“Get the cuffs off her,” he snapped.
Bella felt Benzy’s hands grip her arms, turning her around. She didn’t resist as he produced a small key and unlocked the silver cuffs. The searing burn around her wrists subsided immediately, replaced by a dull ache. She rubbed her wrists, the only part of her body not injured, thanks to them being bound the entire time.
Benzy’s gaze shifted to hers, his stormy grey eyes unreadable for a moment before they glazed over, a clear sign that he was back in the mind-link conversation with the Alphas.
Bella glanced at Luke and Tomas. All three were deep in discussion, their focus entirely off her.
This was it.
Now or never, she thought.
She inhaled deeply, bracing herself. Every muscle in her battered body screamed in protest, but she didn’t care. It was either escape or stay trapped.
Death wish it is.
Without warning, she slammed her knee into Benzy’s groin as hard as her injured body would allow. Pain shot through her as well, but the satisfying groan of agony from Benzy made it worth it.
Before he could recover, Bella turned and bolted. The office door was still ajar from when Alpha Tomas had burst into the room, and she sprinted through it. Her heart pounded in her chest, every beat screaming at her to keep going.
She knew the layout of the packhouse, knew the front door was likely open. They rarely locked it during the day, only securing it at night.
She raced down the hallway, her bare feet pounding against the floor. Every step sent shockwaves of pain through her, but she didn’t stop. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her body screaming at her to slow down, but her determination overpowered the pain.
The gates. Just get to the gates.
She prayed they were still open as she hurtled toward freedom, every ounce of her will focused on escape.
As Bella ran for her life, her mind screamed desperately for Tyler to wake up. She could feel her wolf faintly, a presence buried deep in the darkness at the back of her mind. She needed her more than ever—her speed, her strength, her stamina. She needed Tyler’s fierce determination to protect them, to get them out of this place and back to their pups.
“TYLER!” she screamed over and over, her mental cries growing more frantic with each stride. She pushed her wolf with every ounce of desperation she could muster.
Finally, a flicker of awareness stirred in the void.
“HELP ME!” Bella screamed, her urgency reverberating through their shared mind.
Tyler surged forward, groggy at first but quickly snapping into focus. Her golden eyes took in the surroundings, assessing the situation. She looked behind them, where Benzy and Macky were closing in fast, their wolves, Apollo and Rafe, lending them incredible speed.
A snarl tore from Tyler, her anger igniting instantly. Without hesitation, she flooded their shared body with her strength and speed, propelling them forward in a burst of power. The world blurred around them as they shot down the road.
Tyler’s exhilaration was palpable. For the first time in years, she was free—fully free—to run at full force. The wind whipped around them, the rhythm of their feet pounding against the ground in perfect harmony. Despite the danger, a part of her felt a wild, untamed joy. She chortled in excitement, thrilled by the chase and confident in her abilities.
But being pursued by wolves from her own pack brought a bitter edge to her freedom.
“How?” Tyler growled, her anger barely contained.
“Drugged. Wolfsbane and silver. Kidnapped,” Bella informed her grimly.
Tyler’s growl deepened, a sound that rumbled through their entire body. “Pups?”
“They’re safe. Home,” Bella assured her quickly. “They didn’t seem to know about them—until now.”
“Until now?”
Bella hesitated, guilt and regret thick in her voice. “I had to beg Alpha Tomas. I told him about them. He… insisted on seeing for himself.”
Tyler went silent for a moment, processing the revelation. Then, fueled by a fierce need to ensure her pups’ safety, she poured even more speed into their body. Despite the years of being held back, her strength had grown alongside Bella’s. Together, they were formidable.
The pack gate came into view, and to their surprise, it was wide open. Even more astonishing was the sight of a black car parked in the driveway, a human Federal Police vehicle.
A man stepped out, dressed in a simple black suit. His expression shifted from professionalism to shock as he spotted her barreling toward him. Clearly, he hadn’t expected her—or perhaps he’d been assured by the gate guards that she wasn’t here.
“HELP!” Bella screamed, her voice hoarse but filled with desperation.
The man’s hand moved instinctively to his holster. He drew his gun, raising it—not at her, but at the two wolves pursuing her. Relief washed over Bella as she heard the footfalls of Benzy and Macky slow, then stop entirely. They wouldn’t risk exposing themselves by attacking while a Federal agent was watching.
“May the Goddess bless you, Ben,” she thought, gratitude filling her heart for her boss’s unrelenting determination.
“Tyler,” she whispered internally. “Don’t heal us when we stop.”
“Evidence,” Tyler agreed. The two shared an unspoken understanding. What Bella had learned through her legal studies, Tyler had absorbed too. They were aligned in their purpose.
As they reached the police car, Bella stumbled into the arms of the second agent, who had just stepped out. She collapsed against his chest, her body trembling as she sobbed like a terrified woman fleeing her kidnappers.
The man held her gently, his voice soothing as he assured her she was safe now.
She climbed into the back seat of the car, her chest still heaving with sobs. As the vehicle began to pull away, Bella turned her gaze toward the pack road.
Benzy and Macky stood there, watching her go. Their expressions were unreadable, but their presence was a stark reminder of the danger that still loomed.
Bella swallowed hard and prayed silently that they wouldn’t hunt down and kill the humans to retrieve her. She leaned back in the seat, exhaustion and pain overwhelming her, but for the first time in days, a fragile thread of hope began to weave its way through her thoughts.
She was finally out.
