Kyra’s POV

We took Nathan’s family and Snow to the airport the night after our wedding. I wasn’t sure why Alpha Richard wanted them to leave right away. It was probably because of all the chaos, but I didn’t ask. I trusted him.

"Bye, Mommy. Bye, Daddy." Snow waved happily at us from Richard’s arms. Nathan’s arm wrapped around my waist, his hand resting on my stomach.

I watched Richard carry Snow toward the terminal. My chest felt tight. My daughter sleeping without me tonight made me sad, but I knew this was necessary. I couldn’t keep her here when our lives were dangerous.

Snow suddenly started crying and reaching for me. "Mommy! I don’t want to go!"

Richard stopped and looked back at us. Nathan squeezed my waist gently.

"Go talk to her," he said softly.

I hurried over to them. Snow’s little face was red and wet with tears.

"Baby, look at me," I said, taking her from Richard’s arms. "You’re going on an adventure, remember? Like the princess stories we read."

"But I want to stay with you and Daddy," she sobbed.

"I know, sweetheart. Mommy and Daddy need to finish some important work first. Then we’ll come get you. I promise."

Snow sniffled. "Promise promise?"

"Promise promise," I said again, kissing her forehead. "And while you’re gone, the baby in Mommy’s tummy will grow bigger. When you come back, you can feel the baby kick."

That made her eyes light up a little. "Really?"

"Really. Now be brave for Mommy, okay? Take care of Grandpa Richard."

She nodded and let Richard take her back. I watched them disappear into the terminal and started crying.

Nathan pulled me close. "We’ll get her back once this is over," he whispered, kissing my hair.

Nathan had wanted me to leave too. He thought it would be safer for me and the baby in another country, but I couldn’t abandon him. My uncle was the enemy. I had to stop him myself and get justice for my mother.

Outside the airport, Nathan stopped walking and turned to face me.

"Kyra, it’s not too late. You could still catch that flight."

"Nathan, we’ve talked about this."

"I know, but seeing Snow cry like that..." He ran his hand through his hair. "I can’t stand the thought of something happening to you or the baby."

"Nothing will happen to us," I said firmly. "We’re in this together, remember?"

He stared at me for a long moment, then nodded. "Together."

"Let’s go," I said, taking his hand. We were heading to Emily’s condo to talk about what happened.

Nathan drove while I sat, thinking about how to end this. I couldn’t attack Connor Foster directly. I had to make him attack first. That was the only way to catch him. He was smart, like my mom. I needed to find his secrets and make him reveal them. After what Emily did today, Connor would definitely come after us.

When we reached Emily’s condo building, I was shocked to see men in black suits around the entrance. They had earpieces and moved like soldiers.

"Emily’s bodyguards," Nathan said quietly. "This is more serious than I thought."

These men weren’t regular security. They watched all the doors and kept scanning for threats. One spoke into his earpiece when we passed. Emily wouldn’t need people like this unless we were in real danger.

Inside the condo, more guards stood at key spots. These were professionals who knew how to handle serious threats.

I found Emily sitting on the couch, waiting for us. She looked tired. I rushed over and hugged her right away. She tensed up, but I held on tighter.

"What have you done?" I whispered.

She pulled back and looked at me, then at Nathan. Her breathing was shaky.

"I’m sorry. I acted without thinking."

I pulled her down to sit with me. "Were you hurt? What happened? How did you find him?"

"My father’s beta came to me three days ago," she said quietly. "He’s been watching Connor since Matt went missing. He found out Connor was keeping Matt in an old warehouse outside the city."

"How did he find out?"

"Connor made a mistake. He used his regular contacts to get supplies to the warehouse. My father’s people have been watching Connor’s associates for days."

I stared at her in shock. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I’m fine. I had my father’s best men with me," she said, gesturing toward her guards. "But the place was heavily guarded. Connor had hired mercenaries to watch Matt. We had to kill them to get to him."

"You killed them?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"They’re all dead, Kyra. My father’s men don’t leave witnesses."

"Matt got hurt protecting me when someone tried to shoot me. I was terrified."

"How is he now?"

Her voice cracked. "He’s in the bedroom. He got shot in the stomach."

I frowned. "Why didn’t you take him to the hospital?"

"My father’s men are Rogues. If we had shown up at a hospital with gunshot wounds, the hospital would have asked questions we can’t answer. Rogues operating in pack territory without permission are illegal. We could all have been arrested."

I swallowed hard. "I want to see Matt."

"I called in a doctor who owes my father a favor. Someone discreet. The bullet’s out, but he lost a lot of blood. He’s stable but weak."

I left her and went to Emily’s bedroom. My cousin lay there, pale and unconscious, pain visible on his face even while sleeping.

I walked toward him and slowly sat in the chair beside the bed. I couldn’t believe I was seeing him like this. What had happened to him? He’d been missing for days. Had his own father done this to him?

Watching him, I felt a heavy weight in my heart. He was my cousin, Connor Foster’s son. If Connor was responsible for this, then he could never be redeemed. He was the most evil person in the world. No doubt about it.