Page 91 of Wulf's Pack
After quickly introducing Brett and Ashlyn, I give the pack a rundown of the situation. Ashlyn spreads her map of the compound out on a table, and the pack gathers around us to get a good look. I stand in front of them, lifting one foot to set on the bench, and lean over the table, pointing down at the map.
Five main buildings are laid out in an X shape like the five dots on the side of a six-sided die. I point to the buildings on the outside edges, starting with the two on the left. “This is the Lapeer Pack’s compound. There are two residential homes here, and here.” The third square I point to is the house near the front gate. “This is the alpha’s house.” I move my finger to the fourth building in the back corner. “This is a security building. It has a surveillance room, an armory, and several holding cells. I assume this is where they’re keeping Skylar and any of the coyotes who resisted the takeover, if they didn’t kill them outright.”
When Ashlyn stiffens and pulls in a sharp breath through her nose, a tinge of guilt pinches me at my bluntness. But we need to lay out all the facts and possibilities. Sugarcoating things won’t help anyone. After this is over, I will do what I can to help her grieve. I’m sure Skylar will want to do all she can for this pack, and an omega will be the best thing for them to soothe their hearts after the trauma.
I give Ashlyn’s shoulder a supportive squeeze and then keep on with the brief. Better to keep her focused on the mission ahead instead of the unknown possibilities that are out of our control.
I point to a rectangle in the middle of the three houses and the security building. “This is a communal rec room—kitchen, media, games, lounge area.”
I move my hand to the edge of the lake and the small building beside the dock. “This is a boathouse. Nothing in it except water toys. On the other side of the dock here is the playground for the kids. The playhouse is the entrance to the tunnel. That’s our entry point. It’s fairly open. We’ll have to be careful to get in undetected, but there’s a small utility shed and thick woods behind the playground that we can take cover behind until we’re all safely inside.”
Heads nod all around the group. It’s a fairly straightforward layout. I turn my attention to my hawks. “Ben and Isabella scouted the property while you guys were on your way. What can you tell us?”
Isabella steps forward. The others make room for her to get close to the map. She points to the front gate. “This is the only entrance to the property aside from the lake. The entire place is warded, fenced, and under surveillance. There are two guards posted at the gate and another two posted at the dock in the back of the compound. We didn’t see anyone anywhere else along theperimeter or roaming the woods, but there could be a few hidden in the trees that we missed.
“The majority of the pack is hanging out in the rec room or moving from there to the house in the back of the compound and the security building. The utility shed and the boathouse seem to be unguarded. We noticed only a handful of wolves coming and going from the two houses at the front. We believe the one on the left—not the alpha’s house—is where they’re holding hostages, but we can’t be sure. The only building we could get a look inside was the rec room. There are two women being held there who were cooking for the pack. One of them delivered a bunch of food to the front house.”
“Which women?” Ashlyn asks, hope saturating her voice.
Ben clears his throat. “A shorter woman with long, curly dark hair, and a younger woman. Taller, with red hair.”
I glance at Ashlyn, silently asking for any insight she may have. She wrings her hands in front of her. “Jemma and Jane. Jemma’s a weaker alpha, but Jane is Alpha Mike’s daughter, and very strong. Both are good fighters. We all are, except for the younger kids. We’ve been training hard since we left Wisconsin. Jemma and Jane will be helpful in a fight.”
Some good news, then. Coyotes aren’t as strong or as large as wolves, but they’re known to be quick and agile. If they’re well-trained, they may stand a chance against Victor’s wolves, and it’ll be nice to have two extra fighters on our side.
Isabella points at the map again, tapping the square near the back across from the security building. “We figure they’re using this one as a bunkhouse since so many of them keep going in and out. The back end of the compound is much more heavily occupied than the front, but we weren’t able to figure out numbers. All of the buildings are being used, but we don’t know how many wolves we’ll find in each one aside from the fact thatwe counted at least twelve using the rec room and bunkhouse, plus the four guards stationed at the front gate and the dock.”
I do the mental math. “That leaves about nine spread out between the other three buildings. If the front two are quieter, I’d assume there are only two or three in each, with the other four or five in the security room.”
The pack falls silent as they all absorb the information and study the map. “What are our hostage numbers?” Dennis asks.
I’m not surprised he’s thinking strategically. He’s been working as a mercenary for hire for years.
Ashlyn glances at me, and when I give her an encouraging nod, she takes a deep breath and addresses the pack. “Well, there’s Jane and Jemma in the rec room. Aside from them, Aunt Lisa and Daniel are the only other adults.” She swallows hard and whispers in a shaky voice, “They wouldn’t have gone down without a fight.”
Ashlyn’s eyes gloss over with tears, and Brett wraps his arm around her, tucking her into his side.
I clear my throat and try to say my next thought as delicately as possible. “They may have been killed along with their alpha and beta, but if they’re alive, they’re probably in the holding cells in the security building. I assume that’s where they’re keeping Skylar too.”
“What about the children?” Elise asks softly.
Ashlyn shudders and wipes at her face. “Aside from me, there are five.” She chokes on her words. “Tally, Jeff, Zach, Katie, and Reese. Tally is seventeen, same as me, and has some training. Reese is the youngest at two years old. The others are twelve, eight, and five.”
Everyone murmurs at this. The thought of such young children being held prisoner away from their parents after feeling their bonds with their alpha sever is awful.
“Those poor kids,” Sophia whispers. “They must be terrified.”
“We’ll get them out,” I promise. And we will. Skylar is my priority, and killing Victor, but we won’t leave any of Ashlyn’s pack behind, and we’ll do our best to protect them and get them to safety as quickly as we can.
I push off the table and stretch my back. Looking out over my pack again, I rub my neck and shoulders with both hands. My whole body is stiff from anxiety, tension, and impatience. We need to get moving.
“They have about twenty-five to our nineteen, and every single one of them is a strong alpha male, highly trained and violent. They’re lethal, and considering we helped destroy their home and killed off 75 percent of their pack, they’re going to be out for blood. They’ll come at you hard and show you no mercy. You’re going to have to be fast, fight smart, and do not hesitate. It’s kill or be killed.”
My stomach churns, and I again have to push aside a sea of doubt. We will do this. We have to. Everyone’s faces fill with fear. I hate to psych them out, but they need to know exactly what they’re up against.
Before everyone can dwell on the fear too much, I start handing out assignments. “We’ll want to get to the children first before the wolves can hurt them.”
Ashlyn raises her hand. “I can go get them. They know me. They’ll trust me.”
