Devon

We had set up a warded base of operations about ten minutes away from the hunters' centre. As planned, Dan and Kain along with a pair of vampires set off together, Dan and the vampires rendered nearly undetectable by their own nature, and Kain using unknown skills to keep himself from being discovered.

A huge part of me wanted to go with them to search for my sister myself, but part of being a good leader was knowing when to let others take the lead. I would only be a liability if I went running in the way I had when I had first found Amber. I would never regret saving her, but we had not achieved our goal that day.

The situation was different now. Although they had not retaliated, the hunters may have reasoned that a pack had tried to infiltrate their other base so they could be more wary. They certainly would have discovered Jasper's corpse and Amber's disappearance and likely put it together with werewolves, if nothing else.

But we were in a better position this time. We had support from other packs and from the vampires and it was time to take back our people. Unfortunately, it wasn't my place to play the hero. I would have my turn when it came to leading the forces after our missing people were safely extracted.

While we waited for the return of the stealth team, I and the other alphas who had joined went over battle plans. We were interrupted when a small female vampire flanked by a pair of glowering male vampiric guards pushed aside the flap of the tent we were using to strategize for the attack. She was wearing cargo pants, a black tank top, and sturdy boots. Her brown hair was pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail. She met my eyes in a challenging way that aggravated my wolf's pride before moving on to do the same to the others.

"Sorry, am I late?"

"No, since you weren't invited," said the Goldhollow alpha briskly.

She cocked an eyebrow. "Now now, don't be rude, Smithson. I knew your grandfather and he'd be very unimpressed with that attitude right there. Now there was a man with class." She somehow managed to look down on him even though he was nearly as tall seated as she was standing.

He folded his arms across his chest. "And you are?"

"Katrina, and you might have heard of me since I lent some of my forces to this little venture," she said silkily. "Queen of the Vampires, does that ring a bell? Probably brings to mind dresses, jewels, crowns, and so forth, so I'll forgive your rude slowness, but finery wouldn't be very practical before a fight, now would it? Now, let's see what you're planning here."

I shifted over to make her room at the table. I wasn't going to turn away a valuable ally, even if some of the other alphas were clearly uncomfortable about the interruption. She had a bit of a reputation amongst the Alpha Assembly as a warmonger, but she had also been correct about the malice of the hunters, and it was about time the other packs started figuring it out. My sister had not been a Dangerous feral, and yet they had dared to take her.

We spoke of the coming battle, until we were interrupted by the return of the infiltrators. I hurried out to find that all four had made it back, and they were not alone. Kain had his arm under Silvia's and was supporting her weight. I let out the breath I had unknowingly been holding at the sight.

She really was alive.

Kain was also carrying another female I did not recognize unceremoniously over his shoulder.

Dan's eyes were flashing red as he held an unconscious Megan in his arms carefully, while a filthy werewolf child clung to his back like she would drown if she released him. The other vampires were carrying my unconscious brother-in-law, a pair of unknown wolves, and a pair of children—likely fae if their green-streaked hair was anything to go by. A couple of other prisoners struggled behind them.

I no more than took in the sight before rushing forward and pulling Silvia into my arms.

"Devon," her voice was a scratchy whisper, barely a wisp of the clear and assertive tone I heard in my memories.

"You're safe now." She was frail, and if I had to guess, her body half the weight it had been when she disappeared. Under the stench of grime and filth, I could still smell her familiar scent, and it was both comforting and infuriating to my wolf. I would destroy these bastards who so mistreated my sister. I wanted their blood, for her, for my pack members, for my mate. I held onto my control by a thin thread.

Dan stepped forward, drawing me away from my growing fury at Silvia's state. "It's worse than we thought, Devon. They have dozens more prisoners down there and they're not all werewolf or vampire. I think there's been experimentation going on. We only grabbed who we went down for and whoever else we could carry."

Kain nodded solemnly and met the gazes of the various alphas and the queen calmly. "The attack needs to happen now, before they discover that some of their prisoners are missing and have time to regroup and relocate."

I nodded. I turned to the others. "He's right. We have the numbers. We're ready. If we wait they'll be more wary and only more difficult."

I read assent in all their eyes. We didn't have all members of our species here, but this was a group of those who saw the threat of the hunters for what they were.

Giving direction to a couple of my pack members, I ordered them to get the people we had rescued to safety at my pack, and to order more vehicles for when we extracted the others. Dan went with them, still carrying Megan and the child on his back, but Kain passed his burdens along to a pair of wolves and joined us in the tent. No one dared question the mercenary's presence, and I didn't care to.

"So, as planned, we sweep in from the south, but I suggest we send a wave over to secure the prisoners at the same time. We want to get everyone out alive, if at all possible."

After some additional discussion, we moved out. I led the group heading to secure the hunters' prisoners. I'd argued it on strategic grounds, but truthfully I also wanted a chance to rip out the throats of the guards who had put my sister in such poor condition, not to mention my other pack members. I wanted their blood on my hands and in my teeth, and it was the most expedient way to get it. If I didn't get it in battle I'd be bound by my promise to my mate to sort them out before killing them.

Because I loved her, I would keep my promise if I could if they surrendered, but I hoped they wouldn't have the chance or desire to do so because their lives were what my wolf craved.

We slipped into position, near to the prisons. Our presence was shielded by Kain, using some trick I did not understand or question. Our group contained a wolf from each pack for communication and a few from mine, while the rest of each pack prepared to attack as a unit from a different strategic location.

The queen's vampires, with their unearthly near silent movement, got into their own positions around the edge of the camp, while she had joined our group along with her two hulking bodyguards.

I waited, both nervous and eager for what was coming. "We're in position, Alpha," my delta told me, his voice alert.

The other wolves signalled as their members reported in. The queen smiled as I gave the signal to begin the attack and each relayed it to their own groups. "All right, Delta, let's keep our casualties to a minimum. Go."

As if of one intention, everyone began to move as a unit. We were too far from the packs to see their attack, but the sounds of shouts and gunfire met my ears. My group moved forward, and like everyone else, I was armed, and like the other wolves I wore light clothing so we could easily switch to our sturdy wolf forms if the need arose. We entered the hunters' prison. It appeared coldly institutional, the walls covered in nondescript white paint and the floors simple concrete. The air was cool and damp, and the scent of rot was thick in the air.

I took out the first startled guard with a knife in his throat before he could even protest, and one of the queen's guards broke the neck of another with his bare hands. My wolf was displeased, not wanting to share our prey, but I ignored the sentiment. I focused on my goal and not the foul stench of abused creatures that became stronger with every step forward.

We moved forward swiftly, each member of our party aware that if the attack at the borders failed and we weren't out by then, we could very well be trapped inside. We hurried down the stairs and into a long hallway. What I could only assume were the first few of many cells came into view. Each was inset into the walls, and the outer side enclosed by thick metal bars that would be too strong for either a vampire or a werewolf to break.

The first cell was empty of prisoners but not deserted, half falling off the cot lay a lifeless body of a guard, his brown eyes staring sightlessly out towards us.

Kain smirked but shrugged innocently as he pulled a key ring out of his clothing, confirming that this death had indeed been the work of the advance party. Ignoring the corpse, he moved to the first cell and unlocked but did not open the door to a pair of skeletal boys. "We'll be back for you, kids, but stay put and look helpless until we return. Can't promise you'll get out without us, but run if we don't return in the next hour." He did the same with the other occupants of cells.

The queen turned to a pair of the vampires with us. "Obscure yourself around here and ensure we aren't flanked by new foes."

They disappeared from our sight with respectful bows in her direction, and the rest of the group continued on.

We met little resistance along the way, which while convenient, disappointed my wolf's desire to destroy these enemies who had hurt our mate and threatened our pack. Our team spread out to search for more cells and we released the prisoners, gathering a group of them.

Once all the hunters in the prison were dead, we began to trek back upwards with a growing crowd of freed prisoners. There weren't, thankfully, any other children, but the people the hunters had been holding here were bad enough. Most could manage to stumble along on their own or with assistance, but more than one of my warriors were removed from the fighting by carrying someone who was unconscious or too frail to move on their own.

We reached the top floor, and the two vampires who the queen had left reappeared. "Any trouble?" she asked.

One of the vampires flashed his fangs and indicated several more hunter bodies hidden off to the side. I wasn't surprised because the scent of blood in the room hung stronger than before.

I'd periodically received reports from my delta as we had gone through the prison, and I spoke to him as we helped the prisoners climb the final staircase. "We've got everyone, and we're coming out. Everything went smoothly—"

Famous last words, how easily proven wrong.