Dante frowned. “The trapdoor’s at the bottom of a closet?”

“Another of the badger’s ideas. And a good one.”

“How close is this room to the cafeteria?”

“Close enough that we have to be quiet.” If they found them, they would also find the trapdoor and the people hiding below.

“I’ll go up first.” Reaching the top of the ladder, Dante pushed open the trapdoor and then, without making a sound, slowly swung open the closet door. She was guessing the room was empty, because he stepped out of the closet. Jaime went next, quickly followed by Makenna and Ryan.

Dante quietly spoke. “Whatever you see in the cafeteria, remember that killing Remy is the priority. We do that, we knock the others off balance.”

“Remy’s mine,” rumbled Ryan.

“Then we’ll attack anyone who tries to help him, because I really don’t think these shifters have the kind of honor that would make them stand back while two wolves duel.”

Makenna agreed with Dante. “How long do you think it will be before backup arrives?”

“No idea,” replied the Beta male. “The battle will have already started by now. We can’t be sure how long it will be before Trey can afford to spare people.”

Jaime winced. “Four against twenty-five isn’t great odds.”

No, it wasn’t. “Madisyn and Colton are good fighters. Dawn’s damn vicious and capable of holding her own. Most of the residents have received combat training from Colton—lone shifters have to know how to protect themselves. If nothing else, they’ll keep most of Remy’s wolves occupied.”

Looking into his mate’s eyes, Ryan knew she wasn’t quite as confident about their safety as she sounded. She had to know there was a huge difference in knowing defensive maneuvers and being trained enforcers. There were certain to be casualties.

“It might be best if we don’t shift,” added Makenna. “The residents won’t be able to tell us apart from Remy’s wolves if we’re in our other form. They know our scents, but they’ll be too hyped up to really take note of them.”

“She has a point,” said Jaime, rolling back her shoulders. “I have some experience at fighting wolves while in my human form.”

Dante looked at Ryan. “Don’t worry if you have to shift to fight Remy. We’ll be guarding you anyway.”

Makenna went to speak, but then everybody froze at the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Shit. The footsteps stopped a short distance away from the room.

“Did you find them?” The voice was male and unfamiliar.

“No,” said a masculine voice that Makenna also didn’t recognize. She arched a questioning brow at Ryan, Dante, and Jaime. They all shook their heads.

A heavy sigh. “I don’t think the boys are here.”

“They could be hiding.”

“I haven’t picked up their scents anywhere. You?”

“No, but Remy believes—”

“Remy’s fucking lost it, and we both know it.”

A derisive snort. “You think a guy who likes little boys has ever been sane?” That received a chuckle. A chuckle? Makenna barely held back a growl. How could anybody find such a concept amusing? These people knew their Alpha was twisted and they didn’t care. They weren’t just without honor; they were without morals.

Ryan held a finger to his mouth, opened the door a little . . . and fucking disappeared out of the room like smoke. Dante must have sensed Makenna’s automatic instinct to follow, because he raised a hand and shook his head. She was about to tell him to fuck off, but then he mouthed, “Listen.”

So she listened . . . and realized nobody was talking anymore. Ryan poked his head into the room and signaled for them to exit with a jerk of his chin. Her brows shot up as she spotted two males on the floor, their heads tilted at an unnatural angle. He and Dante dragged them into the room and quietly shut the door.

Well, that was two less immoral fuckers in the world.

Dante took the lead as they kept close to the wall, using the shadows as cover. She guessed he was following the voices they could hear—unfortunately, they weren’t yet clear enough for anyone to understand the words.

Approaching a T-junction, Dante raised a hand and briefly glanced around the corner. He then raised his thumb and led them around it. Still sticking close to the wall, they silently hurried down the hall. That was when the voices started to become clear.

“Don’t make me ask you again, Dawn,” growled Remy.

“I can’t tell you what I don’t know.” Dawn sounded cool and collected, but Makenna knew the feline would be nervous as hell.

“I know they’re here, so lying to me is pointless,” he spat.

“You can’t truly believe that the council left them here, in such an obvious place,” scoffed Dawn.

Reaching the cafeteria, Makenna found the door ajar. Staying within the shadows, the Beta pair moved to the opposite side of the doorframe while she and Ryan peeked through the gap near the hinges of the door. Madisyn and Colton were flanking Dawn while the residents and other staff members were grouped behind them; some looked nervous, others looked ready to kill.

Over twenty of Remy’s wolves were present, including Selene. They had kicked aside most of the tables and were circling Dawn and the others. It was a relief to see that Madisyn hadn’t gotten herself killed. But going by the way she was eying Remy with lethal precision, she sure was thinking about pouncing on him any moment now.