Page 30 of Alpha's Second Chance

Our intel had been faulty. He had two additional shifters with him, and one held what looked like a sniper rifle. Bull’s shifter aimed the rifle at Owen and pulled the trigger.

I screamed as Owen hit the ground. Ice spread through my veins. Every part of me went numb, but I held tight to the gun. I got the scope to my eye, and I pulled the trigger. I hit one of Bull’s guys, but not the other. The remaining one dropped to his belly, aiming the rifle at Owen’s teammates too, pulling the trigger three more times. I couldn’t tell if they were hit.

John stayed with me, and Brian went after Bull’s shifter.

John got his arm around me. “You aren’t going over there. That wasn’t a bullet.”

Like hell I wasn’t. I tried to shake him off. “What was it?” I asked.

John didn’t answer. He held tight to my upper arm. “Stay here. I’ll go get him.”

I let my muscles go lax. Then I waited until he loosened his grip.

As we stared at Owen lying on the ground, he transformed back into human. He’d be much easier to kill as a human. “Fuck,” John said.

I bolted.

“Eve!” he shouted after me.

I got to Owen before John could snag me again. I dropped next to Owen. As I tried to think through our options, he woke up. “Eve. Go.” Still lying on the ground, he shoved at my legs.

I shook his shoulders. “Owen. Stop it! Where are you hit?”

“It was another dart. But it wasn’t a tranq. It made me shift back to human. Makes us easier targets.”

He rolled to his side. He grabbed my hand. “Come on. I’m getting you back in the cabin. Stay low.”

Near us, Brian appeared, his gun pointed toward the woods. “I’ve got you covered, Alpha.”

We made it back inside. Once we were in, Brian and John stood outside on either side of the cabin. There was no word from their other teammates. “Stay away from the windows,” Owen barked.

“What now?” I asked.

Owen pulled on a pair of pants. “They can force a turn. They’ve weaponized it. Medics carry small doses, but this is the first time I’ve seen it used in a fight. It’s smart.” He kicked the door. “Dammit.”

“Do we have any?” I asked Owen.

“Brian should. He’s the medic on our team.”

“We need to get it from him. We might need it.”

“Good idea.” Owen used his comm to tell Brian to come to the door. Once Brian was there, he told him to hand over the shot and Owen tucked it into his jeans. “Never thought I’d have to fight with a needle.” He ran his hand down my arm. “We have to get you out of here.”

I didn’t bother protesting. We both knew I wasn’t leaving. “Escaping is not good enough. We have to get rid of Bull,” I said. “I’ll shift. We’ll let him shoot me with the meds. I’ll pretend to be passed out, and then you can move in.”

“Eve, I am not risking you like that.” Owen’s eyes were hard. “If they hit you with a dart, you’ll be stuck as a human for who knows how long. I can’t shift. I’m still trying, and I fuckingcan’t. I don’t know how long it’s going to be before it wears off.”

“Owen. I love you. I respect you. But we are out of options. I’m going to shift, and I’m going after Bull. If he hits me with the dart, then use this against him.” I patted his pocket where the needle was hidden. I handed him my gun. “It’s full of ammo.”

“Eve.” He closed his eyes. “Please be careful.” He gave me a hard kiss on the mouth. “I’m not going to radio my team in case Bull’s hacked us.”

Owen’s face was blank as I ditched my clothes and shifted into my bear form. He held the door open for me. I squeezed through and stepped onto the porch. I felt Owen’s hand rake through my fur.

I leaped off the porch. My bear let out a crashing roar. No shifters were visible except Bull, who stood at the edge of the woods, in human form.

“Eve. There’s no need to fret,” Bull said. “You’ll see we’ve already won.” He lifted his hand. From the corner of my eye, I spotted the same shifter with the rifle.

I barrelled directly toward Bull. Soon enough, I felt a sting in my shoulder. They’d hit me. I kept going, only stumbling as my four legs turned to two. I hit the ground with my face.

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