Page 74 of Dead Wolf Falling (Bad Moon Academy 2)

Again, this is a demand and not a request.

Keeping control of my emotions and making sure I don’t react on the surface, I nod and rise from my chair, gently pushing it in and shooting a quick look at the men. They’re all tense and on the edge of doing something very stupid. Brayden’s fingers have already shifted to claws and Draco’s eyes are glowing yellow, but he glances down to keep the alpha from seeing. Everett, Adler, and Carter have a handle on their emotions, and continue to look at their laps and stay as still as statues.

“Come along, pet.”

Adler flicks his eyes to me, eyes burning with rage, and I give a slight shake to keep him from saying something. Right now, he’s under the radar. The bond is keeping him safe from the alpha’s attention for now, but if he does something to draw attention to himself, the alpha might realize the shifter energy swirling around him has nothing to do with Adler and everything to do with our bond.

“Coming,” I say, adjusting my shirt and squeezing Bea’s arm. “I’ll be right back.”

The alpha and his four men watch me walk over, not even trying to hide their leering. My skin crawls, and I fight the urge to snarl at them in warning. This walk he wants me to take is going to test every ounce of control I have over my wolf. I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep her in check, and if I’m honest, part of me wants to let her out.

* * *

ADLER

Watching her walk away with that creature has got to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. He’s filth. Dirt which needs to be swept away, but Raven is trying to keep the peace to make sure Jinx doesn’t follow through with her threat. There are enough of us to take the alpha and his men on, but there aren’t enough of us to stop the demon spirit from killing our people.

The fork I’m clenching groans and bends, folding in half thanks to my anger. The farther they walk down the hall leading to the foyer, the more my chest heaves. Heart slamming inside of my chest, I set the trashed piece of silverware aside and ball my hands into fists. I’ve never been the type of guy to want to punch something to relieve stress, but I’m suddenly overcome with the urge to slam my knuckles into the alpha’s face over and over until he’s no longer able to so much as look at another woman, let alone Raven.

A loud laugh floats down the hall, and I scowl at it.

“She’ll be okay,” Carter whispers to me, putting the bent fork on his plate. “Joan, her wolf, won’t let him do anything to hurt her.”

Draco and Brayden are grimacing at one another, both look like they’re about to lose control. Seeing them as worked up as I am makes me feel like I’m not alone. Everett glances around the table, a small vein on his forehead bulging as he battles against his own alpha nature. Carter is the only one who appears to be fully in control, that is until I see the long crack running the length of his plate. He squeezed it so hard he broke the hard plastic.

“She better be,” I whisper back. “Otherwise, we’re going to be responsible for a lot of deaths.”

We all share a look, each of us silently agreeing to make the alpha and his men pay if they do anything to hurt Raven, even if it costs us the lives of the other shifters. It’s fucked up, and probably a little selfish of us, but if these men feel the way I do, we’d sacrifice a thousand shifters to save her.

---