tries to endure, underneath there is always a bottomless well of pain that will never be healed until the pups are home.

While my mate’s anguish is magnified by her manic behavior, my own is only too evident in the numbness consuming me. I refuse to feel anything until I know whether we have to mourn or celebrate. At first my fear and anger had wholly consumed me, but I quickly realized it wouldn’t help anything to give in to those emotions. I pushed them down and threw myself into the search, barely sleeping or eating, but knowing that I wouldn’t be able to distract myself if I stopped moving.

I hate that I can’t fix this for Jane. I hate that’s she’s torturing herself with blame, and l’m beyond concerned by how quickly she seems to be spiraling.

Catching up to her, I loop my arm around her wa!st and pull her into my side, slowing her pace and frustrating her to no end. She instantly yanks against my hold, urging me to speed up. “Ethan, come on.”

“Breaking your neck running up the stairs isn’t going to help the pups, sweetheart.” I remind her, taking comfort in the feel of her small body safe beside me. She starts grumbling mutinously, but this is what I hoped. The more she’s distracted by being annoyed at me, the less she’s fretting about the pups.

A few minutes later we’re standing in front of Jackson and the Commander. Jane is still pouting, but our decreased pace allowed Eric and Linda to catch up, and they now flank us on both sides. After a few somber greetings we’re ushered into a conference room, but Jane refuses to sit down. Our hosts eye her warily, and the Commander invites her to take a seat when she simply stands over the table like a particularly lovely gargoyle.

“This isn’t a tea party” Jane snaps, “Just tell us what you learned.

Sighing, I drag her into my lap, forcing her to settle when she instinctively squirms to escape. ” Just settle, little wolf” L instruct, sensing how desperately she needs me to take control. The more she lashes out, the more obvious it becomes that she’s feeling too overwhelmed to cope on her own.

If the investigators are uncomfortable with our int!macy, they don’t show it, instead they take a pair of identical deep breaths and announce, “We’ve confirmed the pups were taken by traffickers.” Jackson begins, “CCTV caught them at the port, being boarded onto a ship by a local gang.”

“The good news is that l know the culprits well.”

foot soldiers are idiots, but their leader is not. Anita is as shrewd

immediately, holding Jane just a

bound for the Southern lsles.” Jackson shared, “Anita’s intelligence cuts both ways. She knew better than to try to traffic them here, and she knows

that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Linda interjected, clearly recalling my words

King Aimon.’ The commander states grimly, ” once he has them, all bets are off. He wants this territory, he wants your power, Alpha. That means he’ll do whatever he can

warmth. “How long will it take them

did the ship

the morning after they were

commander answers simply, “Anita doesn’t waste any time.

to Eric, “how far is your father’s

sure how he’ll treat them, but if you want me to

bundle in my arms, I nuzzle her sweet smelling hair. “I’m

I’m going too.” She declares, sitting up slightly. “We know where they’re headed now, there’s no reason for me

reluctance seeping into my voice. “| don’t think that’s a good

me?” She growls, pushing away from

it a good idea for you but not for me? You can’t honestly think I would stay behind and twiddle my thumbs while you and Eric run off to

a steadying breath. “Could we have

me with a lethal glare. “Don’t even think about telling me it’s for my own good, or that you won’t be able to

with more accuracy than

down at my beautiful, stubborn mate. “It’s not that.” l exhale, deciding to focus -not on the fact that she’s unraveling at the seams or on the pack’s need for a leader while l’m away, but on my greatest fear. “Aimon is about to get his hands on four out of the five most important things in my entire world. I

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