Amid the fire and fight, I picked up Bria's scent. I killed The Council member in front of me and raced through the woods and warring packs, desperate to find her finally.

"Alpha," Jasmine called from the woods, clutching her waist and stumbling through the trees toward me. Blood gushed from her wound and poured down her chin from her bloody nose. She lifted an arm and pointed behind her. "Bria went that way."

"Get to the hospital," I said, hurrying past her and toward the direction she had pointed.

I sniffed the air and picked her scent back up. My legs moved faster than even I could keep up, and I transformed into my beast to run even faster, because she couldn't be gone. I wouldn't fucking allow those bastards to take her.

But the faster I moved, the less and less Council members got in my way. They were running back, retreating almost. My wolves waited for my orders, and I found myself stopping at the outskirts of the fire.

"They're clearing out," one of my warriors said through the mindlink.

But The Council didn't retreat. They retrieved what they came for.

They fucking had my Bria.

"Follow them," I ordered, racing through the woods along the fire and passing all my wounded warriors and packmates. My chest tightened at the sight of how many of my people they had either killed or gravely injured in the past ten minutes.

Adan was right.

The Council was shit. Fucking shit.

"The fire is too thick," another wolf said through the mindlink. "It goes on for miles."

I froze in my spot, an undeniable rage rushing through my body, and glared at the fire in front of me that seemed to grow even wilder all of the sudden. My hands were covered in blood, my body felt like it was engulfed in flames itself.

She couldn't be gone.

Forty-three fucking years. Forty-three years.

I've waited for so damn long to be with her.

Even if I tried to fight through the flames, I didn't think I would make it. We needed to put them out, regroup, and get our most skilled trackers out on the hunt for The Council and Bria. Adan must've had an idea of where they were headed.

But I hated the thought of leaving Bria with them. Even for a couple moments.

"Find your way to the packhouse," I said through the mindlink to my entire pack, my hands balling into fists by my side and my heart clenching. "We need to regroup, heal those who are hurt, and figure out a plan."

"What about mate?" my wolf asked me. "We need to find her."

If The Council had her, they would be long gone by now. They wouldn't stick around and wait for us to put out the fire. They could be hours away from us once we finally cleared the forest of flames and smoke.

That's what they were banking on too.

I wouldn't let my pack members blindly run into a war that we would lose.

Fuck... I ran a hand through my wild hair, pushing back the tears to be strong for my pack. I'm coming back for you, Bria. I won't let them have you. I'll find you and kill them all. Every last one of them.

After helping the wounded wolves, I took one glance around the part of the forest that wasn't burning for any survivors, then hurried back to the packhouse to see who had made it and who hadn't. Did they capture anyone else other than Bria?

When I reached the living room, I scanned the room and clenched my jaw. "Where's Milo? My mother?" I asked Jasmine and Levi, who laid back on the couch with half his face swollen. "Why aren't they here?"

Levi frowned and glanced over at Jasmine who stared at the ground with tears in her eyes. She doubled over into Levi's shoulder and cried against him, shaking her head from side to side. "I wish I was stronger. I heard them screaming for help on the other side of the flames earlier. I couldn't do anything."

Instead of pushing her away, Levi enveloped Jasmine into a hug. I clenched my jaw and hurried through the house, desperate to find them somewhere upstairs, maybe in the library or my bedroom, the bathroom, somewhere.

But they weren't here.

Mom, Milo, and my mate were all gone.

The Council took them from me.

And I vowed to get them back. Even if it killed me.