Page 30 of Pregnant By the Alpha Wolf

Baby? No.

We were already halfway back down the trail, the lab within sight. Turning back to the other alphas, I simply said, “Hunters.” And we ran toward the lab.

The fear and confusion gnawing at my insides feel unbearable as we round the building and see a couple of our vehicles, which are usually kept at the outer checkpoints, parked alongside the entrance. Are they using our own trucks?

I have a sinking feeling that we’re about to discover who the traitor is, the only one who’d be able to give the hunters our trucks and get them into the center of town like this. Someone who knew when the patrols were happening…

“Element of surprise?” Jet says as we reach the bottom of the steps.

“Aye, but I doubt they’ve turned up not expecting a fight,” Griffen mutters as I barrel past him and kick the main doors off their hinges.

“And they’re about to get one,” Kaiden says, appearing at my side.

Without another word, we shift and launch into the fray. Immediately, my eyes fall on the traitor. Rian.

Fuck,I hear Griffen snarl at my side.

I don’t want to believe it, but as I watch his face contort from surprise, to fear, and then into hate, I know it’s true. I’ll have plenty of questions for him later if he survives. I can’t see Willow, but I know she’s here, and for Rian’s sake, she’d better not be hurt.

I lunge for the hunter closest to me and relish his screams as he fails to reach his weapon in time, my jaws clamping down on his arm, snapping as I fling him into the nearest wall.

Looking around as chaos ensures, I still can’t see Willow. I throw off another hunter as I head straight for Rian, surprised to see he has remained in his human form. I inwardly shrug. He’ll be easier to take down. Or, perhaps he’s too much of a coward to fight at all.

Before I can reach him, I see one of the hunters holding something. I turn to Jet to warn him, but before I can speak, I’m blinded by a devastatingly bright light. The pain is instant, a familiar burn I’ve only felt a few times in my life when groups attacking us harnessed the sunlight, magnifying it to attack our vampire sensitivities.

I feel my skin sizzle and blister under the rays.

I hear Jet growl and see his shadow on the wall as he leaps toward me, knocking me to the ground and shielding me from the painful light. “What the fuck is that?” he says, staring at me in horror.

I look around and see Kaiden has pushed Griffen behind an upturned desk to protect him; his entire back looks blistered. Cold fury seeps into my veins as I look at Rian and see he’s wearing protective glasses and realize what this means—not enough to betray his pack, he also betrays his heritage and the safety we built here.

Centuries of persecution and violence to build a sanctuary here in these mountains. I cannot understand why someone who benefits from the pack would want to destroy it. If Rian wanted to challenge my leadership, that would be one thing, but to expose our secret and use it against us is madness.

“Need. To. Get. Light. Off,” I grit out the words as my body continues to weaken. Jet nods and then shoves an upturned desk down on top of me. I hear the ensuing fight and the crash of men, furniture, and equipment all around me. Just when I think I can’t take the pain anymore, the light goes off.

The darkness is a welcome reprieve, and as the intense burn retreats, my mind clears enough to focus on my surroundings. Jet is still near me, literally defending me as I recover. I glance behind me and see Kaiden doing the same for Griffen, who is hunched over, and his back is smoking. I try to reach out to Willow through the bond, but I’m hit with a wall of fear and pain.

She’s alive but not okay.

I push myself up, the movement causing me to wince in pain. I see Rian and one of the hunters getting another light gun ready and see pure red. My mate is in danger, and my pack is exposed; I have nothing left to lose.

“Enough,” I bellow, letting my vampire beast surge to the surface. It duals with my wolf for supremacy, my bones crunching and flesh twisting as I morph into a true hybrid of my beasts. My fangs drip with venom, and my eyes burn with immortal rage as I attack.

Rian's eyes widen with despair at the sight of me, his scent of fear and adrenaline filling the entire room. Several of the hunters scream and try to run. I spin around to face Kaiden and see that even he has taken a step backward, caution on hisfeatures. I nod once at him, and he squares his shoulders in response. I feel Griffen’s presence behind me.

“Find Willow,” I say before leaping into the fight.

I slam into the hunter holding the light gun. He drops it as I pin him down. My claws sink into his chest as I snarl in his face, my voice deep and guttural with fury. "You will all die for this."

The overwhelming stench of blood and fear engulfs me as I continue to battle. My inner vampire has taken control, its primal instincts raging within me, making my eyes glow with a feral intensity. The hunters are mere mortals compared to my strength and speed, their weapons futile against my supernatural abilities. Their screams of terror only fuel my thirst for vengeance, driving me to overpower them one by one.

Next to me, another hunter lies motionless, his throat savagely ripped open by Kaiden’s attack. Our growls echo through the building as he glances at me with a primal gleam in his eyes before turning back to finish off the remaining enemies. My own wolf is clawing at my mind, trying to regain control, but I push it down. This is not the time for mercy or hesitation. My vampiric beast is where it should be, in almost full control.

As I take out another hunter with a swift blow to the head, I catch a glimpse of Rian running towards the door. Without thinking, I launch myself at him, tackling him to the ground.

"You're not getting away," I snarl as my claws dig into his flesh.

"Please," he begs, his eyes wide with terror. "I didn't know they were going to do this."

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