Page 59 of My Brutal Alpha

Their expectations and demands of me scarred me from when I was a child, and I didn’t particularly love them all that much, but that subconscious familial connection was screaming at me to do something anyway.

Even if they didn’t treat me well, I couldn’t just ignore it. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I never tried to find out.

If it had anything to do with Kody Arron, then there was a high chance he had done something to my dad, which meant Mom would likely be on her own and terrified. Even if she had never been warm to me, the thought of something awful happening to her still didn’t sit right with me. It could be the last chance for me to make any kind of amends with the past.

Unable to forget her agonizing fear, I pushed myself up from the couch and hurried out the door.

Regardless of everything else, I had to at least try and help.

Recalling what she mentioned about being near my pack grounds, I figured it wouldn’t take long for me to track her down, so at the very least, I could try and figure out what was going on.

But the moment I reached the front driveway, I spotted Sebastian and the other guys hurrying down the street towards me. Immediately, my features tightened, and I went to keep going, fully prepared to ignore them.

I didn’t have a reason to ice them all out, but I wasn't feeling too receptive, given that they were with Sebastian.

After everything went down, I didn’t want to see any of them.

I could feel the concern immediately surrounding them as I turned away and tried to maintain my momentum.

“Ezra, wait!”

I bristled at the sound of Ezra’s voice, immediately aggravated all over again. Continuing down the street, I wanted to stay angry. I needed time to sort through it all before I could even begin to start talking about anything.

“I tried to see Zoe to apologize, but I can’t find her,” Sebastian called out to me, sounding earnest. When I immediately paused in my tracks, he continued, “I picked up on another alpha’s scent at the gym.”

Immediately, the realization dawned on me, and it was all I could do to keep myself upright.

An alpha’s scent. Kody Arron.

Had he gone against his word and decided to take his anger out on me after all?

I could’ve sworn he meant what he said about not seeing me as his enemy, but given how my dad had wronged him, it was likely that sentiment also extended to me. His pride had been wounded, and he’d want retribution.

With Zoe missing and my mom’s frantic call, I could only assume that meant Kody had them. It seemed he wanted to threaten me with all three of them at once.

Turning to face them, my anger shifted into concern. “You’re absolutely sure she wasn’t in your territory?”

“I’m sure,” Sebastian said, worry clear as day in his features. “I looked everywhere and was going to check here with you.”

“She’s not…” I murmured, feeling the weight of that reality all over again. “She’s not here either.”

A mutual sense of alarm and panic settled between the group of us, and Ethan looked more serious than he usually did as he took a step forward.

“I’ll be damned if anyone thinks they can take Little Rivera…” he muttered, features fixed with anger. “We have to find her.”

There was no arguing, and we were immediately on the same page.

Despite our fight, I had to put everything aside for Zoe. I had to forget about my pride and focus on what really mattered.

At the end of the day, they were my friends, and I knew they’d always have my back.

“I still have the alpha’s scent along with hers,” Sebastian said, gesturing to the side. “He’s heading East. If we track him down, we should be able to find Zoe.”

With all the information we had, I knew nothing could change my mind or steer me off course. We had no choice but to go together, to put our effort and strength together to get her back.

Anger and concern coursed through me as the weight of it all settled on my shoulders, and it took everything in my power not to lose my mind.

But despite it, Sebastian held my gaze with a hint of reassurance in his words. “We’ll find her, Ezra.”

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