Page 32 of Sold to the Alphas

They were the kind of words I’d only heard in cautionary tales warning against humans when I was young, and thealphas immediately closed ranks around me, their movements instinctive.

“Turn around,” August commanded with a dangerous growl. “Walk away, and I might forgive you for the way you’ve spoken tomy woman.”

But the humans weren’t interested in retreating. They laughed at August’s words, and the same man repeated, “What? Your slut doesn’t like when she’s called by what she is—abitch?”

Without a second thought, Finn lunged.

“Elisabed, stay back!” ordered Marshall, stepping in front of me like a human shield.

I wanted to obey, but the scene unfolding before me was too much. Finn fought with feral precision, his movements a deadly blend of strength and grace. After a moment of hesitation, August jumped into the fight in his human form. He hit the humans with a skilled precision meant to leave them unconscious instead of dead, but the humans were desperate, and desperation made them dangerous.

One of them managed to land a strike on Finn, the blade slicing through his thick coat and across his side.

The moment I smelled his blood, something inside me snapped.

For the first time in my life, my wolf surged forward, feral and wild. The lingering heat from my recent cycle fueled our collective rage. Without hesitation, I shifted, my body transforming into the giant, black wolf I hadn’t seen since childhood.

They hurt him. They dared to hurt him.

Mine.

It had been so long since I was in my wolf form that I couldn’t differentiate my rational thoughts from my primal ones. Without thinking, I launched myself into the fray, my claws tearing through flesh and teeth, snapping with lethal precision. My alphas stood frozen for a second, watching me with their mouths open. If it was the shock at seeing my wolf for the first time—the color of my coat like the blackest night, unable to even reflect the light—or the ferocity of my attack, I’d never know.

My wolf was in charge now; the only thing on her mind was joining Finn in the fight and making thempay.

The humans didn’t stand a chance.

Their shouts turned to screams as Finn and I tore through them, a violent symphony of snarls and cries. My wolf reveled in the carnage and the primal satisfaction of defending what was mine. I had never felt so close to her before.

“Elisabed, that’s enough!” said Marshall urgently.

But I couldn’t stop. It had been so long since my wolf had had complete control that she was unwilling to give it back, and I’d forgotten how to take it.

Finally, Marshall physically intervened, his massive frame blocking my path. I faltered, the weight of his presence bringing some clarity back into my mind.

“Stop,” he ordered, his expression blank. “They’re already dead.”

I took a deep breath and shifted back slowly, my body trembling as the adrenaline faded. The sight of the blood on my hands, my body, the carnage around me...it made my stomach churn.

Finn shifted beside me, his chest heaving, his side still bleeding from the wound. Despite the injury, he grinned at me. “Not bad, little omega. “Didn’t know you had that in you.”

16

Elisabed

The scent of blood still filled the air as we surveyed the carnage. My body ached from my unexpected shift, and my mind was still hazy, swimming with adrenaline and instinct.

How did I do that? Was my wolf finally back?

Finn was muttering something under his breath as he crouched to wipe the blood off his hands, but the words barely registered.

I shifted my focus to August, his jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might snap.

His carefully maintained calm was gone for the first time since I’d met him.

“What were you thinking?” August’s voice wasn’t raised, but it didn’t need to be—the steel in his tone made my stomach twist.

Finn straightened, meeting August’s glare with his usual nonchalance. “I was thinking they were going to hurt her.” He gestured toward me without even looking. “So I handled it.”

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