Page 72 of Alpha Wolf's Nanny
She approached the largest padlock on the cage door and set to work.
It was tougher. The lock was industrial grade, coated in rust, and thick with age. The pin bent under pressure, and she nearly cried out when it slipped and jabbed into her finger. But then…
Click. Click. Pop.
The first one fell away.
She moved to the next.
Rick was standing still now, body coiled but not attacking. Watching.
“I don’t know if you can understand me,” she said quietly, “but if you can, please. Help me. I can’t do this without you.”
The second lock fell.
“And please,” she looked right into his eyes, “don’t bite my hand off.”
The third she couldn’t quite get, but when she stepped back, the remaining bar holding the door shut was loose enough that Rick, with one brutal charge, could break through.
She took a breath. Then stepped aside.
Rick stared at her for a long moment.
And then, without warning, he charged the door.
The crash echoed like thunder, and the metal snapped apart with a wrenching scream. Rick burst into the warehouse proper, chest heaving, nostrils flared.
Cassie shrank back, heart caught in her throat.
The wolf turned towards her, teeth wickedly sharp, eyes still wild. He took one step towards her. Then another.
Her heart was in her throat.
This was it. He was going to kill her. Drugged up and aggressive, he was going to turn on anyone or anything. And she only had a hairpin for defense. He’d pinned her once, and he’d been in his right mind at the time. Now…
He snarled and she whimpered, falling backwards, desperately kicking and scrambling away from him. But he didn’t advance.
She paused, chest heaving, and watched him.
He gnashed his teeth a few times, shaking his head this way and that, blinking heavily. Then, with a burst of aggressive speed, he ran towards the door, threw back his head, and let out a long, keening howl that shook the air.
A call to the pack.
Hope bloomed in her chest.
They weren’t alone anymore. Not for long.
Chapter 22 - Felix
Felix heard Rick’s call long before any of the others. A blood-curdling, primal howl that sliced through the forest like a blade. Raw, anguished, and furious.
He froze mid-step, the fur on the back of his neck rising.
“Rick,” he breathed, already breaking into a sprint, his boots tearing into the underbrush.
Dane was at his side in an instant, eyes flashing. “That was him. That was—”
“Go!” Felix growled, his voice a snarl, and the pack surged forward with him like loosed arrows from a bow.
