I couldn't shake off the unease that filled me. Something was wrong and I had no idea what. Was Lara in trouble? Silas? I hurried my steps towards the study. It's been a few weeks since I last heard from him. Pain shot through my chest, had Lara finally made it clear that she was no longer interested in me? I rubbed a hand against my chest but it did nothing to lessen the pain. When I entered the study, I hurried inside but came to a stop when I spotted Avery.

Dismay washed through me. I quickly masked my expression and bit back the groan that wanted to escape. "What do you want, Avery?"

She gave me a smile that was really starting to grate at my nerves. My hate towards her grew every single day. I sucked in a deep breath and slowly blew it out. My eyes followed her as she moved around the couch and towards me.

I flinched when she placed her hand on my arm. Her touch burned but not in the good way like Lara's. Her eyes narrowed but she didn't comment on my reaction towards he like she usually would.

"I've decided on a date for the Mating Ceremony."

I swallowed and stepped away from her. Walking around her, I headed over to the desk and sunk down in the chair. I was running out of excuses as to why the ceremony had to be postponed. Mom had been nagging too.

"When?"

"The fifth of October."

In five days. She wanted to have the Mating Ceremony in five days. Then it would be over. There would be no hope of ever starting a relationship with Lara. I'd be stuck with Avery for the rest of my life. How long would I be able to live through that before I ended up killing her or myself?

I licked my lips but no excuse came to mind. There was no choice but to agree so I nodded at her. "I'll tell everyone to start the preparations."

Satisfaction filled her eyes. She gave me a cheeky smile before she hurried out of the room. My eyes narrowed as I stared at the slightly ajar door. That wasn't the only reason she was in here, was it? My eyes darted around the room but nothing was out of place. Before I could pounder over it any longer, my phone starting ringing.

I leaned back in the chair to pull my phone from my pants pocket. Wrin's name flashed across the screen, making me hesitate. It would only be related to pack business and I couldn't handle any pack business now. But something told me that I needed to answer.

"Wrin."

"We have a situation," he said.

I frowned. "What kind of situation?"

"I'm at the border on the East. There's a man here demanding to speak to you. He refuses to talk to anyone else. Says that it's important."

"Send him to the pack house then." I stood and walked over to the window to stare outside at the pack members moving about.

Wrin cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "That won't be such a good idea." He paused. "He's not a Lycan."

"What? He's human then?"

"No, he's cat shifter. Besides, he's in a hurry."

I hesitated. "Fine. I'm coming."

When I turned around I caught a glimpse of Avery's retreating form. I sneered and raced out of the study but she had already disappeared. A whiff of her strong perfume stayed behind, giving her away. If she was listening in on my conversation then she was definitely going to follow me. A plan formed making a smirk tug at my lips. She may think that's she's smart, but I was smarter.

I entered the study again and slammed the door shut before softly twisting the lock into place. With my ear pressed against the wood, I listened but after five minutes had passed and there was no sound, I turned and headed for the window. Opening it, I glanced outside to make sure that the coast was clear before I jumped out of the window.

I quickly undressed and took off into the trees. Just encase she was following me, I changed course a few times before I headed towards the East border. A few miles away, the smell of the stranger filled me nostrils. I wince but continued on until I got a clear view of him. Wrin had talked about only one and that was what I was expecting, not two of them.

I came to a stop once I cleared the tree line and shifted back. Wrin threw me a pair of pants which I quickly pulled on. Both men were watching me silently as I moved closer. I stopped and waited.

A scent caught my attention when the man with the waist-length hair moved. It was a familiar scent; two actually. I tensed and glanced around but there was no sign of my brother or Lara. Was this some type of negotiation for their safety? Had these Cats kidnapped them?

I growled and glared at them. "Where are they?"

"Who?" Wrin asked in confusion.

I moved forward but the other man stepped in front of the one who smelled like them. He held up a hand and gave me a small smile.

"Easy," he muttered. "We came here because your brother and his mate need you."

"Where are they?"

"On our island. We couldn't take the risk of bringing them here."

Worry hit me. I knew something was wrong! I should've called him of gone up to London like I wanted when Silas stopped calling. My eyes darted from one man to another. Neither of them were an Alpha but the one who had their smell on him—there was something dark and sinister about him. His dark and steady gaze made me feel like he was challenging me.

"What happened to them?"

The man in front of me hesitated and then held out his hand. "My name is Ezra and this is Obsidian. We apologize for stepping onto your land without prior arrangements. We had no other way of contacting you."

"What happened to my brother and his mate?"

Obsidian stepped forward. "About a month ago I was kidnapped while returning home from a trip. The men who kidnapped me got your brother and his mate."

"That's—"

I held up a hand to silence Wrin. "They were rescued?"

"Your brother managed to escape and get to he's mate. We don't know much details since both of them are still unconscious," Ezra said. "The female keeps asking for you. We've managed to get your information from your brother when he was somewhat in his senses."

My eyes shot over to Obsidian. "You smell like them."

He nodded and bent to pick up a bag I hadn't realized he had with him. Unzipping it, he reached inside and removed a white sheet. I caught it when he threw it at me and lifted it to my nose. My eyes fluttered closed and a growl fell from my lips. I sucked in another deep breath and slowly opened my eyes. Drops of blood stained the sheet here and there.

"She's hurt?"

Obsidian nodded. "Both of them. Our knowledge of your kind is limited."

"But we have no other choice but to treat them at home."

"When do we leave?"

Both men smiled. "As soon as possible," Ezra muttered.

Wrin grabbed my arm when I took a step forward. I growled at him and ripped my arm free.

"You can't just leave!"

"They need me."

Wrin's eyes softened. He took a step closer and lowered his voice. "You have a Mating Ceremony to arrange and other packs coming in for possible allies. You can't just leave."

I stared down at the sheet I clutched in my hand. Indecision washed through me. I had duties I needed to attend to. Wrin was right, but for the first time since we were kids my brother needed me. He wouldn't have asked them to come here if he could handle whatever had happened on their own. They had said that both Silas and Lara were injured. They were kidnapped.

Lara must be in a state.

"For the time being I had the title over to my father. Explain to him what had happened."

"Ethan—"

"They need me." I stood straighter. "Dad can handle things until I get back. This might even be related to other disappearances in surrounding towns."

He stared at me silently for a few minutes and then gave me a firm nod. "Fine."

"Wrin?" His eyes shot up to mine. "Don't tell anyone else and be careful when you tell dad. Some walls have ears. Make sure nobody finds out where I'm really going."

With one last glance at him, I followed them across the border towards a black 4x4. Obsidian took the sheet from me and stuffed it back into the bag. I watched as he zipped the bag closed and pushed it under the back seat.

"It'll be a few hours until we reach the island. They're both in good hands and if something happens to them then Devrim will call."

"Tell me exactly what happened."