Evermore by Rebecca Royce Page A

stop. After the injection he was going to change. Some people recovered from the need, others died. He forced himself to find his calm center. Like any other battle, there would be winners and losers. Homer had to survive to get back to Camille. She needed him. If he was too far gone by the time he got there, he trusted his Alpha to end him before he did any damage.
    Stay safe . He wanted his wolf strong. Go away. Don’t watch this. You have to be there for her when I’m lost.
    He didn’t know if the wolf understood but it felt better to say it. Three men came to him. Funny, they thought it would take that many to squeeze one vial of drugs into him while they had him restrained and tied to the wall.
    The first poke of the needle burned and he closed his eyes. This would not beat him.
     
    ****
     
    Camille knocked on Robbie’s door and waited. She’d been waiting days for the Alpha to do what he’d promised. He assured her he would get them back from the drug-addled hill people who took them.
    The door swung open and Robbie’s mate Tatyana stood there. “I thought we’d see you today. Come see.”
    She followed the other woman into their home. Camille had been in it once before. The night Homer went missing, the Alpha had shown up at her place to tell her. They’d brought her home, talked to her, explained there had been an attack. Her mate had been harmed and she hadn’t even known; she’d slept through the whole thing.
    Camille rubbed her belly. She would get her mate back, make it a true joining, and then never let him away from her for a night again. A war hero attacked and kidnapped from his pack lands when all the dragons should be dead.
    Not. Okay. Her temper rose and she pushed it down. The last thing she needed was her wolf causing trouble by trying to shift without Homer there to calm her down.
    She walked to the backyard and then skidded to a stop. Right in front of her, tied up with a small length of rope, was a dragon. A big green, nasty looking creature.
    Tatyana put her hand on her arm. “Don’t be afraid. Did Homer tell you about Caitlyn?”
    “She talks to them. Controls them.”
    The Alpha’s mate nodded. “That’s right. We’re trying to get an exact location.”
    “What do you mean you don’t know?” Caitlyn spoke through clenched teeth to the dragon. “They sent you here. The hill people. You must know where they are.”
    Tatyana hissed in her breath. “Robert is so mad. He wanted to kill those lunatics months ago and was talked into restraint. He’s going to blame himself for this for a long time.”
    “He can join me in the process. If I hadn’t gotten so worked up about even seeing the dragons Homer wouldn’t have been anywhere near the scene.”
    Caitlyn turned to the group. “His brain is so addled. He’s dying. He just has no idea.”
    “Kill him.” Robbie gave the order to Dougal before he turned his back to face her. “Don’t worry, Camille. We’ll invade the hills. We won’t come back without them.”
    “My Alpha.” She hadn’t had one since her father died but it seemed the best way to address the sheer force of will that was Robbie Owens. Keeping her eyes level with his proved challenging. “I think I can help.”
    Robbie exchanged a glance with Tatyana. She had no idea what their silent communication meant nor did she care. They needed to hear her out. She had obsessed about what she could do for days and the answer had proved so simple. Camille was going to save Homer with our without Robbie’s permission. She’d rather have it. But if saving him meant she could never go back to the Owens Pack then so be it.
    Her mate mattered more. There were few things in life she would defy Robbie for. Homer and her unborn child were the two things.
    “How so?” He spoke to her softly, like she might break.
    “I know their supplier. Derek Dresden sells them drugs. He’ll know where they are.”
    Robbie’s eyebrows shot up. “The father of your