Page 84 of Alpha Brock
Over the past twenty-four hours, we put together a plan for a rescue mission. We’ve got a small team assembled- Cole and Sam, me and the other six-pack alphas, and a few of Denver’s strongest warriors. There are ten of us in total that are actually going in, but we’ve got another team set up around the perimeter of the warehouse district as backup, a mix of squad members and Denver soldiers that can be called in if something goes sideways.
“Yep, I see it,” Fallon mutters, flipping off the headlights and slowing as we approach. She and Quinn refused to sit this one out- much to the distress of their mates- but rather than going in with us, the two of them have been relegated to guarding the exit and orchestrating our getaway. Neither are thrilled about it, but at least they feel like they’re involved in some capacity, while Jax and Gray can focus on the mission at hand rather than their mates’ safety.
“It should be opening now,” Brooke says, the clicking of her computer keyboard audible in the background. Although Denver has their own head of IT, Brooke basically swept in and took charge of everything concerning this rescue mission. I didn’t know her well before, but I’ve got a whole new respect for Brooke now.
“Yeah,” Fallon breathes, pulling up to a tall, chain-link gate as it slides open. Brooke must’ve hacked in somehow. “Pulling through now.”
Although it’s dark, the light of the full moon illuminates the area well enough for us to navigate. Shifter vision helps, too.
Brooke’s voice comes through the speaker again. “Perfect. Keep going straight, then you’re going to hang a left after the second building.”
All of us in the van are quiet as we slowly enter the warehouse district, taking stock of our surroundings. I’m crouched right beside the drivers’ seat, watching out the windshield.
“That one,” I murmur, pointing to a large building. Fallon takes the turn after it.
“Done, what’s next?” she asks her sister, her knuckles white as they grip the steering wheel.
“There should be a big blue building on your right,” Brooke instructs. “There’s an alley on the far side and a door a few yards down. That’s your point of entry.”
Fallon follows her directions, pulling into the alley and cutting the engine. “Alright, we’re here.”
“Perfect,” Brooke chirps. “Give me just a minute to isolate that part of the building and cut the power, it should trip the locking mechanism on the door so you guys can get in.”
We all wait, barely breathing, until Brooke gives the all-clear.
Theo crouches beside me, leaning up toward the speaker. “Alright, babe, we’re going in.”
“Good luck, guys,” Brooke says encouragingly. “You’ve got this.”
“Talk to you soon, kid,” Theo mutters, his voice strained. “I love you.”
Brooke sighs sadly. “Love you more. Now go get Astrid and get outta there in one piece.”
Theo clenches his jaw, turning away before I can see the vulnerability etched in his expression. The side of him that only his mate gets to see.
“Love you, Brookie,” Fallon calls out before she ends the call.
“No matter what,” Brooke replies.
There’s a click as she hangs up the line, and we all look around at one another, taking one last deep breath before we spring into action.
“Everybody ready?” Cole asks, and we nod solemnly.
Ready as we’ll ever be.
Our team piles out of the van, remaining hyper-aware of our surroundings as we shuck our clothes and toss them back in before shifting. We’re stronger in our wolf forms, and even stronger tonight since it’s a full moon. Our wolves are all too eager to come forward; they’ve been itchy to get out for the past hour. On a full moon, they always are.
That’s why we’d assumed that most of Xavier’s men would be out running tonight, but we actually had to rework our plan when our scouts reported back that they were all still holed up in the warehouse. It’s unnatural for wolf shifters to stay cooped up during the full moon, so that only has us more suspicious as to what Xavier is really up to. All the more reason to get Astrid out of there as soon as possible.
As soon as I’ve shifted, my wolf starts pacing. He’s agitated, out for blood tonight. Ready to show these fuckers what happens when they take something that belongs to us. Quinn tests the door handle, and, as Brooke promised, it’s unlocked. She cracks it open, checking to make sure the coast is clear, then opens it wider to let us through. Ten wolves slink inside.
The hallway is dark; the power must still be cut to this part of the building. Hopefully it didn’t alert anyone to our presence, but since nobody’s guarding this door, I’d say we pulled off a stealth entrance- which is better than we’d hoped for. We’ve planned for multiple scenarios to ensure our success, and so far, all is going according to plan.
I can’t smell Astrid yet to try to track her, but something feels different tonight. Energy is rippling through me like a live wire, adrenaline coursing through my veins with every step. We get to a fork in our path, where our group planned to split off into two. I was supposed to go straight, but something I can’t shake is telling me to go left.
‘Change of plans,’ I bark through the mind link- to the six-pack wolves only, because we aren’t linked with the Denver wolves. Gray, Theo, Jax, and Reid look to me questioningly. ‘We need to go left.’
They exchange glances, but none of them question me. This is my mission, after all; the five of us probably wouldn’t even be involved if it weren’t for my relationship with Astrid.