Page 74 of Owned By Four Alphas

Ronan, half turned towards the tunnels, hesitated.

Elian’s face fell.

“You can’t.”

“Get them out of here,” Ronan growled, pushing Selena into Malek’s arms.

“Ronan, he’s gone, you’ll die too!”

“He’s not dead yet,” snarled Ronan, before shifting.

“Ronan!” Elian bellowed as the wolf took off into the chaos, dodging falling rocks and cracking earth.

Selena could do nothing but scream, hands reaching for her other mate, but Malek had her in his arms and was running after Elian towards the tunnels.

The rocks thundered and crashed around them, shuddering and unstable.

“Fuck, it’s about to cave in!” Elian yelled, wrapping his shadows around the baby.

They were sprinting at full speed now, dodging and turning. Selena could do nothing but hold on tight to Malek and bury her face in his chest, her tears still flowing.

The air was getting thicker, dust sticking in her throat. The floor beneath them shuddered and boomed. Elian swore, skidding to a halt before a fork.

“Do you know the way?” Malek yelled.

“Yes,” Elian yelled, “I think so!”

He darted down the left-hand corridor, his arms shielding the baby, his legs Fae-quick.

Malek grunted as rocks tumbled onto him. “Elian!”

“I know, I can’t stop it,” Elian shouted, “my magic isn’t powerful enough!”

“Elian, we’ve only got seconds!”

Elian roared in fury, his shadows swirling around them, cushioning them from the worst of the debris.

There was light ahead, she could dimly make it out through the haze of her tears. Light, and breeze.

First Elian cleared the tunnel, followed by Malek, leaping out onto the rocky side of the volcano, skidding away as a great plume of dust and smoke and rock exploded from the entrance.

They had done it. They were free.

But not all of them.

“No,” she said, her voice breaking, scrambling out of Malek’s arms and staggering towards the pile of rocks, “no, no it can’t be, theycan’tbe…”

She was dimly aware of hands on her shoulders, two large bodies behind her, the mewling squeal of her baby.

But she couldn’t focus on it. Any of it. How could she when Kaelen and Ronan…

She fell to her knees, a choking sob escaping her, her finger scraping over the stone.

She couldn’t lose them. Not like this. She wouldn’t survive it. She couldn’t survive it.

She had thought she was strong. She thought she could be like her mother. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t let her baby grow up without all of herfathers…

She needed her pack.

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