Page 69 of The Red Moon

They stand a foot away from each other as quiet as they are still. And when Dimitri finally offers him his hand, Nik pulls the large man into his arms.

“For Ida?” Dimitri says, his voice on the verge of cracking.

Nik nods and pats his back. “For Ida.”

There’s a slight glisten in Dimitri’s eyes when they part, the same sheen of sorrow I’ve seen whenever he talks about his sister. But I don’t think it’s just that troubling him tonight. Maybe it’s because he knows there’s a chance he won’t see Nikolai, his true brother, again come daybreak.

“Ms. Nat …” he says and takes two steps toward me.

My eyes begin to well, blurring his face when I peer up at him.

“Don’t be afraid. Part of you is a wolf now, not the other way around.”

I nod and wipe away the tears making their escape.

He holds me at a shoulder’s length, even bending down to meet me at eye level. “Don’t tell Alexey I said this, but he is right. You will make them regret turning you, and I cannot wait to see it myself. Be strong, Ms. Nat.”

I don’t wait for him to let go of my shoulders. No. I thrust myself forward and hug him, doing my best to wrap my arms around his tree-sized torso. He does the same with little effort. The silver tucked away in his flak jacket stings my cheek, but I don’t mind it. Not right now.

“For Ida,” I say, my voice wavering. And I mean it. I need him to know that I’m not just fighting for Nik. For myself. I’m fighting for him, too.

When we part, a small grin appears on his half red-stained face. “My sister will finally get the justice she deserves tonight, and I have you to thank for that. You saved Nikolai from becoming a monster. From becoming his father. It’s only fair I save this for you.” He reaches inside his shirt collar and pulls out a necklace. My necklace.

“Where did you …” My words trail off, the air ripping from my lungs.

“Nikolai found it at Völk the night you were taken.”

Nik’s eyes meet mine and he nods. “I would’ve given it to you sooner but I thought it might be best to wait until you’ve had time to adjust.”

Honestly, I’m thankful he didn’t. The plane ride was bad enough already. Add in a silver necklace brushing against my collarbone and there’s no way in hell I would’ve survived the flight.

“Promise you will give it back to me in the morning yourself,” I say, emphasizing yourself just so we’re absolutely clear on what I expect the moment I come out of my werewolf comatose. Him. In one piece. Breathing, of course. And handing over the necklace sure to sizzle on my skin like a hot skillet. “Promise me.”

Dimitri’s lengthy brow knits together, his expression drawing serious. “Da.”

“I don’t want to break up lovey-dovey family time,” Alexey interrupts, gaining all of our attention. He points at the small sliver of the sun making its final descent behind the landscape in the distance. “But we’re running out of time. We go. Now.”

Dimitri gives us both one last glance before following Alexey to the truck and climbing inside. They leave down the same gravel beaten path, driving slowly to keep the truck’s noise to a minimum. It isn’t until the truck is out of sight and the sound of the engine is only a faint hum that Nikolai speaks again.

“Is your pack ready, Clément?” he asks. “Once we cross that fence, there’s no turning back.”

The alpha grins wide, his eyes glowing bright red. Two pointed fangs reach his curling lower lip. He looks from Jade to the rest of his armored wolves awaiting his command. “Lead the way.”

FORTY-FOUR

NIK

Finding the fence line was easy enough, especially when we have the captives’ erratic heartbeats leading us to them like a school of distressed fish. Natalia and I scale our way in first, followed closely by Clément and Jade. Under any other circumstances, I might’ve waited for the rest of his pack to make the climb before pushing forward, but not tonight. We don’t have time for that now.

“In position,” he says through the earpiece static. Alexey. While the soldier I stumbled across all those years ago may have many, many flaws, there’s always one thing I can count on. His unnatural ability to never disappoint.

I don’t respond. Not that Alexey would expect me to inside enemy lines. He knows more about our kind than some of the pups climbing into the perimeter. How susceptible wolves’ hearing can be. It’s not surprising. After years of studying my father’s pack not even ten kilometers away undetected, I’m sure he could teach a masterclass on werewolves and the art of avoiding them.

It isn’t until we reach the edge of the tree line that I’m able to make out the hooded silhouettes in the distance. Each of the four guards has a torch, adding flickering light to the otherwise darkened property.

Four wolves guarding the captives? My wolf adds to the silence of my mind. Something doesn’t seem right about this.

Back from your nap? I retort, using the closest tree for cover as I get a better look.