Ryan grunted his agreement. “You are not responsible for their choices.”
“I should have stood up to the Alpha a long time ago,” Zac gritted out. “I didn’t.”
Grace put a supportive hand on his shoulder. “What could you have done, Zac? He’s bigger and stronger than you, through no fault of your own.”
Makenna nodded. “You did the smart thing. You got away. I’ve told you before, it takes guts to run. A lot of people don’t try because they’re too scared to get caught. You’re not weak, but you’re not strong enough to hold your own against these assholes. That’s shitty, but it’s the truth.”
Ryan grunted. He couldn’t have said it better himself.
Zac rubbed a palm on his thigh. “I don’t like that everyone is risking their lives while I hide here.”
Dominic hung his arm around Zac’s shoulders. “There’s no shame in hiding if it’s the smart thing to do. Do you judge Grace, Lydia, Hope, and Riley for staying behind?”
“No, of course not.”
“They’re not staying because they don’t have guts,” added Tao. “They’re doing it because they know their strengths don’t lie in fighting. But they can keep the kids calm and safe, so that’s what they’re going to do.”
Zac snorted. “Riley’s a fighter.”
“Which is why it’s torture for her to stay,” began Taryn, “but she knows Dexter and Savannah are so attached to her that they’d try to follow her. Staying is the smart thing to do, so she’s doing the smart thing. You need to do that too.”
His shoulders sagged. “I just hate that I’ve brought trouble here.”
“They are bringing trouble here,” corrected Trick. “Not you.”
“You have no reason to feel so guilty,” said Ally. “The fault belongs only to them. They’ve made the decision to come here and—” Ally broke off with a gasp. Her eyes turned white, and, shit, it was the freakiest thing Makenna had ever seen. Her wolf’s hackles rose and her ears pricked up.
Shaya went to their Beta female’s side. “Shit, she’s having a vision.”
Derren drew his mate to him, rubbing a hand over her back. She didn’t move or speak. It was like she wasn’t even with them. It seemed to take forever before she snapped out of it with a low gasp.
Derren cupped her face. “Baby, you okay?”
She nodded, blinking a few times.
“That vision was longer than your usual ones,” said Roni.
Trey sidled up to her, arms folded. “What did you see?”
“It was two visions—one right after the other.” Ally swallowed, her eyebrows drawing together.
Just the look in the Seer’s eyes was enough to make anxiety curdle in Makenna’s stomach and cause the hairs on her arms and nape to rise.
“Something’s changed,” said Ally. “Something’s twisted everything and changed the plans. The York Pack . . . I saw them here. They’re coming now. And they’re bringing at least a hundred wolves with them.”
The news hit the room like a bomb. Trey went rigid. “You’re certain?”
“In the vision, we were all wearing exactly what we’re wearing now.”
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.”