AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I growled at Kyle. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold back my wolf. When it came to Tori, I had no sense of control. It was not only my job but my privilege to protect her, love her, fight for her. Being this close to such a threat to her had me and my wolf seeing red.
Kyle turned his head toward me, sighed, and rolled his eyes as if he had no fear that when I got my hands on him, I would kill him.
That action stopped me in my tracks. It was so strikingly familiar. This fucking guy had Tori’s eye-roll, her exact sigh, her stance when she was exasperated.
Fuck. Me.I knew who he was, why he was so familiar. Kyle was Tori’s brother. And his name was familiar because she’d told me her older brother’s name was Kyle.
I studied him closely, but I wasn’t quite prepared to face the answer. I pushed that idea away in a quick second because no way could I believe that this Kyle was the same one she’d told me about. What kind of fucked-up family dynamic did they have if he was hunting his sister? That took some sheer evil.
Her brother should have beenshieldingher, even if it meant putting his own life in danger. Having such a remarkable little sister to care for was a privilege. It didn’t make sense to put her life at risk. I couldn’t fathom why he’d do such a thing just because she’d been born a shifter. That was her only crime.
Zander got Kyle’s attention, dragging me out of my spiraling thoughts. I stared at him, not liking the look he had on his face when he spoke. “You know, if you’re looking for a Victoria, I can certainly volunteer some information if we can come to a gentleman’s agreement of sorts. You get the information you want, and we both forget I was ever here.”
The ground fell out from beneath my feet. If I ever got my hands on him again, I’d kill the little fucker for trying to sell out Tori and acting so selfishly. He didn’t give a fuck about Tori, only about saving his own hide. It was unacceptable and punishable by death.
“Shut the fuck up, Zander!” Audrey screamed.
I stomped closer to the cell, burning my skin on the silver bars. I wanted to eradicate Zander, and it didn’t matter if it killed me to get to him.
But Kyle moved quickly—faster than it should’ve been possible for any human to move—to Zander’s cell. He yanked the door open and pinned Zander against the wall, wrapping a meaty hand around Zander’s neck.
I was jealous. I wanted it to be my hand holding Zander until his feet were dangling above the ground, his heels kicking at the wall behind him.
Zander struggled to breathe and clawed at Kyle’s hand, trying to loosen the hold, but he couldn’t shift or fight. He wasn’t in the physical condition to be much of a threat to Kyle.
I stepped back from the bars, forcing myself to calm down and let my body work to heal the skin from the instantaneous silver burns while I watched the unreasonably angry hunter snap at Zander.
“Well, if you really want to volunteer for something, then great, you’ll go first.” Kyle’s voice lowered to a deadly growl as he stood rigidly against Zander, keeping him pinned to the wall.
Zander tried to fight back, but the hunter tranquilizer, coupled with the alcohol that was likely still in his system, was slowing him. He didn’t stand a chance against the power of this strong, skilled hunter.
Kyle dragged Zander out of the holding cell like he was pulling a child’s rag doll. Tori hadn’t been mistaken about the hunters being infused with shifter speed and strength. They’d obviously had the help of witches at some point.
Neither Kyle nor Zander glanced at me or Audrey as they left.
“Dammit to hell,” I sputtered, pacing from corner to corner in my cell, careful to avoid the silver. As badly as I wanted to throttle Zander for trying to give up my fated mate for his own freedom, the alpha in me was concerned about what they were going to do to one of my pack members. Once he was safely back in the fold, I would punish him for not respecting Tori as his future luna, but it would be me, not a hunter, delivering the death blow. If I decided death was what he deserved.
Every second Diana remained unconscious, every second Zander was gone, my concern grew. I checked on Diana again. She hadn’t moved during any of our interactions with the heavy-handed hunters or Kyle.What if they’d given her too much of whatever the fuck had knocked us out and she never woke up? The thought caused an ache in my gut.She meant too much to me. She’d been there after my mom was killed and my aunt went feral.
I couldn’t be—didn’t want to be—the one who had to tell Margo I hadn’t been strong enough to save her mom. My blood turned to ice at picturing how Diana’s death would affect her.
It wouldn’t happen. I’d get Diana out. I’d get us all out, even Zander.
Audrey huffed and puffed, and I turned to look at her. She was looking at me, her eyes wide and her mouth drawn in a tight line. I’d never seen Audrey look alarmed before. I didn’t like it.
She always put up a tough front, but there was no mistaking the panic and fear in her expression. We were in trouble, but I couldn’t have her thinking the worst, thinking that this was all over. Because it wasn’t. I had a fated mate to get to, a life to live.
“Pull it together, Audrey. I’m going to find a way out for all of us.” I stared at her with conviction while praying deep down that we were the only shifters who had been taken and that Tori had somehow managed to elude the hunters once again.
“That bastard!” Audrey shrieked. “Why would he do that? Fucking Zander. How the fuck could he just give Tori up like that? That little fucker is a worse monster than the hunters.” Tears shone brightly in her big brown eyes as she clenched her fists at her sides.
Her outrage on Tori’s behalf warmed my heart. I knew the two women weren’t exactly the best of friends, so to hear her anger at Zander’s betrayal, well, I agreed with her one hundred percent. That’s why I fought so hard against what my ancestors had done and what they’d stood for. I’d worked so hard to rectify the history and cleanse the Blackwood name.
Aching for Tori and fearing what Zander might disclose without us there to intervene, I closed my eyes. I envisioned my beautiful girl peacefully asleep and recovering in the hospital where I’d last seen her, her wound healing nicely. I couldn’t think of the panic she’d go through when she found out I’d been abducted. She’d lay all the guilt at her own feet for the hunters getting me.
Determination surged through me, fueling me to get back to her and hold her in my arms. However, as alpha, I needed to take care of my pack mates here, and I’d do everything possible to ensure they all got home.
Everyone.
