Page 72 of Alpha Wolf's Arranged Bride
Azarian stares at him, his face calm. With one quick move, he pulls a long knife from a sheath at his hip and whips the blade up to Jarrod’s throat.
“No!” I scream, crawling towards them. “Please—I’ll do anything! Take me first!”
“Not yet, Azarian,” Vanessa calls. “I have to activate the last runes before we start.”
My uncle looks down at me, cowering at his feet, and his eyes are cold and hard as if he feels nothing but contempt for me. He takes a quick step back, putting the knife in its sheath, and Jarrod falls into my arms.
“How far off are they?” Azarian yells.
“A few miles,” a voice answers from the edge of the field.
When I look over, I see some of the men who attacked us at the school lined up outside the stone. Their bodies appear twisted and stretched, and I still can’t see any details of them except their yellow eyes.
“Do you like my wraiths?” Vanessa asks, joining us in the center of the circle. “They wanted power, so I gave it to them. Pity they didn’t know it would hollow them out and make them mindless little beasts. Mere vessels for my will.”
“You’re evil!” I scream at her, holding Jarrod tightly against my chest.
“No, not quite yet,” she says with a satisfied smile. “Right now, I’m just bad. Once the ritual is complete, then I’ll be evil.”
“And so will I,” Azarian says, turning to her. They share another disgusting kiss, the display of affection reminding me of insects that kill each other when they try to mate.
“They’re coming,” she says, looking up into the sky.
“Yes, they’re close,” Azarian agrees.
They look into each other’s eyes briefly, then nod before Vanessa runs across the circle, touching runes along the way and making them glow. The sickly green shine rises from the marks in the rock, thickening in the air like mist.
Azarian pulls out his knife again and steps forward. I tighten my grip on Jarrod, and even though tears are running down his cheeks, he glares at Azarian with utter fury.
“Which one shall I take first?” Azarian teases, tilting the knife back and forth as if he’s playing eenie meenie miny mo.
“Don’t fuck around!” Vanessa yells, her voice sharp. “We need blood on that stone in exactly two minutes. The army is getting here in close to five minutes. If the entire stone isn’t soaked almost immediately after I activate the runes, that’s when all the shit goes down.”
“Understood,” Azarian answers, turning back to us. All the cruel playfulness has drained out of his eyes, and he looks cold and menacing. “I’ve waited so long to get rid of you and your shameful brat,” he hisses. “I’m glad I can make use of your deaths—but the satisfaction of killing you would have been enough.”
I look over my shoulder at Mrs. Florence, trying to signal to her. If she and the others run while Azarian is focused on us, they might have a chance to get away.
And that would disrupt the entire ritual! If he doesn’t get enough blood to cover the stone, it fails!
My triumph is short-lived when I realize that failure to complete the ritual could result in a massive explosion that takes out everything in the surrounding area.
That would still be better than Azarian and his bitch getting the power!
I look at Florence again, nodding quickly. She looks terrified, but I can see determination in her eyes.
When I turn my gaze back to my uncle, there is nothing but rage in me. To protect my son, I would gladly give up my life, and if it comes to that, I’m taking Azarian with me.
Chapter 24 - Rex
Racing through the forest, I feel my heart pound in my chest and my paws thud against the ground like a primal rhythm, the drumbeat of life itself. All around me, the sound echoes endlessly as my warriors follow my lead.
There is an obvious scent to follow, and a few drops of Scarlett’s blood. Even though there is only a scatter of it every few miles, I’m furious that she’s been injured.
And the trail is too easy to follow. Azarian isn’t hiding his tracks at all, which only means one thing—he wants us there.
Why an evil villain would want a few hundred trained warriors and black-ops Shadows to appear at his dark ritual is beyond me, but I know a trap when I see one, and Azarian won’t be taking us by surprise.
Every Shadow deployed to Rose Hollow immediately accepted my orders, even though I’m technically retired. They all knew they were coming to join the renowned Shadow Stanton, and that the fight is for my own pack as well as everyone in the valley.
