“That’s so cool,” Kaja whispered.

As soon as we were all inside, Rage released his hold on the rock and darted in as the stones slid back into place. Rustling in the darkness, Kaja muttered something about a torch.

A spark flared, and Rage raised a small fireball in his palm, giving just enough light to illuminate the passageway.

To our left sat a large chest, its lid propped open. Clothes, shoes, and weapons filled the container. Above it, bows and quivers of arrows hung on the stone wall as well as several broadswords. Rage waved at the cache and said, “Let’s get armed. Declan may decide an heir can wait.”

I strapped blades to my thighs and grabbed a short sword while Kaja took several blades as well.

Rage grabbed a torch and tipped it to the flame in his palm. With the increased light, he was able to extinguish his fireball.

Kaja and I looked at each other, fully armed and ready to save Justice and Noble, as Rage stepped between us and waved the selkies forward.

“Gray and Harp, if you want swords, come get them,” Rage said.

First Gray and then Harp stepped forward and picked through the blades. It was still wild for me to think we were about to attack the alpha king with two selkies. My, my, how the tables had turned. A few minutes later, we slunk through the passageways, armed to the teeth.

Rage led us through the corridors, heading east.

‘Where are we going?’ I asked.

“We’ll go to my mother’s room first. I don’t want Declan to use her,” Rage answered aloud so everyone could hear. “Never again.”

“Weapons out,” Rage growled to all of us. “But be careful.” He narrowed his eyes at the selkie warriors. “Don’t you dare kill my mother by accident.”

Then he pushed another invisible button and led us into a large bedroom.

“Mom?” Rage said, halting just inside the room.

I stepped to his side and scanned the room, relieved when I spotted the headmistress alive and well, sitting at a writing desk despite the lateness of the hour. Next to her sat a large gray wolf. She’d turned toward her son when he called for her, her eyes wide, but she didn’t get up from her seat. A heartbeat later, the wolf became a man.

“Aww, Nai,” Herpes Beo said, coming to stand behind Elaine, hand on his sword. “So nice to see you. You too, Rage.”

I froze, knowing that at one time, Rage and his brothers had considered Beo a friend.

“The king will reward me greatly for bringing you two to him.” Beo sauntered forward, and a low growl rumbled from Rage next to me.

“What’s the matter—?” Beo didn’t finish his sentence.

Rage flicked his wrist, and in one fluid movement, a small dagger lodged in Beo’s neck. The Midnight Pack guard dropped to his knees.

Grey and Harp stepped out of the corridor, and one of them grunted, but his words were lost to me because Elaine stood then and swung, twisting her body so that the entire force of her weight was channeled into a strike at Beo’s neck.

Wait, did she even have a weapon?

I blinked, and she stepped back, away from Beo, her lip curled in disgust. There, next to the throwing dagger lodged in his throat, was the last inch of her pen.

Wow.

“You chose to follow the orders of a bully,” she snarled. “I expected more of you, Beo.”

Headmistress Elaine spun toward her son. “Courage!”

As soon as she said his name, her door opened, and four guards marched in, weapons drawn.

“No!” Elaine screamed.

And at the same time, Rage bellowed, “Stand down!”

Almost as if time stood still, the guards froze, confusion washing over their features.

I blinked, and then my jaw went slack as all four of them shook their heads.

“Now,” Rage growled. “Weapons down.”

Three of them put their weapons away. Just like that. But the fourth one trembled, his entire body shaking with a seeming battle of wills.

Holy mage, what was happening?

His sword tightened in his hand as he raised his head and howled as if in pain.

Rage stepped forward and ran the guard through with his knife—his wail cut off with a wet gurgle.

“He was trying to signal the king,” Rage growled. He looked sadly at the wolf he’d just killed as the limp body slid to the floor.

“Your commanding power is getting stronger,” Elaine said, voice filled with shock as she stared at her son, then her eyes widened and her gaze darted from the selkies to Rage. “Are you making friends?”

I giggle-snorted.

“Trying,” he said, with a crooked smile. “Harp, Gray, this is my mother, Elaine.”

The selkies bowed, and Harp said, “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”

Elaine nodded her head. “You as well.” She then pulled Rage into a fierce hug. “I was so worried.”

I watched their reunion with a newfound respect for my future mother-in-law. She’d raised four alpha heirs, so of course, she was badass.

“Mom,” he said, his words coming in a rush. “Will you go to the infirmary and then bring the Harvest girls to the basement of the south tower. I have a feeling we’ll need all the help we can get.”

She nodded and then pulled his forehead down for a kiss. “I’ll do what I can to lead our guards the other way. Most don’t want to attack you, but…”

Rage swallowed hard. “But the pack link makes it hard to refuse the king.”

As we’d all just witnessed … but apparently, Rage had commanding power as well—a trait of an alpha king.

Maybe Rage was ready to take over for his uncle.

“I’ll see you soon,” she said, crossing toward the door. “Now, Chance, Jonathan, Robert, come with me.”

Rage frowned at me, but the expression slid from his face as his attention jumped over my head. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Beo dead on the ground. But Rage didn’t go to his childhood friend. Instead, my mate jerked his head toward the open door.

“Let’s go get Justice and Noble.”

Chapter 8

My heart climbed into my throat. We stood in the hallway of a legit dingy dungeon. The air reeked of blood and urine. Fear flickered in the low light, and splattered stains on the stone walls gave a whole new meaning to uber-creepy vibe. The two selkie warriors stepped to one side of the door as Kaja, Rage, and I hovered on the opposite side.

‘I don’t like it,’ I told Rage. ‘No guards? It’s like when we first landed on the beach with Sadie and Audrey.’

Rage closed his eyes, and it took me a hot second to realize he was concentrating. Sure enough, the sound of Surlama’s voice trickled out to us through the other side of the closed door.

“You said he would come for you, but maybe you’re wrong, Justice Midnight. Maybe he cares more about that bitch of his than you or Noble.”

Hot searing anger burned through me. Worse than Surlama’s voice, what she said made me see red. When Justice wailed in pain, Rage strode to the door, lifted his knee to his chest, and then delivered a deafening blow. One kick, and the door flew open with such force it crashed into the wall behind it as splinters rained down onto the floor.

Apparently, it was go time.