Zorin’s grip on me is so tight that it borders on painful.
His fingers dig into my skin, nails clawing at my flesh. I struggle against his hold, terrified of what he might do to me and my babies. He has already threatened to kill me if I make a sound, and I fear he will follow through on his sickening promise if I’m not careful.
“Stop moving, or I will kill you,” he whispers heavily into my ear, crushing me against his chest. “I can smell your arousal.”
I can’t scream, so I stop moving to calm down. I need to think clearly. Why is he doing this? What is his endgame? And where are Aleks and Raul?
A lone alpha out here is confusing to me. A pack usually stays together. He was in Little Rock alone, and now he’s in the basement of my pack’s home alone. Aleks and Raul are nowhere to be seen, and I can’t smell them nearby. A shiver runs through me as fear spikes my blood even more. If they aren’t here, they could be anywhere, and the thought terrifies me.
Zorin may be deranged, but Aleks and Raul are just as unpredictable.
“I think it’s time to leave, little omega,” Zorin mutters. The soft, controlled way he speaks sends goosebumps prickling across my skin. “I don’t want to mark you here in this dingy basement.”
The thought of being marked by him and claimed forever makes me sick. I can’t believe I craved it years ago, and their acceptance of me.
He hums as if in thought, then chuckles ominously in my ear.
“Mhm hmph,” I try to scream, but his hand over my mouth blocks any noise from escaping.
“I think I’ll take you somewhere nice and secluded where I can knot you, then mark you. That way, you’ll be thoroughly compliant to your true alpha.”
He takes a step backward, dragging me toward a small hatch in the corner that I hadn’t noticed before—a hidden exit leading into the back garden.
Pure panic explodes inside me.
Adrenaline pulses through my bloodstream, pushing past fear. I know instinctively that if he gets me outside, I’m done for.
My feet scrape against the concrete as I kick, twist, and claw at his hold, desperation giving me strength. His grip only tightens, cruel and relentless, as he drags me faster toward the exit hatch.
Protect yourself. A voice in my mind screams at me. Protect your babies.
I scream beneath his fingers. My scream is muffled but loud enough to ring in my ears. I frantically bite down hard on his palm, tasting blood and sweat.
He hisses sharply, clamping his hand more fiercely over my mouth.
“You fucking bitch!” he snarls, his voice seething with menace.
Ignoring him, I thrash even harder, my vision blurring from fear. I dig my nails into the hand around my throat, clawing at his skin. Warm liquid runs down my hand, and a savage sense of satisfaction settles over me at the realization that I’ve drawn blood.
“I’ve had enough of you, you pathetic waste of space,” Zorin hisses. He turns me around roughly, the hand I’ve scourged going straight to my throat. His face is thunderous, his eyes squinted with malice, and his lips pressed into a hard, cruel line. “You will obey me!”
He draws his other hand back, and I brace myself, ready for the hard slap I know is coming. But before it does, something catches my eye—a pair of glowing eyes watching from the shadows behind him, their eerie gaze fixed upon us.
My heart pounds violently, relief flooding through me upon seeing Gunnar.
Zorin notices the movement, too, but before he can react, there’s a low growl, guttural and fierce, and suddenly, a flash of dark blond fur streaks across the basement. Gunnar, in his powerful wolf form, lunges directly at my captor.
Zorin releases me in shock, lurching backward, his arms raised defensively.
I stumble backward and out of his grasp, desperate to get out of the way before any harm comes to me or my babies.
The last thing I need is to get in between these fighting wolves.
Gunnar’s jaws clamp down, ripping fiercely into Zorin’s shoulder. A scream of pain tears from Zorin’s throat.
From behind me, another wolf emerges—large, muscular, and covered in thick black fur.
Damon.
He growls at Zorin, the sound reverberating in the small space, and then lunges at him from the opposite side, sinking his fangs deep into Zorin’s neck, the impact knocking them both sideways.
Zorin lets out a shrill yell before he fully transforms as well—an enormous white wolf standing in his place. Blood drips from his shoulder and the wound in his neck, but he struggles to his feet, snarling menacingly.
Damon stands in front of him, his chest heaving, and Gunnar comes to stand at his side, blood dripping from his maw.
His eyes glow, fury rolling off his tightly coiled body in waves.
My pulse races, relief mingling with fear as I watch the horror unfold before me. I want to scream, to tell Damon and Gunnar to be careful, but before I can, I’m picked up by a pair of strong arms.
I thrash wildly, thinking it must be Aleks or Raul. I need to escape and get as far away from them as possible.
I’m being carried toward the stairs, and I fight harder at the realization. If I go down, I’m going down where my men can see me.
“No!” I scream, at last, finding my voice. “Put me down!”
I writhe in the person’s arms, more determined than ever to escape.
“Lena! Sweetheart, it’s just me! It’s Max!”
“Oh, thank God,” I whisper, recognizing his voice and scent. I immediately stop moving and look into his eyes.
“I’ve got you, baby. We need to get you out of here.”
I cling to him instinctively, allowing him to carry me up the stairs and away from the chaos of the basement. He puts me down in the living room, far from the basement door, and grips my shoulders possessively.
“You should help them,” I say.
“Okay, stay here,” he urges. “Don’t get any closer to the basement. I don’t know what Zorin is capable of, but we’ll take care of the scumbag.”
I nod, my body still shaking with adrenaline.
“If anything happens, leave and run. Call the police,” he continues firmly. “And do not come near the basement until we give you the all-clear. I love you.”
He briefly kisses me and then returns to the basement to join the fray before I can say anything else. I watch him go, my heart beating frantically with fear.
The sounds of growling, snarling, and furniture breaking reach my ears, and the only thing I can do is pray that my alphas come out the other side unscathed.
