Werewolf's Way [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 1] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) by Scarlet Hyacinth

word.”
    He wasn’t even lying, with regard to the promise he’d made to his mate, at least. Naturally, Karein wasn’t convinced in the slightest, but Caelyn didn’t have to withstand the draechen prince’s disbelief for much longer. The dance ended, and Caelyn extracted himself from Karein’s grip.
    As he headed back toward his family, however, an explosion shook the mansion, so intense that Caelyn lost his balance and nearly fell to the floor. Behind him, he heard Karein swear and rush after him. Likely, he remained very much convinced of Caelyn’s involvement in this and intended to stop it in some way.
    Caelyn scampered away, doing his best to put distance between himself and Karein. He probably wouldn’t have succeeded, but as the lights in the ballroom flickered and died, panic began to settle in. The other guests started to scream, having obviously considered themselves perfectly safe here with the draechen. They provided a very useful distraction, allowing Caelyn to escape Karein.
    He overheard his mother shouting his name, looking for him. “Caelyn,” she cried. “Where are you, honey?”
    A fist clenched around his heart, and he knew that this might likely be the last time his mother even acknowledged him. He’d have liked to explain it all to them, especially to his siblings, who’d resent him most for his decision. But there was no time, and he could not hesitate.
    Without looking back, Caelyn fled the ballroom and headed toward the verandah. His entire being was screaming to find his mate, but his friend had warned him beforehand not to, explaining that he’d need to avoid the area for the plan to have more chance to succeed.
    As he rushed outside, though, he ran into three figures completely clad in black. Instantly, he froze. It didn’t take a genius to realize they didn’t belong here.
    The strange people gave him a once-over. They had masks on, so Caelyn couldn’t even see their expressions to judge what they thought of him. And then, the tallest of the three suddenly said, “Grab him. We have to make haste.”
    Caelyn gasped in shock as one of the other two grabbed his arm and pulled him outside. Had these people truly been sent by Sari, or was it some huge mistake that Caelyn would end up paying for?
    “Come along,” the man guiding him said, as if reading Caelyn’s mind. “Don’t be afraid. We were hired by a common friend.”
    “How do I know that?” Caelyn asked, at last finding his voice.
    “You don’t,” his second companion answered gruffly. He didn’t seem at all as nice as the first. “Just keep your mouth shut and let us handle getting your wolf mate out of the draechen prisons.”
    Caelyn obeyed. They knew that much, so they must be telling the truth. Or so Caelyn hoped, at least. Karein was completely capable of staging this whole thing for the purpose of getting even with Caelyn or Jenarra knew what else.
    “Who are you people?” he asked softly.
    Predictably, neither of the two replied. Instead, they rushed him toward the exit of the courtyard, passing through the darkness like ghosts. They walked quickly and stealthily, and Caelyn truly wished he could have mustered the same grace. Fortunately, he’d had the foresight to wear comfortable shoes tonight, but his elaborate robe was long, longer than he was used to even, and he kept tripping on it.
    Finally, the man in front of him got exasperated with his clumsiness and grabbed Caelyn, draping him over his shoulder. As they hastened through the night, the sound of gunfire erupted somewhere behind them. Draechen roared, but more explosions drowned out the threatening sound. Apparently, the group had come prepared.
    As they reached the end of the courtyard, one of the men leapt over it with striking ease. The guy carrying Caelyn tossed him to the other side. Caelyn landed with an oof in the arms of his second companion.
    In the darkness, he could now see a number of jeeps parked. There were more men stationed around