Page 43 of The Sacred Wolf

The shooter had the higher ground, but the light was intermittent, and he kept waiting for the screen to lighten to take the next shot.

The dark wood paneling of the walls by the exit door splintered on all sides as the bullets fell like rain. Evan dragged Jayla through first, and Kiana shoved me through next, turning to unleash one last yowl of outrage before she followed, and then we flew out into the dark alley behind the theater, the mob fast on our heels.

Chapter Twenty-One

A black SUV screeched to a halt at the end of the alley and two men in head-to-toe black burst from the back, sprinting toward us.

‘G.I.’ Sebastian moved like he was trying to outrun his own skin, his feet barely touching the ground as he tore my way.

“Elyse!” His voice soared on wings scented with terror.

As we reached each other, he caught me in his arms, lifting me and pulling me to him in one sweep and I wrapped myself around him like a strangler fig, leaving no room for oxygen between us.

“You’re alive!” I buried my head in his neck and drank in his scent, my hands grabbing fistfuls of his hair and shirt. Until I saw him, I hadn’t registered the thought that had emerged from the dark corners of my mind like a poisonous seedling when Damien first appeared in the theater; maybe he and his minions had already finished off Sebastian before he’d come for me. Maybe he’d been lying when he said…

“I thought I’d lost you,” Sebastian growled, his words warm upon my cheek.

“Me too,” I whimpered, wondering at the hollow ache this idea made in my chest. His rock-hard arms were like pinions around me, holding me together and I pressed into him, despite the fire lacing my side, fighting the warning of tears.

After a moment, he set me down gently, and I winced at the flare of pain from my ragged right thigh. “You’re hurt!” He frowned, reaching as if to lift me again.

“It’s ok, I’ll heal,” I reassured him, laying a hand on his arm, and then stopped when a cough came from behind me.

“I think we have more important things to deal with than whatever lovesick bullshit you two have going on.” Kiana’s tone was ice.

My spine stiffened and I reminded myself to behave like an Alpha, despite the voice shouting within me to let Sebastian take me back into his powerful arms.

“She’s right,” I said, pushing Sebastian away. “Damien’s unleashed a human mob —”

“Evan, go,” Sebastian barked, interrupting me as he returned to full Alpha Commander. “Take Elyse and the human with you. Kenzo will get you out of here.” He turned to my sister. “Kiana, we can discuss what the hell you’re doing here at all later. For now, I presume you’ll be staying to help me handle Damien?”

“You’ll be lucky to get a shot at him,” she replied hotly. “What with your mind being on your fragile little sweetie-poo over there.”

“Leave your sister out of this.” Sebastian said, his voice stone. “As you said, we have more important things to deal with.”

“Sebastian,” I said, my anxiety reigniting. “There are too many. We all need to go.”

He shook his head, turning to my sister. “Is Damien still with them?”

“Of course.” She snarled, the dried blood caking her face cracking. “You think his pet humans wouldn’t have run from us like pups otherwise?”

Sebastian turned back to me, his fangs lengthening as his full lips curled back. “We can’t miss this chance, Elyse. He’s evaded us for weeks. This needs to end.”

“Yes,” Kiana growled, her shiftskin bulging as her wolf readied itself to spring free.

“No.” The word escaped against my will. Inside my ruined chest, my heart ached for all of us.

Sebastian… who needed to find his unstable mother like a fire needed oxygen. Kiana… who needed to unleash her rage at the bastard who’d stolen our mother from us.

And me… for seeing the fierce perfection that would have been their coupling if fate had made it so.

Why does he want me at all?

“If both of you are staying, I’m staying,” I insisted, faking bravado against the backdrop of doubts swirling within me regarding how much I could bring to the table.

“You can’t fight anymore, Elyse,” Kiana insisted, pushing me toward the car. “Just let Sebastian and me take care of it.”

“Your sister is right,” Sebastian added. “The rest of you need to go.”

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