Page 109 of The Alpha's Crimson Vow

Jack and Alice lead the charge, tearing through the enemy line like a wrecking ball through glass. Jack’s wolf reaches me first—just as one of Valerian’s wolves clamps down on my throat.

And with everything he has, Jack slams into me.

The force rips me free from it’s grasp, but the impact is brutal. It sends me flying past the enemy lines, tumbling down—down the hill, over jagged rocks and rough, unforgiving earth.

Pain explodes through my body. A strangled yelp escapes my wolf as I roll, my massive form slamming into the ground again and again, each impact sending fresh agony through me.

I hit the bottom. The crash is jarring, the impact rattling my bones, leaving me a mess of blood and torn flesh at the base of the hill.

My ears ring. My vision wavers, darkness threatening to pull me under. My wolf whimpers, broken, battered. Instinct kicks in, forcing my shift—bones snapping, rearranging, skin pulling tight as I return to my human form. The transformation dulls some of the wounds, but not nearly enough. The pain is unimaginable.

But when I lift my head—when I see what’s in front of me— None of it matters.

The torture house.

It looms just a few feet away, dark and menacing. My vision sharpens. My resolve hardens. I grit my teeth, forcing my battered body to move. I push myself up—shaking, unsteady—but I stand.

And then, with every ounce of fury and determination left in me, I throw my head back and roar:

“VALERIAN!”

For a moment, everything feels silent. And then, the doors swing open.

Valerian steps out, his hulking frame squeezing through the entrance, and my entire body tenses. He moves with the same arrogant ease he always has, that slow confidence of a man who thinks he’s already won. But it’s not the sight of him that sends a surge of fury ripping through my chest. It’s the way he holds Katherine.

He drags her with him, his fist clenched tightly around her hair, yanking her forward. And she looks wrecked. Pale, exhausted, her eyes wide with fear as they find me, as they plead without words.

Valerian just stares at me for a moment, his eyes sweeping over my torn up form. My shirt hangs off me in bloodied shreds, my wounds—still open, still raw—dripping fresh crimson onto the dirt.

And then, he smirks.

“You don’t look so good, Alex.” His voice is smooth, laced with mockery. And then, casually, he throws Katherine aside. Like she’s nothing. A sharp, pained cry rips from her lips as she crashes to the ground, and I move—instinct pulling me forward, rage making me half shift. My fangs bare, my claws sharpen..

Valerian doesn’t even flinch.

Instead, he half shifts, his muscles bulging, his claws extending, but it’s controlled. Intentional. He’s toying with me. “I won’t even need to shift fully to kill you,” he taunts, rolling his shoulders. “You can barely stand on your own two feet.”

I grit my teeth, my breaths ragged, my chest heaving with fury. “It’s you who will die here today, Valerian.”

And then, I attack.

I swing the moment I reach him, my claws swiping wildly, my rage fueling every desperate strike. But I’m slow. I can feel it. My body is losing too much blood. It’s failing me..

Valerian dodges too easily. He’s laughing, his steps light, his smirk infuriatingly smug as he sidesteps my every attack.

“Look at you,” he sneers, moving effortlessly, his eyes flicking to Katherine just to twist the knife deeper. “Look what she’s done to you. Look what she’s reduced you to.”

And then, for the first time, he strikes. His claws rip across my face, searing pain exploding through me as deep, brutal gashes tear through my skin. My head whips to the side. I stumble, the world tilting beneath me, and then, I hit the ground.

“Weak. Pathetic.” His words thunder through my skull.

Blood pools from my face, hot and wet against my fingertips as I push myself up, forcing my body to move even as it screams at me to stay down. I rush him again.

This time, he catches my arm mid-swipe. And then his claws sink in, tearing deep into my flesh, ripping out a chunk of my arm. I scream, the pain blinding, but before I can react, he kicks me, his boot slamming into my ribs, sending me sprawling onto the dirt.

I choke on my breath, my body shaking.

“Alex!”

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