Page 110 of The Alpha King's Fate

‘But if you just wait—’

‘I’ll only wait long enough to make a plan. I’m going in, Dylan.’

With that, he stepped back from the tree line, using his strengths to tread lightly to find a better vantage point. The Hunters had somehow changed, so he couldn’t risk getting closer in case their sense of smell had also improved. So that meant he was also working against the wind. They would catch him if the wind changed direction while he looked for a weak spot.

There were no weak spots. It took him an hour to safely assess the perimeter from every direction, but there were no fucking weak spots.

‘Just go through the gates. I dare them to stop me,’ Cain growled in his head.

There was no other way. He couldn’t let another night go past with Layla trapped with the Hunters.

He felt the presence of other wolves before he rounded back to where he had a view of the front gates of the Hunter base. Many wolves. His ears pricked as he listened to their approaching footsteps.

Why did they come? The Hunters would wipe all of them off the face of the earth.

He turned and walked in their direction, keeping to the shadows of the trees until a few abandoned buildings came into view. The Hunters probably chose their base's location because this side of town did not look desirable to the humans. They even had their landfill nearby, which drove most people away.

But the stench of their waste still couldn’t cover up the smell of the Hunters and the wolves they killed in that warehouse.

His fists clenched as he waited for the wolves to show themselves. Ryker walked out from behind a building first. His hands were in the air, his eyes lowered, and his steps were cautious.

If they all knew how dangerous he was, why the hell did they come? They sent their vulnerable people away; who would watch over them when they returned?

“We’re coming with you, Your Majesty,” Ryker said.

His usual arrogant tone was gone. It was hard to tell if Ryker still believed he was better than him because he captured him once and hung him up in chains in his dungeons.

“Who told you we were here?”

“Alpha Chase. We were tailing you from when you left, but we would have come anyway. They have my people, too,” Ryker said.

“And if you die today, you’ll be no good to any of them,” he growled.

“If I die today, I’ll have no regrets,” Ryker said, lifting his gaze briefly. “And it’s not only my people I’m here for.”

He couldn't react to the other man's obsession with his mate. It wasn't important anymore.

A few more wolves walked out to stand behind Ryker. The Night Walker pack warriors were fully dressed but looked uncomfortable in their clothes. They were barefoot and their hair unkempt as usual, but they all looked ready to follow their Alpha wherever he led them. Their pack was legendary in battles, but fighting Hunters was a different story.

“It’s a suicide mission, Ryker.”

“Then so be it. I’m tired of those fuckers dictating how we live. I say we end this shit once and for all.”

“I second that.”

He looked at the group of wolves who were approaching behind the Night Walkers. Brax and his warriors walked beside Chase and his warriors. Had they planned all this while he’d been asleep in the car? That was reckless of all of them; he couldn’t condone it.

“Looks like you got yourself an army,” Chase said.

“You’re all going to die,” he growled again.

“We’ll all die someday,” Dylan said as he stepped out behind him. “Everyone here has been trained to fight since we could walk. All our children and elderly are safe. We’ll never get a better chance than this to make a stand.”

He turned around to his Beta. Dylan lowered his eyes, too, unable to meet the beast’s gaze.

“You know this is just one base out of Goddess knows how many,” he growled. “This is just the beginning. You’re better off going home to make sure everyone else stays safe after I attack them. I’m the King. Let me go in there and do what I can. If I fail, get as far away from the city as you can.”

“As I said, Jax,” Dylan said, raising his gaze to meet the beast for the first time since the Hunters took Layla. “You’re not fighting alone. And I’m sure that Cain would appreciate the help.”