Page 164 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

Langston nodded, and the four of us hurried back the way we’d come, skirting even closer to the woods this time. Knowing Byron was behind us made the trip a little less terrifying.

At the farthest edges of the town, Langston plunged into the woods and broke into a run. Donna and Carter, both shifters, kept up easily. Me? I was fighting a side stitch and nearly hyperventilating by the time we returned to the vans. The others acknowledged our arrival and helped Donna and Carter into one of the waiting vans.

“What do we do now?” I asked Langston.

“The only thing we can do,” he said with a shrug. “Wait, and pray.”

Chapter 16

Jace

Waylan’s group moved out ten minutes after Kirsten left with Langston, heading to the first of two pick-up locations. Stephanie had said there were too many kids for them all to gather in one place. Half would be waiting in the backyard of a house in a residential neighborhood, close to the edge of the forest so the wolves patrolling the streets wouldn’t see them—and preferably upwind. My team would get the rest from a clearing beside the municipal building. She had assured us that she and Byron had managed to smuggle the kids from their homes undetected. I could only hope that was true. There was too much that could go wrong.

My team arrived and hunkered down, waiting. I growled softly out of frustration. We were sitting ducks out here. God knew how many shifters Eren had out patrolling the streets. My only solace was that the lights of the municipal building a hundred yards away were all dark. At least no one was there to see us out here.

Ivy, Reese, and Abigail looked equally worried as the minutes ticked by. Finally, I heard Waylan’s bird whistle—our signal. It was distant, well away from our location, but I’d know it anywhere. It meant he was good. Byron had handed off the kids to him.

Where the fuck was Steph? Worry began to worm its way into my chest. Had she betrayed us again? That would be a kick in the balls.

Another five minutes went by, and I was almost ready to call it when the sound of rustling grass snapped my attention away from my own doubts. Abigail and Reese both shifted, stepping forward and growling.

“It’s me,” a familiar voice hissed. “It’s Stephanie. I’ve got them. All of them.”

From out of the shadows, she appeared, blond hair askew and sweaty, a backpack on her shoulders. Behind her, a group of six women and twelve kids emerged.

“You brought their mothers?” Ivy asked, gaping at the other women.

“Would you trust your babies with strangers?” Stephanie asked. “The other group had moms, too. Most of the fathers are either locked up, following Eren or being forced to follow Eren.”

“Do we have room for them?” I asked Ivy.

She shrugged. “Vans are eighteen seaters. Might have enough room, but some people may have to double up, sit on laps. It should be okay.”

“Fine,” I said, waving at them to come forward. “Let’s go, guys. I’m Jace, this is Ivy, Reese, and Abigail. We’re gonna get you all out of here. Come on.”

Ivy and Reese took the lead, Abigail stayed amongst the women and children, and I took the rear with Stephanie. The last thing I wanted was for us to be caught from behind. As the alpha, I was the strongest and had to be there in case something happened.

“Go up to the group,” I hissed at Stephanie. “Get with Abigail and stay with the women and children. They know you; you can help comfort them.”

Stephanie glanced up, eyed Abigail, then shook her head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea. She’s not my biggest fan right now.”

We’d made it back to the outskirts of town and had begun to walk through the woods when I sensed it. I froze mid-step, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. Thunderous butterflies of fear shivered in my stomach. I sniffed the air, and as I did, my eyes went wide.

“Run!” I screamed.

At the sound of my bellowed words, howls erupted behind us, a half dozen at least. Ivy shouted for the others to follow. Several of the children had yet to make their first shift. Those kids sprinted after their mothers and older siblings as they shifted to their wolf forms, Abigail hustling them forward. Behind us, the rapid patter of wolf paws on leaves and twigs grew louder, along with the snarls and yaps that came with feral madness.

“Go!” I called out and turned to face what came.

I could buy them some time. Even a few seconds would be enough. I wanted nothing more than to see Kirsten again, to kiss her, to watch her hold a child that we created together, but sometimes duty had to take precedence over desire. I was an alpha—and by God, I would be an alpha, even if that meant my death. The lives of those children meant more than mine. A price well paid.

“Are you ready for this?”

I’d been so absorbed in my own thoughts that I had lost track of Stephanie. She now stood beside me, ready to fight.

“Get out of here,” I snapped. “Before it’s too late.”

Another howl, closer now, shredded the night. Less than a hundred yards away.

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