Page 66 of The Alpha's Fated Bond

A barrier.

Sophia steps up beside me, her hand outstretched. “You don’t come near him.”

Julia’s eyes widen as she looks between the two of us before her gaze finally homes in on Sophia. “You bitch.”

My mate’s expression is stony. “Ouch.”

“I should have killed you myself that day!” Julia howls, spittle flying from her mouth as she tries to get past the magical barrier. “I should’ve slit your throat instead of that other woman’s! You can never have Alex! He’s mine!”

Sophia steps in front of me now, anger in her voice. “You really are crazy. Alex is not a toy that belongs to you. He’s my mate. End of story.”

Julia goes still, staring at Sophia for a minute before laughter bubbles out of her, the insane edge to it making my skin crawl. “Do you think Karina will let you be together? She will never allow it! She will rip the two of you apart before you even know what’s happening! You are her ticket to more power. I’ll make you watch as she gives Alex to me. I’ll make you watch as a break him. I—”

Sophia instantly covers the distance between them and smacks Julia across the face, forcing her to stumble backward. There’s a hushed sound from around us, and I immediately grab Sophia and yank her back to my side. Nobody expected her to assault Julia like that, but I can’t say I’m not pleased. Her attack has clearly infuriated the older woman.

“I’m going to kill you. Silver Wolf or not, I will rip out your innards!” Julia shrieks, insanity in her eyes. “You think you’re the first woman who has wanted Alex? I’ve dealt with them all, and I’ll deal with you, too! Just because the fates have chosen you for each other doesn’t make you special! He’s been mine since I first laid eyes on him!”

She charges forward, and I can see Sophia gearing up for a fight. But she can’t take on Julia.

“Remove the barrier,” I quickly whisper. She doesn’t hesitate, and I abruptly push her behind me before shouldering Julia’s attack. Her claws slash against my forearm, the strength in her blow excessive. Without missing a beat, I grab her by the neck and throw her to the ground. While Julia may be powerful, she is no match for me, an Alpha.

And she knows it.

She jumps to her feet before shifting into her wolf form. Her black fur is matted and dirty, and it hits me that she must have run all the way here in her animal form. She doesn’t attack me, however, her eyes darting toward Sophia, who is standing behind me.

Julia bares her teeth at me, saliva dripping from her mouth onto the ground, bloodlust in her eyes.

I’m not taking any chances, so I, too, shift into my wolf form. I tower over Julia by a couple of inches, and she takes a step back. In our wolf forms, it’s even harder for her to go up against me.

But she’s sneaky. There’s a reason she was the leader of one of Karina squadrons. I’ve seen her use tactics to take down bigger wolves than me. While she may not attack me head on, that doesn’t mean she’s not going to devise a clever plan to get to Sophia.

Her brain works fast: she runs toward me and then suddenly takes a sharp left. I look in the direction she’s going and see a bunch of my people standing there.

Among them is Hilda.

Julia knows the nature of the relationship between me and Hilda. No wonder she’s going toward her. If she can’t get Sophia, she’s going to get rid of the other thorn in her side. The girl I raised.

Snarling, I follow her. The packmates surrounding Hilda are scattering, but Hilda is frozen in place, terrified. I want to scream at her to run, but all I can do is howl at her angrily. She falls on her behind, trembling. I leap over Julia’s head and land directly in front of Hilda, shielding her. But when I lookup, Julia has already shifted direction, this time going straight toward my mate. Sophia’s hands are outstretched, but I can see the nervousness in her eyes. A mere barrier isn’t going to stop Julia, not at the speed she is running. Even magical barriers have a limit.

Before I can sprint toward my mate, Nathan stands up and shoves Sophia aside. Julia jumps on him, her mouth open to rip off his head. A scream of anger reaches me, and then a streak of silver smashes into Julia’s side.

I didn’t even see Sophia transform, it was that fast.

She’s the same size as Julia, albeit a little weaker. Still, Julia goes flying into one of the shops across the street as the Silver Wolf sniffs at Nathan to make sure he’s okay. I’m by Sophia’s side in an instant, but she stops me from sniffing her, her eyes looking displeased.

In our wolf forms, we are more feral, more attuned to our animals. It is our animals who control us, and Sophia’s is not happy with me.

Why? Is it because I went to save Hilda and left her unprotected?

We hear a roar from inside the broken shop, and then Julia runs out, going straight for Sophia.

We stiffen, ready to take her on, but she changes direction once again, this time going after the teenagers standing alone at the far end of the street. I run after her, knowing that the frightened adolescents will not be able to get out of the way in time. The pack members closest to the teens are also running toward them, but Julia has the advantage of speed.

I’m not going to make it, I realize in growing horror.

She’s too far ahead of me. Even if I manage to catch up, I will only be able to save one of the kids.

Out of nowhere, I feel a strange sensation flowing throughout me. My speed is increasing, and my body feels almost light.

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