Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack, #5)(89)

Curses rang throughout the room, and then everyone was talking at once. The Alphas communicating via teleconference said they’d leave immediately with their wolves and head for Phoenix Pack territory. Similarly, Nick called his brother to summon him and his other enforcers.

“Wait!” shouted Ally, once again gaining everyone’s attention. “There was something else. A second vision. I saw Remy. But I didn’t see him here.”

Marcus frowned. “Then where?”

Ally looked at Makenna. “He wants the children back. He thinks the council brought them to the shelter.”

Makenna felt the blood drain from her face as an ice-cold dread flooded every vein. Her hand flew to her stomach, which suddenly felt rock hard. Her heart was racing so fast she was surprised it didn’t explode. She turned to Ryan. “I have to get there. I have to get there now.”

Ally grabbed her wrist. “Wait, you have to listen to me. You can’t barge in there; you have to be very careful how you proceed. Remy . . . I was in his head for a minute—that doesn’t happen a lot in a vision. When it does, it’s plain horrible.”

Derren grimaced. “In his head?”

“He’s not rational right now,” said Ally. “In a strange, twisted way, having the children around kept him stable. He’s known sickness and depravity at the hands of his mother. But the children . . . they’re so innocent, so pure and unthreatening, and he’s drawn to that. They keep away all the shame and guilt he feels even though he can’t accept that he’s a victim. He doesn’t seem to realize what he’s become. He just knows he needs them close. He’ll do whatever he has to do to get them back, and he’s convinced they’re at the shelter, that Dawn’s keeping them from him.”

Makenna raked a shaking hand through her hair. “They’re not there; I have no idea where they are.”

“We know that,” said Taryn. “But will he believe that?”

Ally gave a sad shake of her head. “I really don’t think so. Like I said, he isn’t thinking rationally. He wants the children and the shelter. He blames Dawn for everything that’s gone wrong.”

“I’ll call her.” Makenna moved to the corner of the room to make the call.

Zac hurried to Ryan. “You’ll go to the shelter and help them, right?”

Feeling torn, Ryan clenched his fists. “I promised I’d protect you from your old pack.”

“Dude, Dawn and Madisyn are more important to me than that. There will be hundreds of people here to side with our pack soon. No one’s guarding the shelter because they all wanted to hear Trey’s plans and thought Remy would come here.” Zac licked his lips. “You can’t let Makenna go alone. She will if she has to.”

Knowing Zac was right, Ryan looked at Ally. “How many wolves did Remy have with him?”

“There were around twelve that I could see. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t more.”

Makenna returned to Ryan. “Neither Dawn nor Madisyn are answering their phone. How long do we have before Remy arrives at the shelter?” she asked Ally.

The Seer shrugged. “Sometimes I have a vision seconds before it happens, sometimes it’s longer.”

Which meant there was a very strong possibility that Remy was already at the shelter. Fuck. Makenna turned back to Ryan. “I can’t wait any longer.” Her wolf was just as frantic as she was.

Taryn nodded. “You need to go. But not alone. The shelter’s under our protection. Fucking nobody gets to harm a single person in it.”

Dante stepped forward. “Jaime and I will come with you.”

“If you’re going to need to sneak inside, we’re the best people to have with you,” said Jaime. “We’re almost as good as Ryan.”

“Good idea,” said Taryn. She turned to Makenna and Ryan. “I’m sorry, but I can’t afford to spare more people right now.” The Alpha female was right; at that moment, the pack was vulnerable against all of the wolves that would soon attack. “I’ll send others to the shelter when reinforcements arrive.”

Makenna gave Zac a hug and then followed Ryan, Dante, and Jaime out of the office. Minutes later, they were in the Chevy, and Ryan was speeding to the shelter. Makenna repeatedly tried to contact Dawn, Madisyn, and Colton, but she couldn’t get through to anyone.

“Fuck. No one’s answering their cells, the reception phone, or the one in Dawn’s office.” Which meant something was very seriously wrong, and it was more than likely that Remy was already in the building. Her wolf paced, anxious and filled with the same bubbling fury that was building in Makenna.

“The shelter still has wards that keep out threats, right?” asked Dante from the backseat, to which she nodded. “How could Remy have got past them?”

Makenna shrugged, rubbing at her wrists. “He could have hired a witch to unravel them.” He’d known about the wards from his failed attempts to enter the building; he’d felt the magick there, just as Ryan had.

“Is there any way inside the shelter other than the front, back, or side doors?”

“Yes. There is an emergency exit for people who need to make a quick getaway.”

“Then that’s how we’ll get inside,” said Ryan.

“We’ll need to enter the territory through the forest behind the shelter,” Makenna told him.