Chapter 78

Phoenix

Once we hit Roguesburg hours later, the sun is slowly rising over the horizon. Uncle Luke and I split into two groups so we don't draw more attention to ourselves. With me, I only have Loki and Jamie, but that's more than enough, considering I was going to come by myself if I needed to. This fucking place reeks of filth—rogue wolves and criminals, scavengers barely deserving of life. Here, they kill each other for females and scraps of land.

Of course, Zack would drag my mate to this shithole. That bastard has no idea what he's done. He won't last long here. The moment he lets his guard down, another wolf will challenge him, and he won't stand a chance.

Selene is the only wolf with Alpha blood, and she doesn't have her fucking wolf. How did he expect this to work? Unless...Fuck. With fated mates, the bond can only be broken when the inner wolf agrees to it. Did Zack expect to convince Selene and her wolf to break the bond with me and accept him as their mate? And then what? Force her to create her own damn pack so he can run it?

That sounds exactly like something that stupid asshole would do.

But how could be convince her? The only way I could see that happening is if he tortured her or she gave up and believed no one would ever find her again. And there's a possibility that could happen. She doesn't know we're fated mates. She doesn't know that I can find her, even when her wolf is suppressed.

No. I need to find her faster before that happens.

A fresh wave of rage pulses through me. I can almost taste Zack's blood on my tongue, hear his screams as I tear him limb from limb. It will happen in due time.

"Phoenix, conceal your aura," Loki growls through the mind-link, his voice a low warning. "These rogues will sniff out your strength and come for you. They'll see you a challenge to conquer."

Shit, let them. I could tear through them all without breaking a sweat.

Still, Loki's right—this isn't the time for a fight. Not yet. I force my wolf to calm, though he seethes in my head, pissed at having to hide our power and strength. My aura fades, but the tension hums beneath the surface of my skin. The second we find Selene, I'll unleash it all.

Thanks to the bond, I can sense that she's very close. It's like an invisible thread, one that pulls me deeper and deeper into the forest. Though it's weak from the suppression of her wolf, the thread tugs at my chest, urging me forward.

Can you still feel her, Nix?" my uncle asks telepathically from wherever the hell he is right now.

"Yes. Where are you?"

"We took the other way into the forest, and we're tracking your scent to you," he informs me. "Roguesburg isn't huge. We should run into wherever Zack is hiding her soon. Do not engage until we get there."

I chuckle inwardly. It's funny that he thinks I'll be able to control my wolf at all once we reach the territory. Where the fuck is he hiding her anyway? There must be some kind of cabin or something this far out. Unless he has her chained up to a tree out in the goddamn open where any male-wolf can lay their claim.

Suddenly, I can feel my bond with Selene growing stronger, as if the thread is thickening. Before I can figure out what the hell is going on, my wolf howls, tearing through the woods as we effortlessly dodge trees and leap over roots. The others are right behind me, but they'll have to keep up. I can't slow down down.

She's so fucking close. A warmth spreads through my chest, making it feel as if my body is on fire. As exhausted as I am right now, nothing could stop me from getting to her. And whatever this feeling is, it's giving us strength. Strength that's slowly been draining out of me since Selene was taken.

Be ready, I growl through the link to them. It's the only warning they'll get with my wolf barreling through the forest like this.

Suddenly, something slams into me—a blur of black fur and sharp teeth. I brace for impact, ready to strike, but my wolf stills.

It's her.

It's Selene. My mate.

But how is she here? How did she manage to escape?

A growl of relief rumbles through my chest, deep and primal, as my wolf pushes forward, brushing his face against hers. Her eyes are wide and bright, and she whines as she reciprocates the affection.

This is the first time our wolves are meeting each other, although it should've happened a long time ago. Maybe it would've made us realize that we were fated-true mates before all of this shit happened.

"Phoenix," she purrs through the mind-link.

The sound of her voice makes a full body shudder run through me.

"Fuck, little wolf. I missed you so much." My voice cracks with emotion, but I could care less what I sound like. All I care is that she's here with me right now, and she's fucking safe. She's alive.

Her scent is still masked with wolfsbane, it will be for a few days, but that feeling that I had a moment ago must've been her wolf's consciousness returning. But It doesn't make sense at all. Had they forgotten to give her another dose? Or was it on purpose so Zack could force her wolf to accept him as their mate?

My wolf growls, and Selene's wolf rolls onto her back, exposing her belly to us. Then, she licks my chin with her warm, wet tongue. Though our wolves are busy reuniting, there's an important question I need answered.

"Where the fuck are they?" I growl, referring to the fuckers who kidnapped her.

Her eyes snap to mine, and in a low voice, she admits, "Oh, about that...Zack's dead. I killed him."