Page 24 of Alpha Fate

I slip into the shadows, the wolves padding in alongside me. It may be quiet out here, but there’s no way we won’t encounter guards inside the cell block.

The cell block where they’re holding her. Everything inside me is urging me to rush in there. To pull her out.

Not yet.

Wait.

Wait.

A crashing explosion marks the signal we’ve been waiting for. A flare shoots into the air on the far side of the compound.

We’re on!

Ducking low, I hurry forward, moving through the shadows in the direction of the squat building in front of me. The endless yards to reach it feel intolerable, my shoulders twitching in anticipation of something running up behind me, but it only takes seconds to get there. Barrett and Tarkin have moved off to flank me, out of sight, but I know they’re near.

I slip through the doorway into the dark corridor, senses straining for any sign of movement. The air is thick with rotting garbage and mold, making my wolf rumble with disgust. I can’t believe I managed to tolerate this for the hours I was stuck here before.

I can’t believe Savannah’s had to deal with it either. And for how long? Now, my wolf is growling at the thought of it.

Easy, boy. Calm.

My boots scuff across the gritty floor as I make my way toward the cells, Tarkin and Barrett prowling silently in my wake. The dim emergency lights cast sinister shadows across the walls. It’s still too quiet. My nerves hum with tension, anticipating an ambush with every step.

Where are the guards? They have to know we’re here. I flex my fingers, ready to shift in an instant if needed. We won’t be caught unprepared.

Except…no shifting. I can’t, dammit. I need to be able to locate Savannah, communicate with her, and, most importantly, get her out of here.

A scrape of movement sounds from up ahead, and I freeze, throwing up a hand in warning. Tarkin and Barrett melt into the darkness just as two hulking forms detach from the shadows. Wolf shifters in human form, dressed in dirty fatigues. One of them grins, showing a mouthful of jagged teeth. It’s a face I recognize from the last time I was here. A face I’d like to strike.

“Well, well. Look what we got here, boys,” he rasps. “Come back for more of our hospitality, wolf?” he sneers at me.

“Hospitality?” I scoff. “You’re hoping to earn that second star? Newsflash, there’s no travel guide heading your way soon.”

“Very funny, cocksucker.” He gives a shake of his heavy head. “I’m guessing you didn’t think we’d been waiting for you, right?”

He’s wrong. I’ve been expecting this. I’m just surprised it took this long.

More forms slink from the gloom to join him. At least six. I can see the eagerness for violence in their cruel eyes. My gut tightens.

“Come on then,” I challenge, beckoning them forward with a hand, Bruce Lee-style. “Let’s get this over with.”

With savage grins, they shift, bones cracking, bodies contorting. Snarls fill the air as six enormous wolves stalk toward me, lips peeled back over gleaming fangs. I stand firm, heartbeat steady. Waiting.

The lead wolf lunges and Tarkin explodes from the dark, slamming into him in a blur of red fur. They go down in a flurry of limbs, crashing into the others. Barrett is right behind, seizing the throat of another in his powerful jaws.

Chaos erupts. Snaps and howls fill the corridor as Tarkin and Barrett battle the vicious pack. I skirt the brawl, ducking under swiping claws, and gnashing teeth. One breaks from the fight and whirls toward me, but Barrett tackles him with a roar. They smash into the wall in a spray of dust and debris.

Tarkin snarls through a mouthful of fur as he rips into one of the wolves. He can’t speak, but I know what he’s trying to tell me: “Go!”

I don’t hesitate. Leaving them to handle the guards, I race for the cellblock door. Savannah is so close, her scent strong in the air.

Have to get to her!

Bursting through, I sprint down the row of cells, heart pounding as I recognize the squalid interiors.

“Savannah!” I shout her name, desperate to see her familiar form. To take her away from this awful place.

I skid to a stop at her cell, and my breath leaves me in a rush.