When he’d waited for death to come for him.
***
Pate ran from his office when he heard the howls. “Guards!” He bellowed. Something was wrong. The power never went off at this facility, and he could tell by their cries that the wolves were in pain.
No one answered his call.
He yanked his weapon out of its holster. He knew this facility like the back of his hand. No need for lights. He rushed down the hallway, heading first for Holly because he had to make sure his sister was alive and—
“I knew you’d go for her first.” The voice, low and familiar, came from the dark corridor to his right.
Pate spun around, but he moved too slowly. A blast echoed around him even as a bullet drove into his chest.
Pate hit the floor. He squeezed his fingers around the trigger of his weapon and managed to fire, but he didn’t know if the bullet found its target. So he fired again. Again.
He fired until his gun clicked and the chamber was empty.
***
The gunshots froze Holly in the hallway. Then the scent hit her. Blood.
Shane stiffened. “That’s not f**king good.”
They were almost to the holding room. So close. And she could hear his howls.
“You can follow the blood scent,” she said, her hands clenching in the fabric of Shane’s shirt. “Go—find out what’s happening!”
“I’m not leaving you on your own.”
There were no more gunshots. Just howls. Pain-filled howls erupting from Duncan’s room. “I’m not on my own,” she told him. “I’ll be with Duncan.”
“Yeah, that’s the problem. Do you hear that guy? You go in there, and he’ll rip you apart.”
“No, he won’t.” Holly said the words with absolute certainty. She trusted Duncan.
The room’s keypad was to her right. She knew the exact position of the numbers on the pad, so she typed in the code for the door quickly, then swiped her thumb over the lock.
The heavy door opened with a hiss.
“Follow the blood scent!” Holly ordered as she stepped into the room. “Go!”
Before he could speak, another growl sounded.
Holly looked across the room.
In the back corner, she saw the glow of silver. The collar. And it should never be glowing so brightly like that. That heavy glow meant the collar was burning at full intensity. A kill level. She fumbled, trying to input the necessary code into the collar’s remote. She typed in the override code that she’d created to disconnect the collar. To free Duncan.
Only…only the remote wasn’t working. She typed the code again and again, but—nothing.
The only reason that code wouldn’t work? Someone had reset the system.
Someone was trying to kill Duncan. Trying to kill all of the werewolves in the facility.
Payback.
Her gaze lifted from the glowing silver around Duncan’s neck, and she saw that his eyes—his eyes were glowing, too. Glowing with the power of his beast.
“Hol…ly…” More a growl than her name.
She licked lips gone too dry. Her fangs had started to burn in her mouth. Probably due to the fear that wanted to rise in her.
I won’t fear him.
Shane came up behind her. “What the hell is happening with his collar?”
“I think someone got in the system. The wolves are all howling because they’re hurting. The collars are set on full intensity.” She could feel Shane behind her. “If we don’t get the intensity lowered soon, they’ll die.”
“Turn his off!”
Duncan’s growls were worse. His eyes glowing even brighter.
“I can’t,” she said as hurried toward Duncan. “I can’t!”
Shane grabbed her and pulled her back.
Duncan stopped growling. Stopped howling.
His eyes stared right at her and Shane.
“I don’t…” Her words came in a weak whisper. “I don’t think you should be touching me.” Because in that darkness, she could see the full fury of Duncan’s stare.
“And I’m not letting him touch you,” Shane said as his grip tightened around her. “I told Pate I’d keep you safe. I damn well will. That collar isn’t gonna let him attack me—”
A snap came from the back corner. Like a bone breaking or—or a collar breaking. Being ripped apart. Because the collar wasn’t glowing around Duncan’s neck anymore. Two glowing chunks of silver were on the floor now.
“Ah, damn,” Shane muttered. “This is gonna hurt.”
Duncan’s glowing eyes were locked on him. Then Duncan was coming for Shane. Rushing forward. There was a thud as their bodies hit. They slammed into the floor. The scent of blood rose from the men, and Holly didn’t know which man was hurt.
The werewolf?
The vampire?
Her own fangs were out, and she wasn’t just going to stand there while they battled in front of her. These guys, they were the good guys, weren’t they?
Yes.
At least, Duncan was. She’d figure Shane out later.
So Holly yelled, “Stop!”
For an instant, they did.
Then they went right back to fighting. So she reached down and wrapped her arms around a body—a body with broad shoulders and a scent that had started to haunt her.
Duncan turned at once, and his arms curled around her, holding her tight. She could feel the rage vibrating in his body, but his hold on her was controlled, so careful.
“You shouldn’t…be here…” Duncan gritted.
“This is exactly where I need to be.”
“The moon…”
“It’s not all the way up yet.” Not yet. But close. They were running out of time. “So instead of you and Shane trying to beat the crap out of each other, let’s go find out who’s trying to kill the werewolves.”
His eyes widened. “The wolves?” Then his head jerked up, as if he’d just heard their cries.
“They’re howling. They’re hurting.” Her nails bit into his arms. “You’re an alpha. An alpha takes care of the others.” Your brother is out there.
He shuddered, then rasped, “Help…them…”
That’s what they had to do.
“Uh, you sure about this?” Shane muttered. “His collar is gone.”
And the moon was rising. Yes, she got it. But they didn’t have any options.
“Take us to the wolves,” Holly said.
Duncan’s fingers laced with hers. He ran from the room, pulling her with him. Shane rushed behind them.