Page 48 of Alpha Scorned

I dozed fitfully, each time I awoke I felt a little less drugged, but with a raging thirst. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. Between the shifting and the drugs in my system, my body was badly dehydrated.

A bang startled me from the stupor I’d fallen into. I blinked and saw the metal door had been flung wide open. Three large males stepped inside the cave room. Shane watched them, too, his wolf rising in his eyes. They stank of blood, rot, and death—the same scent that had been on the piece of paper Shane had left for me. My heart rate increased, but I took slow deep breaths, instructing my wolf to stay calm and hidden. I dropped my head lower, my chin resting against my chest and feigned drowsiness, knowing they’d shot me with enough sedative that any normal shifter would still be drugged. Years of training kicked in, and I concentrated on keeping my heart rate low enough to mimic unconsciousness. Any vampire, whether Made or Original, could hear heart rates, and I wanted to give myself as much time as possible to observe my captors before they started to torture me. I swallowed, and no matter how much I tried not to let my reality sink in, it did. They could be here to end me. No. I had to get back to the town. Lina and Devon needed me. I stamped down on my panic, taking a steady deep breath and regulating my pulse. My wolf sent a wave of reassurance my way, helping me stay calm.

I remained limp and hanging from my chains, even when my captors kicked me in my broken ribs, I didn’t react, I merely hung. Even when they beat Shane and darted the others, I hung. Even when they held Shane immobile, biting his neck and drinking his blood, and he swore and growled and fought as best he could, I remained limp. I forced my thoughts to the beautiful woman who held my heart and soul in her hands, knowing I would endureanythingjust to see her again.

Chapter 16

Selina.

I rejoicedat the feel of my wolf’s power rushing through my veins even if it wasn’t me she trusted, but Owen’s wolf. That trust was more than enough for now. She had lent me her strength merely because he had requested it.

I swallowed hard, fear for my baby boy filtering into my psyche, sending me a surge of adrenaline. I pumped my arms harder, my feet hitting the ground faster and faster. I jumped fallen trees and darted around thick bushes. I leapt over streams and ducked under branches, all while using my wolf’s sight. My son would not die. My trust in Becca was absolute, but even she had her limits. The vampires could move faster than even a shifter's sight could comprehend and that put us at a huge disadvantage. The only solace I had was that Owen had ordered the town gates shut and the perimeter guards to be vigilant. Locked down, the town became a compound. One that was difficult to get into.

My lungs burned. My heart pounded. But I didn’t slow down, not one bit. I would save my son and then I would get back to my mate. The image of Owen, broken and beaten on the ground, tore at my heart. I’d kill every last one of them for threatening the people I loved. This was a fight I wouldn’t lose; I had too much riding on it.

The sun was starting to rise in the sky as I approached the town. Screams rent the air. I muttered a curse. The gate was wide open, the padlock just hanging. It wasn’t broken or forced. Someone had let these murderers in.

Blood stained the ground, pooling underneath the bodies of my pack mates. I held my horror in check, but fear skittered down my spine as I sprinted through the shadows behind houses. I stopped to check the streets were clear before I bolted across them towards my house. The closer I got, the more blood and death there was. It was horrific, the glassy eyes of the dead staring up into the dawn sky, though they’d never see it again. Both in wolf and human form my pack had been killed, their throats ripped out until they'd bled to death.

Please. Please. Let them be okay…

Tears burned my eyes, my heart pounding so hard, my breathing so fast, I could barely think.

A small cry left my throat as I approached my house. The door stood open, battered inwards and splintered. “No, no, no.” My hoarse whisper was barely audible. I wouldn’t lose my son. I pivoted on my heel, holding in the howl of my wolf and jogged towards the clearing in front of the pack headquarters.

The closer I got, the louder the bellowing of my enemies got. These vampires had killed so many. Rage coloured my vision. If they had harmed my son in any way, I’d rip their throats out before they even knew I was there.

I could feel my wolf’s fear and anger. She shared my feelings—but she also wanted me to be cautious. I agreed. Losing my shit wouldn't help this situation. My footsteps slowed, and, using the early morning shadows, I edged towards the corner of a building that stood next to the town square. Dropping to my haunches, I peered around the corner.

Survivors crowded in the centre of the space, some were injured and bleeding, others were pale and wide eyed. Herding them in were vampires, guns in their hands, their faces and clothes stained with blood, their eyes a deep red that reflected the bloodlust in their souls. My eyes narrowed on their weapons. Some were tranquiliser guns, others were not. I needed a better view of what was happening; of the numbers of my enemy, of where my son was. I couldn’t bear the thought that he was amongst the dead because that would shatter me forever. I scooted away from the crowd and the guards, and darted inside the building through the broken back door. From there I ran up the stairs to the second floor. I’d lived in this town long enough to know this house had a flat roof. I charged up the stairs and out through the door at the top, my palms slick with sweat and my mouth as dry as a bone.

Please let them be alive.

Keeping low, I dashed to the front of the building, and carefully peered over the top.

The sea of prisoners stared towards the pack house where a tall vampire dressed in black cargo pants, boots, a bullet proof vest and a dark jacket was addressing the town.

“You think that you are safe now!” he roared. “Think again! This attack is your King’s fault! He has formed alliances that have signed your death warrant! He is a traitor to the vampire nation by siding with the ancient vampires who oppress us, who think we are no better than the shit on their shoes! That we are weak! They. Are. Wrong. Today we prove our strength.” His head turned, and I knew he was surveying his prey. The crowd murmured and shuffled, the scent of their fear and fury almost overwhelming. He nodded at someone out of my line of sight. A procession of at least ten males, all naked and bleeding, were shoved in front of him. Lucas was at the head of the line. His tall, muscular body was bruised, and blood leaked from wounds to his neck and thighs. But it was the two males at the rear of the line that made me gasp. Stone and Zander. They were hauled in by their arms, their feet dragging on the ground, and their heads down. Even from my hiding place I could see the darts sticking out of their backs through the t-shirts they still wore. Lucas must have shifted, and been forced to shift back naked, but Owen’s brothers were too powerful and experienced to be caught like that. I blinked slowly. What the fuck had happened to land them in front of our enemy like this? On their knees? Surely, they would have heard the attack? Owen had been ambushed, his brothers hadn’t. My face flushed hot and my wolf growled. The guard who shoved Stone to his knees at the leader’s feet was the female I’d given my position of power to, the one who was supposed to continue my fight for fairness and protection of those weaker than herself. Robin. My wolf snarled along with me, and for the first time in years we were in perfect harmony. Hate and the need for vengeance exploded through me.

“All of you are going to die.” The vampire studied his captives, his top lip curling, his voice filled with disgust when he spoke. “And these? These are the strongest of your kind? Brought down by simple darts and drugs.” He stormed forward and slammed a kick into Stone’s chest. Stone grunted but otherwise didn’t react.

“PATHETIC!” the vampire roared. “Now theseprotectorsyour King sent to you, will watch you all die before I will end their humiliation. And I will start with your shifter spawn. The youngest will die first. And for his crimes against us, your King will watch!”

My whole body shook as one of his men carried a young child to the front. His auburn curls glinted as the early morning sun caught them, and his pale little face lifted, his gaze landing right on me.

Before my growl could escape my throat, I ran.

Chapter 17

Rawson

I’d seen somuch death in my life, but the sight that greeted Lionel and me as we crept back into the town with two pack alphas at our backs, sickened me to my soul. My calm really slipped when I saw a beautiful blonde-haired female lying in her own blood, and for a moment it was hard to separate the past from the present.Lyss...

“Hey? You okay?” Lionel asked.

No. Not in any way…

“Fine,” I bit out, glad he was behind me so he couldn’t see the blatant lie on my face. I took a deep breath and released it steadily. Now was not the time to lose my shit.

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