Page 69 of The Alpha's Fated Bond

“They’re gone. Karina’s people are gone.”

Chapter 15

Alex

The three of us head to the storehouse, which is a small, barn-like building at the edge of the village where we keep our supplies. Jared is still there, looking for clues. With him and Patrick guarding the place, there is no way Karina’s people should have been able to escape.

I glare at my men. “What happened?”

They both look ashamed, but Patrick is also wearing a troubled expression. “Somebody dropped off some coffee for us. We don’t know who—it was just sitting on one of the chairs outside, in a thermos from the mess hall. The children often play in this area, so there were too many scents for us to pick up on any particular one. About half an hour after we drank it, we passed out.”

“You were drugged?” Sophia asks sharply. “But who…”

“Were the chains broken, or –?”

Jared shakes his head at my question. “They were undone. The latch on them had been opened. They wouldn’t have been able to do it themselves. Somebody else released them.”

“It was an inside job, then.” I murmur. “That means we have a spy among us.”

“How is that possible?” Jared demands. “Everyone in this village has been with us since the beginning. They wouldn’t betray us!”

I want to agree with him, but this is the only answer I can think of. “What about the injured soldiers in the infirmary?”

“They also escaped,” Patrick informs me, his tone grim. “I just got the message from Saul. Same story. The night nurse found a cup of coffee waiting for her by her desk. She drank it and passed out. Saul had gone home to grab a change of clothes. When he returned, she was out like a light.”

“This is not good.” I look around the barn. “We’re out of time, then. It will only take Karina’s people a day or so to find someplace where they can send her a message.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Patrick intervenes. “No pack will let them in, and the closest human city is quite a ways from here. Even if they’re in wolf form, it will take them at least four days to reach one. If we go after them right now—”

I shake my head. “If somebody betrayed us, they would have arranged transportation of some kind. We can’t take the risk of sending our most able-bodied men after them. We have to stay here and figure out a way to get the situation under control. Sophia, I want you to work with Nathan and Lily to unlink the rest of the children. Now. We have no time to waste.”

Sophia nods and hurries after Nathan, who has been standing by the door of the barn. It’s still dark outside, so they’ll probably have to go get Lily out of bed. Once Sophia is out of sight, I look at Jared and Patrick. Saul is still at the infirmary.

“You know what this means, don’t you?”

Patrick understands immediately. “Karina is about to have the excuse she was looking for to annihilate our pack.”

“We have to get our people out of here.” I stick my hands in my pockets, trying to keep a level head. “Those who can fight should stay here, to buy time for those who need to escape. Let’s call a pack meeting and tell them about the situation—and about the existence of the tunnels.”

Patrick stops me. “What if the traitor is still here?”

“Do you think he is?” I consider the possibility. “Wouldn’t he have followed after them? If he betrayed us, then he’s probably expecting Karina’s army to descend upon us. He may have already arranged a way out.”

“That’s true,” Patrick concedes. “So, what now?”

This is the second time in twenty-four hours that somebody has asked me that.

“We take an hour to come up with a plan, and then we start evacuations immediately. Contact our units and tell them to get back here. We need all the help we can get.”

“What about the talks with the other pack leaders?” Jared asks.

“We do need their help,” I say darkly. “Our priority has to be getting the pack to safety, though, especially the women and children. If the nannies and soldiers manage to get word to the Queen, Sophia will be in more danger than ever. Karina will come for her. I will see if I can rally the rest of the packs by telling them about Sophia. I won’t be able to prove to them what she can do, but hopefully they’ll trust me and join with us.”

“That’s a risk,” Patrick points out. “Especially now. Currently, we still have at least four days, give or take one day. If you reach out to the other pack leaders, there’s no knowing how they’ll react.We can’t assume that they’re going to want to support us. They could decide to come after Sophia. Or they may contact Karina to curry her favor.”

I don’t want to lie to my friends by pretending to know what will happen. “I’ve considered all of that, but we’re out of options now. The bottom line is that Karina is going to find out that Sophia is the Silver Wolf. And when she does, there’s no place she won’t burn to the ground to get her hands on her. We have to launch an offensive, and for that, we need the strength of the rest of the packs behind us.”

I stare at the piles of chains in the barn one last time before turning on my heel. “Come on. Let’s go to my office and work out the evacuation plan. Then, we’ll wake up the rest of the pack. Time is not on our side.”

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