Page 47 of Ruthless Alpha
Stop now.I tried to tell him.You don’t have to die today.
Cole ignored me. He hauled himself forward, snapping at my neck, but the move was reckless; he was no longer fast enough to move out of the way of my counter, and despite my hesitation, despite the reluctance with which I closed my jaws around his throat, he didn’t stand a chance.
I made it quick, at least. I couldn’t say that for every man I’d fought today, but despite the betrayal, despite the hatred in his eyes when he’d talked about Rosie, I didn’t want Cole to suffer. The sight of my brother in arms lying in a pool of his own blood brought me no joy, no victory, and when I shifted back to my human form, I pushed my other Betas out of the way, taking Cole’s body in my arms to lay him with the others myself.
The room was utterly silent, and when I dragged myself back to the center of it, all the tension was gone from the air.
“Are we done?” I said, knowing the answer before I saw the dissenters nod as one. Already they were beginning to slink out of the room, their tails between their legs, muttering under their breath. This wouldn’t be the last I heard from them, but that was a problem for a later date.
“Vince will oversee the removal of the bodies to the morgue,” I told the Pack members who were still present. “Patrick and Oliver, I want patrols of loyal fighters tight on the male dorms tonight. Damien, make sure everyone who couldn’t be here knows their Alpha is undefeated, and the new rules are enforceable immediately.”
My Betas all nodded, clapping me gently on the back as they moved to carry out their duties. I was grateful for every one of them, and even more so as I caught sight of Cole’s body being lifted onto a stretcher.
I kept my guard up as I walked through town, only allowing myself to breath out and go limp as I closed my front door behind me. For one blissful, glorious second, I basked in the quiet, in the relief of being alive, before my radio crackled to life.
“Come in, Xander.”
Whatever it was could wait.
“Xander, come in,” the voice came again. Through the distortion of the old radio, I couldn’t tell who it was, only that they were male. Probably someone checking in, or trying to. I should pick up, but I was so tired. My limbs were lead, and the wound on my chest ached.
“Xander, for fuck’s sake!”
“What?” I snapped as I flicked my line open. A harsh, loud crackle made me flinch.
“It’s Ethan. Rosie didn’t come home last night.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. I was going to throw up.
“What?”
“The girls reported her missing from work this morning, and when I went over to check if she was okay, her bed hadn’t been slept in. There’s a scent trail out toward the woods and then…” he trailed off, reluctant, and I couldn’t contain a growl.
“Then what?” I demanded.
“It’s weak, but—there’s another Arbor scent there. And blood.”
I was in a nightmare. I’d come home and sat down and fallen asleep and now my brain was conjuring a new terror for me.
“You didn’t go after her?” I pressed.
“You know I can’t.”
I did know that. I knew that tensions still ran high between Ferris and Arbor, that Ethan couldn’t incite violence on Arbor without igniting those tensions again, without putting his Pack and his son and his pregnant mate in danger. I knew all of that, and I didn’t care. Anger rushed through me, and I didn’t want to hear any more.
“Whatever.”
I slammed the radio down, readying myself for another fight. My mind warred with itself—time was of the essence, but I was worn thin from fighting. I needed rest, or at least sustenance, before I left, otherwise I’d be no use to Rosie by the time I found her. I compromised by chugging a protein shake that had been left in the fridge before I raced for the door, pausing only for a moment to grab Rosie’s sword from its pedestal, tucking it into the straps that still clung to my torso.
I almost ran Damien over in my hurry to leave the house, and if there had been room in me for humor, I would have laughed at the shock that froze him in place.
“Hold the fort,” I told him. “Make sure that any new widows are taken care of, and make sure every dead man gets a proper funeral. I’ll be back in a couple of days.”
“Where are you going? Are you sure you should be—” Damien started to protest, but he crumbled beneath the fierceness of my stare. “Absolutely. Can do, Boss.”
I left him standing, dumbstruck, on my porch as I shifted mid-stride, my wolf utterly uncaring of his injuries as he sprinted out of town and toward the Argent bridge. I could not have fought this hard only to lose her now.
It was easy to ignore the ache in my muscles and the sharp pain in my side. I was going to get my mate. I would run through the night, swim across the ocean, and climb a mountain if I had to. I would have run bleeding through winter cold and summer heat to make sure she was safe.
