Page 37 of Jasper

“Look, someone covered the cameras,” Jupiter said, pointing to the equipment on the wall. “Damn it, that’s not supposed to be possible.”

“They covered the cameras and broke through the fencing that we had installed to close up the original gate,” Joss said. “They worked fast because our patrols pass this area once an hour.”

“You know where they took her,” Jupiter said. “We’ll get a group together and go get her back.”

Finn joined them, with a shivering Viola at his side. “I’m so sorry, Jasper,” he said gravely. “We’ll get Melody back.”

With a sharp nod, Jasper turned with a growl and stalked away from the apartment complex. The sooner they got on the road to Northbelle, the faster he could get his mate back in his arms and put the threat down for good.

Lucius used his thumb to crack the knuckles on his right hand while he handled the wheel of the SUV. In the passenger seat was his growling friend Jasper, who was staring at his phone and texting with his alpha Joss in a following vehicle.

Jasper dropped his phone in the cup holder with a snort. “I’m so fucking pissed.”

“Understandable,” Lucius said. He glanced in the rearview at Melody’s parents, who were sitting shoulder to shoulder and staring out the window without speaking. They looked like statues carved during a period of grief, forever etched with pain on their faces.

He glanced at his friend. “We’ll get her back.”

“I’m so fucking worried they’ve hurt her. That male is…not sane.” Jasper rubbed the space over his heart.

That was probably the understatement of the year. The male had stolen into the pack’s territory and killed the alpha, hismate, and their adult son. Then he’d used the mates to force the high-ranked males into the prison.

Lucius’s former lion pride had a leader who was an asshole and liked to punish his people publicly, but they never had a prison in their territory. There was something severely fucked-up about that.

“We’ve got a lot more people with us this time,” he pointed out. “I’m sure we’ll get her safely back and ensure he never comes near Melody or the park again.”

Jasper growled in agreement. “Thanks for coming with me. Again.”

“That’s what friends are for. I know you’d help me in a heartbeat if I needed it. It’s no hardship to stand with you and help get your mate back.”

“I hope you never have to deal with this.”

“Well, hell yes, I hope so too. But of course I haven’t found my soulmate yet, so who knows what the future will bring.”

“I hope you find her soon,” Jasper said. “It’s the best feeling in the world—but also terrifying because you know someone is relying on you to keep them safe. I failed, and I hate myself for it.”

“You didn’t fail,” Lucius said. “We had no way of knowing that they found out where you took her and her parents. I still don’t know how they found us; we’re in another damn state.”

“I don’t know either.” Jasper blew out a breath.

The GPS screen lit up as Joss called them on Lucius’s phone. He pressed the button to answer.

“What’s up, Joss?” he asked.

“We’re approaching from the north side of the territory, not the south.”

Finn spoke up from the back seat. “Why?”

“Because our people came in from the south last time,” Joss answered. “Jasper, you can navigate?”

“On it,” Jasper said.

“We’ll follow you,” Joss said.

The call ended and Jasper fiddled with the GPS screen, and in a few minutes, a new route was directing Lucius to the opposite side of the pack’s territory.

Jasper looked over his shoulder at his in-laws. “You don’t agree.”

“I need to set the other high-ranked males free. Your friends aren’t willing to kill the intruders, and I can’t take on so many males on my own.”

---