Page 68 of Alpha Wolf's Arranged Bride
“I don’t have time to explain it all now,” I answer. “But Malcolm’s going to stay with you and protect the school until the other agents get here. Backup isn’t far away, and my squad is in the woods. Trust me, Scarlett, we are all over this.”
“Okay,” she says, tears filling her eyes. “Please be careful.”
I hug her back, relishing the feel of her in my arms and breathing in her scent to give me courage.
“I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you, too. Now, let me go and kick some ass.”
“Yeah,” she says, wiping tears off her cheeks. “Go get ‘em!”
I give Malcolm one last look, and he nods, letting me know he’ll protect my family with his life. I turn and jump back in the car to meet the elders in the center of town.
Celeste, Dorian, and Galant are there, along with Cody and a few other of our top-ranking warriors. All of them look worried, but when they see me leap out of the car and come charging towards them, their expressions change to all-out panic.
“Oh my God, Rex!” Celeste shouts. “What happened to you?”
“Thank you for coming so quickly,” I say, stopping in front of them. “There is a lot to do, and I don’t have time to explain it all. I am going to need you to trust me.”
“We do, Alpha,” Dorian says. “Unconditionally.”
“I’m glad you said that,” I answer. “Because the first thing I have to say is that I’ve been lying to you all.”
I see all of them react with shock, but I just plow forward, hoping I can convey the urgency of the situation without going into every detail.
“I am a secret agent called a Shadow. I have been for many years, and one of my missions was undercover at Eccles, trying to discover the truth behind their stories of devastating power.”
“Those are legends,” Celeste says. “They aren’t real.”
“I’m afraid they are,” I say. “Azarian has spent years unearthing the secrets, and last night, he attacked and killed twenty highly skilled agents.”
“By himself?” Cody asks, horrified.
“He had help from his partner, and the power they are drawing from a site within Eccles territory. Like I said, I don’t have time to explain everything. What you need to know is that reinforcements are on their way, right now, to use Rose Hollow as a base.”
“They fucking what?” Galant shouts, shocked.
“The situation at Eccles has been graded the highest possible threat. We’ll create a barricade around the town, and we need a place for our troops as well as the head of operations. They will be moving into Rose Hollow any minute now. I need you to put the town on alert and get everyone locked up safely in their homes. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Alpha,” Dorian answers, his voice hoarse. “We’re on it. Do we explain to the townsfolk what’s happening?”
“Not if you don’t have to,” I tell him. “You’ll have to explain to some of our warriors and have them patrol, as well as coordinate with the Shadows. I’ve got to get back to school.”
“I’m with you, Alpha,” Cody says. “Let’s move.”
“Do you need anything more from me?” I ask Dorian, and he shakes his head.
He and the other elders turn to go into the main hall, all of them pulling out their phones. I run back to my car, Cody right behind me. My phone buzzes several times, and I ask Cody to check it.
“What does it say?”
“It’s a bunch of numbers.”
“Read them to me.”
Cody does, and I recognize the code.
“The reinforcements are moving in, and there are about a hundred of them,” I say. “Cody, can you contact all of our warriors? I want some at the school and others around town.”
