Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 79~

~Colby~

I stole one last glance at the girls and the kids, ensuring they were settled in the SUV. Katrina, Devyn, Tara, and Isa did their best to keep Aspen and Blake calm, but the tension in the air was suffocating.

Aspen, my little girl, looked up at me with wide, terrified eyes. "I love you, Daddy," she whispered, clutching the stuffed wolf I had given her last Christmas.

I bent down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I love you too, baby girl," I murmured. "More than anything."

Blake, my little soldier, straightened his shoulders. "I want to help! I'm tough, Colby! I can fight too!"

I ruffled his hair, forcing a smile. "I know, buddy. But right now, your job is to protect the girls, okay? I need you to be strong for them."

His lip trembled, but he nodded.

I turned to the girls, my voice firm. "If shit goes south, you leave. You don't wait. You don't look back."

Tara swallowed hard, her fingers gripping Isa's arm. "We'll be here. Just...bring her back, okay?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't. 

Instead, I turned to the boys. Sam, Jake, and Corey were already geared up—bulletproof vests, boots, weapons. We had gone over the plan a hundred times, but my gut was still twisted in knots.

"Stick to the plan," I said. "No bullshit. No last-minute heroics. We go in, get Raelyn, and get out. Understood?"

Jake nodded, his jaw set. "Understood."

Corey clapped me on the shoulder. "Let's end this."

Sam, ever the steady one, exhaled slowly. "No matter what, we don't leave without her."

I gave a single nod, then turned and stepped into the darkness. 

The woods stretched before us, shadows twisting under the cold glow of the moon. Every snap of a branch made my blood hum, every rustling leaf a whisper of warning. We moved like ghosts, silent and deadly, weapons ready.

The cabin loomed ahead, an ugly, rotting structure surrounded by men who didn't deserve to breathe the same air as Raelyn.

I held up a fist, signaling the boys to halt. "This is it. Remember—quick and clean."

We advanced, slipping through the front like death itself.

The moment we stepped inside, all eyes snapped to us. Hostility crackled in the air. Sam and Corey immediately began crowd-controlling the pack members, keeping them in check, while Jake and I moved deeper into the bunker.

Dallas, one of the more arrogant assholes in Layne's ranks, sneered as he stepped in front of me. "Well, well. Look who finally grew some balls."

Jake didn't hesitate—he grabbed Dallas by the collar and slammed him against the wall. "Shut the fuck up."

Dallas grinned, but there was fear in his eyes. He knew better than to push us.

"Everyone sit your asses down!" Sam barked, raising his gun.

One of the pack members muttered something under his breath—something vile about Raelyn.

My vision went red.

I was on him before he could blink, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him into the nearest wall. "Say that again," I snarled, my voice barely human. "I dare you."

He gagged, eyes bulging. "F-Fuck y—"

I slammed his head back again, hard enough to crack the drywall.