Kyra’s POV

"Get in the car," Mason said, opening the rear door.

A gunshot rang out. Our attackers had found us. Nathan grabbed me and put me in the back seat before jumping into the passenger seat and taking the gun from my hands.

Gunfire exploded around us as Nathan leaned out the window. He shot back at the rogues coming from the trees. His shots were clean and accurate. Each bullet hit its mark. I watched him cover us while Mason hit the gas.

Bullets bounced off the car’s armor as we drove off fast. Nathan kept shooting until the rogues couldn’t keep up. When the gunfire finally stopped, he pulled back inside.

The car sped away. I looked at Mason. He drove without saying anything, his jaw tight. His hands gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white. Sweat covered his forehead even though it was cool outside.

He still wasn’t fully healed. How was he even here? Last time I saw him, he could barely stand up.

"I’m not helping you because I believe you. I’m here because Matt asked me to," he said. He must have felt me staring at him through the mirror.

I swallowed and nodded. I was too tired to talk. I felt drained and shocked. After everything that happened today, I had nothing left.

"Matt went to find your father’s private office?" I asked. My voice sounded rough.

Mason looked confused in the mirror. "What office? What are you talking about?"

Nathan turned around to check on me after making sure no one was chasing us. His eyes showed worry and panic.

"Kyra, are you hurt?" He touched my face, looking for injuries.

I nodded and gave him a weak smile.

"How’s your stomach? Any pain? Cramping?" He spoke quietly, but Mason could still hear.

I shook my head. The baby. With all this chaos, I’d almost forgotten I was pregnant. Nathan turned to Mason and used his Alpha voice.

"Do you have water? Food? She’s pregnant and hasn’t eaten all day."

Mason’s face changed a little. He might have looked sorry for a second. He pointed to the compartment between the front seats. "There’s water in there. Some protein bars too."

Nathan opened it and grabbed the water bottle. He opened it and gave it to me. He also took out a wrapped protein bar.

"Drink it slowly," Nathan said as he unwrapped the bar. "Eat this too. The baby needs food."

I nodded and drank slowly. The water felt amazing on my dry throat. I almost drank the whole bottle before taking the protein bar from Nathan. It tasted terrible, but I made myself eat it.

Nathan finished what was left of the water. He put the empty bottle on the dashboard. He took my hand and linked our fingers together. I looked down at our hands when he kissed the ring on my finger.

"Don’t worry. I’ll keep you both safe," he whispered. His hand moved to touch my stomach.

"Nathan, what about the companies? All those people..."

He let out a heavy breath. "I lost my phone in the fight. I only remember your number. We can’t find out what’s happening."

I closed my eyes tight. What could we do? Emily was still missing. She might be buried alive somewhere. Now innocent workers were in danger too. Connor was winning and we were lost.

"Where are we going?" Nathan asked Mason. He sounded suspicious. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Mason didn’t answer right away. That made me more nervous. I opened my eyes to look at him. I frowned as we came to a big mansion with old gates. The house looked ancient and fancy. It had detailed stonework and tall, thin windows. Even the ivy on the walls looked like someone had planted it there on purpose.

"Whose house is this? Mason, if you’re going to give me to your father..."

"Do you really think I’m that bad?" Mason cut me off. His voice was sharp. He parked the car behind the mansion where no one from the road could see it.

He turned off the engine and looked at me in the mirror. "This house is empty. Some old pack family used to live here but they all died years ago. No one comes here, so we’re safe. If you don’t trust me, Matt is inside."

"Matt’s inside?" I looked confused. "How did he get here?"

Mason got out without answering. Nathan helped me out of the car and kept his arm around me as we followed Mason to the back door.

Inside, the house was in better shape than I expected for an empty place. Sheets covered most of the furniture, but everything looked solid. Candles burned in different corners.

Like Mason said, Matt was there, but he wasn’t alone. Sarah Foster sat on a couch next to him, crying into her hands. She usually looked perfect, but now her hair was messy and her clothes were wrinkled.

What happened to her?

"Kyra!" Matt saw me and got up to hug me tight. I felt him let out a relieved breath. "Thank God you’re okay..."

I bit my lip. "Matt, Emily... we still can’t find her."

"I know," he whispered. "I want to help, but Mason brought me here against my will. He knocked me out when I tried to get into my father’s office. I don’t have a car and I don’t know how to get out of this place."

He stopped and looked at me with scared eyes. "The mind link doesn’t work here either. We can’t contact anyone outside. Something about this place blocks our connection to our packs."

So we were trapped and no one could find us. Matt moved closer and whispered in my ear, "Please help me get out. I need that evidence against my father. It’s the only way to stop him."

"Nobody leaves this house," Mason said loudly, cutting into our talk. "We stay here until I say we can go."

I turned to stare at him. He poured brown liquid into a small glass. He moved carefully, but his eyes looked crazy.

"Mason, what’s wrong with you?" Sarah Foster suddenly jumped up and attacked him. "You hurt my husband! You took my son! Why are you doing this?"

She hit and kicked him, but Mason barely moved. He grabbed her wrists easily. His werewolf strength showed as he held her back without trying hard.

I watched in horror. What was happening here?