Page 78 of Alpha Brock

Brock

“They took her.”

As the dying man’s words register, something inside of me snaps.

I’m practically fucking feral as I shove through the others gathered around him while he lays there bleeding out, and all I can see is red. The red of his blood, the red of my anger. The red of our enemies’ blood that I’ll spill to get her back.

Cole’s bent over Devin now, using a wadded-up sweatshirt to put pressure on his wound. It’s no use; the guy is clearly dying. Not to be a heartless prick, but we need to know what he knows before he does.

“Where’d they take her?!” I demand, my wolf dangerously close to tearing through.

Cole turns over his shoulder to shoot me a look of warning. “Give him a second,” he growls. I have no idea how the fuck he’s so calm right now.

Devin’s lips tremble as they part. “Chris… traitor…”

That’s all it takes. A roar tears from my throat as I shift on the spot, landing on four paws and leaping over Devin. I hear Reid call after me as I surge forward into the treeline on a goddamn suicide mission, nose to the air, searching for Astrid’s scent. It’s faint, but I pick up on it immediately and follow it as fast as my paws will carry me.

I’ll take on the whole shadow pack singlehandedly to get her back; I don’t fucking care. They only just retreated, so they can’t have made it very far. I just have to get to her. I vaguely hear the thunder of footfalls behind me, but I pay them no mind. There’s only one thing I need to do: find Astrid. When I do, I’m going to make these fuckers pay, starting with Chris. I’ll tear his goddamn throat out. I can practically taste his blood on my tongue already.

The forested area around the Denver pack’s territory is thick and overgrown, the terrain difficult to navigate. Even so, it doesn’t slow me down one bit. I keep pushing forward, following my nose. I have to get to her; I justhave to. I refuse to consider the alternative.

I push forward through the trees, paws skidding as I land on a road. I throw my nose to the sky, trying to scent her, but her trail stops here- it’s just the faintest trace of Astrid, mixed with gasoline and motor oil. Wherever they’ve taken her, she was transported in a vehicle from this road.

Motherfucker.

It feels like my heart’s crumbling inside my chest, dissolving into nothing. I throw my head back and let out a low, mournful howl. This can’t be it- this can’t be the end of the line. I can’t lose Astrid, not like this.I have to find her.

My wolf is so distraught that he recedes with a whine, the air shimmering around me with my shift. He tucks himself back into the recesses of my mind and I’m left all on my own, rising from the pavement on two legs as I draw heavy breaths, staring blankly ahead down the desolate roadway. I’ve never felt so fucking out of control in my life; so fucking helpless. The devastation is crippling. They took her, and I don’t know where she is. I don’t know how to get to her.

Fear grips my heart like a frozen fist. I’ve been afraid before, but never like this. I’ve never come this close to losing someone I care about. I’d give my own life ten times over in place of hers.

I hear footsteps approaching behind me, feel a hand clapping me on the shoulder. “We’ll find her,” Reid says calmly.

Theo’s hand falls on my other shoulder. “Whatever it takes, bro. We’ll get her back.”

I turn to face them both, swallowing down the emotions at war within myself.

“We have to…” I say, my voice raw.

Reid nods, his jaw stiffening. “We will. Come on.”

I shake my head, looking back down the roadway over my shoulder. “No. I won’t go back without her…”

“You’ve gotta come back so we can figure out where they took her,” Theo says matter-of-factly. “Denver’s got IT, we’ve got IT. I know Brooke will be on this right away when I tell her. Hell, they may already know where the shadow pack has been holing up preparing for the battle today. We’ve just gotta figure that out, and then we’ll go get her.”

Reid nods in agreement. “We’re behind you, always.”

As torn up as I am right now, I’m so fucking grateful for these guys. Theo might be a real prick sometimes, but he’ll always come through when it counts. Reid’s no different; he’s loyal to a fault. I know Jax and Gray have my back just the same. I trust them when they say they’ll do everything they can, and I’ve gotta believe that the Denver wolves will stop at nothing to get the princess of their pack back.

Theo’s right: standing on this road isn’t going to get her back any faster. I have to dosomething, but I can’t go back. I won’t give up on Astrid.

“You guys go,” I grumble. “I’m gonna see if I can pick up her trail from here.”

Reid and Theo exchange glances. I know how it sounds- the chances of me being able to follow her trail if she’s in a vehicle are slim to none, especially when it comes to the major roadways. But what kind of man would I be if I didn’t at least try?

“You go, I’ll stay,” Reid murmurs to Theo, who nods in affirmation.

“You don’t have to…” I start, but Reid gives a shake of his head, stepping up beside me.