Page 51 of Sold to the Alphas

I couldn’t let him win. I couldn’t let him hurt Elisabed or her sister.

With a burst of strength at the thought of my omega, I swiped at his eyes and muzzle with my claws. Blood splattered the ground, the sharp scent fueling my fury, and I followed up by raking my claws across his chest, leaving deep gashes that oozed crimson. His howl of pain was satisfying, but it wasn’t enough. I drove my claws into his shoulder, and he howled again before shifting back to his human form and scrabbling away from me.

I shifted, too, and we both stood, panting. Raol was slower in his human form, and his injuries had caught up to him, but his eyes still burned with hatred. He wanted to destroy me.

I needed to finish him. I was preparing for my final attack when I heard familiar voices.

28

Elisabed

The wind tore at my hair as I trailed behind Finn and Marshall, my steps light and careful. They hadn’t noticed me following them yet, the shifting breezes masking my scent and their focus elsewhere. My heart pounded in my chest, and my grip on the hilt of my knife tightened. I wasn’t supposed to be here, disobeying direct orders, but I couldn’t just sit back and wait—not when I knew August had gone after my sister.

Every crunch of leaves beneath my boots sent a shiver of anxiety through me. What if I was too late? What if they found her first? Or worse—what if Raol was here?

“August!” Marshall’s voice cracked with urgency, and I froze mid-step.

I crept closer, staying low, and peeked past a cluster of trees. My stomach churned at the sight before me.

August stood amidst the carnage, his chest heaving, blood smeared across his arms and face. Raol was standing a few feet away. The air was thick with the acrid scent of blood and fury, and my legs locked in place, a primal fear clawing at my insides.

Raol.

His presence dragged me back to the trial, to the moment he smirked at me like I was nothing, to the raw hatred I felt when he threatened my sister. Now, he stood only a few paces from her—my sister, who had somehow become tangled in this mess.

Mily. She was so small, so fragile, clutching her satchel with trembling fingers. Her wide, tear-filled eyes darted between the two alphas, clearly overwhelmed and terrified.

“Mily,” I whispered, barely audible over the roaring wind.

Then she saw me. Her frightened gaze landed on mine, and for a moment, everything else disappeared.

“Elisabed!” she screamed, her voice high-pitched and frantic.

Before I could react, she started running toward me.

“No! Stop!” I shouted, my voice tearing from my throat, but it was too late.

Mily darted forward, straight into the space between August and Raol.

It all happened in an instant.

Raol lunged, his claws poised to grab her.

August, wild-eyed and lost in his bloodlust, swung his arm with terrifying force, his claws slicing through the air.

“Mily!”

I didn’t think. My legs moved on their own, faster than I’d ever thought possible. I reached her just as August’s claws descended.

Pain exploded across my shoulder, sharp and searing, as his claws raked into my flesh. The force of the blow sent me stumbling, but I managed to wrap my arms around Mily, shielding her with my body.

“Elisabed!” Marshall’s voice roared, but it was distant, drowned out by the pounding of my pulse in my ears.

Finn’s snarl followed, feral and enraged.

“You idiot!” he bellowed, slamming into August with enough force to knock him back.

I clung to Mily, trembling as the pain radiated through me. My vision blurred, but I refused to let her go. She sobbed against me, her tiny frame shaking uncontrollably.

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