Page 11 of The Alpha's Weakness
This could have been our mate,my wolf growls.
I stiffen.She knows about the threat from Rhodes, I’m sure,I try to reassure him.
He shakes his head.We need to protect her. It’s our job to keep her safe.
We will. Soon.
My wolf hates that answer, but we’re already at the door.
Rhodes knocks, and we let him take the lead as one of the men inside answers the door, glaring at all of us.
“This is private property,” he tells us.
“We know, but we have a missing girl,” Cyrus says. “She was hiking up this way, and we wondered if you’d seen her.”
A muffled scream comes from inside.
Rhodes shoulders the door open before the man can stop him. “Oh, there she is,” he says, pretending to be easygoing, like this is all an innocent mistake.
“We figured you got turned around,” Foster adds, stepping into the doorway.
I can’t see past them, but I can smell the men’s unease. They don’t know how to react to this intrusion. I tense, wondering if it’s about to become a fight. My wolf howls inside me, his ears straining, sniffing for any change in the men or the girl.
“Yeah, we were trying to help her figure out which way she came from,” the man finally says, and the other men in the room mumble their agreement.
“Well, we can take it from here. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure she gets home safe and sound,” Cyrus says.
“Right,” the man grumbles.
I step back, making room for my friends and the girl to exit the house. I catch her as she practically bolts out of the place. “Easy. We’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
She’s trembling, so I take off my coat and wrap it around her. Grabbing her elbow, I gently steer her toward the trail. Her teeth chatter, and she looks scared to death. I share a bleak look with my friends as we walk back to our land in silence. Rhodes and Foster make sure we aren’t being followed, and I pick up the pace, eager to be back on our property.
“You’re okay,” I tell the girl.
She nods shakily. “Thank you. Th-they…”
“What’s your name?” Cyrus asks, taking over and steering her along the trail.
“Beth.”
“You staying in town?”
“Yeah. At the Lodge.”
“Okay, we’ll take you there.”
“Can you tell us what happened?” Foster asks, falling into step beside them.
“I was out for a hike and was about to turn around when these men popped out on the trail in front of me. They told me there was a shortcut, but something was off about them. I didn’t trust them. I didn’t want to follow them,” Beth says.
“Good. Good instincts.” Cyrus nods.
She swallows hard, seeming to calm a bit as the town comes into view. “Before I knew it, they grabbed me and dragged me to this van. I was so scared.”
I grind my teeth.
“We should go back,” I whisper to Rhodes.
