A lean, sickly looking man climbed out of the first vehicle. His skin was pale, his eyes a unique light blue. He had slick blonde hair, like it hadn’t been washed in days, and he wore a pair of dirty jeans and a black t-shirt. His combat boots clicked with the rocks underneath him.
“Dahlia?” he asked cautiously, stopping when he was a good ten feet away. His eyes were a pale gray, his face scruffy. He frowned as he looked me up and down, licking his lips lustfully.
“Yes, that’s right. Who are you?” I folded my arms over my chest, tilting my head with a light smile on my face to show some friendliness.
He cleared this throat, raising a hand and snapping his fingers. “Lucian is my name. I told you we’d give your grandmother back if you traded yourself.”
Suddenly, the third van’s side door opened, and two men in black climbed out with a small, sickly looking woman. Both the men had masks on to hide their identity. She had a potato sack over her head and the sounds coming from her were muffled.
I looked in horror, realizing that the woman was Grandma.
Both the men had guns strapped over their shoulders, as one of them took the bag off her head. She immediately squinted her eyes against the harsh sunlight, like she hadn’t seen it in a while. Anger began to build inside me as I looked at the condition she was in and the duct tape they had on her mouth, but I took deep breaths to calm myself. I couldn’t let my emotions take over, especially with her here.
I had to think rationally.
When her eyes adjusted, she looked at me, tears streaming down her dirty face as she screamed through the duct tape on her mouth. That caused one of the men, who had his hand on the side of her neck, to hit her, sending her limp underneath them.
The man in front of me cleared his throat. “Now that I’ve got your attention, listen carefully.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, anger boiling beneath my skin again. “We will drop her off at the nearest gas station, safely, if you agree to come with us.” His ugly smile filled his face. I wanted to vomit just looking at him; he made my skin crawl.
I frowned. “How do I know you’re telling the truth? What if I refuse?”
He snapped his fingers again. This time two dozen men with rifles filed out of the other vans, standing behind him. They all wore masks and guns strapped to their sides or back. They stood at the ready.
I eyed them, trying to analyze what to do next.
Lucian smirked, almost laughing, as he watched me. “It won’t end happily, that’s for sure. I’ll give you ten minutes to decide.”
Wyatt, can you see this? I mind-linked my stand-in Gamma.
Yes. His thick voice rang in my head. We’ve got three more vehi- cles coming from the right side… this won’t end well. What do you want to do?
My heart beat faster, as I heard the other vans approaching.
Lucian’s laughter echoed around us as he witnessed my facial expression turn from blank to surprised. “Tick tock, little Alpha, time’s running out.” He tapped the imaginary watch on his wrist.
I took a deep breath, trying to come up with a plan that wouldn’t end in a complete bloodbath but my mind raced a hundred miles a second. I began to get a headache, seeking a way to figure out how I wanted to approach this.
Time was running out.
“Two minutes,” Lucian taunted, the smile getting bigger by the second. It sent chills down my spine.
Suddenly, from somewhere inside the warehouse, a loud bang sounded above us.
Lucian whipped his head toward the noise, hollering for his men to check out what the sound was. While his attention was turned away from me, I rushed forward. Sending a fist into his stomach, I tried to maneuver his arm behind his back but it caused him to cough up, almost bending over, but instead of collapsing, he sat up and grabbed my arm forcefully. I growled as his nails dug into me, while I took my other hand and brought it to his jaw in one fast motion.
Howls broke through the air, alerting the men that they were surrounded.
Lucian jabbed me in the throat, catching me by surprise over how quick he was and had me suddenly lose my breath. With all the force he could muster, he tripped me with his foot, causing me to land with a thud against the hot dirt. Any remaining air I had left was knocked out of me. He climbed on top of me, continuously punching me in the nose and face, over and over again.
My hands instinctively grabbed his arm, trying to pull his grasp from me.
The look of pure hatred was all I saw when I stared into his eyes, as the sounds of screams, howls and snarls along with gunshots filled the air.
I felt Eva on the surface; I knew I had to try to shift.
Surprise filled him when he saw my eyes change, causing him to barely let up and giving me a chance to let Eva take over. But from the damage I took to my windpipe, I was starting to lose consciousness. Eva mentioned something about it being too dangerous to shift, that the airway was an important part of what let you transform.
Lucian chuckled evilly, as he once again held a grip on my throat, this time much stronger.
My vision started to go black, when a new kind of pain shot through me.
I forced my eyes open while pain radiates through my skull. All I could do was watch as
Lucian, still holding me by the throat, dragged a knife down my right arm; the motion burned my skin and if I could’ve screamed, I would have.
Tears burned my eyes, as I struggled underneath him. I had never been cut by anything that caused this much pain—it was excruciat- ing. I felt the blood pool under my arm and my eyesight faded.
The next thing I knew, Lucian was shouting as he was ripped off of me by a gray blur.
With the knife still in my arm, I felt the tears begin to fall.
I gulped, blood continuing to choke me from where he had punched me in the throat.
The light began to fade and all I remembered seeing was a tall dark-skinned figure above me. He said something I couldn’t begin to understand, before picking me up.
After that, everything went dark.
ALARIC
MY HEART RACED and my breathing hitched, as I gently picked Dahlia up. Her face was
bruised, bloodied, and her breathing was really shallow, thanks to the damage that man had done.
She had lost consciousness as soon as I sent that bastard flying. It was chaos around me as the men packed up and left but everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch as I carried my mate across the bloody battlefield, where bodies of both man and wolf lay.
That hybrid had finished what he was doing, ordering some of the other wolves to work before making his way toward me. As he got closer, I growled loudly on instinct. He stopped in his tracks, shifting back.
One of the pack members brought him some shorts to put on, which he donned quickly, before ordering everyone to hurry up and clean the place up. The others got to work as the hybrid watched me, his hands up to show me he meant no harm.
“She’s my Alpha. I wouldn’t dream of hurting her, so relax,” he spoke, maintaining eye contact with his tone even.
Reluctantly, I relaxed and continued to carry her toward one of the hidden vehicles. “I know. I’m sorry. She’s hurt, that alone makes me extremely on edge. The bleeding needs to be stopped. Soon. Grab some bandages, and help me apply pressure.” I looked at him plead- ingly. I couldn’t lose her, not now. Not ever. “Can you call someone to rush her to a hospital?”
Wyatt nodded, rushing to one of the vehicles and pulling out a phone before dialing a number. After he had left my side, I was bombarded with wolves who growled and snapped at my every move. They watched me like a hawk. No one knew we were mates, except a few select people Dahlia had told me about, and it needed to stay that way. At least for now.
I turned my head, noticing the man from earlier, off to the side, sending death glares my way. I knew he had feelings for her—that much was obvious. But she was mine now. He knew that.
I stopped in my tracks, feeling the blood from her ar
m run down my own. The smell alone sent Braxton to the surface. The wolves around me felt the power that radiated from my body, making them step back.
Nathan shouted commands at them, whereas the wolves just looked back to stare at him while shaking their heads in defiance. To me, it looked as though they were having some kind of mental conversation—one in which Nathan was losing.
Nathan growled, shifting. I watched as he shook his fur and did the unexpected. He launched himself at me, with his Alpha in my arms.
I shifted myself to where my back was turned to him, but where I could still see what was going on. I didn’t know what happened next, except that Rylan shot out of the woods; her wolf snapped and snarled towards him, standing in front of me ready to take the Beta wolf on without a second thought of her own life.
Before Nathan even made it to her, Wyatt appeared out of nowhere, pinning Nathan to the ground with his bare hands. His face filled with anger as he spat. “You were told to stay the fuck away from him. Don’t you see the Alpha in his arms? Are you fucking suicidal?!” Wyatt got off of him, shoving him in the opposite direction and ordering the wolves to hurry up and finish so they could leave. He then looked at me, sighing. “I’m sorry about him. He’s an idiot. I’ve got the medics on their way. Let’s get her taken care of the best we can in the meantime.”
I carried her toward the SUV, where Wyatt opened the passen- ger’s side door for me to climb into, while he went to the back and opened the hatch to get the supplies we needed.
In the seat, I carefully shifted her in my arms, to where Wyatt had good access to her arm. As he tended to her wounds, I studied her up close. She was breathtaking. Her eyelashes were long and beautiful. Her brown hair was braided and to the side, but it was matted with blood in parts. Her elegant skin was kissed gently by the sun. I loved it.
It hurt me to see her injured, but I’d do everything I could to see that she was okay.
“There.” Wyatt finished cleaning up the best he could.
I nodded at him. “Thank you, Wyatt. I appreciate what you have done to help her.”
He smiled. “Of course, she’s my Alpha but she trusts you and I know she’d want me to trust you too. So, you’ve got my support.”
With that, the sirens could be heard in the distance; my heart ached, knowing it’d still be a good while before she was awake and staring into my eyes again.
CHAPTER 13
DAHLIA
SOFT VOICES WHISPERED nonsense around me, as I slowly opened my eyes to a bright light above me. A warm, strong hand softly gripped mine, letting me know everything was okay.
Squinting, my eyes slowly adjusted to the lights.
When I looked around, the white room greeted me. There was a door that must’ve led to a bathroom and a little hallway just around the corner.
I looked toward the window, where a couch was set up. Liam and his mate sat side by side, cuddling closely. Amy wore a blue sundress, while Liam had on a plain t-shirt and a pair of torn jeans. Amy’s head rested against his shoulder while Liam’s arm wrapped around her, his head against hers, as they stared off into some different reality.
I looked down at myself. My right arm was bandaged while the uninjured half of my arm was filled with all kinds of IVs. The rest of my body was neatly tucked underneath the warm blanket.
The soft beeping of machines to my right greeted my ears as I slowly turned my head, trying to scope my movement range, but then I winced at the pain that erupted from such a simple motion. I tried to speak, but only little whimpers came out.
On my left, I found Alaric. He was slouched against the chair he was in, looking down at the ground while deep in thought. I slowly looked over his body, which was covered by a tan pair of jeans and a white wife-beater that was torn in places. I frowned deeply when I noticed his face was covered in bruises and cuts that had begun to heal.
When he looked up, his eyes seemed worried as he examined my face. I must’ve looked concerned because he jumped up and stood over the side of the bed, leaning down to softly press his lips against my forehead. “Liam,” he whispered, causing them to stir in their seats. “Go get the doctor. Dahlia is awake.”
Liam’s eyes sparkled as he shot up from the couch, whereas Amy quietly adjusted herself and headed to the door. I watched his every movement, before hearing the soft click of the door behind him.
Alaric waited for my gaze to return to him, his eyes filled with love, before speaking softly, as he reached his hand up to caress my cheek. I leaned into his touch. “I was worried you wouldn’t wake up. Thank the Gods you’re okay. How are you feeling? Can you talk?”
Before I could try to say anything, the door opened and in walked Dr. Reynolds in a lab coat with a warm smile plastered to his face, closely followed by Liam.
He closed the door behind him, as the doctor looked over the clip- board he had in his hands. “So, Alpha Dahlia, you’re awake. I know you can’t talk at the moment, so let’s take a look at your throat, okay?”
He came to my other side, clutching the clipboard to his chest while pulling a small thin flashlight from his left pocket.
“Open up,” he commanded, a comfortable smile spread across his face to reassure me.
I gave Alaric a quick glance; he nodded, giving me an encour- aging smile. “It’s all right, sweetheart. He just wants a look. He won’t hurt you.”
I turned back to the doctor. First, he examined my neck for anything. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for; he just nodded to himself before instructing me to slowly open my jaw. It throbbed from the sudden movement but it wasn’t too miserable.
He took a peek inside, saying some “hmms” while whispering to himself. After he was done, I closed my mouth, watching as he wrote something down on his clipboard.
“Okay,” Dr. Reynolds began, placing his clipboard down at my feet. “I’m going to unplug all these machines. Seems like you’re making a good recovery. I do want to check out that arm of yours though, to make sure it hasn’t gotten an infection.”
I nodded, as he started to shut off the machines and stopped the IV drip. Taking out the IV, he placed an alcohol wipe over the hole where the needle had been. He rested everything behind my bed, before using the remote control to raise my head.
Once he was comfortable with the height, he replaced the remote. His attention fell to the bandages around my arm.
Alaric squeezed my hand reassuringly, as the doctor cut the tape that held the bandages in place. He started to unwrap it, whistling as the wound became visible.
“Well, there’s good news and bad news. Which would you like first?” He looked at me, watching for my response.
When I didn’t, he smiled. “You can speak, just be careful because it’ll take some time to recover but once you shift again, you’ll be good as new.”
I gulped, unsure of how to even begin, and concerned over what kind of hoarse tone would escape my lips. “W-well, I would prefer the good news first.” The sound of my voice was horrendous to my ears.
Dr. Reynolds nodded, examining the scar again but this time, running a finger over it.
When he pressed down, a faint growl escaped my lips as the pain soared up my arm. It hurt like hell.
“Your feeling in the area has come back. That’s good,” he chuckles, removing his finger and rounding the bed to go to the closed door.
Opening it, he walked in and I heard water begin to run. Twenty seconds later, it shut off and Dr. Reynolds returned, an extra paper towel in his hand. Using it, he closed the bathroom door. Coming to my side again, he threw the paper towel away and cleared his throat. “The good news is you’re being discharged today. I’ve got to get the paperwork put together, and your nose is completely healed along with your jaw. Like I mentioned earlier, once you shift again, your throat will be healed the rest of the way.”
He sat beside me, taking a deep breath.
Alaric again squeezed my hand but said nothing; he watched me closely as the doctor continued.
“The scar left on your arm, however, will not go away. The knife that was used was coated in silver, and it’ll always send a shooting throb of pain every time you touch it. I would suggest icing it when that happens.”
The doctor stood, smiling again, before dismissing himself.
Amy immediately got up and rushed over to my side, taking me into a brief hug. “When we heard the news, I got worried. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
I slowly brought my arms to embrace her, letting out a whimper. “I’m sorry I worried you. Thank you for staying to make sure I am okay.”
She kissed the top of my head, stepping back. I could see the tears begin to form, when Liam took her into his arms and whispered sweet nothings to calm her down.
I turned to Alaric, who had let go of my hand and just stared down at me.
“What?” I raised an eyebrow.
He chuckled softly, taking my hand again while running his thumb over mine. “Nothing, just admiring your beauty.”
I snorted, blushing before quickly lifting my free hand to cover my mouth. The pain from my scar radiated, but I was too embar- rassed to flinch from it.
Alaric shook his head, as Liam cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Amy and I must be going. When you are up to it, I’ll gather the Alphas to hold a meeting in order to discuss everything that went down. I will let Alaric or your Beta get you up to speed on what happened.”
I felt Alaric grow tense at the mention of my Beta, as they retreated from the room.
Once they were gone, I let go of Alaric’s hand, tossing the blanket from my body. The cool air from the blowing AC immediately caused goosebumps to rise against my naked legs, as I threw them over the side of the bed.
“Don’t move too fast, sweetheart.” Alaric stood in front of me suddenly, as I balanced my body to keep myself from leaning over.
I gave him a look. “I know you’re my mate, but we haven’t even gone on a date. So just call me Dahlia,” I snapped; my hoarse voice was harsh. “And I can get up myself. So please, let me do this.”
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