Page 17 of Sold to the Alphas

Before I could stop myself, the words were tumbling out of my mouth. “Can I see my family again before we go?”

The room went still.

August’s sharp gaze fixed on me, his expression unreadable. Finn’s smirk faltered, and Marshall...Marshall finally looked at me for more than a second, his dark eyes narrowing like I’d just said something incredibly stupid.

“I couldn’t get my clothes when we saw them yesterday,” I said. “If we’re leaving...I need my clothes.”

“No,” Marshall said immediately, his tone hard and final.

I flinched, but I didn’t back down. “Do you expect me to wear the same thing every single day?” I said, trying to keep my voice from trembling. I didn’t want them to know the real reason—I wanted to see my sister one last time. No, I wasn’t thinking of practical things like clothes—I needed to go home for my sanity.

“It’s too risky,” Marshall snapped, his gaze burning into mine.

“And,” Finn intervened, his gaze shining with amusement. “I took the liberty of going to the nearest human town and buying some things for you. My favorite is the little red silky number. I’m counting the seconds until I see you wearing it—my imagination doesn’t do you justice.” He winked at me, and I could feel my face turning ten shades ofred.I’d only visited the nearby human town once, but I knew the type of store he’d gone into.

My shoulders slumped, anger and indignity filling my body. I wanted to scream and lash out, but I knew it was no use arguing with them. Without answering, I turned around and stomped to the stairs, feeling my heart squeeze. I wouldn’t win thisargument, not now—not when Raol’s threat was so recent and our bond so new.

I just wanted to see my sister again.

8

Elisabed

The thunder cracked so loudly it felt like the world had split in two. I jolted awake, my heart pounding, the sound still ringing in my ears. The sharp metallic tang of fear filled my nose.

After we’d left the alphas’ home in the neutral territory the day before, I’d been forced to admit that I couldn’t shift on command. My anger was so fresh that I didn’t even have it in me to feel my normal levels of shame. Let them call me defective, I’d thought, but the words never came. They’d simply said we’d continue on foot. But even their begrudging acceptance of my condition didn’t change my outlook. I kept my distance from them, barely speaking, still mad that they hadn’t allowed me a final goodbye with my sister.

I could see how my distance and silence affected them—my wolf and I were also affected—but I wasn’t going to bend to their will.It would take more than a little suffering to make me forget my anger.

We’d spent the day traversing some treacherous mountain terrain on two legs. I’d been more than relieved when we located this little safe house, especially now that the storm was rolling in so aggressively.

The room around me flickered with brief flashes of light from the storm outside, the shadows stretching and twisting in strange, menacing ways. Rain pounded on the roof, a relentless drumming that drowned out everything else.

“Get up. Now.”

August’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding. He was already standing in the doorway, his silhouette backlit by another flash of lightning, and...was thatfire?

“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice hoarse as I scrambled to my feet.

“We need to move,” Marshall barked from behind him, his tone clipped. He was already throwing supplies into a bag, his broad shoulders tense. “The storm’s coming in harder than we thought, and lightning struck the back of the cabin. The house won’t hold; everything will go up in flames in less than ten minutes.”

The wind howled outside so loud it sounded like a living thing clawing at the walls and shaking the house. I recoiled as the floor shook under my feet with another rumble of thunder.

Finn materialized at my side, his typical smile missing, and pushed my boots into my hands. “Unless you want to burn alive, sweetheart, you might want to hurry it up.”

I pulled on my boots with trembling hands, the leather chilly and hard on my flesh. My mind raced, trying to piece together what was happening. The storm had been building all day, but I hadn’t realized it was bad enough to force us out of our shelter.

I followed them out into the storm, the rain hitting me like icy needles. The wind whipped at my cloak, pulling at the edges and threatening to rip it away entirely. Lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the trees around us, their branches bending and groaning under the force of the gale.

“Stay close,” August ordered, his voice barely audible over the roar of the wind.

I stumbled after them into the forest, cursing my inability to shift into wolf form. Wolves were made for terrain like this, and I’d be far more sure-footed on the slippery ground than in my weak, two-legged human form.

The rain was relentless, soaking through every layer of clothing and chilling me to the bone. My heart pounded in my chest, each crack of thunder making me flinch.

“Over here!” Marshall called, pointing toward a rocky outcropping ahead.

A cave.

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