ATTACKED

COURTNEY

He now kills anyhow. Oh, I forgot—he is the Alpha, and in the brutal hierarchy of our world, an Alpha is untouchable. The law of the packs protects him, the elders bow to him, and blood on his hands is just another Tuesday afternoon.

My hands trembled so violently I could barely grasp my cell phone. I immediately dialed Lucas’s number. Ring... ring... ring...

He did not answer.

Panic surged through my chest, hot and suffocating. I am not in a romantic relationship with Lucas, but he had only ever shown me kindness, helped me build my hospital, and stood by my side when no one else would. I could not bear the thought of him going down—or losing everything—all because of me.

Without thinking twice, I grabbed my coat, rushed out of the hospital, and got into my car.

"Drive me to the Silver Fang Pack," I ordered my driver, my voice strained and frantic.

The journey was agonizing. As we crossed the border into Lucas’s territory, the devastation from Diego’s recent attack was sickeningly apparent. Burned-out storefronts, shattered glass, and broken fences lined the streets. But what terrified me the most were the crude, threatening messages painted in heavy red spray paint across the remaining walls.

TELL COURTNEY TO RETURN HOME.

That was the caption written in bold, menacing letters across every building. And to make it worse, large, color-printed pictures of my face—pulled from my hospital profile—were pasted right beside the warnings like a wanted poster.

"Dr. Courtney, this place is not safe for you!" my driver said, slamming on the brakes as he looked out the window at the hostile, angry crowds roaming the streets. "They blame you for what Alpha Diego did! We have to turn back right now!"

"No," I said, shaking my head as tears pricked my eyes. "I need to see Lucas. He must be going through so much, and it's all my fault."

I couldn't let my driver risk his life any further, so I told him to pull down a quiet, tree-lined side lane near the back of the pack lands. From there, using the local knowledge of the terrain I remembered from years past, I pulled up the hood of my coat and slipped out of the vehicle.

Somehow, through sheer adrenaline and careful hiding, I was able to sneak past the pack patrols, weaving through alleys until I reached Lucas’s personal estate.

When I slipped through the back gate, my heart broke all over again. The grand house was a complete mess. Windows were shattered, the front doors were hanging off their hinges, and broken glass and debris littered the porch. Furniture had been tossed outside, and the entire place looked like it had been ransacked by rioters.

"Lucas...?" I whispered, stepping cautiously through the broken doorway into the dark, quiet foyer.

Before I could take another step, a heavy shadow detached itself from the corridor. Then another.

Shouts erupted from behind me. "There she is! That's the doctor woman! That's Courtney!"

I spun around, my breath catching in my throat. A mob of angry, desperate pack members, displaced and grieving from the attack, surrounded the entrance. Their eyes glowed with amber fury, their faces twisted with rage and grief. They didn't see an innocent doctor; they saw the catalyst of their nightmare.

"It’s because of her that the Alpha brought war to our doorstep!" a burly wolf snarled, stepping forward with his fists clenched. "Get her!"

Before I could even scream, the mob surged forward and attacked me.