Page 66 of The Forbidden Alpha

Chapter 35

The broadcast from the alarm was still ringing in my ears when I scrambled up from the shattered glass of the rug, my palms scraping against fallen debris.

“Breach confirmed at the elementary school! Save anyone you can—get the children out!”

“Where are you going?” Gabe snapped, his voice panicked as he tried to get up. He winced, his face turning pale as the sudden movement tore directly at the heavy bandages wrapping his shredded back.

“I have to help,” I said, my voice trembling as wails from outside reached my ears. “There’s been an attack and we need to help.”

“We aren’t officially in this pack. What’re you going to do, Adea? You need protection, you can’t give it!”

His words were a low blow. Protection. I had spent the last few days being shielded, trapped, and Shane still got to me.

I was so sick of carrying the weight of everyone else’s guilt.

Before he could pull himself out of the chair, I stepped forward and slapped him across the face.

The sharp crack echoed off the concrete walls. Gabe’s head snapped to the side. His blue eyes widened in absolute shock, his lips parting. He turned to me, his fingers touching his burning cheek.

“I love you, Gabby, but you need to snap out of it,” I told him, my voice hardening with my resolve. “Wolf, no wolf, that wouldn’t stop me from doing something. When have we been people who stand by?”

His eyes closed, a heavy, defeated breath escaping his chest, and I pulled away. Every muscle in my lower body still burned, and the pain still throbbed under my turtleneck—a reminder I wasn’t at my best, but the adrenaline was a fire in my veins.

I turned on my heel and bolted. I didn’t stop until I stood by the elevator. Behind me, the heavy thud of Gabe’s combat boots hit the floor as he followed me.

As the doors closed on us and the elevator began its descent, he cleared his throat.

“I needed that. Thank you,” he murmured.

I looked at him and grabbed his hand. He squeezed it.

“Whenever you need a slap to the face, let me know, I’ll always be happy to help,” I teased, a small attempt to lighten things before we got down there and the world swallowed us whole.

“Deal, Ady,” he murmured, the faint, boyish ghost of his old smile flashing before it died. “I know that look. Promise me you’ll think before you act.”

I wasn’t going to hide anymore. I refused to stay still. I was the future Luna of this pack, and if my people were bleeding, I belonged on the front lines with them.

The doors slid wide and chaos flooded the space. Panic-stricken neighbors covered in plaster dust, scared families shoving past the security gates, and a few secondary guards trying to direct the traffic surged through the lobby.

I shook my head. “I need to see what’s happening,” I said, stepping into the crowd.

Gabe closed his eyes, his knuckles turning white as he kept pace right beside me, ignoring the way his posture dragged from his wounds. “I know how you feel. My mate’s out there too.”

“Let’s go.” I moved through the rush of bodies.

The moment we shoved through the threshold, the air was like a whip against my skin. The eastern wing of the tower had completely crumbled in a shower of concrete. Blood stained the dirt pathways. People were shifting and running toward what I assumed was the direction of the school. In the distance, I could see thick plumes of smoke billowing from a cluster of buildings.

My vision swam, a heavy wave of uselessness washing over me as my aching body and throbbing neck reminded me just how weak I really was. I couldn’t shift. I couldn’t run fast enough to get to the elementary school. There was no time for self-pity, but the sheer frustration burned hot in my chest.

The jangle of metal drew my attention. I whirled around, finding Gabe against the heavy iron double doors. He was pale, but an arrogant smirk managed to touch his lips as he held up a ring of keys. He couldn’t shift, but at least we weren’t going to walk. His car was parked just past the courtyard.

As soon as we were in, the engine of the Challenger roared to life. We tore down the pathway, the tires throwing up rocks and dust as he followed after the wolves. I gripped the door handle as he swerved off the road.

Every second counted. The plumes of black smoke rising over the trees were growing thicker, but as we neared, my mouth dropped at what I saw up ahead. Dozens of wolves were tearing through the quad. Most of them were hideous—their ribs protruding against mangy, patchy fur, their faces gaunt, and their eyes clouded with the rabid insanity of long-term exile. But fighting right alongside the monsters were massive, healthy wolves. Their thick coats were immaculate, their movements disciplined and dangerous. Wolves I had grown up seeing every single day.

“They aren’t just rogues,” Gabe muttered in disbelief, his hands gripping the steering wheel hard. “They’re Half Moon.”

Before the horror of it had finished processing, Jaxon had bowed. He’d said the debt was recognized. He’d wept over his son and then sent his wolves to kill children. Unless it wasn’t Jaxon at all. A flash of movement caught the windshield. Two Enforcers in blood-splattered tactical vests fought off a rogue wolf, their silver blades catching the red glare of the sirens. The car accelerated—the engine screaming as Gabe floored the gas, speeding directly toward the clash.