The hours after we found out Riley's location were excruciating- we knew where she was, but we couldn't just dash there and rescue her, which made Blaze and me extremely anxious and rather angry. I wanted nothing more than to get to her and hold her in my arms again, where she was going to be safe and protected. But it would have been reckless to do so- I could not afford to risk the lives of those helping us, nor that of my mate.

Instead, I had to wait for Victor and Seraphine to work with some of their fellow warlocks on a way to break Caleb's magic around Markolf's hideout. No one warned me that it was going to take them that long though.

As the day dragged on, I tried to keep myself busy by visiting my clan. Cyrus was still missing and some thought that he had done a runner and abandoned the pack. Jason, the new Beta, had stepped in as acting Alpha, which reassured me because he was a reasonable guy who had the pack's interest at heart, unlike the official Alpha. Jason even agreed to help as much as possible with the mission to get Riley back and destroy the cambion.

Flying back to the Windcrest packhouse allowed Blaze to calm down a bit, even if the satisfaction from being let free to spread his wings and soar in the sky was not enough to make up for the absence of our mate. Still, there was something soothing about being up in the air, flying amongst the peaceful clouds.

I miss her, Aiden, he muttered as we descended towards pack's estate.

Me too, buddy, me too.

I just about managed to put some clothes on after I shifted back to my human form when Seraphine and Victor appeared next to me out of the blue. I had no issues with being naked around others- I was a shifter, after all- but, honestly, I was relieved that my mate's parents did not teleport minutes earlier as it would have made for a very awkward encounter.

"Ah, Aiden," Victor's eyes were sparkling as he turned towards me excitedly. "I'm happy to find you here. We have it!"

My heartbeat quickened at the idea that we could finally make our move and save my mate. "The counterspell?"

"Indeed," her father retorted, "but what's more, me and a few warlock friends paid that island a little visit. A recon mission of sorts. Undetected, of course- I would never jeopardise my daughter's safety."

I looked at the warlock surprised, although, beneath the surface, my feelings were rather mixed. On the one hand, I was pissed off that Victor had made that call without consulting Rafe and me, especially as we both had to hold ourselves back from getting to that damn island as quickly as possible- ahead of everyone else- precisely because of Riley's safety. Yet, on the other, I was impressed that the warlock seemed to have pulled it off and, what's more, he perhaps gathered useful information.

"Let's get inside to meet the others- everyone will want to hear what you have to say," I motioned to the Boswells and we slowly made our way to the pack's strategy room, which was the fancy name for what was, essentially, a board room.

"Has anyone checked on Scarlett, Riley's best friend?" I heard Callum ask as I entered the room. "Markolf might decide to go after those that Riley cares about, and Scarlett would be an easy target. Maybe we should keep an eye on her."

"I doubt they are interested in the human, Andrews," the Redtails skulk Alpha replied, rolling his eyes, which was met with an angry growl from Callum's side. "Speaking of checking on people, how is the lovely Natalia doing, Rafe?"

My best friend's face stiffened at the mention of his little sister. Nat was still safe and sound in Talamaire but that didn't help Rafe feel calmer, especially with her mate not having been identified yet. "She's fine. Visiting some friends so she might be there for a while. The change of scenery is good for her and she is protected there."

If I had blinked, I would have missed James' somewhat irritated reaction to Rafe's words. It almost felt like he was pissed off and I could have sworn that his fox was fighting to come out. It was an odd reaction but I did not have time to dwell on it as Rafe noticed the Boswells and me.

He jumped out of his seat and moved closer to us. "About time that you are all back."

The room was full with various Windcrest pack members- predominantly warriors- but Rafe gestured for us to join the members of the Council and their Betas. Everyone was here, ready to do whatever was necessary to help Riley- Lucien and Connor, Callum and his Beta Jack, as well as James and his second-in-command, Maxwell. The Fire Dragon's clan was also represented because Jason had appointed me as interim Council representative until the pack had established what happened with Cyrus and had decided on the next Alpha.

"Victor and Seraphine have some important news to share with us," I reported once everyone settled down. "Apparently, Victor and his warlocks decided to get some intel on what happens on the island by going there themselves."

Rafe's eyebrows furrowed with disapproval. "Really, Victor? What if you had fallen into Markolf's hands as well?"

"That's what I tried to tell him too." Seraphine was clearly unimpressed with her husband's actions.

For his part, I could see that Victor was not pleased- at all- to be scolded by his wife and his daughter's mate. Probably more the former than the latter. "Listen up, lads," his tone turned dead serious when he spoke while he maintained eye contact with Rafe and me, making sure that we knew he meant business. "You might be her mates but I am her father. You showed up weeks ago with your fancy words and your mate bond but I was there every time she scraped her knees as a kid and every time that my little girl woke up in the middle of the night, terrified from her nightmares. I held her and told her that everything was okay and that I would always be there to protect her. So excuse me if I did not run my plans past you two. I was a powerful warlock back when you two were still toddlers walking under the table and I am still one. I can take care of myself."

Rafe and I were both left gobsmacked by Victor's reprimand. I could hear Lucien, Callum and James behind us, all snickering like some schoolboys making fun of their friends who got in trouble.

"I...erm...Aiden?" Rafe looked at me for support but I was just as lost for words as he was.

"What Rafe means is...erm...."

"How about we talk about what you found out, Victor? We need to work on a plan after all," Lucien interrupted, saving both of our arses. You two can thank me later, his words rang in my head as he mind linked us with Rafe while we breathed out in relief.

The warlock nodded approvingly before he rolled out a map of the island. "Markolf's estate is right here." His finger landed right in the middle of the island. "The whole place is shrouded by magic- you can't see it or see inside and, usually, those inside can't see outside either, so Riley may have no idea where she is. The magical force field that encircles the hideout will not let shifters go through in animal form and that inevitably makes most of you vulnerable in an attack."

Bollocks! Why couldn't things ever be straightforward?

"What about Markolf's forces on the other side of the force field?" Rafe's face was preoccupied and I knew that in his head he was going through every possible scenario, just like I was.

"We managed to weaken the cloaking spell enough not to be detected and to track roughly 50 people staff within the estate, mainly humans. But the perimeter was packed with another 100 members of what seemed to be his security forces. From what we could gather, a small part of them were demonic creatures and the rest were humans with magic weapons."

"Shit," Lucien exclaimed.

Victor ran his hand along his jaw, rubbing his chin pensively. "Shit indeed. And we don't even know what Markolf is capable of doing with all the acquired spirits and Caleb's reinforcement."

A heavy silence fell amongst the group. Everyone was at their wit's end about what to do next. Despair and helplessness crept in, squeezing the air out of the room as we all struggled with these feelings.

It was the soft, reassuring motherly voice that broke the trance of dejection that had settled. "We do have some good news though- we have managed to prepare a counter-spell to Caleb's incantation. One that is strong enough to destroy that force field and allow for an attack," Seraphine explained, bringing a glimmer of hope.

Lucien did not seem so optimistic about it though. "Yes but then Markolf will know we are there before we even get a chance to attack. Who knows what he might do to my sister then."

"Can you not use warlock magic to teleport us into the estate?" I asked Victor and Seraphine while I still pondered on our option.

Riley's parents looked at each other, unsure, until Victor spoke up. "One or two of you- perhaps. Caleb's spell is powerful and we can only get a couple of you in while we still disguise our magic not to get detected. But you won't be able to shift- not until the force field is down. Not to mention that Markolf will sense your shifter presence then."

Rafe's eyes lit up. "So we create a diversion."

He was right- we needed a diversion, an attack on two fronts.

"What do you have in mind, Macalister?" Lucien asked, intrigued.

"Victor teleports Aiden and me to the estate so that we can locate Riley and get her out. Hopefully, Markolf won't expect us as he probably thinks that we are dead. Yet, to throw the cambion off our scent, the rest of you need to attack as soon as Seraphine and the other warlocks destroy Caleb's spell. That will make Markolf focus on the attack, allowing the three of us to go through the estate undetected."

"That's actually not a bad plan, Rafe." The Blackwood Alpha smiled. "I'm leading the diversion attack though."

Just like the rest of us, Lucien was determined to get Riley back, but I couldn't help but think how both Riley and Anna would kill us if anything happened to him. "Listen, Lucien, Anna is pregnant and all of the Council members will be on that island, so maybe it's better if you hold the front here?"

I probably should have kept my mouth shut because I saw Lucien's nostrils flare just seconds before he jumped up and grabbed me by the collar. "Are you fucking kidding me, Aiden? This is my sister we are talking about- I'm not sitting this one out."

Everyone fell silent. Nobody dared to move; some even held their breath. The sudden tension in the room was so palpable that you could cut it with a knife. It was Rafe that stepped in between us in an attempt to diffuse the situation. "Lucien, calm down, mate- Aiden was just voicing the concern that we both know Riley would have if you come along. Neither of us will stop you but think of your Luna and your pup. The two of us will be there to get your sister back and you know that we will die to protect our mate."

"I'm coming and that's the end of the discussion," the older Moreau sibling reaffirmed, finally letting go of me which made everyone relax a bit.

A long sigh of surrender escaped Rafe's lips. "Fine. Now can we all go back to the planning?"

"So," James clasped his hands eagerly like he couldn't wait to get some action. Or perhaps it was some of that earlier frustration that he wanted to release. "When is this all going down?"

I didn't need to mind link with my best friend to know the answer. "Tonight," I replied for both of us.

"Gather twenty of your men and sort things out at your packs for your absence," Rafe turned to Lucien, James and Callum. "We leave in five hours."