Page 45 of Wolf Unleashed
Four humansin black fatigues crossed the border on a night with no wind to carry their scents. They’d chosen a spot by the river, where the roar of the rushing water would mask any noise they might make. Maddox considered attacking, but they were all armed. The odds were likely one would get past him, and he might not discover why they were here.
The team split in two. He’d have to send up the alert now. He couldn’t follow in two directions. Just as Maddox lifted his head to release a howl, fear ripped through him across the bond. Alyssa! Her terror spread through him, traveling along every nerve, building to unbearable levels. His wolf snarled in response, unintentionally alerting the humans of his presence.
Gunfire rang out and Maddox raced for cover. The shots would be heard by the other guards; there was no need to howl and reveal his exact location now.
Alyssa’s terror multiplied at an alarming rate. Maddox lost all control of his wolf. Within minutes, he killed three of the intruders and pinned the fourth man to the ground with his foreleg. He shifted and grabbed the invader by the throat, lifting him high into the air. The man grabbed at Maddox’s hand and kicked, struggling to escape his lethal hold.
“What have you done to her?” Maddox asked. “Lie and I’ll kill you.”
The human’s eyes shifted to the left, staring at some point behind Maddox.
Maddox scented the air. Drake and four guards had arrived.
Drake circled the scene of the three dead humans before casually glancing at the survivor struggling to breathe with Maddox’s hand wrapped tightly around his throat. “Really, Maddox, if you cut off all his air, I won’t be able to hear what he says.”
Maddox’s wolf wasn’t ready to release the human, especially with Alyssa’s fear saturating the bond. But Drake was right; he needed to hear what the human had to say. Maddox lowered him to the ground and eased his grip. But he didn’t release the bastard, and wouldn’t until he had answers.
“Help!” the human begged in Drake’s direction.
“You invade my pack and expect me to help you? Oh, that’s rich,” Drake mocked.
Maddox squeezed the human’s throat again. “My mate’s in trouble. I need answers.”
“That’s not your job, guard. It’s mine.”
Maddox thrust the human to the feet of his alpha and stepped aside. The human couldn’t escape, not with so many guards surrounding him.
Maddox paced, trying to ignore the bond, to focus on the present as Drake questioned the human.
“I came for the guard,” the human said, pointing at Maddox.
“For Maddox?” Drake asked, sounding surprised. “It appears you have value, cousin.”
“Fuck you, Drake.”
“Fuck you,Alpha,” Drake corrected with a chuckle. “Now why would anyone want you, Maddox? Is it because of your mate, a lowly human? Or is she more?”
“You damn well know she’s half shifter.”
“Not just any half-shifter. Her mother was of the Bordelons, a rather powerful pack. Perhaps I should have kept her from leaving here. You would have been happier.”
“You don’t give a shit about my happiness or my mate.”
“She’s tied to a powerful pack,” Drake said with that familiar gleam in his eyes that Maddox had learned to take seriously long ago.
“And her father could wipe us all out, no matter what alliance you could strike with the Bordelon pack.”
Drake circled Maddox. “You’re on edge. The bond.”
“Yes,” he gritted out.
“The female’s in trouble, no doubt.”
“You know?” Maddox said, surprised.
“It was a matter of time before she was taken. The question is by whom. Do you know, cousin?”
Maddox looked at the carnage. “They’re not DSA. Mercenaries. WSSO most likely.”
