Page 78 of The Alpha's Broken Oath

Instead, Deacon's hand grips my chin, and he swipes my tears away with his thumb.

“I knew they were mine as soon as I saw them. This is not your fault. We are going to find them, baby. I'm going to search every fucking inch of this city till I find our boys.”

His gaze is soft, but his words are filled with just as much rage as mine.

The look on his face is the same as mine. Like we've lost half of our hearts, and we'll do everything to bring them back.

Just as soon as Deacon finishes assuring me, a sharp ping echoes in the air.

I watch as Deacon steps away to take his phone from his pockets.

I watch as his eyes light ablaze as he looks at his phone.

Curiosity and a gnawing feeling that this concerns our boys eat me from the inside, and I move forward, taking Deacon's phone from his hands.

There's one message from Crystal, and it's as clear as lightning in a dark sky.

You and Winter have twenty-four hours to show up at this location, or your sons will pay dearly.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

DEACON

Cliffside Peak. That’s the location Crystal sent with an attachment of my boys staring at the camera with scared faces.

Yesterday, my biggest worry was getting Winter to listen to me and give me a chance.

Today, shit has hit the fan so much that everything I thought was under control is seeping through my fingers faster than I can stop it.

Martin told me that Crystal got on a plane and went back home almost a week ago. The kid was wrong, and if I had time, I would rip him a new one for the misinformation.

Crystal never went home because she has my kids, and she’s threatening to end them if Winter and I don’t get there in time.

On the other hand, Jacob is alive. My best friend, the man I’d considered my brother, thought I had betrayed him. The consequence of that is he took my kids to Crystal. How long have they been working together?

Did Crystal know Jake was alive all this time, and she didn’t say shit about it to me for all those years? What did she do to Jacob to make him betray his sister?

My head ticks with a headache. One of my hands tightens against the steering wheel, and the other hand squeezes Winter’s thigh.

The air between us hangs heavy with fear. It’s the kind of fear that invades your nostrils and makes its way to your lungs before wrenching all the air out of you.

The road in front of us that stretched like a long-winding snake with no end a few minutes ago has now been reduced to a thin pathway that gets narrower from the thick fog and the tall trees.

My mate has been quiet, never really speaking to me but never really letting go of my hand that’s on top of her thigh.

“We should have called the cops,” Winter finally speaks, her voice cracking.

In Bracken City, there are authorities who maintain peace and order and handle these types of things. In my pack and most packs, the Alpha takes charge of situations like this.

I’m the Alpha, and they are my kids, and there’s no way I’m leaving the fate of my sons’ lives in the hands of people I do not know nor trust.

“The cops being with us will complicate things. Crystal wants us both there. If we show up with someone else, she might snap and hurt Addie and Ash.”

Winter snorts back tear and holds onto my hand even tighter. With those green eyes of hers on me, she asks, “Do you think…he would hurt them? Jake was sweet and kind once. Tell me he would never hurt people he cares about. Tell me my brother's still in there somewhere, Deacon.”

Seeing her tears makes me want to rip myself from the inside out.

I should lie to her and put her at ease, but her brother took our kids, knowing full well that they’d be in danger in Crystal’s hands.

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