Page 47 of Betrayed Kidnapped Mate

I turn to Rosa, putting my hands on her shoulders. Based on what Aris is saying, we don’t have time to take Rosa up to the house before going to Ado, which means she’s going to be here alone. My entire body rebels against leaving her here, where her father could get to her, but I can’t say no to Aris, and Ado needs us.

“Stay here, do you understand? Do not leave this house for any reason until I get back.”

I expect her to say something like don’t tell me what to do, but she just nods, tears in her eyes as she glances between Aris and me.

“Be safe,” she says, reaching up and pressing a hard kiss to my lips. I feel the mating bond shifting between us, growing stronger with each piece of herself that she gives to me. It makes me feel stronger and more capable, but also far more protective over her.

“I’m coming back to you,” I say, before turning and walking out the door with Aris. When we reach the edge of my property, we shift, taking off through the fields, which eventually turn to woods.

It feels good to stretch my muscles, to run in wolf form, and we push ourselves harder and harder, flying through the trees faster and faster. It reminds me of those days before killing Varun, living in these trees, shifting nearly every day to fight.

The woods at this time of day are just as beautiful as the lake, and for a fleeting moment, I wish Rosa was here to see it; then I push the feeling away, feeling ridiculous. Of course, I don’t want her here—I don’t even want her at my house, alone.

I want this to be over, to have Rosa and Kaila safe, unafraid of Amon. It dawns on me, suddenly that if I want a happy future, a good childhood for my daughter, I’ll have to make sure Amon dies, one way or another.

I smell them, which pulls me out of my thoughts. The scent comes before we see them—the sharp, acrid fear coming from Ado, and that slightly off smell that’s just like Percy, but also not. When we come into the clearing, Ado is shifted, his wolf pure white, circling and snapping at Percy, who’s in his human form but brandishing a weapon.

It’s like a slap to the face, seeing Percy here, alive, after all these years. We all thought he was dead, gone to the serum, and I don’t even want to imagine what he must have been going through in the meantime.

How is he alive? How have we not seen him in the area? How did he survive the serum this long?

Ado is trying to keep him contained without either of them getting hurt, and Ado already has a long, angry slash bleeding along his side. I can feel him projecting to Percy again and again, but Percy seems unable to hear it, or he’s ignoring Ado completely.

“Let me go,” Percy growls, his voice raw and wounded, like he has to rip it open to use it. It drives directly into my heart.

Aris and I sprint into the clearing, pushing between Ado and Percy, circling so we have him surrounded on all sides. Aris projects to Percy for him to stand down, but he clearly doesn’t hear, or can’t listen. He’s still brandishing the knife, spinning around, his eyes wide and rabid as he looks at us.

Percy looks different. Much, much stronger than before. Bigger, physically, both taller and wider than when we last saw him. His golden curls are falling into his face, matted and greasy. I don’t recognize the clothing he’s wearing. His chest is heaving, his hair is much longer and a mess, and his facial hair is coming in patches over his jaw.

I remember a moment together in a hotel room during one of our missions, just before heading back to HQ.

Why are you shaving? You’ve got nothing to shave.

Oh, shut up, Bigby, I know I can’t grow a beard to save my life.

We can’t let Percy hurt anyone else.

We can’t let him hurt himself.

Percy was always the lightest of all of us, the one willing to make a joke to brighten the spirits. It’s most unfair to him for this to be his fate.

Aris, Ado, and I try to calm him down, try to subdue him, but every time we get close, he brandishes his knife—and he’s a trained shifter killer. Without killing him, we can’t take him down gently. We need something like a tranquilizer, which we don’t have.

I’m a meaty wolf; I know that. If anyone is going to make it through a knife wound from Percy, it’s me.

I’m going, I project to them, ignoring their protests. Percy deserves better than this. I won’t let it go on for a second longer.

Tears brim in my eyes as I launch at him, wrapping him up and bringing him down to the ground, feeling the sharp sting of his blade on my side as he screams in my ear.

Chapter 26 - Rosa

The second Bigby disappears around the corner, I get a call from Olivia.

“Rosa!” she sounds keyed up, like she does sometimes when she spends the entire night on her computer. “I figured it out!”

“Figured what out?” I ask, closing the door and pacing into the living room. I know staying here is the best idea, but I feel restless.

“The intruder at the compound. I knew they didn’t hack into the system. As much as I hate Byron, his fire walls are actually decent. I was cross-checking the fingerprinting database with current users and noticed an abnormality. There was an entry missing a name and credentials. Just a print, connected to nothing else. Like a ghost profile.”

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