Page 18 of Alpha Fate

I nod in agreement. “I remember the layout of the compound. I’ll be able to retrace my steps and find her, no matter where they’ve taken her.”

And somehow, I’m quite confident that I’ll be able to scent her. It had hit me in a wave when I was down there with her. I know I’ll pick it up again now.

Jagger leans against the desk again, folding his arms over his chest. “We’ll need to be strategic about this. We can’t just charge in blindly. We need to take out as many of Rack’s men as possible to keep the path clear for the others.”

“Agreed,” Callum says. “We’ll need to coordinate our movements carefully.”

I nod, my mind already racing with possible scenarios. “I’ll need a few good fighters with me. Barrett. Tarkin. I trust them. We have to be able to take out anyone who gets in our way.”

“Good thinking.” Jagger purses his lips. “There’ll be enough of the others to make up a decent force. I wish we had more, but I think we’ll have the upper hand, regardless. As long as we have time on our side.”

I know he’s counting on the Leadmills pack still smarting from their beating. I imagine they thought that their surprise attack on our home base while we were away would leave us on the back foot. Luckily for us, Jagger had caught wind of the action before they could do too much damage.

“Time would be good,” Callum mutters. “But more wolves would be better.”

We all exchange glances. We’re banking on facing depleted forces, but the fact remains that we have no actual idea how big the Leadmills pack is.

“I’ll go with you,” Sierra says, her voice determined.

Jagger shakes his head. “I already said no, my love. You need to stay here where it’s safe. We can’t risk anything happening to you.”

Sierra opens her mouth to protest, but Callum cuts her off. “He’s right, Sierra. You’re too important to risk. Jagger just took on the Alpha position. The pack needs at least a little sense of stability right now – as the Alpha mate, that makes your role in the pack critical.”

Sierra looks like she wants to argue, but she finally nods in reluctant agreement. “Fine. But you better bring my sister back to me.”

“We will,” I say, my voice filled with determination.

Jagger reaches for her hand and squeezes it gently. “We’ll make sure of it. I promised I’d help you find your family, and I will. Starting right now.” They share a tender smile that makes me feel like I’m intruding somehow. From the way Callum shuffles his feet awkwardly, I guess he feels it, too.

“Right, back to business,” he says abruptly, breaking up the moment. “Let’s look at the intel we already have at our disposal.”

As we continue to plan our attack, I can’t help but feel a sense of unease. I know that Rack’s men will be expecting us. They’re not going to just roll over and let us take Savannah. But I refuse to let that stop me. I’ll do whatever it takes to get her out of there, even if it means sacrificing myself.

I just hope it doesn’t come to that.

Chapter 7

Savannah

I really wish he’d stop sniffing me. The male crouching near me is so close I feel overwhelmed by his stink; stale sweat, and unwashed clothing. I strain to get away, but he’s holding the chain that’s attached to the collar.

“Get away from me,” I snap, baring my teeth at him. It’s a pathetic attempt at resistance, but I’m not letting them take the fight out of me. I’ve done that for too long.

He laughs darkly, running a hand into my hair and grabbing hold, then twisting painfully. My head is pulled to the side, and he buries his nose against my neck.

“I’ll do as I please, bitch.” His hot breath washes over my skin, and I shudder.

“Not too close, Tank. If the boss smells your scent on her, he’ll have your cock on a block.”

Tank twists his head to look at the other wolf. “And when would that happen, Fang? The medic says he’ll be out for at least a week after what that female did to him.” He chuckles. “Can’t believe our big, bad boss got taken down by a girl?”

Fang backs away and eyes the door behind him. “Well, I’m not going to stick around if you’re planning to get your hands on the merchandise. You might be stupid enough to take your chances, but I’m not.”

Tank pushes me away and stands abruptly. “Nah. Not gonna happen. She’s still not ready. There’s something wrong with her.”

“There’s nothing wrong with her. These things take time.”

“Yeah?” Tank scoffs. “This much time? She’s been here for weeks. By now, it should have happened. Rack got himself a dud.”

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