FYI: Chapter 22 is LOGAN's BONUS

This chapter is dedicated to someone who can tell me: the color of Amaryllis's hair.

Saffron

I let out a war cry that echoes down the hall.

"Run!" Amaryllis's Mom begs. "Leave me and go."

"No! We take out the guards—we make them pay!"

Amaryllis immediately sets her mom on the ground. Then she shifts and for a second, I think that my shout must have been an order.

I won't let them hurt you, Mom. I promise, she says, moving to stand by my side. She bares her teeth and tenses, ready to fight.

"Saffron..." Jess whimpers. She looks like a deer caught in the headlights, her blue eyes wide with panic. She glances over her shoulder and whimpers again.

"Can you shoot a gun?" I ask her.

"Y-yes." She follows my gaze to the weapon in her hands. Her eyes widen even further, like she forgot she had it.

"Good. Here, hold this." I hand her Robbie's phone and dive for the giant's gun. It's the same weapon that shot Amaryllis's Mom. I know that it was the giant who shot her, not the gun, but holding it still feels wrong. I do it anyway.

I train it in the direction of the approaching guards and move to Amaryllis's side. Jess does the same, mirroring me, except that she's dressed like the guards, while I'm not wearing a scrap of clothing. It makes me nervous—and vulnerable—but it's not like I have a choice. If I shift, I won't be able to shoot.

I let my long brown hair cover my body as best I can as the guards come into view. There are only six of them: three silver wolves in the lead, followed by three humans holding guns. One of them is Kyle. The other two are a man and a woman, both so skinny they look half-starved. Aside from their clean clothes, they remind me of all the rogues I've run into over the years. Well, that and the fact that they're freshly washed. The guy's blond curls practically glow, and the woman's red locks don't hold a speck of grease.

"Put down your guns," Kyle orders, raising his. The smirk on his face says everything. He knows we're outnumbered: three guns to two; three wolves to one. Unless we're better fighters and significantly better shooters, we don't stand much of a chance. Unless...

"Stop," I shout. "Stop right now or we'll shoot."

I don't actually expect it to work, but the entire group suddenly draws to a halt. They do it instantly, all six at once, almost like it's rehearsed.

"Did you...?" Jess trails off.

"Maybe?" I whisper back.

"What did you do to Sanchez?" Kyle demands, eyes wide as he stares down at the giant.

"Is he dead?" the blond man asks.

"Obviously he's dead," the woman snaps.

"No, he's not," I tell them. "He'll be fine." Then I try another order. "Drop your guns!"

All three of them instantly let go of their weapons. They clatter to the floor loudly, and one of the guns fires. Jess shrieks. Amaryllis jumps. I flinch. The guards whimper and cry out, but they're all frozen in place.

Then, a piece of stone breaks off from the wall and crashes to the dirt floor. It echoes through the hallway and then silence falls while we all scan each other for bullet wounds.

"Get on the floor. Now!" I roar when I see that everyone's fine. My order echoes through the hallway and all six guards come crashing down onto the dirt. The wolves lie on their bellies, not looking any worse for wear, while the humans grunt as they make impact.

"Why didn't you do that sooner?" Jess groans.

"Why don't you call for help instead of just standing there?" I fire back, though most of my anger directed at myself. If one of us had gotten shot, it would have been my fault. I was the one who told them to drop their guns without thinking it through first. I was the one who screwed up.

"I'm s-sorry," Jess whimpers, but she takes the phone out of her back pocket and starts dialing.

"Don't do this, Saffron," Kyle says. "Please, you're making a huge mistake."

"I'm not the one making a mistake." I glare at him. "Is Logan okay? Tell me if he's okay!"

"He's fine, Luna," Kyle says, and I get a mix of yeses and sures from the others. They all call me Luna, every single one of them.

"We tied him up," the blond man adds a split second later.

"Where?" I demand as relief courses through me. I have to see for myself. Make sure they're not lying and this isn't all part of some elaborate trap. Tell me where he is!"

"In the kitchen, Luna," Kyle replies. The two other humans and two of the wolves echoes his words. The last wolf mutters an, I don't know, Luna, but he sounds genuine. "Please, think about what you're doing."

"Unlock that cell and get inside," I order, ignoring him.

They all simultaneously jump to their feet. The wolves—two men and one woman—shift, revealing human forms that are barely more than skin and bones. They dive for the lock in the buff, while Kyle, the blond man and the red-haired woman all fight to get to it with keys in hand.

"Stop! Kyle, you unlock the cell. Everyone else, shift into wolf form!"

They shift. All five of them. The man and woman end up dropping their keys, and they clatter to the ground as their clothes shred around them. It's almost funny, or it would be if I wasn't worried about Logan and Amaryllis's mom wasn't lying on the floor, barely holding onto consciousness.

"Did you reach the pack doctor?" I ask Jess.

"No one's picking up," she whispers, her voice faint.

"Keep trying," I order. "Amaryllis, can you shift and carry your mom?"

She nods and shifts while the guards all push their way inside the cell.

"Luna, please," Kyle begs from inside the cell.

"Close and lock the door," I order. He immediately sticks his hand through the bars and twists so he can lock it. "Toss me your keys."

He does as I say. Then, I pick up the other keys just in case. I hand them all to Jess, who pockets them, and yank on the cell door just to be safe. Definitely locked.

"Is there anyone else here?"

"Just Logan and Robbie, Luna," Kyle says.

No, Luna, one of the wolves adds.

I don't know, Luna, the red-haired woman, now a silver wolf, chimes in.

I'm not sure who to believe, so I tighten my hold on the gun. "Stay there," I order, even though it doesn't look like they're going anywhere. I turn to see Amaryllis holding her mom and Jess holding the phone to her ear. "Did the doctor pick up?"

"No," she shakes her head, sending greasy blond hair flying.

"I know first aid," Kyle pulls on the cell bars, making them rattle. "Please, just let me out. I can help!"

"No. Be quiet," I command, then turn to the Jess and Amaryllis. "Let's go."

We race down the hall, guns raised. Jess's bare feet echo behind me, as do Amaryllis's, though she begins to lag.

"Left," her mom groans when I see what looks like a dead end. There's a door to the left, and I push it open and hold it for the others. Jess rushes past, her gun raised and the phone still ringing in her other hand. Amaryllis staggers through next, carrying her Mom, whose forehead is now covered in sweat.

"I can't reach anyone," Jess whimpers. "Dr. Dev. Alpha. Luna. Not even Kaitlyn."

"Keep trying," I tell her, taking the lead once more. We turn the corner and then race toward a door at the end of the hall. It has a large exit sign above it that's lit up in red. How convenient. I hold the door open for the others, and we race up a set of stairs.

We exit into an empty hallway with doors lining both sides. I quickly take the lead with my gun raised and shout Logan's name.

Saffron? He whispers, his voice weak and distant.

"Logan!" I race toward his voice and shift mid-step. I remember the gun at the last second and keep enough of my upper body human to prevent it from hitting the ground.

Jess lets out a loud shriek, and I shift back to human form as I spin around to face her. I have my gun raised, ready to face an army of guards, but there's no one there.

Jess looks horrified, but before I can ask what's wrong, Logan calls out to me over the link.

S-saf? His voice is as weak as Amaryllis's mom's, and the thought of him covered in blood propels me into action.

"I'm coming, Logan," I shout. "Jess, take this gun."

I shove it at her frozen, horrified form and shift. Then, I break into a run.

Logan? I call out to him. When he doesn't reply, I speed up, even thought I know this could be a trap. My worry about Logan trumps everything else.

Then, the smell of burgers hits me from a room to the left and I skid to a stop when I see Logan inside. He's slumped in a chair, but his eyes are open and meet mine.

Mate, my wolf cries.

❀ Special thanks to all of you for reading my books -- you mean the world to me!❀ 

❁ What was your favorite thing about this chapter? 

❁ Are they finally going to realize they're mates?!?! Is it time?  

❁ What do you want to see happen next?  

❁ I also totally phrased the Jess vs. Amaryllis question wrong!!! After I'm done the Sold to a Wolf Pack series, I'm posting a new series, starring either Jess or Amaryllis. But which book do you want it to be? I'll work on whichever one you all want :)