Isaiah was driving through traffic as all of their voices spilled through the Bluetooth piece in his car. "How far are you from the hotel, Zeiden?" he asked.

"A few minutes," he replied.

"I got all my stuff packed and a truck will bring it by the house later," said Ashley who was also on call with them. "I just need to check-out from the hotel."

"I'll be waiting on the north-side street," Zeiden told her.

Isaiah reached home so he disconnected the phone and entered the house. Lazarus, Ronin and Adrik were gathered around the living room waiting for the rest of the family members to arrive as well.

"How'd the meeting go with Gabriel?" asked Lazarus.

"You went to go see Gabriel?" astonished Ronin and Zeiden- who was still on the phone.

"Who's Gabriel?" asked Ashley over the phone.

"Gabriel Centauri," answered Ronin.

"The alpha of the Centauri pack?" asked Ashley. "I'm friends with his sister, Viola."

"Those are the ones," said Zeiden.

"How'd that go?" Ashley asked Isaiah after.

Isaiah took a seat after pouring himself a drink. "What everyone says about him falls short," he said.

"Uh oh," said Zeiden. "Isaiah is crushing over Gabriel. Better be careful, Ashley."

Ashley's laughter spilled through the speaker. "Boys, why don't we buy a Christmas tree this year?"

"A tree?" inquired Isaiah.

"I think it's time to decorate that house of yours," she said with a smile that they all felt through the phone. "We can decorate the tree while Lazarus cooks us a big dinner?"

"Sounds good," said Ronin. "We can even put lights around the house."

"There's a great store nearby," Ashley began to walk through the streets, "I can get some shopping done with Zeiden before coming home."

"Zeiden, where are you?" asked Isaiah. He didn't like Ashley walking through the streets alone without protection.

"I'm just about to pull up-" Zeiden's voice fell and a dense silence crept through the speaker. "Son of a bitch!"

"Zeiden, what the fuck is going on?" Isaiah snapped.

"Isaiah!" A scream ripped through the speaker and it was Ashley. "No! Let me go!" All the men silenced over the phone when they heard Ashley's pleading cries and then the slam of a sliding door.

"You want her back?" a man they all recognized spoke.

"Vito," menaced Isaiah.

"Get that brother of yours off my tail," said Vito smugly, "or else I put a bullet in the girl like I did last time."

"I have eyes on the van, Isaiah," grumbled Zeiden.

"Don't follow him. He'll shoot Ashley," gritted out Isaiah. He slammed his fist on the table. "Fucking shit!"

"That's exactly how I felt when you got rid of the Calvary," Vito said resentfully. "I'm just getting what you cost me and as long as you follow my orders, you'll get your pretty girl back safe and sound. But play any games against me, I'll make sure her face isn't this pretty anymore."

Isaiah stared into the dead hearth of the fireplace. The same emptiness that this hearth had was inside of him. His whole body turned bitter-cold reaching a point that his wolf was at the brink of release. Isaiah bit the insides of his cheeks, drawing blood around his teeth to control himself.

"I want fifty million by nightfall," Vito demanded. "Call this number when you arrange the money. I'll give you the next instructions on where to drop it off and pick up your woman. Goodbye for now, Isaiah." The phone cut on them.

Acid rose in Isaiah's throat boiling his entire body in flames. Ashley's cries ripped through his ears and echoed in his head even long after the phone call was done.

"I'm going to kill Vito with my bare hands," his words with full of fury. The guys around him all agreed that they'd do that same.

"The nerve of him to kidnap an innocent woman," said Ronin. "Should've killed him when we had the chance."

In the thick silence of the room, all of the wolves were ready to drink Vito's blood.

"Are we going to arrange the money?" asked Lazarus.

"Arrange it," said Isaiah.

"We're really going to give that bastard money?" asked Adrik.

Isaiah's iron cold eyes flashed with a menacing thirst that reminded them all of the old Petrov pack; merciless, cruel and monstrous.

"Ashley's my main concern," he told them. "The moment she's safe. I'm going to bring hell to that fucker's doorstep."

-Ashley's POV-

Ashley finally regained consciousness. She didn't know where she was or what was going on only that she was in danger. The cloth wrapped around her eyes fell and a blinding light shot a sharp pain through her skull. She was tied down to wooden chair that felt like it could break any second. She didn't even try to move because the stabbing pain around her neck and shoulder were excruciatingly painful. Warm liquid dripped down her arm, she knew that her stitches had busted open from the fight earlier.

Ashley surveyed the dark room she was in; beams held the concrete ceiling above her and it was deserted apart from some tables, chairs and beer bottles. It was some warehouse that had the horrid smell of a gas that gave her trouble just to breathe. In the distance, the sound of a train rang through her ears, small pebbles shook beside her from the vibration alone.

Suddenly, someone entered the warehouse- from their familiar voices and scents, it was her abductors.

The lanky man they kept calling Willy stepped in front of Ashley. "You're some beauty," he bent down to her level. His deep-set eyes looked around her face and to the curve of her chest.

"This is so annoying," said a taller guy, she didn't know the name of yet. "Why do we get stuck babysitting that alpha's bitch?"

"Didn't you hear the boss earlier, Tim?" asked another man who smelt of cigarettes and beer. "If we protect the girl properly, we get double the cash."

Willy pulled out a cigarette and lit it in front of her. "So, all we have to do is make sure that this girl is safe," he blew a cloud of smoke in her face. "I guess we should welcome you properly." Willy ripped off the tape that was stuck on Ashley's lips. She involuntarily released a groan. "What a beautiful sound," moaned Willy as he wiped the blood from the corner of her lip. They three men laughed and then started a game of cards on the table.

Ashley's parched throat tightened. This isn't good, she needed answers, she thought to herself. "Hey, who's your boss?" she asked them. Ashley had a bit of bravery because she knew that they couldn't hurt her.

The guys looked over to her, but Willy was the only one that answered. "Vito Donovan," he told her. Ashley knew that none of these guys saw her as a threat, which was good way to get what she needed.

"Does this 'Vito' person have some problem with me?" she asked, but she knew that it wasn't her, it was Isaiah Vito was after, she just needed more details.

"It's not you he's after," said Willy as he lost another deal to his cards. "He's after your man who closed all the deals for our boss."

"So, I'm just a hostage?" she asked.

"Yeah, now shut up woman!" snapped Tim.

Ashley needed to get Isaiah on the phone. He needed to know that she was alright and that he could do whatever he needed in order to keep himself and his brothers safe. "I need to make a phone call," she demanded.

Willy lost another match and groaned. "No," he told her fleetingly.

"You guys really don't know how to do this hostage thing," she said. The three men looked over to her. "How will you convince Isaiah Iron to come get me if he doesn't know I'm alive?"

"What the hell you getting at?" retorted Tim.

Ashley swallowed the fear that was bubbling inside of her because she needed to hear Isaiah's voice. "I'm saying that Isaiah Iron won't give you the ransom money if he thinks I'm dead." Willy looked to the other guys who had approving looks on their faces when they heard her reasoning. "And then Vito will blame you for not getting that money."

"Why would he do that?" asked Willy.

"It's your job to keep me safe, isn't it?" she asked and they all nodded. "Then it's your job to let Isaiah Iron know that his mate's safe."

Willy nodded. "One phone call," he said as he pulled out a cell phone, "and don't try anything."

"Why would I with you three around. I'm blonde not stupid," she remarked.

Willy untied her hands and quickly brought them to the front to tie them with some rope. Ashley grabbed the cellphone and dialled Isaiah's number as fast as she could. When the phone connected, her eyes filled with tears.

"Isaiah," she said.

"Ashley," Isaiah's voice was hoarse and frantic. Ashley heard all the guys on the other side of the line too. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," she told him. But she had to give him every detail without letting her captors catch on. "You're such an asshole," she snapped surprising Willy and the other two. "This happened because you didn't let me go shopping for a Christmas tree."

"Ashley-"

Willy and the two others rolled their eyes when they heard her overblown tantrum. They mindlessly continued their game. "Because of you, I'm stuck in some rotting building!" she snapped. "It's smells of gas and it's ruining my vintage dress. The three guys here are so rude to me and I hate the stupid train, it keeps scaring me." Ashley silenced over the phone letting Isaiah hear the moment the train passed by the warehouse. Thankfully, Willy and the two guys didn't give a care in the world over what she was saying to Isaiah, they even looked amused. Ashley prayed that he got her message loud and clear.

"Isaiah," her real voice spilled through the phone this time. She heard Isaiah's breath, but the phone was suddenly snatched from her hands.

"What are you doing?" asked Willy, his hand swung back and he slammed it across her face. Her cheek stung terribly as her entire face throbbed.

Ashley didn't even spare Willy a glance. She could've cost her life with this phone call, but after hearing her mate's voice, his breath, she was content even if she died now. There was no reason for Isaiah to risk his life. She didn't want him getting hurt, especially because of her.

"Thanks for the call," she told Willy. "I got all my anger out on him."

"Crazy woman," he grumbled.

Ashley sat back in the chair patiently waiting for Isaiah to come for her now. She looked over to the group of men that were going to be slaughtered for touching her. Ashley kept her eyes wide open to see every part of them ripped apart. Ashley smiled. This was going to be fun, she thought to herself.

-Isaiah's POV-

Isaiah cut the phone with a grin on his face.

"That girl," chuckled Ronin. "Did she just do what I think she did?"

"She had the balls to make a call with her abductors right beside her," commented Zeiden.

"More importantly, she told us where they were keeping her," added Lazarus.

"Find her, now," ordered Isaiah.

"Already did," said Ronin looking up from his phone. "She's at the old gas mill warehouse near the subway station on seventy-two-street."

Isaiah's fisted his hands. "Let's go get her back," he commanded.

This time none of them stayed back or thought to let someone else handle this mission. They all got into their cars and drove down to fight this mission until the end. In matter of minutes, they arrived at the warehouse. Isaiah signalled for all his men to surround the building and ambush after he confronted the abductors.

"Looks like Vito isn't in the warehouse," said Zeiden as he kept a bird's view from the rooftop beside them. That way no surprise attacks could harm them once the four were inside.

Isaiah opened the door and sauntered inside the old run-down gas mill. He surveyed the area finding only three men, like Ashley had warned them. But then, he spotted Ashley tied down to a chair.

"About time," said Ashley faintly, but audible enough for him to pick up on with his keen ears.

Isaiah stepped out from under the shadow, his steps determined because he wanted to torment the hell out of those assholes. But first, he made his way over to Ashley when the man with sunken eyes spotted him. He alerted his partners and they all lunged back.

"What the fuck!" alarmed a lanky man. "How'd you get here. Does Vito know about this?" he questioned with a shacking gun pointed at Isaiah.

Isaiah's wolf was on the verge of surfacing. The anger was seething through him and all he saw was red. Isaiah wanted blood. Blood of the people who took his mate from him.

From the back entrance, Adrik and Lazarus entered with inaudible steps. When the guy with the gun tried to call Vito, Lazarus and Adrik killed off his two partners by snapping their necks in half. The two bodies flopped onto the ground. The lanky man's phone fell from his hand as he gawked at his dead friends. Both of his hands circled the handle of the gun, but it wasn't going to help him. Not with Isaiah as his opponent.

"Where's Vito?" It took a lot out of Isaiah to stay composed rather than to kill him.

The man's eyes told Isaiah he was looking for a way out of this. But there was no way. "Vito just told us that he'd be going to the docks after he got the money from you," said the man desperately.

"Why the docks?" asked Lazarus from behind. But when the man didn't answer, Adrik started to stalk towards him.

"He's going to catch a helicopter from there," said the man.

Isaiah approached his mate. Crimson red blood dripping down from her lip, a bruise was starting to form right above her cheek bone. But it was when Isaiah noticed the blood trickling on the floor mixing with the dirt on the concrete floor. Isaiah didn't even need to check to know that her wounds had busted open.

"Ashley," his voice opened her eyes.

"You came," she said softly.

Isaiah pushed the strand of her hair behind her ear. She leaned her head in his hand and seeked his comfort, his strength. He used his knife to break all her bindings. "Lazarus, let him go," he menaced as he ripped his eyes away from his girl. Lazarus didn't question anything before he let go of the man who made a run for the door.

All dominion over his wolf collapsed and the chains broke off. The animal that murdered an entire pack once didn't care about a stranger. An iron grey wolf leaped through the air with a growl. The wolf's strong jaw locked around the man's frail neck, razor sharp teeth stabbed the man's jugular and ripped the entire throat out before the man could let out a cry for help. After the man was long dead, his blood coated the deadly wolf's teeth yet he was not satisfied.

"Ashley, don't," Lazarus alarmed voice caught the wolf's attention.

The wolf slowly turned his head to the others, but his steel grey eyes locked with the only gaze the wolf acknowledged. He met his mate's shimmering blue eyes that were always tender when they looked at him, it was strange but he craved it at every waking moment.

Ashley bent down to the floor, her arms wrapped around the wolf's neck. "I want to go back," her tears soaking the wolf's thick fur, "take me home, Isaiah."

The iron wolf shifted back revealing Isaiah. "I got you," he whispered as he picked her off the floor.

Isaiah walked out of the warehouse with his mate safe in his arms. He may have killed people today, but he didn't give a fuck about it. He didn't care that his wolf went haywire, because his mate was with him now. They left the mess at the warehouse as a gift for Vito. Isaiah wanted fear instilled into that fucking man before he personally went to hunt him down.