Page 65 of Betrayed By the Alpha Wolf

Cade was the last to enter from outside, and he stalked inside in wolf form before gradually shifting back into his humanbody. He stood there in the entryway, naked and catching his breath. I rushed up to him.

“Where the fuck is my mate?” I growled, and then it hit me. “Dammit, where’s Brooks?”

The other Alphas looked around, shock reverberating through their scents. Jet pushed off of Senna and walked over to me.

“Shit. He was right behind me, but…”

“What?!”

I knew I was screaming, but I really didn’t give a fuck at present. My mate and one of his best friends in the world were missing. And I also knew exactly what had happened. Those fucking hunters had snagged them.

“Nabbed.” Cade finished shaking off the remnants of his wolf, and he walked over with Rowan coming up right behind him with a jacket. “They got Grayson after he’d killed one of theirs, but Brooks was snatched when he went back for the asshole without regrouping.”

In a flash, I gripped the collar of Cade’s borrowed coat, yanking him forward as I snarled.

“That asshole is my mate.” I shoved Cade away. “Dammit!”

I began pacing around the room, and the Alphas filled in the silence of the hall, talking over each other.

Kaiden’s voice cut through the buzz in my brain.

“Brooks got captured, too? Fucking hell. I told him we needed to regroup. The hunters were too prepared for us. But they’d talked about testing Grayson. They weren’t going to kill him.”

“Not yet, at least,” Cade offered. “I’m happy to go back out and help find them again. Those fuckers will taste delicious.”

“Ugh, disgusting. But you can’t expect to be enough. We’ll need more than just an Alpha,” Rowan gestured to himself, “or two if we want to defeat them this time.”

“What do you suggest?” Kaiden asked, and I abruptly stopped pacing, scanning over the room.

Jet and Alder were out. They were too hurt. And I wasn’t about to separate Kaiden from his mate, so he was a no-go as well. Senna and Willow. The baby had told me to get them. I could bring Rowan and Cade as well. With Senna’s magic and the two deadliest wolves with me, this could work.

“I’m not hurt, but I don’t think you’re going to be able to find volunteers this time around.”

But Kaiden wasn’t going, so I walked up to him, putting his hands in Kit’s. “You’re staying. I have a better idea.”

***

It didn’t take long to get everyone ready to go back out. Rowan and Cade had shifted into wolf form and stood at the ready near the door. Willow had reluctantly agreed to come along, and she was loading up a bag of potentially useful items for Senna to carry.

Willow and I were going to shift as well, but I wanted to wait until we were all set to leave, which was about now, actually.

“Let’s go. And remember, we’re going quietly. I don’t want our approach blown, so stick to the shadows and move slowly.”

The crew around me nodded, and I knew that Jet and Kaiden would have done the same if they had been here. As it was, Kaiden was helping Forrest tend to the injured wolves, including Jet and Alder.

As I began to shift, a hand came down on my shoulder. When I spun around, I was face to face with Choal, who’d healed well since his tussle with Kaiden. However, he was still sporting slashes from going out with him just a few hours ago.

“Choal, what are you doing? You should be in the infirmary with Forrest.”

He shook his head. “I’m fine. Grayson saved my life with his mercy. I intend to make sure he stays alive, too.”

I was touched, and I rolled my lips between my teeth before nodding. “Okay.”

Turning to the rest of the wolves, I met their eyes. “We’re getting them back. No excuses. Nothing short of success. Got me?”

They grumbled in agreement, and once I was sure they were all ready, I shifted into my wolf. Senna would be riding me since I’d agreed to take the position at the back. I was still pregnant, after all. She hopped on, bundled up for the cooler night outside, and we were off.

***

---