Feral Alphas (Feral Wolves of the Arctic Book 2)

by J. L. Wilder

  “Like Ophelia,” Burton murmured.

  “I don’t know what’s going on,” Ryker said. “But there’s something strange about it, isn’t there? Two beautiful beta women show up in the woods after months of absolutely no strangers, and that same week, our omega goes missing.”

  “You’re saying you think the two things are related?”

  “We’d be foolish not to consider it, I think,” Ryker said.

  “They aren’t bears,” Burton said. “At least, Ophelia wasn’t. She was a wolf.”

  “So was Rachel,” Ryker said. “But we can’t rule out the possibility that wolves are behind this.”

  “What kind of wolves would kidnap from their own?” Burton asked with a sinking feeling.

  “The southern packs,” Ryker said grimly. “They do that kind of thing all the time.”

  “That’s insane.”

  “It’s how they are. They consider omegas a resource, and if they found out we had one, of course they would be willing to do whatever they had to do to get her away from us.”

  “So you think that’s what’s happened?” Burton asked. “The southern packs came and got Sophie?”

  Ryker broke into a jog. “Talk while we move,” he said. “You were right. We don’t have time to stand around and discuss this.” He swore violently. “I can’t believe we wasted so much time!”

  “That’s what the women were doing,” Burton realized. “They were distracting us. Trying to keep us from going after Sophie.”

  “Thank God we didn’t fall for it.” Ryker was picking up speed now. Burton was about to advise him that they had a long way to go, and that he would be wise to pace himself, but something else occurred to him and he very nearly stopped in his tracks.

  “Ryker,” he said.

  Ryker didn’t look back. “What?”

  “If they sent someone to be a distraction to us—don’t you think they probably sent someone to be a distraction to Marco as well?”

  Ryker didn’t slow his pace. “As far as I know, Marco is still with the pack,” he said.

  “Unless he ran away as well,” Burton said. “I thought you were with the pack.”

  “I deliberately left them with him,” Ryker said. “Marco and I got in a fight, and I ran because I didn’t want to hurt him or any of the others.”

  Burton found he didn’t need to ask what they had fought about. Whatever it was, he was sure Sophie’s disappearance was at the heart of it.

  “All right,” he said. “But even if Marco is still with the others, one of these...temptresses might still come after him. Shouldn’t we find a way to warn him?”

  “Marco is responsible for himself,” Ryker said. “He can hold his own against one of these women. He doesn’t need our protection.” He ran a little faster. “It’s Sophie who needs us,” he added. “She’s the one who can’t stand up for herself. She’s the one we’ve left in a situation she can’t protect herself against. We have to get to her as quickly as we can.”

  Burton nodded, matching his friend’s pace. “How are we going to find her?” he asked. “I haven’t picked up her scent in days. I don’t know if I’m even moving in the right direction.”

  “You are now,” Ryker said. “We’re going south.”

  “We can’t just go south forever,” Burton said. “Do we have any destination in mind? Are we just randomly running in hopes that we cross her scent again?”

  “We’re following a scent,” Ryker said. “It just isn’t hers.”

  Burton frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “That woman you were with,” Ryker said.

  “I wasn’t with her—”

  “I know that,” Ryker said. “But I’m guessing you got a pretty good hit of her scent all the same.”

  Burton hesitated, then nodded. He had been investigating pretty hard, hoping to pick up some trace of Sophie. He knew he would recognize Ophelia’s scent if he came across it again.

  “You try to find her,” Ryker said. “I’ll try to find Rachel. If we keep moving south, I think we’ll cross the trail they left as they moved north. And if we’re lucky, that will lead us to Sophie.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  SOPHIE

  Food had been delivered twice since her last conversation with Josh. Sophie ate mechanically, unable to focus. If she tried too hard to think about anything, images of her alphas being seduced and led away from the family invaded her mind.

  What if Josh was telling the truth? What if that plan really did work?

  Of course, it was painful to imagine her alphas getting involved with anyone else. She believed they were devoted to her. But if they thought she had left them willingly, as Josh had said, could she blame them if they had moved on?

  Still, it made her feel sick to imagine it.

  And the consequences of the idea were even worse. It wasn’t just that they might be sleeping with other women. What if they had forgotten the children? What if the babies had lost all four of their parents?

  And if the alphas had fractured—would the betas have stayed together? Sophie knew that all four of her pack’s betas cared for the children. But would they have been strong enough to stay united after so many losses? If even one of them had left...

  How many people would it take to raise the children she had left behind? How many members could the pack stand to lose?

  She curled up on her makeshift bed, arms wrapped around her knees, forming a loose shield to protect the babies she carried within her. She ought to have felt somewhat better, at least, knowing that she had them close, but there was nothing safe about the circumstances they were in here. What would happen to these children if she never managed to get away? How would they grow up?

  I just have to get away. It’s the only option.

  She stared at the door, turning over her plan in her mind. They had been diligent about locking the door when they weren’t here with her. The only time it stood open was when someone was inside.

  She would have to get outside and lock someone else in so that he wouldn’t be able to sound the alarm. It was her only choice.

  She stood quietly and crossed the barn floor. She had always stayed as far away from the door as she possibly could, wanting to put as much distance as possible between herself and anyone who might come in. It felt wrong, now, to approach the door. To sit down beside it, low to the ground, her back to the opposite wall.

  But this was her best hope of escape.

  When the door opened next, whoever it was would walk a few paces into the room. It was dark in here, and they expected, now, that she would be in her usual place by the far wall. Her victim would try to look for her there.

  And Sophie would make her move.

  She would stay low, crawling through the door, pushing it closed behind her and lowering the crossbeam that kept it from opening from the inside. If all went according to plan, the man she locked inside wouldn’t even know he had been played until she was gone.

  She hoped it would be Josh.

  He was smarter than Brett, and he would be more difficult to fool. But it would be much more satisfying to lock her old alpha in here, to shame him in front of his own pack and the others he had called upon to help him with his mission.

  She waited.

  And after about an hour, she heard the sound of the crossbeam being shifted out of place.

  She tensed, holding her breath. This was the most important part of the plan. Whoever was coming in couldn’t see her here. If he did, it would be all over.

  She held very still as the door swung open.

  Two men stepped in.

  Sophie’s first thought was to panic. The plan would only work if she was confronting a single opponent. Not two. There was no way she could hope to slip out without being seen by either of them. But it was too late to go back now. She was going to have to try—

  She blinked.

  She had to be hallucinating. This was a dream.

  “Is she here?” Burton’s voice was
a hoarse whisper.

  “Looks empty,” said Ryker.

  Sophie opened her mouth to call out to them and burst into tears instead.

  They turned as one, their faces registering shock, and then they were on their knees on either side of her, hands on her face, her arms, her back, alternating between soothing touches and checking for injury. “Oh my God,” Burton breathed, his eyes roving over her. “Have they been feeding you? You’ve lost weight.”

  “I have? But the babies—” She shuddered anxiously.

  “The babies are fine,” Ryker said. “They’re at home with Marco and the betas.”

  “Not those babies.” Her hand went automatically to her stomach.

  “You’re pregnant?” Burton asked.

  She nodded, crying harder.

  “Can we talk about this later?” Ryker asked, looking over his shoulder. “We should get out of here before whoever lives in that house sees us.” He turned to Sophie. “Can you walk?” he asked anxiously.

  She nodded. “But we can’t just leave; they’ll see us.” She had been worried enough about being seen when it had been just her. But now they were a group of three, far more conspicuous.

  “We’ll go out one at a time,” Ryker said. “Burton, you’ll go first—”

  “Like hell,” Burton said. “I’m not leaving her.”

  “Listen to me. Run straight to the woods. When you’re safe, whistle, and Sophie will follow. I’ll come last.”

  “This isn’t a good idea,” Burton said. “You can’t protect her by yourself.”

  “Of course I can,” Ryker growled.

  “No, hang on,” Sophie said, pulling herself together and swiping away the tears. “Burton’s right, Ryker. The pack they’ve got here...it’s too big for us to fight. We can’t chance them seeing us. I know you two are good fighters, but they’ve pulled three separate alphas and their packs together. Josh’s pack alone was savage. Having all three of them here...we just don’t stand a chance.”

  “We have to try,” Ryker said. “Running for the woods is the only way we’re going to get out of here.”

  “Maybe Sophie should go first,” Burton said.

  “I don’t want her running off alone,” Ryker said.

  “I don’t like it either,” Burton agreed. “But it gets her out of here, which is what’s most important. And then, if there is any action, you and I will be together, and she’ll be clear.”

  “That does make sense,” Ryker agreed.

  “No,” Sophie objected. “I won’t leave you two.”

  “We’ll make it an order if we have to, Sophie,” Burton said. “This is the safest plan for everyone. You know we won’t be able to fight if we’re worried about you getting hurt. You need to run. Straight into the woods. I’ll just be a few minutes behind you.”

  It was happening so fast. Sophie had thought she was prepared for escape. She had been ready to run. But maybe she had been wrong.

  Maybe I wasn’t really ready at all.

  Ryker pulled open the door. “Go,” he said. “Now.”

  Sure enough, it was an order, and Sophie felt her body react to him as strongly as it did when he made love to her. All that mattered was pleasing him, giving him what he needed from her, and that extended to following his orders. She sprang from the barn, running as fast as she could on bare feet.

  Adrenaline spurred her. She knew that Burton was right—she had lost some of her strength during her incarceration, and if it hadn’t been for the fear, she wouldn’t have had the energy to run so fast. As it was, though, the forest came up on her quickly. She jumped, grabbed a low hanging tree branch, and hauled herself up. She didn’t want to be visible until her alphas were nearby.

  Secure in the tree, she forced her breathing to slow down and waited, her arms and legs wrapped around a branch. She leaned forward and rested her cheek on the bark.

  I’m free.

  Ryker and Burton were there. They were going to take her home. She was going to see her children again.

  It had all been a lie after all. They hadn’t abandoned each other. They hadn’t abandoned the family.

  She had been right to believe in them.

  I knew it.

  She only wished she could say she had never doubted. She had been wrong to think, even for a moment, that they could possibly have abandoned their pack. She owed them an apology, even though they had never known of her feelings.

  She squinted at the barn, sure they must be coming soon. What was taking so long?

  And then she saw something that absolutely horrified her.

  The door to the house had opened, and Brett was crossing the lawn, plate of food in hand.

  “He’s going to walk in on them,” Sophie breathed. “Run...”

  But what could they do? If they tried to leave the barn now, Brett would definitely see them. There would be a fight either way. And if anyone happened to be watching from the house, they would come running out soon enough, and her alphas would be outnumbered.

  They had to run now.

  But they still weren’t coming.

  If Brett surprised them in the barn, the fight would take place there. Maybe that would be for the best, because no one in the house would see it.

  Brett stopped in his tracks and stared.

  A moment later, Sophie realized what he was seeing. The barn door’s crossbeam, removed, lying on the ground.

  He knows. He knows someone is inside.

  He reached for the gun that was tucked into his waistband.

  No! If he went in there with his gun at the ready, her alphas would have no chance.

  She was moving before she had time to think about what she was doing. They had told her to run to the woods. But her order hadn’t been to stay in the woods.

  She sprinted out, back onto the lawn. “Brett!”

  He turned away from the door and brought the gun to bear on her.

  Sophie froze.

  And then, with a howl of rage, a wolf sprinted out of the woods and past her.

  The gun went off. A hair of a moment later, the wolf leaped into the air, claws out, and landed on Brett, bowling him over.

  Brett screamed.

  The barn door opened. Ryker raced toward Sophie and caught her up in his arms, running toward the forest. She couldn’t catch her breath, couldn’t ask him what was happening. Her face was buried in his shoulder. She couldn’t see whether Burton was following or not.

  Ryker slowed to a stop and set Sophie down. They were several yards back into the trees now, and he pulled her behind a wide oak and sheltered her body with his. “Be quiet,” he breathed. “We may not have been seen.”

  Sophie leaned around the tree trunk. The wolf was still standing over Brett, and suddenly she recognized his coloring. “That’s Marco!”

  “He must have come after us,” Ryker breathed. “Thank God. I don’t know what we would have done.”

  “Where’s Burton?”

  “I’m here,” Burton said. Sophie turned and saw that he was standing behind Ryker, staring back at the house. “What are we going to do?”

  “He’s got the upper hand,” Ryker said.

  But no sooner had the words left his mouth than the door to the house opened. Josh came running out, followed by two other men.

  And they were all armed.

  Marco disengaged, turned, and ran.

  The sound of gunshots followed him as he went. Sophie squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Go,” Burton said. “Go, go, go.”

  Hands took hold of Sophie’s arms just below the shoulder on either side, lifting her off the ground, and then she was flying backward, unable to see where she was going. She wanted to yell to them to put her down, but they were running faster than she would have been able to move in human form. Sophie closed her eyes and waited for the frantic race into the woods to end.

  It went on for a long time, though. The gunshots kept exploding behind them, and Sophie wondered whether they were being chased. If Josh’s
packs caught up, they didn’t have a chance in a fight. There would be too many.

  Gradually, the gunshots faded.

  Sophie’s alphas slowed. She was lowered to the ground. She tried to get her feet underneath her, but all the energy that had powered her when her alphas had arrived had now left her body. She stumbled and collapsed to her knees.

  Burton dropped beside her. “Sophie?”

  She was shaking. She leaned into him.

  “I think she’s going to pass out,” he said urgently.

  She wasn’t. She tried to tell him that, but her mouth didn’t want to form words. Her eyes didn’t want to open.

  A larger, rougher hand was on her cheek. Ryker. “You don’t think she’s going into shock?” he asked anxiously.

  “I don’t think so,” Burton said. “Her pulse is steady. We should get her home, though.”

  “That’s a long way from here.” That was Marco’s voice.

  “Are you hurt, Marco?” Ryker asked.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re bleeding.”

  That got Sophie’s eyes to open. “You’re bleeding?” she asked.

  “Hey,” he said warmly, taking his place in front of her and cradling her face in his hands. “Are you hurt, honey?”

  “You?”

  “I’m fine. One of those bullets just grazed me. It’s a scratch. Chrissy will laugh when we show it to her, that’s how superficial it is.”

  “Yeah, he’s all right,” Burton agreed. “We’ll just rub a little dirt on it and be on our way.”

  Sophie nodded. “I can walk,” she said.

  “No, you definitely can’t,” Ryker said. “We’ll carry you, Sophie. I want you to relax, okay?”

  She wanted to argue. She wanted to tell him that she had it together, that she could walk as well as any of them could. After all, Marco had been shot today, and he was going to walk home.

  But she didn’t have the energy to argue. Her eyes slipped closed again.

  Arms wrapped beneath her knees and shoulders, and she felt herself being lifted. She recognized the feel of the chest she came to rest against. Ryker.