“That dog had wheels instead of back legs!”
“And he was thriving!”
Sammy pinched the bridge of his nose while the pack continued to argue about the magical tethering system.Unfortunately, they weren’t wrong, but they tolerated it because it worked.
The first time the magic had happened, Dominic had been halfway across the state on a mission Sammy wasn’t supposed to know details about. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, panic had slammed through the mate bond like a physical punch to the chest.
It had been pure chaos.
A flash of unfamiliar hallways. Blood. Someone shouting. The overwhelming certainty that Dominic was hurt.
Before he’d fully understood what he was doing, Sammy had somehow reached through the bond and latched onto the rest of the pack. Long enough to guide Boone around a blocked stairwell and warn Chapel about an ambush waiting behind a doorway.
The entire thing had lasted less than three minutes. Three deeply traumatic minutes, according to everyone involved.
Saint, naturally, had immediately wanted to test it again.
Sammy shook his head and glanced toward Dominic. He stood across the table from his brother, watching the rest of them with an unreadable expression.
Warmth curled low in his stomach, a dangerous distraction he didn’t need at the moment. But he couldn’t look away.
“You good?” Dominic asked when he caught him staring.
The concern in his voice was subtle enough most people probably wouldn’t notice it. Sammy always did.
“Fine,” he answered automatically.
Dominic arched an eyebrow.
“I’ll survive,” he corrected. “The faster you get in and out, the easier it’ll be.”
Dominic dipped his head, and as if summoned, the pack converged, moving as a unit to circle the table. Saint tappedthe screen, drawing everyone’s attention to the satellite map projected across the glass.
“Property sits here,” he explained, highlighting the structure. “Sammy will be here—” He pointed to a secondary location about a mile away. “—while we clear the house.”
Dominic’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly at the reminder. Not because he disagreed, but because he hated it.
The magic worked best within a couple miles, which meant Sammy couldn’t stay safely behind at La Madriguera anymore. Instead, he hunkered down in a predetermined safe zone with a couple of sentries while the pack handled the actual fighting.
Close enough to guide them. Far enough to stay out of direct danger.
Even with his assigned bodyguards, it was a compromise Dominic clearly still despised.
“Ready, colibrí?”
Grumbles and groans swept through the wolves, but no one argued this time.
Closing his eyes, Sammy connected with the current of magic that hummed beneath his skin, then reached out, searching for the rest of the pack. One by one, awareness brushed against him as the connections settled into place.
Chapel burned sharp and restless.
Kennedy practically vibrated with reckless enthusiasm.
Saint carried an easy confidence edged with anticipation.
Boone felt steady and grounded beneath a layer of quiet reluctance.
Thierry remained controlled and guarded, though the hostility that once defined him had dulled into something quieter these days.