Page 202 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

She probed at her split lip with her tongue and winced. “Asshole got me good.”

“Won’t have to worry about that again.”

Her eyes narrowed at the mention of Eren, and she touched my chest. “How do you feel about that? Are you going to be all right?”

I’d never taken a life so willfully. It was a heavy thing to do, but it had been warranted. Eren couldn’t have been allowed to survive. He was too far gone, too obsessed with power. Even if he’d been turned out and banished, there would always be the fear that he’d return for revenge. Neither me, Flynn, nor any of the other alphas would ever be able to rest, and he would do something else equally evil no matter where he went. I would sleep fine at night knowing I’d killed him.

“I’m good,” I said. “Really.”

“Come here, then,” she said, digging her fingers into my shirt and pulling me toward her.

We kissed, gentle and sweet, for a long time, neither of us wanting the connection to break. At last, I pulled away and asked, “What do you want to do?”

“I want to see everyone. Make sure they’re all right.”

“Sounds good,” I said, and helped her off the bed.

Downstairs, the kitchen looked like a disaster zone. It was obviously one of the main hubs Tinsley had used for the injured. Dirty towels, muddy footprints, overturned containers of herbs, and melting ice packs were strewn all around. It would take a whole day to clean up, but if it had kept my people whole and healthy, the mess was worth it.

Outside, we found a huge number of my pack still milling about. Most of the other alphas had departed with their people, heading home to heal their wounds. Shayna and Dustin had come up to say goodbye while Kirsten slept.

The first thing Kirsten noticed was all the ferals in the paddock. “It’s so awful,” she said.

The wolves snapped and bit at each other, clawing the dirt around the enclosure and walking in mad circles. They appeared to be completely out of their minds in every way. It was sad, gut-wrenching, and scary all at the same time. Going feral was one of the greatest fears among shifters, and having this many of them around was disconcerting.

“We need to help them,” she said, stepping closer to the paddock.

“Hang on,” I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You’re still too tired. Kirsten, I want to help them, too, but you need to be at full strength.”

“Fine, but I want to do something. Is Alex here? Morgan’s brother?”

I honestly didn’t know. I’d been too concerned about her to ask whether the boy had been among those captured.

“Let’s look,” I said, giving in.

She and I walked close to the fence, making sure to stay back far enough so none of the creatures could bite at us. We scanned the ferals, looking for the markings that would give Alex away. After a few seconds, I let out a trembling sigh and pointed to the back of the enclosure.

“There. That’s him.”

Kirsten followed my finger until it rested upon a dark brown wolf with a splotch of gray on his chest.

“Oh my god, you’re right,” she whispered, putting her hand to her mouth. “Can we get him separated from the others? I want to try.”

“We can try to herd him into the smaller pen,” I said. My dad’s old cattle stuff wasn’t really designed for wolves, but I thought the other pen would work.

After ten minutes of urging the ferals around with long sticks, Tank and I managed to get Alex to move into a separate pen from the other ferals. The wolf sat, shivering and growling in all directions.

Kirsten knelt and looked at him through the wooden slats while I stood back and watched her work. She cooed quiet, calming words, and I felt her magic swirling around them. Soon, the wolf started thrashing its head from side to side as though trying to clear its mind. Kirsten didn’t stop speaking about Morgan and how much he wanted his brother back. The magic she used made my skin tingle even from ten feet away.

The wolf writhed around on the growl, yelping, but soon, it shifted into a young man. Basically still a boy. He was barely old enough to vote, much less to have gone through Eren’s torment.

He rolled over, eyes wide in shock and fear.

“Morgan?” he asked, wrapping his fingers around the wooden slat. “Is Morgan here? Where’s my brother?” Alex was crying, body shuddering as though he was freezing.

“Get him out of there,” I called. “Get him the hell out of there.”

Tank rushed forward, lifted the wooden crossbar, and swung the door out. Alex crumpled forward, sobbing and putting his face on Kirsten’s feet.

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