Turn of the Moon (A Royal Shifters novel Book 1) (21 page)

“Holy fuck. He’s here! I’m covered in magic and he’s here. Ryker, where are you? I need you!”

Ryker’s panic became my own and I whimpered again. I wanted to shift, but couldn’t.
“Who’s he? So help me God if anyone touches you, I’ll fucking kill them.”

“That’s just it . . . I thought I’d already killed him.”

For a split second, everything went silent, and then every single emotion in Ryker’s body exploded into mine.
“How the fuck is that possible?”

Lifting me in his arms, Kade held me tight to his body, glaring down at me with an evil smirk. “Are you glad to see me?”

My body convulsed in pain. “How?” I choked.

“Now that, little wolf, is a story for another time. I wish we could say goodbye to my brother, but I’m sure I’ll be seeing him again soon. It’s gonna take forever to get his stench off your body.” He leaned down and licked my lips. “But I’m going to have fun doing it.”

I was completely helpless and there was nothing I could do about it. His evil laugh was all I heard as he carried me off into the woods and away from my pack . . . away from Ryker.

“Fuck! Bailey, where are you? I can’t scent you out.”

The darkness slowly crept in, and I could barely hold on as magic seeped into my veins.
“Kade has me. I can’t see anything.”

“Stay with me, Bailey! Whatever happens, I’ll find you! Stay strong and fight. I promise you’ll never be alone. I love you, angel.”

When I was unable to respond and felt our connection disappear,
Ryker’s agonizing howl could be heard in the distance. I focused on it until I could no longer feel my body. I had a week until the full moon, which meant I had a week to escape.

I’m not weak and I’m not a prisoner . . . I am an alpha. I won’t go down without a fight.

Ryker

F
or hours, I searched every goddamned trail. Bailey had been gone for six hours now and it felt like a fucking eternity. I couldn’t find her scent, or Kade’s; nor could I feel our connection through the bond. She was blocked off from me. When I found Kade, I was going to rip him limb from limb.

“Where do you think they took her?” Cedric asked.

“If I knew I’d be there, wouldn’t I?” I growled.

Everyone had gathered outside my house and even though I was outside, I felt like a caged animal, ready to attack. Fisting my hands in my hair, I paced the ground until Seraphina stepped in my path.

“Calm down, son. Being irrational isn’t going to get Bailey back. We need to think, to formulate a plan.”

“You need to call Sebastian and get him back here,” Tyla said. “He’ll be able to help.”

Clenching my teeth, I huffed and grabbed my phone. She had a point, but the last thing I wanted to hear was him bitch about how I let her be taken. Storming into my house, I slammed the door and dialed his number.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Whitemore? Miss me already?” he greeted, answering the phone.

“They have Bailey,” was all I could say.

The line went silent but then he came back on, laughing. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?”

“No,” I growled through clenched teeth. “I need your help, goddammit, so get here now. We’re leaving at dawn.”

“You’re serious aren’t you?”

“Just get back here,” was all I could say and then hung up the phone. The front door opened and Cedric walked in, followed by Tyla. Clenching my teeth, I looked at them. “Sebastian’s on his way.”

“Good, but that’s not why we’re in here. You have visitors,” Cedric said.

Huffing, I followed them out the door. Looking up, my yard was filled with wolves from the other packs and the alphas from my council.

Tate approached first, with Kami by his side. “We’re here to help. Bailey helped rescue Kami and I want to repay the debt. Let this be the first step in unifying our packs.”

“Same here,” Ian agreed, standing in front of the Northwestern wolves. “What do you want us to do?” All the alphas in my council pledged their oath to help, including Colton Redding from the red wolf pack and Chase Maheegan from the Timberwolf pack. If it wasn’t for Tyla and Kami inviting them to our party, they would’ve never been so close by.

Standing on my porch, I gazed out at the hundreds of wolves at my command. “I want you to fight for me, for Bailey, and for the wolves in general. The Yukon pack has murdered their way to the top, forcing their claim over lands and other wolves. I say we take it back. They need to be stopped. If you’re willing to risk your lives for this cause, then stay with me. We leave at dawn.”

With no hesitation, everyone stood their ground. I had my army.

The sun had just started to light up the sky when I heard tires screeching down the gravel road. “He’s here,” Tyla murmured. I threw my bag in the back of my truck and waited. I could feel his rage.

As soon as Micah pulled in, Sebastian got out and slammed the door. His glare trained solely on me. “How the
fuck
could you let them take her?” He marched over and pushed me hard. “I knew I shouldn’t have left.” We were nose to nose and I could feel my wolf stirring to get out. Anger boiled in my veins, red being all I could see. Unfortunately, he didn’t stop there. “None of this would’ve happened if I was here. You’re the reason she’s in this shit in the first place! It’s your pack that has her.”

Rearing back, I punched him as hard as I could in the face, his blood splattering on the ground. Before I could go at him again, Cedric and Tate pulled me back. Sebastian spit out a mouthful of blood, his wolf eyes blazing.

“I’m nothing like them,” I spat.

He started to come after me, but Tyla stood in his way. “
Enough!
”

“Let me go,” I growled. Cedric and Tate let me go and backed up. I stood my ground and waited for Sebastian to come after me. His nostrils flared, but he didn’t charge through Tyla.

She glared at us both through her wolf eyes. “You can blame each other all you want, but the fact remains, they came and got her with over a hundred wolves in this city. They would’ve gotten her no matter what. Now shut the fuck up and let’s go. We have to work together on this.” She threw her bag in the back of my truck and got in, slamming the door in her wake.

I looked at her through the window. “Your father will ream my ass if I let you go,” I said to her.

Huffing, she clenched her hands into tight fists. “Too fucking bad. I’m going. Bailey’s my friend and I’ll be damned if you’re going without me.”

“Or without me,” Seraphina added, appearing from the trees. Dressed in a pair of pants with her hair pulled back, she was ready for battle. I’d never seen her look so angry.

“You’ve absolutely lost your fucking mind. The pack can’t afford to lose you.”

She handed Tyla a bag and she threw it into the backseat with a smug look on her face. Seraphina stepped up to me, her gaze sad. “You need me, child. You’ll be going up against strong magic. Without me, you won’t get far, but with me . . . you have a fighting chance.”

“She’s right,” Sebastian said, sounding defeated.

Micah held up his hands and stepped forward. “What’s the plan? We can’t all head up there at the same time. The Yukon pack will smell us from miles away.”

I nodded. “That’s why I have us going in shifts. Some are traveling by car, the others by wolf. I’m sure the Yukons have relocated since I was last there, so I don’t know where they will be. That’s why I need you and your brother to help cloak me when we’re in the city. We’ll find out where they’re located and go from there. When it’s time to attack, I’ll alert everyone and have them move in.”

“All right, sounds like a plan,” Micah agreed. He slapped a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “You ready?”

Wiping the blood off his mouth, he nodded sharply. “Let’s go. We don’t want to waste any time. I know firsthand what the Yukons are capable of.”

I got in my truck and thoughts of my brother putting his hands on Bailey made me so goddamned pissed I couldn’t see straight. It was going to take days to track them down and the thought of what he could do in that time terrified me. Bailey was strong, but she could only do so much against an alpha male and a very powerful witch.

“Bailey, if you can hear me. I’m coming for you.”

Bailey

“R
ise and shine,” a voice whispered in my ear.

I tried to open my eyes, but the sun was too bright. Judging by the smell, we were in a hotel room. The bed was soft, yet every single inch of my body ached.

“Open your eyes, Bailey.”

Groaning, my hands were still bound so I couldn’t rub my eyes. “Maret,” I hissed, knowing it had to be her.