Page 75 of Sold to the Alphas

She sat a few feet away, clutching the knife with white-knuckled hands. Her eyes were wide, her face pale, and her chest rose andfell in quick, panicked breaths. The knife—still slick with Raol’s blood—quivered in her grip.

“Mily,” I said again, crawling toward her.

Her gaze snapped to mine, and tears streamed down her cheeks. “I—I killed him,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I—I had to, Lis. He was going to—he was—”

“I know,” I interrupted gently, prying the knife from her shaking hands and tossing it aside. “You did what you had to do.”

I pulled her into my arms, holding her close as she shook against me. Her small frame felt so fragile, yet she had been the one to end him. My brave, terrified little sister.

“It’s over now,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure if I believed it myself. The feral energy that had sparked Raol’s madness wasn’t gone. It was still out there, alive and raging.

Mily sniffled and pulled back slightly, her tear-streaked face looking up at me. “What’s happening, Elisabed? Why did he—why did he go like that?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, brushing her hair away from her face. I had an idea, but I didn’t want her to panic. “But we can’t stay here. It’s not safe.”

She nodded, clinging to my hand as I helped her stand. My legs threatened to give out beneath me, but I tightened my grip on her and steeled myself. Whatever was coming, I had to keep her safe.

I adjusted my clothes and ripped some fabric to protect my hands as I broke through a window. I helped Mily carefully climb outside, and chaos greeted us.

43

Elisabed

The neutral grounds were unrecognizable.

The orderly settlement I remembered had devolved into a scene of utter bedlam. Wolves—both shifted and unshifted—were running in every direction, their faces contorted with terror. Some tried to flee toward the outskirts, while others stood frozen, their eyes wide and wild.

And then there were the feral wolves, teeth bared, snapping and snarling at anything in their paths. They tore into anything they could reach, and screams and growls filled the air.

I pulled Mily closer, trying to shield her. “Stay close,” I said firmly.

She nodded, her small hand tightening around mine.

We weaved our way through the chaos, my eyes scanning the crowd for familiar faces. My heart sank with every step. This proved my worst fear. Someone broke the council pact. The feral wolves must have been the alphas closest to where the bond had broken, the ones who had succumbed to the bloodlust.

The madness had spread far beyond what I imagined possible—beyond the council, beyond their betas. I had no idea how it had affected all these wolves so significantly. This wasn’t what Marshall had warned me about back when he’d told me what would happen if the pact was to break.

It was worse than he’d thought, and that was terrifying.

Then it hit me.

If this madness had been caused by the pact being broken, it must have been my alphas who had done it—and recently. That meant my alphas were alive. They had to be. He must have brought them here, maybe to stand trial and have everyone witness their downfall.

Of course he’d lied. I’d been a fool to believe him.

The realization sent a jolt of urgency through me. I had to find them, but I had to get Mily to safety first. If Raol wanted a spectacle, maybe my parents were here, somewhere, caught in this madness. I had to find them.

“Come on,” I said, pulling Mily toward the small house on the edge of the neutral territory where my parents had stayed at the time of my trial. We ran through the settlement until we reached it, trying to stay out of the chaos and the fights.

I knocked urgently on the door. “It’s us,” I called out. “It’s Elisabed and Mily. Open the door!”

After a brief pause, the door creaked partly open, and my mother’s face appeared in the gap. “Elisabed? Mily!” she exclaimed, opening the door fully and pulling my sister into her arms. Tears streamed down her face as she held her tightly, and my father appeared behind her, his expression grim.

I stepped inside, my legs trembling as the adrenaline began to fade. My father gave me a sharp nod, his jaw tight as he took in my battered appearance.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice low and tense.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Raol,” I gulped. “He found Mily. He found us both. He—he took us, tortured us...” My voice cracked, but I pushed through. “He said he killed the alphas, but then he went feral. He’s dead now.”

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