Page 28 of Ruthless Reign

We briefed the unified team before we departed from Shadow Creek, giving them the heads up that it was likely that we were heading into a fight. Just as I expected, no one shied away. Everyone looked prepared, nodding to signify their understanding.

I have every faith in my guys, and by association, I know the other packs will be fine too. They train as hard as we do, preparing for situations like this. Well, maybe notthisspecifically, but any type of fight with other wolves.

Judging by our pace and the distance to Silverpine Meadows, we should arrive early afternoon.

Maverick apparently has a pretty good idea of the boundaries, and we'll stop to regroup before we cross the border so we can brief everyone. I'm anticipating resistance immediately, and we need to ensure we have a plan to break through their barriers. Hopefully by the time we enter their land, I'll be able to sense her location. I don't expect her to be in plain sight, but between Maverick and I, we will use whatever connection we have to find her as quickly as possible.

The only sounds around us are the thunderous footsteps as we run together. Everyone has shifted to increase our speed, and the silence is a little ominous.

I want to keep my mind open and alert in case Nyx is able to reach out again, but every so often, Beau mind links me to check in.

I didn't ask him to come along. My brotherly instincts wanted to protect him—but he insisted on being by my side. If not for himself, for Lena. Apparently, she is wracked with anxiety. I almost ordered him to stay behind, but I could see the determination in his eyes, and I caved. The fact that all of these people want to find my girl means a lot.

As we sprint through a gap in the trees, I look to my left, eyeing Daxton. He spots me staring, large eyes gazing back at me out of his peripheral vision, and he gives me a small nod.

Switching to the right, I find Maverick, who blatantly ignores my glances. Wyatt is on the other side of him, pounding the ground as if he's on his own personal mission. I'm thankful for his support—because I know we're going to need it.

Beau is right behind me, almost clipping my back legs as he keeps pace.

The sun is just starting to take its place in the sky, little droplets of condensation falling off bushes and shrubs, making the ground damp beneath us. But we continue charging ahead, not bothering to mask our appearance or hide our tracks.

They know we are coming. I hope they are terrified.

It just makes me wonder how much they know. Surely, they would assume my pack and Daxton's would be heading toward them. Maverick was in the woods with her when they attacked, so I'd wager that they are expecting him too. Wyatt is our wildcard, and if it comes to it, hopefully we can use that to our advantage.

After a few more hours of running, Daxton signals to me that we should take a break. Personally, I don't need one—but I nod, agreeing for the sake of the others. I can't expect them to enterthe New Moon territory after running continuously for hours on end—they need their strength for what's ahead.

We find a small clearing, surrounded by trees and broken, chipped boulders, halting our travel. Slipping behind a large tree, I shift back, hastily pulling on some clothes from a backpack secured around Knox's body.

My Beta has been oddly quiet about the whole ordeal, but I'm no stranger to reading him. I know he's had some concerns about Nyx from the moment we bonded. He may not have voiced them out loud, but I can see it in his body language, and the way he speaks about our plans to bring her back to Summer Valley.

I can understand his concern. I'm sure he's not the only one. We like to have things thoroughly planned—surprises aren't something we welcome with open arms. They can cause chaos, even at the best of times.

When Maverick arrived and we realized the depth of the situation, things became unprecedented. Many questions were birthed, leading us to scatter, to work out what this dynamic would look like.

I have to admit, when Maverick made no attempt to connect with Nyx, I was ecstatic. We could stick to our original plans—organizing the Luna ceremony and Nyx's impending move to the pack. But slowly, we all felt things change, and I knew I was going to have to go back to the drawing board.

How could I share my luna with another alpha? Not having her by my side all the time was going to be a challenge. Still, I was open to considering an agreement with Maverick—even if I wanted to punch him in the face most of the time.

I'm still yet to address my pack back home, to go into larger detail about the dynamic. I had planned to do it at the Luna ceremony, using the opportunity while we were in Summer Valley to draw up ideas. But I could tell by Nyx's demeanor that something was up with her and Maverick. As much as I wouldlove to have her all to myself, seeing her miserable, well, that outweighs everything. I should know better—at the end of the day, the pack needs to come first. But how can I disregard and dismiss her feelings?

Part of me wanted to address it with Maverick—man to man. But Daxton had shut down that idea when he realized, telling me to let them work it out between them because he could see Maverick battling with his own conflicted feelings.

That has to be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. To stand aside, giving someone else the power to make decisions which would ultimately affect my pack. It's unnatural, uncomfortable… but then again, there's nothing normal about this situation.

All that went out the window when she was ripped away from me. My future was disappearing before my eyes, filling me with agonizing pain that felt like a thousand deaths.

I refuse to lose her. In any capacity.

Even if that means dealing with Maverick when she's back safely.

"We're only a few hours out," Daxton says, walking over to me. "It's time to go over a plan of attack."

I nod, glancing over casually as Maverick makes his way to us. His face is tense, completely void of emotion as he stands with us. It would be interesting to know what's going through his head right now—whether he's doing this out of duty or out of need for Nyx. Either way, there's no time to worry about that. Nor do I have the mental capacity to deal with him.

"We need to run on the assumption that they know we are approaching," he states. "It's likely they will be ready and waiting."

"Our best option is to create an element of surprise," I add. "They might know we are coming, but they won't know when."

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