Chapter 77 – Shootout

“Good. You’re here,” greeted Axel as Ryker placed his luggage on the couch and took off his coat.

“Sorry I’m late, I had to activate my tracker.”

Axel scoffed under his breath and resumed typing away. “She won’t die when you take your eyes off her.”

“Leal was with her.”

“You did a good job. Pass me the tracker later.”

It was Ryker’s time to scoff. He neared Axel and looked at his screen. A frown creased his forehead when he caught sight of the masked men in the CCTV.

“Hey,” he pointed at the familiar bulky bodies as they bombed a wall near Leal. “I know those guys…Are those the interruptions you mentioned, dude?”

“Hmm.” He nodded. “That was from a few days ago, and I still can’t get a lead on them. I figured I’d just let you come here rather than sending the CCTV footage to you which is risky.”

“Yeah, hold on. Let me confirm something.”

“Confirm what?”

“I think I’ve seen those guys somewhere.”

“Are you sure? Their clothes are similar to robbers in low-quality heists.”

“No, yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them somewhere.”

The screen showed another recorded footage from what looked like a dark alley, it was still day time so the video can still recognize the people. They quietly watched, until a group of men in black masks emerged from a door, men in similar clothing as the ones that attacked them. Ryker paused the footage and looked at Axel.

“I saw them on my way here, dude,” he seriously muttered.

Axel sat on the swivel chair beside Ryker. He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, not tearing his eyes off the monitor. “Where do you think they’re from?”

“Who else? They attacked you…and Leal apparently. You’re on so many people’s hit list, but Leal’s name is only plastered on one.”

“And Anna, too,” Axel muttered unconsciously.

Ry frowned. “Who?”

“Anna. Our daughter.”

A moment of silence passed, which consisted of Ryker looking at him, his eyes widened in disbelief. His mouth slowly parted, as he abruptly stood up and looked at him, still frozen in shock.

“W-What the f u ck, man! And you never bothered telling us?!” Hurt crossed his eyes. “I thought we were friends!”

The latter shook his head and rolled his eyes at his over-dramatic friend. “Shut up. I only found out a few days ago.”

“Damn,” he whistled, tapping Axel’s back. “My dude’s a real daddy now, it’s not a figurative thing anymore!”

“The f u ck?” He glared at the smirking Ryker.

“I was just kidding! But, what are we gonna do about these assholes?” He pointed to the men in the footage.

Without batting an eye, Axel blurted, “Clean them up, of course.”

“Damn, alright…”

The two flinched at the loud slamming of the door. Two glaring deadly eyes greeted the poor Upsilon, to which he immediately cowered.

“A-Alpha, Delta…I’m sorry for the disturbance, but we just have gotten hold of an alarming news from the Block B Upsilons from Lauterbrunnen,” said the Upsilon, immediately causing the two to spring up from their seats.

Grabbing the laptop, they stormed inside another room where the higher ranking Upsilons sat around each other, muttering quietly to each other. They stood up when he and Ryker entered, acknowledging them.

“We just received a request for backup, Alpha. The team that was assigned to the Luna and the Beta’s mate is trapped in an ambush,” the leader of the Upsilons reported. “The ambush consists of several dozens of men in black clothes and masks with dangerous firearms and explosives, those of which they used to cause a ruckus in a local ice cream shop. Another company is on the way there, Alpha.”

“Where’s Leal and Izzy?”

“On the run, Alpha. We assume they’d go to the train, the only transportation out of Lauterbrunnen.”

“I doubt they’d go out of Lauterbrunnen, though,” Ryker, who was already typing away in his laptop, intervened. “The Luna has a daughter, had I just known earlier. They would never leave her behind, that’s for sure.”

Whispers and murmurs buzzed in the room but were silenced with Axel’s pistol cocking. Everyone in the room turned to him, watching him gear up with a dark aura. Chills ran up to their spines upon seeing the deadly Alpha, and not one managed to utter a single word.

He stood up, his jaw clenching and unclenching. He’s ready for violence.

“Deploy all companies. I want them there in less than five minutes. Ready the chopper. We’re slicing necks with its blade. I want this executed cleanly but mercilessly.”

“But we’ll alarm the Swiss Government, Alpha.”

“They should be,” he sternly muttered. “Their land’s getting bombed. They should be thankful to us for doing something about this.”

Turning to his Delta, he said, “Can you track them?”

“Hmm.” He nodded. “I just need… for about seven minutes.”

“That’s a whole chopper trip. Let’s go.”

Axel looked down on the vast greenery of the country. It wasn’t a long trip, but it was enough for him to take in the vibrant landscape from the sky. He couldn’t and wouldn’t deny it, but Switzerland is actually a nice hiding place and at the same time a place to reconnect with nature. Being wolves, they’re naturally inclined to nature, specifically the woods since it’s their habitat, and to live with nature is like relearning one’s basic needs as a wolf. The food, the shelter, it’s all perfect. If given the chance, he’d go back here with them and enjoy it a little bit more.

But right now is not the time to admire the scenery and be at peace.

“Got ’em.”

He turned to Ryker beside him, who was seriously sucked in his screen while wearing the headset. He looked to his screen to see a map and a still red dot in the middle.

“They’re not moving?”

“Nah. At least Izzy isn’t. She’s just standing.”

“Can you get a street view of where they are?”

“Yeah, hold on.” He continued typing at rapid speed on his keyboard and clicked a few buttons before the screen showed a familiar peaceful street.

“That’s her cabin,” he blurted. They’re inside the cabin. What are they still doing inside? Are they preparing to leave? Did they pick up Anna?

He looked out once again and caught sight of the valley, the small town that rested in the middle, and the faint smoke coming from the center of the sleepy town. It would’ve been such a breathtaking scene if not for the burning cabin.

“Are the backup there?”

“Yes, Alpha.”

He heaved a deep breath. He was just caught at a possible life crisis: to end these men or to save his family. Good thing he’s still sane.

“Good. Tell them to distract the men. Land the chopper behind the cabin and get your guns ready.”

True to his command, the chopper did land rather noisily behind the cabin, catching the attention of the masked men. His Upsilons ran to their defense and covered them for a safe landing, with Axel looking at the cabin’s windows the entire time. Right now, all he could ask for is his family’s safety. And he kids you not, but never in his life has he prayed, but he’s silently whispering a prayer right now under his breath.

No amount of lives he might kill can satisfy him if his mate and daughter catch a bullet.

Plopping his tinted glasses on, he fixed his tie and pulled out the pistol from inside his suit. His all-black three-piece has a number of advantages, a reason why he wears them almost every day. His Upsilons were on full alert, actively dodging bullets and firing their own, exchanging gunfire with the opposing side. He casually yet carefully walked to the back door with Ryker, being greeted by a fuming tall woman. As Ryker told him, Leal has seven women of this height. As frightening as they are, Axel is not one bit startled or even alarmed.

Instead, he’s happy that he’s meeting one of the people that Leal leaned on for the past years without him. He’s grateful for these women, no matter how scary and intimidating they may look.

“I saw your gun! Give it to me!” Was what the lady greeted him with. She was holding a wooden bat and aiming it at both of them.

“Woah there,” Axel calmly took a step back. He slowly took his glasses off and was about to reply to her when his eyes caught movement from the left. His eyes have never moved so fast in his life before.

“Hey,” he breathed, looking quietly at her. He was, as always, stunned by her breathtaking beauty. Even with a distressed expression, she still looked ethereal and incomparable. Of course. She’s Leal, she’s always beautiful. Even from that night where she ran away in a hospital gown barefoot, bloody, and frightened for her life.

“A-Axel, what are you doing here?”

“You know this motherf u cker that had the audacity to park a chopper in our yard?” Seethed the woman with a bat.

“A chopper?” She gasped.

“I heard you have visitors,” he spoke, glancing outside where there was an ongoing shootout. “I thought I might join the reunion. You know?”

“R-Reunion…?”

“Schatzi, those are the Ministry’s men,” he said, gently pushing the bat away from his face and nearing her. “I figured you need a ride to escape them, so I brought one of my small guys.”

“W-We’re leaving with a chopper? What?”

“Yes—“

The two flinched when a glass broke. Axel didn’t need to turn to look, instead, he expertly flung out his pistol for the nth time, and whilst gently biting the sunglasses’ temples, he tilted his head to the masked man that broke in and blew his brains out.

The tall woman’s high-pitched scream deafened him, but he couldn’t care. An opponent managed to get in—where his family is. That is unacceptable. His pack is probably on the losing end that’s why one managed to sneak in. He, as an Alpha, cannot accept that as well.

He wore his glasses again and smirked down at Leal who remained stunned. He stole a smack before briskly walking away with a pistol at hand.

Before fully pushing the front door, he said to her, “Ready your stuff and get inside the chopper. I’ll catch up after finishing these off.”

Sorry, schatzi. Your mate is an Alpha that can’t sit back and watch his pack get depleted.