After sneaking onto Thiago's property from the northern border, like Adan suggested, we split into our two packs. Adan was to sneak into the castle and cut the security cameras, destroy any footage of us being there, and kill as many Council Members as possible.

We were to head right for the cells and the prison, where they were probably holding Bria.

Once we killed the two guards at the doors, we snuck into the palace and rushed through each of the prison cells, desperately trying to find my mate and the pack's luna. But every cell that we stepped into was empty.

No dead bodies.

No blood.

No Bria.

"Where the fuck is she?" I asked myself, looping around the cells once more and glancing into each one of them, as if I had missed her the first time. Yet something wasn't clicking for me, this place sounded a bit too quiet to house all of The Council Members.

"Alpha," one of my warriors said from the door we walked into. "You might want to see this."

Hurrying out the door, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Thiago holding Adan—fucking Adan—the man who I could barely put a scratch on during our fight, by the scruff of the neck. Beaten and bleeding all over, Adan hung lifelessly in Thiago's arms.

"Adan!" Jasmine screamed, lunging toward him.

I pulled her back, knowing that Thiago would kill her in a moment's notice. She struggled in my hold for a moment, then Levi seized her body to hold her back. I stepped toward him and growled. "Let me go and give me Bria."

"I promised Bria that I wouldn't attack you unless provoked," Thiago said. "I'd say that this is a sure reason to kill you now. Don't you think?"

Taking another step forward, I clenched my jaw. "If you fucking touched her, I'll kill you."

"Touched Bria?" Thiago asked. "Me? Never."

"Where the fuck is she?"

"Oh." Thiago chuckled darkly. "I don't think you really want to see what she's become."

"NOW!" I growled, about to lose total fucking control.

"I'll call Bria out, but I'm warning you... She might not even recognize you or your wolf."

My heart raced, and I balled my hands into fists.

"Bria," Thiago cooed. "Come here."

A midnight black wolf, almost my size, stalked out from behind him. Canines extended and dripping with saliva and claws digging into the hardening dirt, she glared right at me—her mate—and let out a ferocious growl.

"I can make her play," Thiago taunted, a smirk across his face. "Wanna see?"

After growling at him, I stepped forward. "I will kill you."

"Jump for me, Bria," Thiago said, not once looking at Bria but keeping his gaze focused on me. And as he finished his sentence, Bria's enormous wolf leapt high into the air. Thiago placed his hand on the top of her head. "Good girl."

Another growl clawed its way out of my throat. "Let her go!"

He knelt down and wrapped his arm around her torso, stroking her black fur and whispering something into her ear. When he turned back to me, he smirked. "Bria Benton is now my plaything."

My wolf seized control of me, and I leapt forward, running at full speed toward him.

Bria Benton was mine, nobody else's.

Thiago stood up and let go of Bria, nodding toward me. "Attack your mate, Bria. Show him how powerful you truly are."