Chapter 74

Phoenix

Night finally swallows the forest, and Uncle Luke, along with a group of our men and some of Dad's men from the palace, waits at the edge. We're all ready. Ready to tear apart my mate's abductors and get her back. The darkness is thick, perfect for covering our movement, perfect for bloodshed. The humans usually stay clear of the woods at night—they've heard enough conspiracies about the giant, dangerous animals that lurk in this area.

"When Phoenix shifts, his wolf will likely take full control. No one goes near him unless necessary. Give him space, but stay on his flank. We don't know what traps could be out there," Luke commands, his voice clipped with authority.

The others nod—Loki, Jamie, and a few nameless wolves I don't give a shit about. I'm already on edge, my entire body thrumming with anticipation. I can feel the pull, the primal roar inside me, demanding that I stop fucking around and find my mate. I won't be able to stand another day without her. Not without others being harmed.

"If you come in contact with Zack or Kate before Phoenix does, capture them, don't kill them unless they attack," Luke adds, still standing before all of us like a true leader. "They need to be questioned first and taken to the Lycan King's dungeon. Any questions?"

"Is there a chance we'll come in contact with any of the Devils?" one of the guys ask-I think his name is Robin. I don't know, I really don't give a fuck. I'm too distracted by my wolf clawing his way to the surface. He wants to finally take control after I've held him back for so long.

After Luke answers any of the questions I managed to tune out, he turns to me. "Lead the way, Nix," he says, giving me a curt nod. "Remember, allow your wolf to take control. You'll need his instincts in order to find her. We'll keep up."

Without hesitation, I let the shift take over. The familiar but painless sound of bones snapping and rearranging fills the night, and when my paws finally hit the ground, I'm running. Hard. Fast. The second I shift, my wolf takes over completely. It's like I'm caged inside my own mind, trapped behind his snarling, overpowering need. I know he won't stop until we find her.

Her scent, faint but unforgivable, fills my nose. The smell of Selene is imprinted inside of me—something no amount of wolfsbane could erase. My wolf doesn't care if her scent is masked. He knows. Every muscle, every instinct in his body is locked on her, driving us forward.

The others keep their distance, trailing behind us. As we run, I start to doubt my wolf would attack them, he's too focused on finding our mate, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I don't have any control right now, and I don't want to have to explain to anyone's family why all that remained of their loved one was shredded flesh and bone.

The highway looms to our right, hidden by the thick canopy of trees. My wolf's paws barely make a sound as we race through the dark. With no scent, I can't exactly pick up what my wolf is tracking, but in my soul I can feel that it's the right way. She still feels far away, the connection strained, but we're heading in her direction.

I swear, I want to beat my own ass. I should have let my wolf out when I first felt it, but I was afraid he was too out of control. But I didn't know she was my true mate. I didn't know really how strong our bond was until Loki pointed it out. I'll have to thank the creepy, brooding asshole later.

I can tell the fuckers who took her are in a vehicle. They must have caught on that we were on their trail, and wanted to escape before they were caught. Though when Uncle Luke and I told Dad our plan, he requested that we not kill them immediately and capture them for a trial. Yeah, I don't think I can keep that promise. Once I see Zack, it's game over for him.

In the case, that I can somehow stop myself and my wolf from killing him, I have so many fun activities planned. Some of those include having his nails popped off one by one, and boiling his ass alive in acid. His torture will last for days, if he's lucky. He'll be begging for death by the time I'm done with him.

My wolf growls deep in my chest, agreeing with the violent images in my head.

"Nix, how far away are we?" Luke suddenly asks me though mind-link.

"Maybe a few hours. They must've left earlier in the day. They can't fucking outdrive werewolves, and they don't know we're tracking them, so we'll be able to catch up easily," I answer confidently.

"Okay. We won't stop until we find her, I swear of it."

"Thanks, Unc," I reply, the sincerity lacing my words.

I know I've given him a lot of hell the past few days. Shit, I was fed up with myself for the way I was acting, but he never lost his patience with me even if I deserved it. My Dad could never measure up to the man and father figure he was.

That's why he's out here helping me and my own father isn't. He doesn't know I know, but he's hiding away from the Devils. That's why he sent a few of his men on the guard instead of assisting in the rescue mission involving his stepdaughter. I'm sure Christina will be livid when she finds out, and Goddess help him when she hears the full story of what happened and not the watered down version he gave her.

I have a feeling that my new family will be no more after this, but at least Selene and I will be together forever.

I just have to rescue her first.