Page 85 of Alpha Brock
We go left with the others. It’s quiet in this warehouse.Too quiet. There’s an open door on the right, and we slow our approach as we hear several men chatting amongst themselves inside.
“After he mates her, he said he’ll lead the run,” one of them says.
“Have you seen her yet?” asks another. “I heard she’s hot as fuck.”
“I don’t care how hot she is, the psychic shit would freak me out,” a third guy comments.
Then a fourth joins in. “Wish he would’ve just let us run without him. Typical Alpha, can’t let us have any fun until he gets his dick wet.”
Red. That’s all I see as I tear through the doorway into the room. The poor bastards never even see me coming; never even have a chance to react or shift. Their blood stains every surface in the room by the time I’m through with them, tearing them limb from limb in my blind rage. If they were saying what I think they were, then I need to get to Astrid immediately, before Xavier lays a filthy hand on her. He can’t have her; she’smine.
The others are giving me shifty eyes after I’ve dispensed with all four shadow pack soldiers, but we push forward nonetheless, this time with more urgency. They all overheard the same conversation that I did; now we all know how dire the situation is. Blood is dripping from my jaws as we pick up our pace, heading for the interior of the warehouse where we think they’re most likely keeping Astrid.
We’re almost there when it suddenly strikes me that we still haven’t been detected; in every scenario we ran, we anticipated resistance before this point. It’s odd; unsettling. Something isn’t right. That very thought is running through my mind when we hit the end of the hallway- and that’s where all hell breaks loose.
They’re waiting for us. Whether they knew we were coming or just picked up on our presence, the moment the ten of us spill into a larger hallway, we’re ambushed. Wolves leap from both directions, fangs bared, ready to attack. Bad move on their part, because I’m out for fucking blood. I start tearing them down, one by one. But just like the battle the other day, more keep coming.
A wolf leaps onto my back in an attempt to take me down, but I don’t falter; I flip him off of me, sinking my teeth into his throat. Then there’s another wolf at my flank, his jaws locked around my back leg. I tear into his side and he relinquishes his grip long enough for me to get my leg free and finish him off. But then there’s another, coming from my right. They’re relentless, but I’m seeing red again. They’re standing between me and my woman, so none of them stand a fucking chance.
Blood sprays the walls of the corridor as I tear open the throat of another enemy wolf. All around me, our team is taking down shadow pack soldiers, one after the other- there might be more of them, but most of us are alphas. We’re larger and stronger and better trained. Despite the bodies piling up, they just keep coming. They don’t even realize they’re on a suicide mission right now.
It should smell like death in this hallway, but suddenly another scent hits me, nearly knocking me off my feet. Something intoxicating and dizzying and delicious. It distracts me momentarily and another wolf gets the jump on me, sinking his fangs into my neck. My adrenaline ratchets up to a hundred and I flick him off of me easily, his body crashing into the wall. I throw my head back, inhaling that scent, trying to discern where it’s coming from. It’s all-consuming; I can’t focus on anything else.
‘Brock, look out!’ Jax shouts through the mind-link, and I turn just in time to fend off an attack from another shadow pack wolf. I take him down by the scruff of his neck, flinging him against the floor. I hear a sickening crack as his neck snaps beneath my jaws. As soon as I let go, I’m right back on that scent, though… what the fuckisit?!
‘Do you smell that?!’ I pant, circling, throwing up my nose again. I’m acting like a damn fool, especially in the middle of a goddamn fight, but I can’t help myself. I feel half drunk.
‘No, we can’t, because she’s not ours,’ Gray snaps as he drops another enemy. ‘Go, we’ll hold them back.’
I leap out of the tangle of wolves, dodging others as I charge down the hallway. It feels like something’s reaching in my chest, tugging me in this direction. I follow it, forgetting all about the warehouse blueprints and the plan we meticulously worked up. I follow it blindly, without rhyme or reason. I follow it because somehow, I think that deep down, Iknow. I’ve heard about this, but I’ve never experienced it myself; I wasn’t sure if I ever would. But when Gray said what he did, it all clicked into place.
‘We can’t, because she’s not ours’.
She’smine.
I skid as I slide around a corner, still following the scent that’s getting stronger and stronger. There’s a door ahead, and I run at it full force, throwing my full body weight into it and taking it clean off its hinges. The door falls inward, and I land on top of it- inside a room lit only by the light of the full moon spilling down through a skylight overhead.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Brock
The corners of the room are dark; only the floor in the center is bathed in moonlight. That’s where I find her, lying there in wolf form, honey brown fur soaked in blood. She raises her head weakly, her eyes colliding with mine, and I feel it- the mate bond snaps into place, the strength of it nearly knocking the wind out of me. My adrenaline surges, my hair stands on end- all of my endorphins seem to release at once, bathing me in a feeling of pure euphoria.
I found her. My mate.
Both of our wolves tuck away almost simultaneously, the air shimmering as we each shift to our human forms- me, still standing on top of the door I knocked down, and Astrid, lying on the concrete floor, struggling to push up on her arms. She’s bleeding, badly injured, but her lips draw into a weak smile as she gazes back at me.
“You came,” she whispers hoarsely, and my heart swells in my chest, feeling like it could explode.
Everything I thought I felt for her before pales in comparison to what I’m feeling right now- it’s all amplified, intensified, multiplied. I rush over to Astrid, falling to my knees, scooping her into my arms. Up close, I can see the damage that has been inflicted upon her; her beautiful caramel skin marred with deep gashes and bruises, her lip split, her cheek swollen. Her unruly curls soaked in her own blood, trickling from a wound on the side of her head.
I sweep her sticky hair out of her face, staring down into her big brown doe-eyes as I cradle her in my arms. “Of course I did,” I rasp, fighting back the fury that’s bubbling to the surface- seeing her like this, contemplating how someone could do something so vicious to someone so gentle and precious, sets my teeth on edge. Something inside of me breaks. Rage burns inside my chest, turning my blood molten in my veins.
I hear the rumble of a low growl, and at first, I think it’s coming from my own chest- until a giant black wolf steps out of the shadows, baring its teeth, blood dripping from its jaws.
Xavier.
His fur is patchy, mangy, sticking out in all directions, and his yellow eyes seem to glow. Astrid stiffens in my arms, and I can feel the fear rolling off of her- which only rachets up my own wrath. I quickly shift her off my lap, tucking her behind me protectively and rising to my feet.