Chapter 106

Thorne’s POV

I hold a hand up, closing it in a fist to signal my men to stop as we hid in the tree line just outside of the Dark Knight Pack’s temporary pack house. The area is quiet, almost too quiet, as I let my senses expand.

They’ve hidden themselves deep in the Lycan neutral territory, which should be illegal in terms of the Lycan Pack Treaties. Each pack has its own land, including the Dark Knight Pack. They should be on their land, but they’re hiding out in the neutral territory where events and meetings between Alphas take place.

It wasn’t hard to get their location from the rogue leader. He folded like cheap paper the moment we broke through his front line of guards and got into his pathetic base. It took one punch for him to spill the information.

They immediately passed Harper off to the Dark Knight Pack the night they attacked my pack. After that, the leader said he hadn’t heard from or seen the Dark Knight Pack since.

That was six days ago.

Aurora has been in their hands for six days, but that ends today. I won’t let her suffer any longer.

With the information from the rogue leader and the information from other packs in the area—thanks to Luna Ashford—it was easy to find the fortress in the forest.

It stands out like a sore thumb, making me wonder if the Dark Knight Pack stays here more than they wander. Rumors say they don’t stay in place for too long, but a building like this isn’t somewhere you would abandon easily.

Thorne.

The voice is so faint that I almost miss it. Almost.

“Aurora? Is that you?” I try to connect with her through a mind link, hoping and praying that somehow, she can answer. We’re not mated, so it shouldn’t work, but I would never mistake her voice.

It was Aurora’s voice I just heard.

“Aurora, can you hear me?” I push my thoughts out, reaching for any hint of her in the air or in my mind. I’m not sure how it happened, but if I can get her to respond, I can find her quicker. However, as I search for any signs of her consciousness, I don’t find anything.

There’s a familiar scent in the air, but it doesn’t quiet smell like Aurora. It’s the same but different.

“We’re in the right place,” I mutter, scanning the area. There are lights on inside the house, but there doesn’t seem to be much movement.

“How do you know?” Anders asks, leaning in to look over my shoulder.

“I heard Aurora’s voice.”

“You did?” Jace asks, butting in. “When? I didn’t hear anything.”

I shake my head then tap my temple with my finger, “Here.”

They stare at me for a moment before Jace and Anders tap my shoulders lightly, silently letting me know they’re ready. I wave my hand. “Go,” I order through our pack link. Each team splits off; Jace’s team goes to the side exits while Anders’s team goes to the back. My team and I will head in through the front.

I palm my blades in my hands, twirling them as I run toward the Dark Knight Pack house. Anders carries the same weapons, both of us armed so we don’t have to shift. I want to be able to carry Aurora if I need to, and I want him ready to treat her if she needs it.

“Now,” I instruct, slamming my foot into the door and ramming it open. It flies inward, and my men dart inside to get rid of any Dark Knight members in my way. I push through, twisting around and stabbing a blade into the neck of a wolf that pounces on me.

It falls to the ground with a thud, and I catch a scent.

Her scent.

It’s everywhere, seeping up from below me and swallowing me like a tidal wave.

The next man that jumps me gets a hit in, but I quickly grab him by the neck and slam him into the wall. He struggles, kicking and clawing at me, but I tighten my hold until he goes limp.

“Alpha, which way?” One of my gammas asks, coming to my side.

“Down,” I growl, searching the room. “There has to be a basement or prison or something down there because that’s where Aurora’s scent is coming from.”

The wolves around me nod and fan out. I step over fallen Dark Knight members and take in more of Aurora’s scent. Again, I find something different about it. It’s not the same as before. There’s a sharp, almost clean smell to her scent that is soaking in a copper-metallic smell.

“Blood,” my wolf snarls, making himself known for the first time since I regained my sight.

“There’s a door here, Alpha,” Jett, one of my highest-ranking gammas, calls out. I turn toward his voice and find him coming out of a hallway to the right. “It leads down to what looks like a basement prison.”

With every step I take, Aurora’s scent grows stronger. The smell of her blood also gets stronger as I make my way down the stairs and into the large basement room. Cells line the walls, each one empty until I get to the last one.

A wolf lays in the back corner. Her blood and dirt-stained fur is matted and messy. Dull gold eyes are wide with fear, watching me and the wolves behind me with caution. She growls when I reach the cell door, and I pause.

“Aurora, it’s me,” I murmur, pulling the door open.

She shrinks further into the corner, her ears flattening as she growls again. Her head moves to the side when I move, and I notice a chunky black collar around her neck. The metallic box strapped to it is unmistakable, and I can’t stop the snarl that bursts from me.

“They put a fucking shock collar on my mate!”

The wolves behind me growl as well, setting off a tense air in the room. Aurora’s wolf yelps and cowers back again, practically shrinking in fear. The acrid scent of distress fills the air, mixing with the blood and filth that already fills my senses.

“Everyone out,” I order through the pack link. I don’t want to scare Aurora more than she already is, and having a room full of us staring at her isn’t helping.

Once my men file out, I crouch in front of Aurora… or at least, in front of her wolf. I’m not sure who is in charge right now, but whichever one of them it is, they’re terrified. It seems like she doesn’t recognize me because when I move closer, she growls again.

I know she’s hurt, so I try not to take the hostility to heart.

“It’s okay,” I whisper, keeping my voice calm, steady, and quiet. I lift my hands to where she can see them, hoping it will help her realize that I’m not going to hurt her.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I tell her, reaching my hand out. I leave it there, letting her take in my scent. When she doesn’t growl, I inch closer, “I’m just going to take this collar off. Okay? Will you let me do that?”

Her eyes burn brighter gold as I get closer. The wariness never leaves her eyes, and she watches me carefully. Then, she slowly tilts her head to the side, giving me access to the shock collar.

“Good girl,” I murmur. My fingers softly brush against her fur as I wrap them around the collar. I pull it out far enough to where I won’t hurt her, then I slice my claws through the material.

It falls to the floor with a clink, and her head slowly comes up. She scoots a little closer, brushing against my arms, and I take the chance. I wrap my arms around her, nearly crying when she leans into me.

“I’ve got you, Aurora,” I whisper. “You’re safe now.”