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I thought about it over and over. How could I save Aerin, find out how many Raleighs we’re dealing with, and discover where the omegas are without putting anyone at risk? This was the only way.

I didn’t recognize Franklin when I’d slid out of my car and he’d approached. But there had been something about him that had felt familiar. Maybe my wolf recognized him as former kin before I did. He’d smiled and asked me to hand over my cell phone.

So he doesn’t completely trust me.

That’s okay. I don’t need him to trust me. I just need him to let Aerin go and then I can work at freeing the omegas myself.

Aerin stirs in my arms, and I look down at the woman I love.

Her eyelashes are long, thick, and dark shadows on her cheeks.

She smiles. “Hey.”

I soak up that pleasure I feel at that smile, and draw her closer, kissing her softly. “Morning, love. How’d you sleep?”

“Amazing. Thumper didn’t kick me in the kidney once.”

I grin at her. “Good times.”

But her smile slowly fades and I dread her next question. “Mack, what are you doing here and what’s going to happen now?”

“We’re going to spend the day together.”

She shakes her head, leaning back when I move to kiss her. “That isn’t what I meant. You’re here and they…” She darts a rapid glance at the closed bedroom door. “They killed Shane.”

“They won’t kill me,” I tell her.

That isn’t what they want from me. Though, when I help the kidnapped omegas escape, I doubt they’ll feel as kindly toward me as they once did.

“And that man…” Her voice trails off again.

I struggle to hide my anger from her. “No one will be creeping into your room again.”

She looks poised to ask another question, but before she can, I kiss her and get to my feet. “Are you hungry? I should?—”

She grabs my hands and holds on, her nails digging into my wrists.

“You can’t go out there,” she whispers.

I give her a gentle smile. “They know I’m here, Aerin.”

Her grip tightens. “That’s all the more reason to stay in here until we find a way to escape.”

“We don’t need to escape,” I assure her.

“Why not?”

I kiss the tip of her nose and gently pull my hands free. “Because I’ve worked out everything. Wait here. I’ll grab us breakfast. And stop worrying, everything will be okay.”

I feel her gaze boring a hole into my back as I walk over to the door. After giving her one last smile, I open the door and step out, pulling the door closed behind me.

The moment it snicks shut, my smile slides off my face, because standing in the hallway, a few doors away, is Franklin. He’s leaning against the wall, both hands stuffed in his pocketsand his head angled my way. As if he was waiting for me to emerge.

He opens his mouth.

I hold up my hand to silence him and walk toward him, away from Aerin, so she won’t hear our conversation, because there are things she doesn’t need to know yet.

“As you saw, she’s fine. None of us have put a hand on her,” Franklin says.

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