We've been going in circles for half an hour. This place is a bloody fortress. The basement has no external windows or doors that we can find.

And not a word from Jemma either. I hope she finds something sooner rather than later. I have a sinking feeling that we are quickly running out of time.

I am just about to take my clothes off to shift once more after returning to my skin side to communicate with the visiting pack. I hear a noise coming from inside the janitor closet window.

It's Jemma. I know her scent now.

"Hey? Argent, you there? I can't see you."

I try to lift myself up enough to be able to see her face. "Yeah, I'm here. Find something?" Goddess, I hope she has. Who knows what that maniac is doing down there with the girls? Just the thought of it makes my body tremble, and I feel the urge to shift and rip his throat out.

Jemma snaps me out of it. "There's a tunnel that extends from a grate in the hallway just down from this door. I was searching for heat panels or plumbing hatches. I took off the grate cover and climbed in to see if it led outside and luckily, it did. It's small, though, so you would need to come in one at a time. And ..."

She pauses. What is she leaving out?

"And what?"

"We would need to find another exit. It would take too long for us all to get back out that way should something go wrong."

She's right. We would be sitting ducks waiting in the hallway like that. But we need to get in. "Okay, link to your dad, and I'll do the same with mine. Maybe half can go in this way and the others can keep looking for a better option?"

"That's what I was thinking. I'll stay and keep watch until you get in here. Meet you there in fifteen."

I nod and she jumps down. She really is handy to have around, so many of the females in my pack are much older than me or on the flip side, juveniles.. Its such a nice surprise to have two she wolves close to my age enter the group. It's going to be awesome having her in the pack. I hope she and Aida get along.

If I get her out in time—when. When I get her out in time. Fuck.

I link to dad and the others while I'm running back to the woods. Father is waiting there with the other Alphas. I strip mid-run and shift, leaving my clothes in pieces where they land. I don't care about possibly being naked later on. I will deal with that when I have to.

When I make it into the ruins, Father is there with the two allied Alphas. They are all up to date on the plan. Jemma has linked to explain just as I did with Father on my way here. I fucking love being a wolf. Linking saves so much time.

James comes around the side of the wooded area in human form, and I shift back into my human form as I reach Father and the others. They've all seen this plenty of times, too many times for any of us to be embarrassed anymore.

"Alpha, I would like to go in with you. I think I could help if need be, being with my fath—with Jasper," James says, quickly correcting himself. He gives me a forlorn look. I hate that he has to deal with this.

I lean into him and whisper while the Alphas confer, "Jemma shifted before, and I wasn't exactly looking, but damn she has a hot body!" A small smile crosses his lips. That sure cheered him up. That's what best friends are for, after all.

He reaches out and punches me in the chest.

"Pervert. Look at my naked mate again, and I will take your head off."

He says it with a wink. I know I've given him some hope tonight. Something positive to think about while we are probably heading to end his father's life.

*** My father and the visiting Alphas, Deacon and George, head off with four othermembers of the Lunar pack. James and I follow, shifting into wolf form as we run. We head towards the janitor closet light and look for the external heating vent.

Sure enough, a small square vent is located about ten steps to the left of where the window is, behind all the small shrubs and bushes. James bends down and grabs the vent with his wolf mouth and takes it clean off the outside of the wall.

Inside the dark tunnel behind the gate, we can see two yellow tinged eyes staring at us from the other end.

Jemma. She lets out a low quiet growl. James replies with a low whimper.

We start in one at a time. It's a tight fit, and we can barely get through the width of the tunnel. We each have to commando crawl along to get to the other end.

I did suggest we go in human form, but father thought it safer like this. We aren't exactly sure what to expect once we are inside. After a slow march through the tunnel, we each reach the end and join the waiting Jemma. She links to her father who in turn links to my father.

"Jemma has found the scent of the girls and Jasper down the northern wing but did not venture down alone."

His voice booms in my head, and James and I answer with a low growl.

"We need to get in and out with as little fuss as we can, but we also can't all be in wolf form in case we see a human patient or employee."

Good point. Father nudges James and I, and we both shift. I see James staring red-faced at Jemma. She has already shifted and dressed and quietly stands there, taking in his naked form with a small grin.

I try not to laugh. At least she doesn't look disappointed.

She stalks into the nearby closet and returns with nurses' scrubs for usboth. She keeps her eyes on James, biting her lip. The remaining wolves stay as they are, as we all try to squash into the open space of what seems to just be an excess supply room, scattered with empty bed frames and shelves stacked with broken or dusty medical equipment. We exit one after the other and follow down the wide hall, wolves at the sides and the three of us in human form in the centre.

It's not long before we pick up the girls' scents. And Dr. Jasper's ...

I start to rush forward, but James grabs my shoulder. "Careful," he warns. "We need to be smart about this. We may only get one shot." He pats my shoulder reassuringly, and I take a deep breath. Father nudges me with his muzzle as he stalks past.

We all follow. There is only one door that has any light showing down this hallway, so we all head towards it.

When we get within three feet of the door, two girls come stumbling out. Both are bleeding, and both look terrified as they basically fall out the door, the smaller one holding up the other.

Aida stops just outside the doorway and looks each way. She is way too small to be taking all of Amalie's weight, but she's doing it anyway. She locks eyes on me and smiles. I would do anything for that smile.

"She's amazing," I say over link.

"I'm glad you think so, brother, but don't just stand there ogling her. Come help." Amalie's cool tone interrupts my thoughts. I forgot I was linking to everyone and not just James.

Thank goddess Aida didn't hear me.

"Well, actually I ..." HER voice sounds in my head, and I stare in disbelief. And total embarrassment. She heard me.

Father interrupts, "For goodness's sake, boys. Help them and let's go. This is all a little too easy."

James, Jemma, and I close the distance between ourselves and the girls. James takes Amalie's weak and battered body from Aida, and I take Aida's hand.

The giant wolves are a sight slinking down the hall. Aida stares in disbelief. I look at her face. I really have missed her, and it hasn't even been a day. I squeeze her hand. "I told you I would see you soon."

She squeezes back, though very softly. Her grip loosens, and I look at her face. I see her eyes rolling back in her head and catch her just before she collapses to the floor.

"Father!" I exclaim. And then I realize my mistake.

Dr. Jasper appears moments later from where the girls came from, tilting his head curiously. His eyes narrow when he sees the girls in our arms. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You are making a terrible mistake. Put them down, now!"

My father shifts before him. He stands tall, albeit naked, and looms over the doctor. "I don't think you're in any position to question me, Doctor. How dare you speak to your pack mates that way. I asked you to take care of my daughter, and you have used her as an experiment. Not to mention Aidalyn here."

Father bends and grabs his clothing, throwing it on as fast as he can.

Dr. Jasper stands frozen as the wolves move slowly but deliberately, forming a guard around my dad. James and I stand behind with Jemma, the girls still in our arms. Amalie is still out cold and looks painfully thin. Her face is white and her skin has an odd and unnatural glow, making her appear more blue than her natural tan hue in the dim overhead lighting. Aida is eerily still and feels cold in my arms. I try to keep a watch for signs that she is breathing but her chest movement is so slow, I just cant be sure.

"Alpha, please. There is so much you don't understand. This was never my choice. None of it. My father, he made a deal, and I couldn't go back on it. It would mean the end of us all. Don't you see? I had to do this. For us all. For you."

My father snorts. A low growl escapes his lips, which is enough to startle Jasper backwards. "I am taking the girls, Jasper, and we are leaving."

Dr. Jasper looks desperately from Father to the girls. "It's already too late. Aida has lost too much blood to survive, and Amalie is ... she is ... she is a hybrid." His mouth slams shut.

Father slaps his face so hard that Dr. Jasper is thrown against the wall and slumps to the floor. He then grabs the doctor around the throat and begins to lift him from the floor like a rag doll. Deacon startles behind him, and I see Father's back stiffen suddenly. He drops Jasper to the floor and steps over him, then lurches forward and shifts mid-air.

He links to James and me. "Lukah is coming. We need to go. Now."

The wolves take off down the hall and Jemma shifts immediately, sprinting on her paws after them. I try to move as fast I can in human form, cradling the silent and rail thin girl in my arms. I can feel too many of her bones through her clothes and I try not to wince as I jostle her around as we move. James follows with Amalie but he comes to an abrubt stop when she lets out a gurgling sound and then a low hiss. She begins to throw her limbs about with so much force, James can barely hold onto her.

He yells out to me, "Shit! Argent help, something is wrong!"

We don't have time to stop. I can feel Aida's heart rate slowing down, and her chest is not rising as often as it was before. I place my chin on her cheek, finding her cold.

"Don't stop, James. Just hold her tight. We need to get out of here."

He nods and carries on.

We finally reach the tunnel entrance, and he steps in with Amalie. She has stopped seizing for now and seems to have passed out. He walks, holding her carefully through the tunnel, and I watch him reach the end. Father takes her in his arms. I trek through with Aida over my shoulder; her breath is shallower now.

As I reach the end, George steps over to me in his human form. "Hand your mate to me, son. We have a car at the entrance, and our pack doctor is waiting there. Your father and I will take the girls to the car, shift, and follow it back to your pack house."

I feel the urge to resist. I don't want to let her go. Father nods to me.

I reluctantly release Aida to George, who immediately takes her and leaves with Father and Amalie for the car.

He links to James and me. "Run as fast as you can home. Prepare the hospital. Lunar pack is handling Lukah. Strand pack will wait in between here and home for them and they will return together. GO!"

With one last pained look towards Aida, I shift and run as fast as I can towards home.

Hold on babe, hold on.