LUNA'S POV
"ASHER!"
My scream tears through the estate like a wounded animal. I'm already shifting, my wolf clawing to get out, silver fur erupting across my skin.
Kieran grabs my arm, stopping me mid-transformation. "Luna, wait—"
"LET GO!" I wrench free, my power exploding outward. "My son is out there with those monsters and you're telling me to WAIT?"
"If you go charging out there blind, you'll get him killed!" Kieran's Alpha command slams into me, forcing me to pause. "Think! They want you to run after him. It's a trap."
He's right. I hate that he's right.
Cass groans from the floor. I drop to my knees beside her, checking her pulse. She's alive, bleeding from a head wound, but alive.
"What happened?" I demand, helping her sit up. "Where did they take him?"
"They came through the window." Cass's voice is weak, slurred. "Three of them. I fought but they were too fast. One grabbed Asher, jumped out, and—" She sways dangerously. "I'm sorry, Luna. I tried to stop them—"
"It's not your fault." I hug her quickly before standing. My entire body is shaking with rage and terror. "Which direction?"
"East. Toward the forest."
Kieran is already on his phone, barking orders. "Lock down the estate. I want every warrior mobilized. Track the scent east into the woods. Nobody sleeps until we find that child."
Dante bursts into the room with a dozen Volkov warriors behind him. His eyes go immediately to the open window, then to me. "How long?"
"Five minutes. Maybe less."
"Then they're still close." Dante starts stripping off his jacket, preparing to shift. "My trackers are the best in the region. We'll find him."
"WE'LL find him," Kieran corrects, his voice dangerous. "He's my son. My heir. This is my hunt."
"He's Luna's son first. And she's under MY protection."
The two Alphas face off, their combined power making the air crackle. I want to scream at them to stop posturing and START SEARCHING, but Marcus rushes in before I can.
"Alpha, we have a problem. The rogues left another message. Carved into the tree outside the window."
"What does it say?" My voice doesn't sound like mine anymore.
Marcus's face is grim. "It says: 'The True Luna for the Alpha's son. Dawn at the old mill. Come alone or he dies.'"
The old mill. I know that place. It's on the border between Blackwood and neutral territory—the perfect spot for an ambush. They'll have escape routes, high ground advantage, probably reinforcements hidden.
I don't care.
"I'm going." I head for the door, but Kieran blocks my path.
"Like hell you are. It's a trap, Luna. They'll kill you and Asher both."
"Then what do you suggest? We wait here while they hurt my baby?" My voice breaks on the last word. "He's four years old, Kieran. He must be so scared—"
"I know." Kieran's expression softens for just a moment. "Which is why we're going to be smart about this. We have hours until dawn. That gives us time to plan, to position warriors, to—"
"To what? Let them torture him while we strategize?" I shove past him. "You might be willing to sacrifice your son for tactics, but I'm not."
The words hit Kieran like a physical blow. "That's not fair."
"Nothing about this is fair!" I'm shouting now, five years of pain pouring out. "You rejected me, I raised Asher alone, and now he's been taken because of YOUR enemies! Because being connected to the great Alpha Blackwood makes him a target!"
"You think I don't know that?" Kieran's control shatters. "You think I don't feel every second of his fear through the bond? He's MY SON, Luna! I just found out he exists and now he might die before I ever get to hold him!"
The raw anguish in his voice stops me cold.
Dante steps between us. "Enough. Both of you. Fighting doesn't save the boy. We need a plan."
He's right. I force myself to breathe, to think past the terror clawing at my throat.
"The old mill has three access points," Marcus says, spreading a map on the bed. "North, south, and the main road west. If we position warriors at each point—"
"They'll see us coming," I interrupt. "These aren't stupid rogues. They've been planning this for weeks, maybe months. They'll have scouts watching every approach."
"Then how do we get Asher out?" Cass asks weakly.
I stare at the map, my mind racing. The old mill backs up to the river. The current is fast this time of year, dangerous, but...
"The water," I say slowly. "We approach from downstream. Underwater. They won't expect that."
Kieran studies the map, then nods. "It could work. We send a team through the water while the main force creates a distraction at the western road."
"I'll lead the water team," I say immediately.
"No. You're what they want. If you get captured—"
"I don't care what they want! Asher needs me!"
"He needs you alive." Kieran's eyes lock with mine. "Luna, please. For once, let someone else protect you. Let me protect our son."
The please breaks something in me. Kieran Blackwood doesn't beg. Doesn't ask. Commands and expects obedience.
But he's begging now. For our son.
"I'm coming with you," I say finally. "Not the main team. But I'm not staying behind while Asher is out there."
Kieran looks like he wants to argue, but Dante speaks first. "She's a True Luna. Her power could be the difference between success and failure. And honestly, Blackwood, do you really think you can stop her?"
Kieran's jaw clenches. "Fine. But you follow my orders. All of them. No heroics."
"I'll do whatever it takes to get him back."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
We have three hours until dawn. Three hours to plan, prepare, and pray we're not too late.
The estate transforms into a war room. Warriors gear up. Scouts report in. Marcus coordinates positions while Dante briefs his pack on the terrain.
I stand at the window where Asher was taken, staring into the darkness. The mate bond with Kieran is screaming, tangled up with my terror for our son. I can feel Kieran's presence behind me without turning around.
"He's strong," Kieran says quietly. "Like his mother."
"He's just a baby."
"He's our baby. And we're going to bring him home."
I want to believe him. Want to believe that we can save Asher, that this nightmare will end, that my son will be safe in my arms again.
But I can't shake the feeling that something is very, very wrong.
The rogues took Asher too easily. Got past Cass—a trained warrior—without killing her. Left convenient messages telling us exactly where to go.
This isn't a kidnapping. It's something else.
"Kieran," I say slowly. "What if getting Asher was never the real goal?"
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. They could have killed Cass. They didn't. They could have taken Asher and disappeared. Instead, they left a trail and a meeting time." I turn to face him. "What if Asher is just bait?"
"Bait for what?"
"For us. For you and me together, separated from our packs, vulnerable—"
Before I can finish, the lights go out.
The entire estate plunges into darkness.
Emergency generators should kick in within seconds. They don't.
In the sudden blackness, I hear screams. Snarls. The sounds of fighting from the floors below.
"We're under attack," Kieran says, his voice deadly calm. "They're not waiting until dawn."
The door to our room crashes open. Dark figures pour through—too many, too fast.
I shift instantly, my silver wolf erupting with fury. Beside me, Kieran's massive black wolf lunges at the intruders.
We fight back-to-back, our wolves moving in perfect synchronization despite five years apart. The mate bond guides us—where one wolf strikes, the other defends.
But there are too many. For every rogue we drop, two more appear.
Through the chaos, I hear it. A child's scream from somewhere in the estate.
Asher's scream.
But he's not here. He's at the old mill. Isn't he?
Unless...
Horror floods through me as I understand.
"It's a double attack," I gasp, shifting back to human. "The old mill was a decoy. They brought him BACK here while we were planning the rescue!"
Kieran's eyes widen in realization.
And that's when I hear it again. Closer this time.
"MOMMY! DADDY! HELP ME!"
Asher's voice, terrified and small, coming from somewhere in the darkness.
The rogues part, creating a path through their ranks.
At the end stands a massive wolf—bigger than any I've seen. His eyes glow red in the darkness as he holds something small and struggling in his jaws.
My son. Dangling from the rogue's mouth like prey.
"Choose, True Luna," a voice says from the shadows. Male. Familiar somehow. "Your mate or your son. You can only save one."