Page 72 of Wolf Unleashed
“Confused. Sad. Angry,” he said, interpreting her feelings through the bond they shared.
Rafe’s wolf paced, frustrated at the reminder that he didn’t share the bond with her. He’d have to rely on Tiernan and Maddox when Alyssa couldn’t or wouldn’t speak for herself.
Alyssa leaned her chin on his chest as she looked at him. “I guess we need to return to the DSA for a debriefing once we get out of here. But then what? My career may well be over, and I don’t think you’d enjoy living in a city full of humans.”
He kissed her forehead. “You’re probably right about that. We only know pack life.”
“Then we go to a pack.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Your pack. Or Tiernan’s.”
Rafe thought of home. There was nothing more he’d like to do than settle there with her. And Maddox and Tiernan, too. But that hadn’t gone over well the first time. His father had threatened them before. All of them, especially Alyssa, who he viewed as a siren luring Rafe into trouble.
“Tiernan’s pack,” Rafe decided. “We’ll go there.”
“Liam gets squirrely when I’m around. I prefer to go elsewhere,” Tiernan said.
Rafe eyed the shifter, who seemed to be flexing stiff limbs.
“Shift, Tiernan. I want to see if the blood-bond affected you.”
“Doubtful. It didn’t affect Maddox.”
“Each blood-bond is different. And you’re stalling. Why?”
The window exploded, hurling glass shards into the cabin. Rafe reacted by covering Alyssa with his body and turning, getting hit with glass shrapnel in his back. A thick, white smoke filled the cabin, cutting off his vision and screwing with his ability to scent. He heard coughing. Alyssa’s body went limp. A second later, he heard a thud where Tiernan had been standing.
The room spun around Rafe. He tried to shift, but his wolf had disappeared. Rafe fell to his knees, and his hand found Alyssa on the ground. He’d failed to protect her. That was the last thought he had as he passed out.
* * *
ALYSSA
Mosquitos definitely servedno purpose in life, Alyssa thought as she tried swatting at the damn bug biting her arm, but her limbs wouldn’t move. Even her eyelids failed to cooperate. But the wolf inside of her howled and scratched at her. Or was that howling coming from outside her body? It sounded like an entire pack of wolves snarling, howling, and snapping their teeth.
Her wolf bit her. Damn, she’d never done that before. She’d never been able to do that before. Rudeness aside, the pain helped Alyssa summon the will to force her eyes open.
Another pinch on her arm.
“Large mosquito,” she slurred, though she barely heard herself speak with all that noise around her.
“Sh, you must be quiet, my dear,” her mother said as she pushed a needle into Alyssa’s arm. “We’re almost done.” Bright white teeth filled a smile Alyssa loved seeing as a kid and never thought she’d see again. Until her mom had risen from the dead. Except this wasn’t the mom she remembered. This one hurt people… shifters. The mother she had growing up loved everyone and had never spoken a bad word about anyone, including shifters.
“Leave her alone!” Rafe’s voice pierced the fog.
So much noise. Howls, snarls, screaming. Alyssa strained to move, but her body would not cooperate. “Rafe?”
“Hang on, Artemis!”
A body slammed against a wall. A human, clad in black, entered her field of vision.
Mercenaries! Alyssa tried to roll off the bed, but her mother pushed her down again.
She searched for the bonds. Found both Tiernan’s and Maddox’s. They were alive, but desperation, fear, pure rage, and hatred flowed through both connections.
As her mother set another needle against her arm, Alyssa’s wolf raged. Her mother was trying to kill her wolf!
