The inside of the factory was filled with bones and dried blood, which was exactly as horrifying as Hart expected.
The BlackY Wolf led them through corridors that seemed designed specifically to be nightmare fuel, all exposed pipes and flickering lights.
Lewis stayed close enough that Hart could hear his breathing, fast and shallow like he was fighting panic.
Jethro walked behind them with the casual confidence of someone who'd done this a hundred times, but Hart could feel the tension radiating off him through the bond connection that apparently extended to Cole's Beta.
"Third floor," the BlackY Wolf said, gesturing toward a freight elevator that looked like it hadn't been inspected since the industrial revolution. "Liam's waiting."
"Of course he is," Hart muttered, because apparently supernatural kidnapping came with dramatic flair.
The elevator groaned upward with sounds that suggested it might give up and kill them before they even reached Liam, which would be an incredibly anticlimactic way to die.
Hart's wrist throbbed where the totem mark pulsed under his skin, and he could feel Cole somewhere below them, moving through tunnels with the strike team.
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened onto a massive warehouse floor that had been converted into something between a throne room and a torture chamber.
Hart's stomach turned when he saw the chains hanging from the ceiling, the dark stains on the concrete, and the dozens of BlackY Wolves positioned around the perimeter.
And there, in the center of it all, was Liam Haanshil.
He looked even more like Cole up close, same golden eyes and dark hair and dangerous beauty, except where Cole's power felt controlled and protective, Liam's felt wild and cruel.
He sat in a chair that was definitely trying too hard to be a throne, and his smile when he saw Hart was the kind of expression that belonged in nightmares.
"Hart Santino," Liam said, his voice carrying across the warehouse. "I'm so pleased you decided to accept my invitation. And you brought friends, how thoughtful."
"Where's my sister?" Hart demanded, because he wasn't interested in whatever villain monologue Liam had prepared.
"Straight to business, I like that." Liam stood, and Hart fought the urge to step back.
"She's safe, for now. As is the other human girl, though I have to say, keeping track of human hostages is remarkably tedious. They're so fragile."
"Let them go," Hart said, his hands clenching into fists. "You wanted me, here I am. There's no reason to keep them."
"Oh, but there is," Liam said, circling closer like a predator.
"You see, I've learned something interesting about leverage. My dear brother might be willing to sacrifice pack members for the greater good, but you?
You'll do anything to protect the people you love. It makes you wonderfully predictable."
Hart's wrist burned, the totem mark flaring hot, and he saw Liam's eyes track the movement with hungry fascination.
"That's what this is really about, isn't it?" Hart said, understanding clicking into place.
"You don't actually care about me, you want the totem's power. I'm just the key to unlock it."
"Smart and pretty, no wonder Cole's obsessed." Liam stopped a few feet away, close enough that Hart could see the dark magic moving under his skin like living shadows.
"The totem chose you, which means you carry the Original Bloodline in its purest form. If I can break your bond to Cole, I can forge a new one for myself, and all that power becomes mine."
"That's insane," Lewis said, his voice shaking. "You can't just steal magical bonds, that's not how any of this works."
"It is with the right magic," Liam said, and snapped his fingers.
Two wolves dragged Mira and Sera onto the warehouse floor, and Hart's heart stopped. Mira looked terrified but unhurt, her eyes finding Hart immediately.
Sera was worse, her arm wrapped in makeshift bandages and her face pale with shock.
"Mira!" Hart started forward, but Jethro's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Easy," Jethro muttered. "Don't break formation."
"How touching," Liam said, watching Hart's reaction with satisfaction.
"Family reunions are so emotional. Here's how this works, Hart.
You agree to let me attempt the bond transfer ritual, no resistance, no fighting, and both girls walk out of here alive. You refuse, and I kill one of them right now while you watch."
"You're bluffing," Hart said, though his voice wavered. "If you kill them, you lose your leverage."
"I only need one hostage for leverage," Liam said, and pulled a gun from his belt, aiming it at Sera's head. "Choose quickly, I'm not a patient man."
Lewis made a sound like a wounded animal, and Hart felt the moment stretch into something unbearable.
Through the bond, he could feel Cole's rage, could sense the strike team moving into position below them, but they weren't close enough yet.
"Wait," Hart said, raising his hands. "Don't shoot her. I'll do it, I'll cooperate with your ritual, just let them go."
"Hart, no!" Mira shouted, struggling against the wolf holding her.
"I'm not negotiating," Hart said, keeping his eyes on Liam. "You want to try your dark magic bond transfer, fine. But they walk out first, both of them, unharmed. Then you can do whatever you want with me."
Liam studied him for a long moment, then smiled. "You know what? I believe you actually mean that. You'd sacrifice yourself for them. How remarkably noble and incredibly stupid."
He lowered the gun, and Hart's shoulders sagged with relief until Liam's next words hit him like ice water.
"Unfortunately for you, I've already gotten what I needed from this little negotiation.
You just confirmed you're willing to break your bond with Cole to save human lives, which means the ritual will work. The totem won't fight a transfer if you're surrendering willingly."
Hart's blood went cold as the trap became clear. He hadn't been negotiating for hostages, he'd been giving Liam exactly the information he needed.
"You bastard," Hart breathed.
"Careful," Liam said, his smile widening. "That's still my brother's mate you're insulting. For now, anyway."
The floor beneath them shuddered, and Liam's expression shifted from smug to alert. Through the bond, Hart felt Cole's presence surge closer, and he realized the strike team had reached the building's foundation.
"Now!" Jethro shouted, and everything happened at once.
The far wall exploded inward as Cole's team breached from the service tunnels. BlackY Wolves scattered, some moving to defend and others running toward exits.
Jethro shifted into his wolf form in a blur of fur and violence, putting himself between Hart and Liam.
Hart ran toward Mira, but a massive wolf blocked his path, all teeth and claws and murder. He barely got his knife up before Jethro crashed into the wolf, tearing it away from him with savage efficiency.
"Get the hostages!" Jethro's voice came out distorted through his wolf form. "We'll handle Liam!"
Hart dove toward where Mira and Sera had been thrown to the ground in the chaos, Lewis right behind him.
He reached Mira first, pulling her up and checking for injuries while Lewis grabbed Sera and pulled her close.
"Are you okay?" Hart demanded, running his hands over Mira's arms looking for wounds.
"I'm fine, but Hart, there's explosives everywhere!" Mira said urgently.
"I heard them talking, the whole building is rigged, if Liam doesn't win he's going to blow it with everyone inside!"
Hart's eyes found Liam across the warehouse floor, fighting Cole in a brutal exchange that was too fast to track.
Around them, wolves were dying, the floor was slick with blood, and somewhere in this nightmare building were enough explosives to kill them all.
"We need to go," Hart said, grabbing Mira's hand and pulling her toward the freight elevator. "Now, before this whole place comes down!"
But when they reached the elevator, the doors were jammed, damaged in the breach.
The emergency stairs were on the far side of the warehouse, past where Liam and Cole were trying to kill each other, and Hart had the absolutely terrifying realization that they were trapped.