Page 25 of Alpha's Rise

Nathan grabbed her arm before getting in her face. “That’s where we were headed when we started looking for you. We wasted precious time because you decided to go on a fucking field trip.”

“Fuck you,” she spat, wrenching her arm from his grasp. Turning to Tobias, she snapped. “Control your lackey before I do something he regrets. I don’t give a fuck who you both think you are, but I’m not the one to fuck with. Now, where does Odin live? I need to go get my family.”

Romi stepped to the side and began walking away from them. She didn’t want them to see her upset, even though they could probably sense it. If her family was in danger, there was no way in hell she was going to sit here arguing when she could be doing something to keep them safe. Yes, Odin was probably some big bad wolf that could rip out a throat or two, but he wasn’t her. He couldn’t protect them the way she could. And if anything happened to her best friend and her son, she would flatten this entire forest and everyone in it.

She stopped in the middle of the road and closed her eyes. She had no idea where Odin lived, but if she concentrated, she would be able to get a location on Christopher. That little boy’s special power called to her for some reason and while she didn’t usually use it for her benefit, today was different. Wherever Christopher was, she was positive his mother would be close-by.

In her mind, she focused on his round face, his chubby cheeks, and his beautiful smile. Come on, Christopher. Let Auntie Romi know where you are, baby.

Auntie Sparkles…

There he was. Just a whisper, but she knew he was calling out to her. Her godson was the smartest kid she knew. “Come on, Christopher. One more time for me. Where are you, little one?” she said in a low whisper.

TT Sparkles…

That Christopher used his special word for her told Romi something was wrong. Layla always called her Auntie Romi around him, but Christopher was too small to say the word, so he would always shorten it to TT.

TT Sparkles…hurry.

Come… Oda Doggie… fighting. Momma scared. TT Romi… RUN!!

Snapping out of her trance-like state, Romi gasped in shock at how loud Christopher’s voice was in her head. Without telling Tobias and Nathan anything, she began to run. Her feet moved faster than ever before, but this was a matter of life and death. Her family was at risk. The guys could either stay behind or catch up with her. Right now, she didn’t care. She wasn’t looking back, and she wouldn’t slow down.

Nothing else mattered to her as she ran in the direction she was called. The bond between her and Christopher was growing the closer she got. It was like a rope that was building with every step she took.

I’m coming, Christopher. TT is on her way.

She prayed her words would get to him through their connection.

For long seconds she heard nothing but silence. Her feet practically flew over the ground. Her eyes were white with power. Fear propelled her.

A feeling overwhelmed her. Romi’s heart seemed to swell as her stomach clenched. Danger. Something was happening. She wanted to stop the intense pressure flowing through her body, but she didn’t know how. Nothing else mattered but getting to Layla and Christopher. She was only minutes away from them.

Just a bit more…

Just then, a force hit her full-on, stopping her in her tracks as if she’d been hit by a freight train. Her body bent, her arms and feet flew out in front of her as she was flung back almost thirty feet before hitting her back against a large tree.

The pain filling her body wasn’t something she’d felt for years, not since before the change. It took her a few moments to get her bearings. The copper scent of her blood filled the air. Lifting one hand, she noticed three of her fingers had been horribly broken. Wincing at the pain coming from inside her body, she knew she had a few broken ribs. Glancing down, she could see that one of her legs was bent in an awkward position. “Fuck. I don’t have time for this,” she hissed.

As she looked at her broken body, her fingers and leg began to heal. The pressure from her broken ribs went away. If there was one thing about her new powers that she considered a blessing in disguise, it was this. Never before had it been so important. Using one hand to wipe away the blood on her face from the impact with the tree, she knew something was out there waiting for her.

Not only could she feel their presence, but there was almost nothing in this world that could stop her when she was in her berserker stage. Once she transitioned to her storm phase, no earthly power could get in her way. So, whoever, whatever it was, had to be powerful.

Then she heard a voice call out. “You’re being lazy, Sutton. Get up and take this ass-whooping like a man. Okay, fine. Take it like a woman.”

Fuck, she hissed internally. That voice was one Romi hadn’t heard since she’d gotten out of the military. He was one of the reasons she left her unit to return home. Not only was this motherfucker responsible for killing innocent civilians, but he also had a crew of assholes who followed his every order. Even if that order was illegal.

Climbing to her feet, Romi cracked her neck and stretched her back, all while facing away from the man… thing… waiting for her to acknowledge him.

“Face me so I can kill you. You know,” he laughed maniacally, “I’ve been hunting you for a while now. Then a little birdie told me that your best friend had gone on the run. From everything you’d said about them, I knew if I found them, I’d find you close by.” When Romi still didn’t look at him, he lost it. “Turn around and look at me, you bitch.” His loud voice reverberated in the open area, echoing off the trees.

Romi really didn’t want to deal with this bullshit today. Was he the one sneaking on pack land causing all this ruckus? The unknown threat that the pack was worried about. The ones going towards Odin’s place? She was positive he had a few of his dirtbag friends with him, because he could never go anywhere on his own. If she had him alone, she’d end his life in seconds, but she knew there were others. He had always been a bitch-made motherfucker, which is one of the reasons why he was out here doing this incognito shit.

Finally turning around, she looked at him in the eyes and smirked. This was the motherfucker that attacked Butler in camp all those years ago. He’d gotten his ass handed to him that day, almost died when Butler tore into his neck. Instead, they did some shit to bring him back to life. The procedure was like what they did to her. But since he was already a wolf-shifter, it enhanced his already warped mind. Made him extra aggressive and ruthless. He’d been a highly trained military killing machine before the additional change. Once that happened, he became a one-man war machine. While the military loved the results they got from him, the bodies of the innocent began piling up. The old, young, innocent, women, and children. He didn’t care who was killed in the name of completing the mission.

The last time she saw him before the shit hit the fan, they’d been in a town in the middle of the desert in a place she wasn’t allowed to discuss to this day. The man they were going after wasn’t there, but no matter how much the civilians in the town denied any knowledge of their target’s location, Jones didn’t believe them. Even his own unit had searched and couldn’t find a trace of the man. Nothing would placate him. No words could convince him they had the wrong location and needed to pull back and regroup.

He’d gotten so angry, he grabbed the first person within reach—a young woman—unleashed his claws and ripped their throat out. At the outcry from the people, he moved like a tornado, cutting down everyone in his sight. It took only seconds.

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