Page 22 of Alpha's Unclaimed Mate

“Killing them here solves nothing,” I growl, asserting myself. "And war with Landon would be a waste of resources.” I take a deep, steadying breath before suggesting, “We should takethem to the king’s court and let King Ares decide the punishment.”

Silence hangs heavy in the mind-link. “Get moving then,” my father finally replies. “King Ares leaves for Europe first thing Monday morning.” Before I can respond, the connection snaps shut.

I glance at Luke with a frown. There goes my Sunday.

A few of us spend the night in the packhouse office going through the CCTV footage, checking if we can find any more clues, while the gamma reaches out to the king’s courtier to let them know about our visit.

The moment the sun is up, Luke and I begin our five-hour-long drive, with two of the rogues sedated and bound in the trunk.

While Luke connects with his mate, Pema, over the mind-link, I drive on. With my phone at home and no one to mind-link with at this hour, the raspy breathing of the rogues in the back is my only companion. But after the chaos of the last ten hours, silence is a welcome change.

An hour or so later, Luke throws a quick glance my way, letting out a frustrated sigh and adjusting his seat.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

He hums. “She’s restless,” he replies eventually with another sigh. “She keeps asking about the rogues."

A knot tightens in my gut.Seren.I haven’t had a moment to think about her yet. After the way I left her asleep in bed—with no note, not even a text—I don’t know what she’ll think. I should’ve talked to her before I left.

Soon the sun gets brighter and I sense plenty of movement in the forest on either side of the narrow road. Having takenthis quieter route instead of the highways, we’ve saved at least an hour and should be in King Ares’s territory in twenty minutes at most.

“Can you pull over for a minute? I need to take a leak,” Luke says.

“Sure, go for it,” I reply, bringing the car to an immediate halt. I check on the rogues in the rearview mirror before fiddling with the radio dial, wondering how things will go with the king.

I’ve just settled on a channel when Luke reappears by the door, but just as he’s getting in, bullets rip through the glass window above the trunk. The sudden crash almost jolts me out of my seat. My ears ring.

Fuck! They’re here for the rogues, not us.

Luke dives inside, scrambling for cover. As another round of shots is fired, adrenaline surges through me and I slam my foot on the gas, yelling, “Get down!”

The firing stops as abruptly as it started, but I don’t stop until we enter the king’s territory. I’m just hoping the rogues are still alive.

I exhale once the guards let us in, giving us directions for the pack infirmary. I curse when I glance to my side and notice Luke’s arm is bleeding.

“Shit!”

He groans, clutching his arm. “I’m fine. The rogues…”

I glance back. The rogues are slumped over, blood all over their faces. “Damn it,” I curse, finally realizing they’ve both been shot multiple times in the head.

The road blurs as I push the car to its limits, my mind racing. Who could’ve known our route? The thought gnaws at me, but I shove it aside.Focus. Get to the infirmary first.

As the massive plus sign comes into view, I skid to a halt and guards rush to our side. “He needs medical attention,” I bark, pointing to Luke. “And check if they’re breathing.” I point to the two clearly dead rogues in the trunk.

The three of them are transferred to gurneys and wheeled inside. Now there’s nothing left to do but inform Alpha Dan that our witnesses are dead.

Great! Just great!

CHAPTER 9

SEREN

Iwake up to pitch darkness, a dull ache throbbing between my legs as I stretch to flip on the light switch. I suck in a harsh breath and try to sit up, but my legs feel like they’re made of lead. The French windows are shut tight, curtains drawn. Something inside me feels like it’s been shifted. Theron, of course, is nowhere to be seen.

With a frustrated sigh, I flop back down, face pressed into the mattress. Maybe I should go back to sleep.

Then I hear a light rap on the door. “Sweetheart, are you awake?” The voice jolts me upright, pushing the pain aside for a moment. I switch the lights back on and realize Theron left me naked and asleep behind an unlocked door. He didn’t even bother covering me with a sheet before leaving. Apparently even basic courtesy is too much to ask of him.

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