Page 69 of The Alpha's Mates

I'd landed next to the pond and a random flash of light caught my eye. There. In the mire, there was something. Reaching into the water, my hand closed around something metal. I tugged. Nothing happened. Getting onto my knees, I leaned backward, using all my weight. Whatever it was was buried so deep in the mud I couldn't pull it out. "Damn it," I muttered.

"Release it!"

My head snapped up and my eyes met worried brown eyes. The man had his hand held out as he crept closer, as though he didn't want to startle me. "Please. Let it go. You can't free her."

"Free who-" One minute I was speaking to him, then next my world was spinning as I tumbled ass over heels through the air.

"Reese!"

I heard my mates shouting for me through the ringing in my ears. I'd landed in a heap on the ground, dazed. The golem had been swinging his hands around, getting ever closer to me as heand my mates fought. His fist had caught me and it had sent me halfway across the clearing.

"No!"

My eyes snapped to where the newcomer was standing, a stricken look on his face. Everything had stopped. The golem was just standing there, a muddy smile on his face. Lifting my hand, I held up a talisman on the end of a long chain. It looked like an old rune of some kind. Etchings were barely visible through the mud as it spun around on its chain.

CHAPTER 30

Atlas

Ishifted and rushed over to Reese, hands roaming over her to make sure nothing was broken. A quick glance over my shoulder was all it took to see that the golem was about to start fighting again.

“George! What in Drennen’s name are you doing?” the man who’d come from the woods snapped, catching the golem’s attention.

“Helping,” George mumbled, looking contrite.

“Are you okay?” I asked Reese.

She nodded, looking dazed, but let me help her to her feet. “What’s going on?” She sounded tired, confused. We all were.

“Helping Arune, you worthless lump of clay!”

The golem blinked at the man’s angry words. “No. Lyas.”

“No, George,” the man snapped. “Arune tricked you.”

The golem dropped his fists, looking horrified. “Not her.”

“Yes, her.” We all turned to a voice as beautiful as chimes singing in the wind. There, at the edge of the clearing was a gorgeous blonde in a dress that barely hid her form. It was so lightweight it was mostly see through.

The wink she threw my way made me shiver. Revulsion filled me. Despite her beauty, I could see the ugliness beneath.

"Arune," our mate growled.

I stepped forward, placing myself between the Goddess and Reese when Arune began to walk forward. "If you want to get to her, you'll have to go through me."

"No problem, big boy," she purred at me, then proceeded to do exactly that.

I reached out to stop her, but she passed through me as though she was a ghost. "What the..."

"You can't touch her," the newcomer called out. "And she can't touch you. At least not until she gets that talisman. Throw it here!"

I snarled in anger as Arune backhanded Reese and sent her sprawling backward. "I thought you said she couldn't touch her?"

Soren and Calder went on the attack, but nothing was working. We couldn't land a hit on the bitch who was fighting our mate. The damn golem was standing off to the side, crying. A disturbing sight on a normal day, though right now it was just background noise.

"Who the fuck isshe?"

I glared over at the man who was now standing next to me. I didn’t know where he’d come from, but he seemed to be on our side. For the moment. "Reese Silvest."

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