Page 42 of Cruel Alpha Bully

This whole place must be picked clean. No wonder they want more land.

The forest falls silent, and the pack sounds far away now. Bae relaxes just a little.

“Gotcha!” the scream comes from somewhere above us, and I barely have time to look up before something falls on me.

Bae roars in anger, and for a few seconds, I can’t understand anything that’s going on. We tumble through the thick scrub, rolling in the damp, rich earth. When we come to a stop, I’m face-down on the track, and I can hear the others fighting.

It’s the alpha. He must have tracked us while the others ran off, so intoxicated by their need for the chase, they lost the scent.

Bae springs up from the ground, grabbing for the alpha’s throat. They go down in a struggling pile, and I watch helplessly as they grapple against each other.

My pounding heart skips a beat when I hear a fierce growl that is definitely not human split the air. I see a flash of pale fur, and then Bae screams, a sound that rings through the forest.

The alpha shifted, latching onto Bailey’s arm as he did. I jump up, ready to run into the fight, but Bae shifts, too, and manages to throw off the other wolf as he does.

They stand a few steps away from each other, glaring at each other and panting. Bae stands resplendent in a beam of sunlight that spears through the canopy. His beautiful coat is a creamy white, scattered with golden streaks.

The other alpha is a sickly, pale shade that reminds me of bleached bones. His eyes are a bright yellow, like a poisonous wasp.

They only stare at each other for a couple of seconds before they leap into the air and attack.

They crash into each other and hit the ground fighting. All I can see are flashes of teeth and white fur streaked with blood. I can’t tell who’s winning, and I don’t know what to do to help Bae.

If I shift and jump in, I could just make it worse, but I have to do something!

There are a lot of heavy rocks around. I find a decent-sized one and get as close to the fight as I dare, waiting for my moment.

After a furious skirmish, the two wolves break apart. Both are covered with blood, but Bae can hardly walk. The other alpha charges to finish him off, so intent on his prey that he doesn’t even notice me.

With a scream of effort, I heave my rock and bring it down hard on the alpha’s skull. He yelps as he goes down and falls in a heap at my feet.

As I rush over to Bailey, I notice the other wolf is still breathing.

We don’t have much time.

“Gina,” Bae’s voice bubbles out of his throat as he shifts back into human form. I’m shocked to see blood pouring from his mouth as well as multiple wounds. His eyes look pale, and his skin is cold and clammy.

“No, no, no!” The words come rushing out of me. “No, Bae, no! Don’t die! We have to run!”

“I can’t,” he gasps, getting up and falling back down.

“Yes, you can!” I scream at him. I bend down and grab his arm, hauling him to his feet. He almost falls back down, but I push him forward, holding him up.

“Where are we going to go?” I mutter, looking around. Bae points ahead.

“A stream. I could… smell it.”

“Good.” I tighten my grip on him and force him to move.

Behind us, I can hear the whoops and howls of the others as they realize their mistake and track us again. They will find their damaged alpha and be twice as angry now.

And he’s not dead. He’ll come for us again.

Sobbing with desperation, I drag Bae through the trees, only to stop suddenly as the ground drops away from us.

A swiftly flowing stream cuts through the forest right at our feet. The jump isn’t a long one, and the river doesn’t look too wild.

I look around and get my bearings a bit, realizing that this stream will take us back to neutral territory. We can’t go home, and we can’t call for help—it would lead these bloodthirsty maniacs right back to our pack.

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