by Mila Young
We stop abruptly and even before I can make sense of what’s going on, I smell Ash Wolves on the cold breeze, but not my men. Shadows rise ahead of us alongside the trees. A dozen of them approach in animal form, snarling.
A shiver worms down my spine. “We need to leave,” I whisper to Nikos. “Before it’s too late.”
“I never run!” he bellows, his gaze jerking toward the encroaching danger.
He leans in and whispers, “Answer everything I ask you truthfully and I promise to release you.” He steps forward, hauling me alongside him by my arm.
I have no clue what he’s talking about. Fear grips me, and I slide in close to him, wanting the ground to open up and swallow me. If Mad gets me, he’ll never let me go. He’ll torture me, and eventually kill me when he finds I am not the answer to his demands for immunity. I’m no fool and know exactly what he wants, how terribly this will play out for me and my wolves.
“I want to speak to your Alpha!” Nikos shouts, loud enough for everyone to hear.
There’s no response at first, and I curse my grasp on his arm. Does this crazy northern wolf know what he’s getting himself into? That he is literally exposing me to a den of starved wolves?
His fingers around my wrist never loosen. His hold is cruel, and I don’t know whom to be more afraid of. I make no move to fight, only watch as a man steps out of the woods up ahead.
Wolves scour the land around us and with each passing second, the chance to escape fades on the wicked wind tugging at my coat.
The man has short hair. He’s someone I remember seeing in the compound a few times. He would definitely recognize me, and I slide farther into Nikos’ shadow.
“You called for me,” the stranger responds, his chin high, his shoulders broad. Except I’m confused, as this man is not Mad, so whoever he is, he’s faking. Or is Mad somewhere around us in wolf form, watching?
Nikos leans toward me and whispers, “Does he speak the truth?”
“He’s not the leader,” I answer softly.
“Who is he?”
I shake my head. “I think a guard.”
Nikos bristles, clears his throat, and turns back to the imposter.
“Your men took someone who belongs to us. I am willing to overlook it as an accident, but I am here to get him back. Bring him to me now, or your blood will spill.”
I glance up at Nikos, half-impressed by his cockiness, considering there are only three of them against a dozen Ash Wolves. Either he’s the best fighter in the world, or he’s bluffing. But whom exactly did Mad kidnap from this man anyway?
The imposter spits on the ground between us, his face twisting into fury. “You trespass on my land and dare threaten me?”
He flicks a hand at his wolves, and before I take a breath, we’re being attacked. I jerk backward, but Nikos holds on to me like a freaking lunatic.
“We need to run.” I gasp.
Half the wolves charge at us, their teeth exposed, their ears flat against their heads.
Nikos skims his hand up my arm, and to the back of my neck, pulling me closer to his side. “Hold still.”
A swish of wind suddenly rushes past me, a blur moving so fast, I flinch and bump into Nikos. My initial mistake is thinking an Ash Wolf attacked from the side, except it’s the two northern wolves at my back leaping forward into battle.
White as the snow, these creatures in animal form are bigger than any wolves I’ve ever seen, even larger than Bardhyl, and he is massive. These northerners could easily stand as tall as me at eye level.
Shivers crawl up my arms, but I can’t look away from how swiftly these two monsters pounce on the other wolves. One bite and bones crack. Whimpers and terrified Ash Wolves dart to escape. Whimpers flood the air, it’s a bloodbath, the tangle of fur and fangs and dust.
Who the hell are these Alphas?
I glance back to Jae, who is close to us now, her head low, hugging herself, not watching the assault. I want to tell her she will be safe, but there’s no way I can make such a promise for either of us.
“These damn fools. Don’t they know we’ll kill them all?” Nikos murmurs to himself.
It all happens so fast, and before us lie dead bodies, bloodied and broken, transformed back into human form. I scan them all for Mad’s face or anyone I recognize. Nothing on both accounts from my vantage point.
The imposter falls to his knees before Nikos, the monstrous wolves on either side of him, filling the air with their growls. Red stains their white fur, mouths dripping with blood. The sight alone leaves me trembling. An absolute massacre surrounds me, and it hardly took any effort.
In the distance, more Ash Wolves appear, which isn’t missed by Nikos’ wandering gaze. He might have fighting machines under him, but even he would have to realize he will fall against a full pack.
“I will ask one last time,” Nikos states. “I don’t want war between us, but I will destroy every last one of you. Bring me who you stole now!” he bellows. “And to show you I am a fair man, I will give you back one of yours.”
He whispers in my ear, “Change of plans.” His large hand shoves me in the back, and I’m stumbling forward before I can stop myself.
My heart pounds in my chest frantically, and suddenly, I’m backpedaling. That idiot just threw me into the lion’s mouth.
I glance back to him, to Jae. “Please no. Don’t let him do this.”
“Deal!” a dark voice responds as strong fingers clasp around my wrist.
I snap around and come face to face with the imposter standing inches from me, sneering. “Got you,” he mouths.
I pause and try to still my shudders, then look back to Nikos one more time. “Please. They’ll kill me.”
Jae’s tugging on his arm, fear twisting her expression. “Don’t let them take her. She needs to come with us.”
“We made a deal,” the ass holding on to me snarls. “She’s ours, and I will have my men fetch your man.”
No, no, no! Rage fills my veins. I haven’t come this far to be caught. I swing around, my fist flying, and I clip the asshole Ash Wolf right in the face.
His grip loosens as he groans, clutching his bloody nose.
I rip free and whip out of there.
He suddenly grabs me by the hair and wrenches me backward. I stumble, my feet buckling out from under me, and I hit the ground on my ass. I cry out, holding on to my hair to stop the excruciating pain.
Jae is screaming and running to me, but Nikos snatches her by the arm. “No, this is not our fight.”
“Bastard!” I bellow at Nikos. I’ve been right all along about these Alphas never seeing females as anything but commodities. And this prick has just sold me out.
Chapter 13
Dušan
“Get the fuck up!” The growl rips me abruptly from my sleep.
I jerk upright in seconds, my heart jolting into a race, only to find there’s no one in my cell barking orders at me.
Movement from my right draws my attention to the farthest cell, where the other prisoner lays. Alen, a guard I recognize with a scar down the side of his neck, stands above the prisoner, kicking him in the leg. Two more guards wait outside the cell.
I tried talking to the prisoner earlier when we were alone in here, but he was knocked out, which I can only assume came in the form of the same injection Mad jammed into me. Though I didn’t need to speak to him to identify his Alpha scent. With it came the acknowledgement that I don’t recognize him. A rogue? Maybe. Or even someone from a nearby pack surrounding Shadowlands Sector. There are many I haven’t had the chance to meet yet, but then again, I’m selective when it comes to whom I’ll consider working with.
“Did you hear me?” Alen bellows.
The stranger groans awake, the side of his face red from where he was sleeping on the stone floor.
Leaning over him, Alen snatches him by the hair and yanks him upward. I hear the low rumbling threat rolling through the stranger’s chest.
“Leave him the fuck
alone,” I command.
Alen’s head twists in my direction, his lips warping into a wry grin. “Don’t fret. Your time is coming.”
“And you have forgotten your place. Something I will be certain to remind you of when I claim back my pack.”
He barks a laugh, though I hear the unease threading through the sound. Yeah, he better be scared. Sitting here alone has given me a lot of time to think about how I will run my pack from now on. At first, I accepted that these traitors were frightened and that meant they were doing anything to save their own hides. And while that is still true, there’s a vast difference between those who bow down to Mad to show allegiance out of fear and those who happily carry out his dirty work. The latter is whom I will never forgive for their betrayal.
I refocus on the newcomer, who’s on his feet, and a lot taller and broader than I first realized. Dark hair sits cropped short around the edges and back, while longer along the front.
Alen reaches for him, but this man is fast and snatches his arm, twisting it around his back in seconds. He shoves the guard face-first into the metal bars.
I can’t stop laughing. “Make it hurt,” I sneer.
The other guards rush in just as the Alpha slams his foot into the back of the open door, which goes swinging into their faces.
I’m howling with laughter at the incompetence of these men Mad entrusts. I know each of these Ash Wolves and there is a reason they never gained a high position in my team of warriors.
When it comes to this stranger, he is something else and might make a good addition to my team.
He cuts me a look, a slight nod of acknowledgement that we aren’t enemies here.
The other guards finally make their way back into the prison as the Alpha pulls back, hands in the air. They lay into him, punching him until his knees hit the ground and he curls in on himself.
“Fuck him up.” Alen wrenches away from the bars, his nose bleeding. He wipes the mess with the back of his hand, dragging a line of blood across his cheek.
I curl my hands into fists. “He’s had enough!” I yell.
The other two stand over the prisoner as Alen shoves past and delivers a fist right to that prisoner’s face, sending him flat on his back.
“Take him. Looks like today’s apparently his lucky day after all.”
I stiffen, unsure what’s going on, suddenly taken aback as they grab the prisoner’s legs and drag him out of the dungeon.
I pace up and down my prison cell for movement to stretch my legs. Annoyance burns through me at the thought that I’m still stuck in here and have no damn clue what’s going on outside.
I don’t remember how long I wear a path into the floor when the main door opens with a creak.
My head jerks up and settles on Meira stumbling into the dungeon, Alen shoving a hand into her back.
Devastation sinks through me to see they caught her. Bile swirls in my gut.
“Meira,” I call out, rushing to the corner of my cell, closest to her. Mad implied she’d escaped from him, but the bastard must have found her. To see her is like someone let the sun into the room. Her head turns in my direction, her eyes huge with the realization of finding me.
“Dušan.” Her soft voice cracks with emotion, her arm reaching out for me when she’s ripped away and forced into the last enclosure. The door shuts, and the guards leave us alone in the room.
I clench my jaw and focus on Meira stumbling to catch her balance.
My little wolf pauses and swings to the side of her cell facing me. She grips the metal bars, her knuckles white, her dark hair messy around her shoulders, dirt streaking her cheek like war paint. It suits her.
“Dušan,” she repeats. “We tried to come back to get you, but it’s madness out there.”
“Are you hurt?” I ask, scanning the long, black coat she wears. It’s two sizes too big for her. Her bare feet are filthy, and she reminds me so much of the wild girl I picked up in the woods when we first met. The only difference is that there is no hatred in her eyes when she stares at me, only painful longing. “You changed into your wolf.”
She nods enthusiastically, her smile forced at a time I would have thought she would be cheering.
“Something’s bothering you?” I ask, waiting for her to answer.
She pushes loose strands of hair from her face. “Despite transforming into my wolf, it seems I’m still invisible to the undead. I don’t understand what that means. Am I still sick?” Her tone softens, like it hurts her to admit that out loud.
“Are you vomiting blood like before?” My voice thickens at the notion. She was supposed to heal once she shifted, but if she still suffers from leukemia, does that mean the disease will take her from us? This isn’t what I want to hear when everything else is fucked-up.
She shakes her head. “I feel strong and like nothing can touch me.”
I huff and lick my dry lips, attempting to make sense of why she’s still immune. Was I wrong this whole time and maybe Mad is correct—she holds the key to our salvation? I seethe at the thought that he might be correct about anything. Just because immunity is in her blood doesn’t mean it’s a solution for the rest of us.
“I will do everything in my power to get you out of here so we can work out why you’re still resistant.” The swell of overwhelming admiration in my chest threatens to suffocate me at the thought of how much she’s grown on me, how much a part of me she has become, how I can’t bear to lose her. She looks at me, giving me that gorgeous, lopsided grin, and I want to bellow with frustration and rage.
There’s an empty cell between us, and more than anything, I wish I could hold her, kiss her, and tell her we will get out of this somehow. She breaks our gaze and lowers herself onto the cold floor, tucking her legs in beside her. It doesn’t take her long to get as comfortable as she can, while every fiber in my body is close to the breaking point at being so far from her.
She wipes at her glistening eyes. “I’m so angry. We ran from the Ash Wolves, and I got split up from Bardhyl and Lucien. Then I bumped into the girl I told you I met in the woods last time, Jae, except she was in the company of three northern Alphas. I’ve never seen anyone transform into such monstrous wolves before. Dušan, they were like Bardhyl, but bigger and scarier.”
My mind whirls with what she tells me, with the stranger who occupied her enclosure not long ago. Up north, there are many rogue wolves and packs, more akin to barbarians in their behavior. But that Alpha I saw today appeared calculating and not a rogue. Could he be from up in the Savage Sector?
“That northern asshole traded me for someone else Mad had kidnapped. And the worst part is that Jae is with them. Whoever they are, apparently, her sister hired these goons to come find her.”
That tells me Mad’s men intercepted the outsider pack and must have taken one of their own. That’s who the Alpha in here was before.
I grind my jaw at hearing how my fated mate has been used as a trading pawn. Fury bleeds through me that anyone dared lay a hand on her in the first place.
“Guards are all over the woods,” she says. “I just hope Bardhyl and Lucien are safe.”
With the Ash Wolves tracking the surrounding forest, my Second and Third will lie low until they get the chance to come in here through the tunnels. Unless the location has been compromised.
“What else is going on out there?” I ask. “Is Mad part of the search too?”
She leans in closer, pressing her face between two metal bars, and it kills me that there is an empty prison between us and I can’t hold her or brush away the terror painted on her face. “The man who negotiated with the northern wolf declared himself the Alpha of this sector. But he’s just a guard. And if Mad had been there at the time, he’d have rushed out the moment he saw me.”
I nod. “You’re right, which means he doesn’t yet know you’re in here or he’d be here in a flash.”
My chest tightens, but I refuse to voice my concerns to Meira. Mad’s plans are straightforward. Now
that he has Meira captured, there’s no more need for me. My end is near. Sweat rolls down my spine, and I ought to be fearful, but what I worry about more is what the lunatic will do to my beautiful mate if I’m not here to stop him.
Lucien and Bardhyl are my last hope.
“We’ll get out of this,” she assures me, most likely picking up on the deepening of my concern.
I’ve fought my whole life for a better place for our pack. And the one person I protected all his life will now be my undoing.
I glance over to the door, my racing heartbeat sounding like a countdown until my stepbrother marches in here for Meira. I swallow the bile at the back of my throat. Anger echoes in the confines of my head, and I try to push away the mounting dread. I comb a hand through my hair, needing to shake the nerves away.
“Dušan, are you all right?” Meira interrupts my thoughts, and her singsong voice draws my attention to her. Her beautiful eyes study my every move, every reaction.
My mouth curls into a smile, but on the inside, I break, my emotions spilling free. To never look on her face again, to never feel her warmth, to never hear her laugh destroys me. And in its place, fury builds over me, swallowing me. I ball my hands at the thought that Mad will do everything to take her away from me.
“I refuse to believe we won’t make it out,” Meira says, and it takes me a few moments to roll the word believe over in my mind for it to finally settle into my thoughts. For so long, I’d been that person that convinced the pack members we were safe in this compound. To have faith in me and believe their future is secure from the zombies. But little did I know, the true enemy was in my ranks this whole time.
I shift my gaze to Meira’s beautiful face, which I’ve memorized, every line, every curve, every color. She’s a painting in my mind I will never forget. “You’re right, gorgeous. We will get out of this.”
I take a seat and listen to her as she tells me about her rescuing Lucien and Bardhyl, her diversion with the undead, and even some strange zombies that seem to follow her. Which is unusual in and of itself, but I can only imagine it has something to do with her still being immune to the undead.