Page 42 of Owned By Four Alphas

Ronan opened his jaws, releasing his neck, but kept him pinned beneath him.

“Malek, are you in control?”

“Yes,” Malek gasped, “I—I think so. Where is she, we need to get to her!”

The other alphas were shouting, a cacophony of murderous intent.

“Go!” roared Iveir, Kaelen’s general. “I’ll hold them back!”

Ronan leapt off Malek, allowing him to stagger to his feet.

There was so much blood. The beast lurked, just below the surface, desperate to be unleashed once more. Malek shook his head. He had to stay in control.

“Come on,” Ronan snarled, taking off into a loping run out of the ruined hall and down the corridors of the palace.

It was pure chaos, people running, screaming, eyes wide and scents spiking.

Fear, anger, blood, blood—

Malek roared against himself, pushing his legs to run faster. He had to get out of here. Had to get away from the scents and the chaos and the mayhem and the death.

Ronan had caught the scent of the rest of their pack, leading out of the palace, out of the city.

Their paws thundered against the stone as they ripped through the Marble Halls, following desperately after their mate.

The marble floor gave way to packed earth and stone as they reached the passageway through the mountains, back to the forest. They were close now. Malek could smell fire and fury. Kaelen. His shadows sung out to Eian’s magic.

But beyond that, Selena. There was Selena. Shining bright as a star, even as she sobbed hysterically in Kaelen’s arms.

Ronan reached them first, shifting smoothly into his human skin, not stopping between his feet hitting the ground and his arms reaching out to take Selena from Kaelen.

The dragon snarled, but Ronan snarled back, louder.

Malek too hit the ground in his human form, but he didn’t reach out for his mate.

He had lost control. He had killed someone. He could have killed Selena.

Guilt churned in his stomach, threatening to overwhelm him, and he dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, his claws scraping against his skin. The flash of pain was nothing. He had threatened Selena. How could he? How could he have threatened his mate? His lover? His one reason for existence.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Ronan said, kneeling next to him with Selena in his grasp. Malek didn’t know which of them Ronan was talking to. It didn’t matter.

“Here,” Ronan placed Selena in Malek’s arms, but he reared back. No, no he couldn’t touch her. Not when he’d lost control to the bloodlust. Not when he’d ripped someone apart.

“Malek, it wasn’t your fault,” Ronan said again, his voice hard. Selena, her magic pulsing around her, thrashing against her skin, wept as she crawled into his lap.

Malek hesitated, but when she pushed her face into his neck, her hands gripping the fabric of his black robe, he broke down. With a sob, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close to him as was possible, cradling her waist and the back of her head into him.

She was so small. So delicate. So fragile. And he had put her in harm’s way.

He would sooner kill himself than hurt her. And he had come so close.

“What do we do now?” Ronan said, standing protectively over their embracing forms, his hostility towards Kaelen and Elian clear.

“There’s only one thing we can do,” said Elian, his voice grim. “We have to run.”

Chapter 17 - Selena

Elian had disappeared again. This was the third time. He crept away in the night when they made camp, disguised by his shadows, and would return a few days later with a familiar gleam in his eye that usually meant he had been up to no good.

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