The three alphas had been ambushed and shot with the darts before they knew what hit them. Marco could only think now that the wolves had been upwind—surely they would have noticed their rank smell otherwise long before they got close enough to shoot them with the darts. The gammas had kept their distance for the few minutes it took for the darts to take effect, the paralyzing agent they used in the dart making it difficult for the wolves to breathe as they writhed on the ground. The darts must also have contained some kind of strong tranquilizer as well, though, because they produced a mental torpor in all of them right away. It took only about three minutes for unconsciousness to overtake them completely.

They had awakened to find their hands securely tied behind their backs, with bungee cords and rope wrapped around their chests, securing them to a couple of big trees growing by the edge of the camp. Along with being tied, the drugs were still having an effect, making Marco see double. His limbs felt weighted down, and he was finding it hard to move at all.

Marco tried to tune in to Nicky again, wishing he had some way to warn him off. These wolves were highly dangerous to his mate, and it was making him uneasy and restless. He glanced again at Cade, who had a two-way connection to his mate. He had his head down on his chest and could have been concentrating—on the other hand, he could have passed out again. Marco had a vague memory of Cade trying to fight the group when they surrounded him, and hearing the sickening thuds and grunts as they kicked him over and over again in the head until Benjamin called them off.

Benjamin had leaned down into his line of sight and given Marco a mocking smile, showing his teeth, just before the darkness overtook him. Marco closed his eyes and allowed himself the briefest of moments to wonder how it would feel to knock those perfect white teeth down his throat, just before he ripped his throat out. He was so focused on imagining it that he failed to respond the first time the man spoke to him again. He hadn’t realized the young wolf had left the tent and was now standing in front of him.

“Marco, wake up. I’d hate for you to miss out on anything.”

Marco lifted one eyelid, peering up at Benjamin. “I was wrong.”

The gamma lifted one eyebrow, looking amused. “Yes, you alphas been wrong about so many things, but I must say I’m surprised you have the self-awareness to know it.” He folded his arms and stared down at Marco. “I’ll bite. What were you wrong about?”

“Gavin warned me you might be stupid enough to come here, but I told him nobody was that fucking stupid.” Marco lifted one shoulder. “I was wrong.” Benjamin’s self -satisfied smile slipped. He drew back his fist and struck Marco on the side of his face so hard it rocked his head back. Marco shook his head, a trickle of blood sliding down the corner of his mouth. “Is that all you got?”

“Marco,” Zack said beside him. “Shut up.” Marco looked sideways at Zack, who was watching him intently. He shifted his gaze back to the gamma and found himself staring down the barrel of a shotgun, lined up right between his eyes. He blinked at it and stayed still and silent. It was unusual for wolves to arm themselves like this, but he knew this group was both desperate and crazy, a bad combination. No matter how tempting it was to bait this wolf in front of him, he needed to be careful.

“Go on ,Marco, speak up. Get it all out. No?” Benjamin bumped Marco’s forehead with the gun barrel. “Too bad.” He pulled the gun up sharply and smashed the butt of the shotgun into Marco’s jaw.

Bright, slashing pain exploded in Marco’s face as he cried out, and he would have fallen over if not held tightly upright by the ropes around his chest. He slumped against them as the pain and nausea washed over him. Swallowing back the bile in his throat, he carefully worked his jaw, checking to see if it was broken. It wasn’t sliding back and forth, so he figured it probably wasn’t, but the pain settled over him like a heavy blanket and threatened him with darkness again.

Benjamin was still standing over him, and Marco braced for another hit, but instead the man squatted down to bring his face close. “Sorry,” he said smoothly. “Couldn’t resist. Now, you were saying?”

Marco bit down hard on his tongue to keep from replying. He let his head loll down, pretending to be more hurt than he really was. It would be better if Benjamin thought he was out of commission for a while.

Zack spoke up again beside him. “Leave him alone, damn it. If you’re going to kill us anyway, just do it. What’s the point of this shit?”

The gamma straightened up and let his eyes move over to Zack, though he didn’t move away from Marco. “Point? Does there have to be a point?” He smiled and glanced over at Cade, who was staring stonily ahead. “Who’s this one? Another alpha, no doubt. I can tell by the arrogance. How many of you bastards are up here, anyway?” He moved over to stand in front of Cade, who continued to stare straight ahead.

Benjamin kicked Cade’s knee with the toe of his heavy boot. Cade shifted his angry gaze up to Benjamin’s face, narrowing his eyes.

“I’m talking to you, asshole,” the young gamma said in a soft voice.

Cade’s gaze moved over him slowly. “Were you? I didn’t notice.”

Benjamin laughed and glanced back over at Zack with a raised eyebrow. “Ooh, I like him.” He laughed shortly and dropped the gun down by his side. “Pretty too. Too bad he’s a damn alpha, though I might fuck him later anyway. Now tell me, Zack, what are the three of you doing up here? Did you get word we were camping here?”

Zack shrugged. “We were just running the perimeters of our land.”

“Bullshit. You have gammas to do that,” Benjamin snapped. “You don’t even live up here— you’re from Georgia.” He nudged Zack’s knee with his boot. “Try again.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say. We had no idea you were up here, obviously, or we wouldn’t have been surprised so easily.”

Benjamin threw back his head and laughed gaily. “Yes, it was easy, wasn’t it? I have to admit, I thought it would be more difficult. But then again, the alphas in this pack aren’t exactly known for their intellectual prowess, are they?” He glanced back at Marco. “Another example of how the human blood has weakened us all. Where is the pretty Nicky, anyway? Is he at the lodge?”

“Where else would he be?” Zack said, sounding bored with the questions.

“Indeed.” Benjamin lifted one eyebrow and looked back at Marco speculatively, but before he could say more, a slight sound behind them in the woods made Benjamin whirl around and peer into the shadows of the trees.

At the same time, Marco’s head came up sharply, and Zack hissed in a quick breath.

“Who’s out there?” Benjamin yelled, as the others in camp jumped to their feet and gathered close by. Several of the males had guns. Benjamin leveled the shotgun at his shoulder, pointing into the woods.

“No!” Marco yelled, and Benjamin glanced sharply over at him.

He smiled at the desperate look on Marco’s face. “No?” He raised the barrel of the gun and fired into the trees. The report reverberated around the small clearing. “Come out, or next time I’ll aim lower.”

“No!” Marco and Cade yelled at the same time, as the bushes near them shook. Whether they were yelling at Benjamin or at the person crouched behind the rhododendrons growing next to the clearing became irrelevant as a small blond boy straightened up and stepped out into the clearing of the camp. Jax stood there nervously for a few seconds, glancing once at Cade before looking back at Benjamin.

Benjamin lowered the barrel a little and smiled. “Well,” he said with satisfaction. “Who do we have here?”

Jax could barely concentrate on what Benjamin said to him for the jumble of feelings and images in his head. The overwhelming emotion Cade was projecting to him was fear, heavily laced with anger and outrage. He had to concentrate to filter it all out and focus on the wolf in front of him. He had asked him a question.

“My name is Jax,” he said softly, answering him. “I-I need your help.” He heard Cade suck in a sharp breath and was instantly flooded again with fear and outrage, so much that he took an involuntary step backward.

Benjamin raised his eyebrows, and moved his gun in a little sweeping motion, urging Jax forward. Jax came to within an arm’s reach of Benjamin, and Cade strained against the ropes that held him. The young gamma sniffed at him. “What are you? Not werekin, but not human either. You smell like an alpha. Do you belong to one of them?” He glanced over at the wolves behind him and focused on Cade, whose face was pale and shocked.

“I see,” he said. “But what exactly do you need my help with? Are you alone, by the way? Any friends with you?” He peered around behind him, but Jax was shaking his head.

“No, I got away from them. You have to help me.”

Benjamin kept his gun slung low across his arm, looking Jax up and down. “To do what, exactly?”

Jax took a step closer, causing Cade to strain against his bonds. “Jax, what in the hell are you doing? Getout of here!”

Benjamin glanced over at him, seeming to be amused, but he kept his finger firmly on the trigger of his gun. “Go ahead, boy. This should be interesting.”

“I-I was kidnapped.” He pointed a shaking finger at Cade. “By that one. He brought me here against my will and rraped me. He says I’m his blood lust.”

Benjamin tilted his head. “You mean blood match. Yes, the alphas are mating with human males in ever increasing numbers, it seems. We have to put a stop to that. You do seem young. You can’t be more than…what? Sixteen?”

“I’m almost seventeen,” Jax lied. “But no, it’s not the blood match—the others called it blood lust—the soif de sang. Have you heard of it? They said it was even stronger.”

“The what?” Benjamin angled a look over at Cade, who was holding his body rigid and once again staring straight ahead.