Page 66 of Once You Go Pack
The sensation hit him like a physical assault—Mila’s fear slamming through their connection with enough force to make him swerve the car. His hands shook as waves of panic and desperation flooded his system, emotions too intense to be his own.
She’s in danger.
His communicator buzzed urgently, and Martin’s grim face filled the screen.
“Cade, we’ve got a situation,” his Beta said without preamble. “Pack scouts just reported spotting Zarik and several rogue wolves heading into the eastern forest. They had someone with them—someone with golden hair.”
“Son of a bitch.” The words came out as a growl, his wolf surging so close to the surface that his canines lengthened. “Where?”
“Old logging road, about fifteen minutes from your position. But Cade?—“
“I’m on my way.”
Cade floored the accelerator, the royal car’s engine roaring as he tore down the mountain road. His mind raced with tactical possibilities, but underneath the strategy, pure alpha rage burned like molten steel.
That bastard took my mate when I was distracted by duty.
The drive felt endless, but Martin’s voice guided him through the communicator, relaying scout positions and terrain updates. By the time Cade reached the rendezvous point, a small group of Ice Moon pack members had assembled, their faces pale with the knowledge that their future queen was in enemy hands.
“The trail leads to an old hunting cabin about half a mile through the trees,” Martin reported, his sandy hair mussed from the rapid response. “Scouts confirm Zarik’s scent, plus two others. Rogues, by the smell of them.”
Cade’s nostrils flared, picking up his mate’s familiar scent beneath the sharper musk of wolves. The trail was fresh—maybe an hour old—and led deeper into the dense pine forest where shadows and undergrowth would provide perfect cover for an ambush.
“How do you want to handle this?” Martin asked, checking his weapons with practiced efficiency.
Cade’s first instinct was to shift and tear through the forest like an avenging demon, ripping apart anyone who’d dared touch his mate. But tactical training overrode bloodlust—barely.
“Surround the cabin, but stay hidden,” he ordered. “I need to assess the situation before we act.”
The approach through the forest felt like the longest walk of Cade’s life. Every step carried him closer to Mila’s scent, stronger now and tinged with fear and determination in equal measure. His wolf clawed at his control, demanding immediate action, but something about the emotional cocktail filtering through their sacred bond gave him pause.
She’s scared, but not broken,he realized as they crept through the underbrush.She’s fighting him off.
The hunting cabin came into view through a gap in the pines—a rustic structure with a single large window facing their position. Cade motioned for the warriors to take positions around the perimeter while he moved closer, using the massive tree trunks as cover.
What he saw through that window made his vision blur red.
Mila sat on a narrow bed, her hands bound behind her back, while Zarik loomed over her with predatory interest. He had shed his formal attire for simple dark clothing that emphasized his imposing frame, and the way he looked at Mila made Cade’s wolf howl with homicidal fury.
But it was Mila’s behavior that stopped him from crashing through the window immediately. Despite her bound hands and obvious fear, she was talking to Zarik—not pleading or cowering, but engaging him with what looked like calculated interest. Her blue eyes kept flicking to something at Zarik’s hip, and Cade followed her gaze to see a hunting knife strapped to the bastard’s belt.
She’s planning something,he realized with a mixture of pride and terror.My brilliant mate is trying to manipulate him into letting his guard down.
Through their true bond, Cade sent a pulse of warmth and presence—a silent signal that he was there, that help had arrived. He felt Mila’s response immediately, a flicker of relief and renewed determination that steadied his own racing heart.
Trust me,her emotions seemed to whisper.
Cade soon pressed himself against the rough logs of the cabin wall, his wolf senses straining to catch every word filtering through the thin wooden barrier. What he heard made his blood boil.
“Just let me have you, and I’ll make it worth your while,” Zarik’s voice carried clearly through the window, smooth as poisoned honey. “Once you’re my queen, we can take down your weak mate once and for all. Rule the Ice Mountains the way they were meant to be ruled—with strength and control.”
Bastard.Cade’s muscles coiled as his wolf clawed for release with murderous intent. The urge to crash through that window and tear Zarik’s throat out nearly overwhelmed him.
“Cade doesn’t understand what real leadership requires,” Zarik continued, his tone growing more persuasive. “All that compassion and unity nonsense—it makes a territory weak. Vulnerable. But together, you and I could build something truly powerful.”
Cade fought to keep his breathing steady as Mila’s voice responded, honeyed and considering.
“You know, you might have a point,” she said, and Cade’s heart stopped for a terrifying moment before their bond pulsed with deliberate calm.
