Page 67 of The Forbidden Alpha

I braced my hands against the dashboard as Gabe continued until the steel bumper slammed into the beast, knocking it completely off its legs with a sickening thud. The car skidded to a halt near the parking lot of the school, the tires screeching against the asphalt because we couldn’t get any closer.

I threw the door open and hit the ground running. The school was a disaster zone. The neat brick facade was scorched black, the playground fences twisted like ribbons, and shattered glass from the classroom windows littered the dirt where children’s backpacks lay abandoned.

“Olivia!” I screamed as a man lunged at her. She whirled around, her claws out, canines bared as she grabbed the rogue and tore the flesh from his throat. His legs gave out as blood gushed, staining his chest.

She walked over to us, her eyes flicking to Gabe before returning to me. “What are you doing here?” Her face was flushed, splattered with dust and blood.

“I—” Gabe started, but she cut him off.

“She is the future Luna. You shouldn’t have brought her here. You’re injured. How can you fight? We need her safe. Take her back.”

I swallowed hard, stepping in front of Gabe before she could push us away. “I’m not going back. I came as soon as I heard about the kids. What can I do?”

Olivia’s eyes narrowed, assessing the unyielding line of my jaw through the dust. “I don’t have time for this. If you’re going to stay, Gabe will need to protect you. I’m trying to get everyone to the hall, but have to clear these rogues first. If you could gather the children, I’d be grateful.”

I was operating on empty, but the screams of the kids pushed me forward. Olivia rushed a rogue and Gabe followed me closely. He darted toward screaming children, keeping his eyes on a gaunt rogue who bared his teeth at the kids. Gabe intercepted mid-lunge. He slammed his weight into the monster, pinning it to the gravel. I heard the wet tear of his bandages giving way.

I noticed a wolf beside the school, blood pooling from its maw as it tore sheet metal from the base of the outdoor ventilation unit and threw it aside. It was trying to get to something beneath the shattered metal grate.

“Adea!” he called after me, but I ignored him.

My heart was a fast and loud thumping in my chest as I ran as fast as I could. Every breath of smoke-thick air tore through my throat like sandpaper, my lungs screaming under the strain as adrenaline pumped through my veins. The pain was replaced with the need to protect the child.

The screech of wrenching metal was deafening, drowning out the scuff of my sneakers against the gravel. The beast was so entirely consumed by his hunger to get inside the grate that he didn’t notice me. I didn’t have a wolf, but I wouldn’t let him hurt whoever he was after. I jumped on the rogue, my nails digging into its throat as he bucked. I dug them into his skin as deep as I could. I’d never hurt someone, and somewhere in the farthest part of my mind, I was freaking out. The rogue let out a wet, guttural screech and thrashed violently under me, fighting like a wild beast against my hold. I wrapped my arms around him tightly as he struggled. When I was able, I lifted my hands to his face, my nails digging into his eyes. A warm, wet sensation coated my arms as the jelly of his eyes gave way beneath my fingers.

Blinded, the beast thrashed wildly beneath me as he fought hard to break my hold. He lunged sideways, slamming my back against the concrete wall of the schoolhouse in a desperate bid to shake me off. The impact rattled my teeth, but I wouldn’t let him go. With a growl of my own, I leaned all my weight into his head, driving my fingers deep until the thrashing ceased. His body stilled, the life going out beneath us as he collapsed heavily in the dirt.

I wanted to fall to the floor and cry. Every wound—new and old—screamed to life at once.

The sheer horror of what I’d just done coating my skin made my stomach heave, but I scrambled to my feet instead. I walked over to where he’d been tearing through metal. A patch of blond, unkempt curls stopped me.

A young boy covered his face with his hands, his tiny body shaking. He was terrified, his small chest heaving with silent sobs, but as he looked up at me, he whimpered, his lips moving to form a desperate plea:

“Oh-sis…”

His fragile arms reached out for me and I scooped him up, pulling him securely against my chest. I’d never been anyone’s savior, but I swore on the Goddess nothing would happen to him. Clutching him tight, I bolted away from the schoolhouse structure, shielding his face so he wouldn’t see the bodies littering the quad as I made it back to Gabe.

Something flickered deep within me, a strange buzz. I pressed forward through the blinding haze, but found no more survivors—only Enforcers fighting rogues. We’d been taken by surprise, but it looked like our warriors were finally turning the tide.

“Badass, Ady,” he finally cracked out, his voice shaking hard as he tore his eyes away from the child in my arms.

We had no time to waste. We had about ten sobbing kids, completely out in the open, and we didn’t know if there were more coming. A heavy, suffocating weight dropped into my stomach. We needed to cram all of them into the Challenger. There was no way we were leaving any of them here.

I held the boy tightly against my collarbone, pushing past the panic and worry.

I turned back once. Through the smoke and the wreckage, I found Olivia—already moving toward the next threat. Gabe had gone still beside me, watching her. She didn’t look back.

“The car,” I commanded as I started rushing toward it. “We’ll pack them in.”

We turned and he herded them behind me. We shoved the front seats forward as we quickly loaded the crying children onto the older kids’ laps. Some had to sit on the floor, crammed.

I took a seat in the front, the child secure in my arms, as the last child huddled at my feet. Gabe hopped into the driver’s side.

“Hold on tight, kids,” he warned as the engine roared back to life. He shifted into gear before peeling out to tear away from this hell. Hopefully, the main hall would still be safe.

Chapter 36

Gabe