Page 91 of Wolf Bound

The guards do exactly what we thought they would do. They run from their positions and gather around William. From where I stand, I can see at least fifteen men now standing in clear view and out in the open. Which is right where we want them. This way, we don’t have to go search for each of them. Instead, they’ve revealed themselves tous.

“Ready?” I ask Jax.

“This is going to be awesome.” His eyes flash bright before he disappears in a cloud of smoke.

We watch as Jax appears in the middle of all the guards. At first, they don’t notice him, so he lets out a small whistle, and they all turn around to face him. Jax holds both of his hands out, palms up, and he sends out a flash of hellfire. Jax had explained to us that it was like a bomb of sorts. The hellfire will attach itself to anyone within fifteen feet, hence the reason we’re staying back. I don’t know much about how hellfire works other than that, but I do know it’s supposed to be the worst pain imaginable if it touches you.

Almost at the same time, each of the guards begin to fall to their knees, their screams of pain piercing the night. I have never seen so many grown men break down into tears so quickly.

When I see William withering in the dirt with them, I can’t fight the smile of satisfaction that grows on my face. This man put everything into motion all those years ago, and it’s finally coming back to bite him in the ass.

Movement coming from the trees behind Jax draws our attention. We knew there was a chance not all of the guards would rush to help William, and it looks like we were right. A handful of men rush out from the treeline and move toward Jax.

“Watch out!” Remi shouts as she breaks in a sprint down the road.

Jax disappears just in time to avoid one of them. I don’t see him reappear, not even when I follow my sister’s lead and charge down the road. I slam all of my weight into the nearest guard and send him flying backward. He lands with a satisfying grunt on the ground a couple yards away.

I spin to face another one who is coming at me with a silver knife. From my peripheral vision, I see my brothers take on one of the larger guards, and I hear my father fighting with someone else not far away.

I don’t have time to take in how amazing it feels to be working as a team with my family again because the asshole with the big blade takes a swipe at my chest. I’m able to jump back in time to avoid adding another scar to my ever-growing collection. I wait for him to strike again before retaliating. When he does, I grab hold of his wrist and twist his hand around, so it’s pointed toward his chest. This man is human and doesn’t stand a chance against my strength. No matter how much he tries to push me away, he’ll never be strong enough. He grunts and his eyes go wide when the blade disappears into his chest.

My focus is on the man bleeding at my feet now. I don’t hear the other coming up behind me until it’s almost too late. I turn to face him just in time to watch him fall to the ground and scream in pain. Jax stands behind him with his hand still out and a cocky grin on his face.

“Man, you’re going to owe me big time when we leave here.” Jax smirks. We both look around, and every one of the guards is on the ground, either dead or still feeling the effects of the hellfire. Jax turns to me and says, “What are you still doing here? Go find her.”

I look at the building looming in front of us and back at my family. I’m hesitant to leave them out here alone.

“We’ll be fine, Ryker.” Remi steps forward with speckles of blood that isn’t hers now decorating her face. I didn’t see her take a guard out, but apparently, she did. “Go!”

That’s all I need to hear before I take off running down the road toward my mate.

* * *

Every stepI take toward the dark building, I expect a guard or Nicolai to appear, but I make it past the gate and all the way to the entrance to the building without anyone stopping me. In fact, it’s almost too quiet as I make my way up the stairs leading to the door where Jax said I could find Pru.

It’s also extremely dark. There isn’t a single light coming from this building or smaller surrounding buildings. The only illumination provided is from the moon and the stars in the sky.

I hear a heartbeat and pick up on the scents behind a door a couple seconds too late. When I swing the door open, I barely have time to take in my mate’s scared expression, and her shouts of warning before two very large wolves launch themselves at me. I’m able to put my arms in front of my face and neck in time, so instead of their teeth sinking into my jugular, they embed in my forearms. The momentum of the wolves’ attack sends us flying backward, and down the short flight of stairs I had climbed moments before.

“No!” I hear Pru scream.

All three of us roll multiple times before landing in a heap at the base of the stairs. The wolves don’t waste any time before continuing their attack. I slash at them with my own claws and use my legs to kick them away. Through the snarling and growling, I hear Pruitt’s voice. She’s screaming at Nicolai to call them off. I can’t quite make out what he yells back at her because one of the wolves moves in closer to my ear. He is so close I feel his hot breath on my face and neck.

We continue to fight against each other in a mess of claws and teeth. If I had enough time to shift into my own wolf, I could take both of these bastards out within seconds. I’m a good fighter as a human but have always been more skilled at disabling my attackers when I’m in wolf form. I can feel myself losing this battle since I’m at such a disadvantage being stuck on my back while they fight me from above. I’m barely able to keep their teeth away from my neck and face. I know for a fact I have dozens of bites covering my arms and legs already, but at least they aren’t fatal.

The sound of multiple guns cocking above us suddenly draws all our attention to the guards that now stand there. The wolves release my arms from their mouth, and their weight is lifted off my torso. Three men keep their guns that are most likely filled with silver bullets pointed directly at me while two grab me and pull me to my bloody knees. They twist my arms behind my back and hold me in place. I feel blood dripping down my arms and face now that I’m upright. I don’t even bother to look down and assess the damage. Instead, I look to my mate.

As I look up at the last place I saw Pru, I see her fighting against Nicolai as he pulls her down the stairs with him. I take a quick survey of her body to check for any wounds or damage. Aside from looking exhausted and a little malnourished, she looks to be okay. Even though I’m on my knees with a gun pointed at the back of my head, I can’t help but find relief in seeing her breathing.

“Ryker!” I hear Remi scream from my left. She runs toward us, my brothers and father close on her heels.

“Oh good, the whole family is here,” Nicolai comments dryly when he sees them. “I was hoping for a family reunion. Very well, we’ll just have to take care of them all at once.”

Nicolai motions to one of the guards who raises his large gun at my family as Pruitt and I both struggle against the men holding us in place. Nicolai nods at the man, and I watch in horror as he pulls the trigger. I feel like I’m watching this all happen in slow motion.

The bullet flies through the air directly toward my sister, and I’m completely helpless to do anything about it. I’m filled with remorse, knowing I’m the reason Remi’s even here. If I’d listened to my gut and refused to allow my family to come they would all be safe, and now here I am holding my breath and watching her scared face, waiting for the moment it reaches her.

But it never does. She stands completely unscathed, but it’s Jax who lies bleeding from his chest on the ground in front of her. He had appeared in front of Remi just in time and had taken the bullet instead.

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