67

ALEXANDER

My run started as a blur, trees whipping past, branches lashing at my arms, my pulse hammering against my ribs like a warning drum I couldn’t ignore.

After I heard the cry.

I didn’t remember shifting.

One moment, I was running. The next, I was flying through trees, past thorns, the wind clawing at my face like it had a message to scream. I didn’t stop. Couldn’t. Her scream rang out again. Then a growl.

Every nerve lit up. Rage fused with purpose. I wasn’t just burning anymore. I was fire.

And whatever simmering heat had been boiling in my chest erupted into wildfire.

Even before I saw anything, I knew. I knew she wasn’t part of this. But knowing didn’t soothe the chaos in my head it only fanned it.

“Shut up,” a male voice snarled.

I didn’t recognize the tone, but the scent, the sour stench of a mutt hit me like a slap.

A werewolf.

In my territory. Near my home.

My priorities shifted instantly. It wasn’t just about getting to Alina anymore. Now I wanted blood. His. On my hands. Under my claws. I wanted to crush his skull until I heard the crack.

But when I burst into the clearing, adrenaline coiled tight, teeth gritted, ready to kill, a hunched figure made my steps half.

A body laid almost lifeless on the ground.

Female.

Crimson matted her blonde hair, and her uniform, or what was left of it was smeared with blood and dirt. A pack maid.

I shifted back and crouched beside her, pressed my palm to her head. Her face was almost unrecognizable, one eye swollen shut, lips split, but she was still breathing.

“Where did they go?” I asked tightly.

She winced, lips trembling, then slowly lifted a shaky hand and pointed northeast.

My jaw clenched. For a second, I stayed there, breathing through the rage. Then I grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make her look me in the eye.

“If you’re lying,” I whispered, my voice flat, “I’ll make sure you regret surviving this.”

She nodded, muttering something between a whimper and a plea.

I released her and took off.

Alina’s scent grew stronger with every step. That floral trace I always associated with her, soft, gentle, maddeningly addictive was now tangled with fear.

I mindlinked one of the Gammas as I got dressed in one of the clothes we kept around. ‘There’s a wounded maid by the south path. Get her to the infirmary. Make sure she lives. I want her talking later.’

No more distractions.

I blocked the link and focused.

And then that scent hit me. The one from before. The one who tried to take Alina from me once.

So the bastard came back.

A dry laugh escaped me. He wanted round two?

“Show yourself,” I said into the open air, my tone cool, unhurried. I didn’t need to yell. I knew he could hear me. He was nearby and hiding, watching. Breathing like a coward behind some tree.

“You’ll need air sooner or later,” I added casually, eyes scanning the shadows. “Don’t be shy now. You’ve come this far.”

No answer.

Figures.

“I know you’re not working alone. You’re smart, I’ll give you that. Breaking into my territory without a trace takes more than guts. it takes help. So tell me,” I cocked my head, letting my voice dip into something colder, deadlier, “which one of my enemies signed their own death warrant this time?”

Silence stretched… then cracked.

“You’re too arrogant for your own good,” he growled.

There it was. That same voice from before. Still dripping with resentment.

I smiled, tilting my head. “Oh, so you can speak. That’s progress.”

Still hidden, of course. Lurking like a parasite. I hated these fucking mutts.

“Come on, don’t be shy. I thought we were becoming friends. And don’t all great friendships begin in the woods, with mutual murder plots?”

A muffled sound reached my ears. There was sounds of struggle before I heard the sharp cry.

Alina.

My blood went cold. The kind of cold that feels like fire.

If he touched her, if he so much as bruised her, I’d tear him apart, revive him, and do it again. No god would stop me.

“You’re really letting a piece of pussy drag you around?” His voice came again.

I forced myself to breathe. In. Out. Focus.

“You want to keep hiding?” I said. “Fine. Let’s talk about your manners, then. Calling her a piece of pussy?” I tsked, my tone mockingly scolding. “Did your mother teach you nothing?”

He didn’t respond right away.

“She can hear you,” I added quietly. “Apologize.”

More silence before he broke.

“She’s mine,” he snapped. “I can say—or do—whatever the hell I want.”

I rolled my eyes. Typical.

“Then take her,” I said flatly.

His pause told me he didn’t expect that.

“If you dare to touch what’s mine,” I continued, voice steel, “then she’s yours.”

I didn’t have to wait long.

Footsteps crunched the leaves.

I didn’t turn. I knew where she was coming from. I could feel her. Smell her.

When I finally looked. Alina stepped into the clearing.

Shivering.

Bare.

Her skin was pale beneath the moonlight, her arms wrapped around herself like they could hold her together. Her eyes… God, her eyes were broken. Empty.

I didn’t need to ask what happened.

The blood running down her thighs told me enough.

My wolf surged forward, snarling to take control. I barely held him back. I couldn’t afford to lose focus. I had to find him. Now.

I vanished into the trees she emerged from, tearing through the underbrush. Searching. Hunting.

But he was gone.

Fucking gone.

No scent trail. No sound. No shadow.

And I’d left her.

I’d left her alone.

I cursed, low and annoyed, and turned back. My feet barely touched the ground as I ran.

She was curled into herself now, shaking, sobbing.

The sight of her like that bare, hurt, violated ripped something primal out of me.

I stripped off my shirt and wrapped it around her. Then I scooped her into my arms.

She flinched then screamed.

And I froze.

My throat tightened. Her scream… I’d heard it earlier. That cry. That sound of soul-deep fear.

It echoed in my skull like a bullet.

“Alina,” I said, voice hoarse, “It’s me.”

But she didn’t hear. Or couldn’t believe it.

I held her tighter.

I failed her.

I fucking failed her.

I shifted my hold and mindlinked the entire perimeter, my voice cutting through every mind like a blade.

‘He’s on our land. He’s injured. I want him found. Dead or alive, I don’t care but if he gets past you.’

I bared my teeth.

‘Then you’ll wish you were dead when I get to you.’