Danielo pointed at the wolves who’d escaped with them and the ones just arriving. “No injuries.”
Zio frowned and flicked his gaze between the two groups, one huddled together on the ground, covered in blood and filth, the other without a scratch on them. It didn’t make any sense.
He grabbed the nearest wolf to him. “Shift.”
With a fleeting shimmer, a young man carrying pack scent but an unfamiliar face appeared in front of Zio. In human form, the healing scars on his bare skin were clear to see.
A slow thud began in Zio’s chest. “Who healed you?”
The kid shot a confused glance at Danielo.
“Answer him,” Danielo said. “You’re not in trouble.”
“It was Devan,” the young man said, as though it made perfect sense. “He healed everyone.”
A growl burst out of Zio’s chest. “That’s not possible. We left him at the border, and we took all the vehicles.”
“Yes, but...” The young man bit his lip.
“Go on,” Danielo said.
“Shadow Clan are faster than wolves. If Devan shifted and followed us—followedyou—here, he wouldn’t need a vehicle to catch up.”
A roar sounded in Zio’s ears. It took him a moment to realise it had come from him. He stepped towards the young northern wolf. Danielo grabbed his arm, but Zio shook him off and seized the boy, drawing him close enough to run his nose up his throat. A scent so faint it was barely detectable sliced through what little composure he had left. He swallowed another pained roar. “What are you saying? That he’s back there? In the compound?”
The young man nodded. “He was.”
Was.
The past tense hit Zio like a speeding freight train. He dropped the boy and whirled around, raw power already surging through him.
Danielo grabbed him again. “Don’t. If you go, we’ll follow, and we’ll be slaughtered.”
The conflict that had raged since the very first time Zio had caught Devan’s scent was a sharp pain that lanced his chest. He couldn’t put his family in danger any more than he could leave Devan at the mercy of the savages at the compound.
He summoned what little remained of his beta authority and laid a hand at the base of Danielo’s throat. “You will stay here and give shelter to any wolf who escapes the compound. Retreat as necessary, treat the wounded if you can, keep the pack safe—”
“Zio—”
“Keep them safe—”
“Zio.” Danielo fought Zio’s superior strength until he fell to his knees with an anguished cry. “Don’t, Zio. Please—”
“Let him go.”
Varian’s command cut through the clearing, his authority absolute.
Danielo crumbled, collapsing in a heap at Zio’s feet. Zio wavered but managed to stay upright and turned to face his alpha.
Varian was dirty and bloodied, a healed gash on his temple. In his arms he carried Tomas, limp and lifeless.
His mate was dead.
“Zio,” he said. “You must do what your wolf commands you to do. Follow your heart. In these dark moments, it is all we have left.”
“I need to find Devan.”
“Yes. You do. And you have my blessing.”