Rescued by the Wolf (Blood Moon Brotherhood 2)

“You were supposed to come alone,” the other man said to Tess.

Tess cowered, her eyes shifting to the ground.

“They’re coming,” Olivia said, looking at Brown. “Finn. His pack.”

“No one’s coming.” The man yanked her hair for good measure.

The other one sighed. “You mark her, he’s gonna be pissed.”

The man smiled at her. “He won’t care.”

“He will.” It was Byron—big, tall, and emerging from the trees like nothing out of the ordinary was taking place. “Mr. Brown, you were not supposed to be here. I apologize for this. Give it to me, Jake.”

Jake handed Byron the gun.

“Silencer,” Byron added.

Jake frowned. “Why do we—”

“No backup,” Byron ground out. “You shoot, you announce our presence.”

Jake rifled through his backpack, handing the silencer to Bryon.

Panic clamped down on Olivia’s throat. Byron wouldn’t need a silencer if he wasn’t going to use the gun. The air grew charged, crackling with anticipation.

Tess whimpered then, stepping between the two men. She glanced back at Brown, her whimpering more desperate.

“He can’t follow us.” Byron’s voice was sharp. He fired once, and Brown crumpled to the ground. “You’ve outlived your usefulness.” He fired again, and Tess collapsed, flopping to the snow. His gaze shifted to her. “We have you. Once we have the Alpha’s mate and his pups, Cyrus will see how much he underestimated us. We get them all, and he’ll welcome us back.”

Had Tess brought them here to lead them to the compound—for Jessa and the children? Olivia stared, horrified, as the snow beneath her bare feet turned a brilliant red.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Something tripped the alarm.” Hollis’s voice crackled in Mal’s earpiece.

“Turn around,” he barked.

Gentry did, not bothering to slow his speed.

“Brown’s take?” Mal asked.

“We don’t know where he is,” Hollis answered. “Or Tess. Jessa’s in labor,” he continued. “So Olivia’s gone after them.”

“Did Tess know Jessa was in labor?” Mal’s gut tightened. Tess was the plant. Not Ellen. Tess—too wounded to be suspect. Fucking idiot.

Hollis paused. “Yes.”

“Headed back,” Mal said. “Put down the blast doors, seal everything up. This is not a fucking drill. They know where we are, and they are coming.”

There was silence.

“Tess?” Hollis’s surprise was almost funny. Almost.

“Now, Hollis,” Mal snapped. “We’re fucking idiots.”

“Floor it,” Dante bit out.

“You really think they’re coming?” Anders asked.