He looked as terrifying as the day he blew Amber’s brains out, even more so because of the smirk on his scarred face that looked unnatural. His hair was still in a military buzz cut, and his brown eyes were just as dead as the Hunters who led her into the room. On her knees, his size was intimidating. His arms were massive, his muscles bulging, and his black vest top looked too small. She usually liked tattoos, especially Jax's, but this man's sleeve tattoos seemed too severe. Almost as if their message was as full of hate as he was. “I apologise for bringing you out so late,” he said as he walked forward. “I normally like to greet my guests straight away, but you were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to disturb you.” She shuffled back until he stopped, a grin on his face that showed how excited he was with the situation. “Look at you. You act like a meek little lamb; it’s easy to see why anyone would be taken in by the fake innocence,” the man said with a chuckle. “Who are

Layla drifted in and out of consciousness as they dragged her back down the hallways. Sunlight filtered through some skylights, so she guessed it was very late in the morning. It had been hours since they strapped her down and started butchering her. She didn’t know how long exactly since she passed out often. The fuckers hadn’t bothered to use any anaesthetic. The pain was excruciating, and the scent of her blood was overpowering. Now she understood why her wolf wasn’t coming to her aid when they were in so much danger, but she’d assumed she could still heal, even if it happened slowly. Her other senses seemed intact, even if her head was muddled. So why wasn’t she recovering? She’d just closed her eyes again, ignoring the pain from her knees scraping on the concrete floor, when something forced her to open them again. It took all her strength to lift her head, and the huge guards standing outside the restricted door loomed ahead, standing at attention with a hand on their weapons.

Cain didn’t bother hiding as he ran down the road leading to his gates. Dylan hadn’t been kidding. He sensed the dark magic all over his woods—Circle soldiers lying in wait as if they came prepared for war. Diedre reinforced the wards, so they probably couldn’t go in. But how did the Circle gone in? How were they rounding up his people? Two vampire assassins stood on either side of his gates as if they owned his pack’s property. Their eyes trailed his movements even though he was still going at breakneck speed, but they didn’t look concerned. Did they think they had already won? He had no time for this shit. He needed to go back to wait for the Hunters and send Gavin back to his chosen mate and kids. Without stopping, he launched over the high gates. The vampires didn’t even flinch. He should have killed all of them when he had the chance. Lesson learned. He’d gone soft when he’d been counting down the days to his death when the witch cursed him, and even more so after accepting

Jax opened his eyes slowly and stretched. Sunlight filtered into the bedroom through the large windows. It had been a while since he’d slept in. The sound of running water brought a smile to his face. Layla. She was the reason he slept in. She was the reason he was content. Fate had been a fucker until Layla walked into his life. It made his life hell so that he could appreciate the bond he shared with his chosen mate. It had been hard to accept at first, but he was glad Layla didn’t hold it against him. She was amazing. The air he breathed. He would gladly die when she did because life wasn’t worth living without her. The door opened, and Layla's sweet scent mixed with the smell of her floral shower gel filled the room. And when she walked out, his heart skipped a beat before it started to race. Still, after all this time, she brought out the same reaction. “You’re awake,” she said with a smile. The whole room lit up and his insides twisted. How did he get so fucking lucky? H

It was a fortress. A colossal monstrosity of wire and metal that lay hidden in the woods on the outskirts of Bluffhill. The scent of Hunters was as overwhelming as the stench of death that hung over it. Jax’s eyes were red and his claws extended as he watched from the treeline. There was a wall of Hunters guarding the perimeter, hidden from his view and a thick wall topped with barbed wire all around the property. He was willing to bet it was silver. ‘We should wait,’ Dylan said in the mindlink. ‘We need backup.’ Wait? His bond with Layla was still distorted, but her scent led him there. She was writhing his reach. How could he wait when he didn’t know what they were doing to her? He could sense hundreds of people inside, most likely all the wolves that had been kidnapped, but he could feel just as many Hunters. It had been hard enough fighting the few that came after him at the hotel. He could get many of them if shifted fully, but how would he fight their weapons? Going in blind