Page 80 of Alpha Fate
Savannah’s face drops as realization sinks in. “Cole,” she whispers. “He’s dead?”
Rack shrugs again. “What’s it to you? It’s not like you remember him. And not like I’d care if you did. Besides, once we get rid of that spawn growing in you, there’ll be no trace left of him. You’ll be a clean slate.”
Savannah’s eyes fly wide. “What?”
“You don’t think I’d let you keep them, do you?” He starts to laugh. “Oh, sweetheart. As soon as we get you back, we’ll rip those things out of you so I can start again fresh.”
Even I can feel bile rising at the implications of what he’s saying.
“You…you’re an animal!” Savannah’s voice is colored with something, but it’s not fear. It’s fury.
“Yes. That’s exactly what I am. I’ve never denied it. And now I’ll see to it that my line continues by—”
The sentence cut short as Savannah rears back and smashes her head into his face in a crushing headbutt. Even I’m surprised by the move – but not for long. As Savannah pulls free and dives to the side, I seize my chance. In a flash, I spring forward, slamming into Rack’s burly chest. He may be big, but so am I, and it’s a crushing collision.
As Rack staggers back with a howl, I rip the knife from his grasp and hurl it away. Before he can react, I tackle him to the ground. We crash down, a tangle of fists and limbs. I rain blows on him in a blind fury. He claws at my face, nearly taking out my eye. But I am possessed by a singular purpose. Destroy this monster. Make him suffer the way he made my woman suffer.
I pin Rack beneath me, fingers wrapped around his throat. His face purples as he struggles for air. My hands itch to snap his neck. To end him for good. But before I can, something hits me hard from the side. A ball of fur and claws. One of Rack’s surviving rogues has come to his rescue.
Fuck!
I fight to keep my grip as the wolf buries his fangs in my shoulder. The pain is blinding, but not enough to stop me from wanting to kill the beast I’ve been waiting so long to get my hands on. I fight to hang onto him, shaking myself violently to try to dislodge my attacker.
And then suddenly, his fangs tear free of my flesh. All I’m aware of is a bloodthirsty snarl and a streak of jet-black fury flying through the air.
Savannah!
Somehow, she’s fought free of her bonds and has managed to shift. And now, the rescuer becomes the rescued.
Savannah moves with lethal grace, her wolf a sleek shadow darting across the concrete floor. She slams into the rogue, teeth bared in a vicious snarl as she latches onto his hind leg. He howls in agony, spinning to face this new threat. But Savannah is a whirlwind of snapping jaws and raking claws.
Fuck! She’s incredible!
I’m momentarily frozen, stunned by the ferocity of her assault. She fights like a beast possessed. Gone is the frightened, vulnerable woman I’d found captive here. Now, there is only the warrior defending her mate.
Tearing a chunk from the rogue’s hind leg, she cripples him as he tries to scramble away. And then she falls on him, intent on finishing what she started.
I return my attention to Rack, who is wheezing beneath me. In my distraction, he’s managed to suck some air back into his lungs. But not for long.
This ends now.
I wrap my fingers around his throat again, squeezing with bruising force. His good eye bulges, face purpling once more as I cut off his air supply. He beats at my arms weakly, but I barely feel it. All I feel is the driving need to wipe him off the face of the earth.
“Please…” he chokes out. “Mercy…”
My lip curls in a snarl. “Mercy? When did you ever show mercy to anyone?” My grip tightens. “You don’t deserve it.”
He makes a strangled sound, hands clutching feebly at mine. But his remaining strength is no match for the rage that drives me. I am judge and executioner.
I don’t release my grasp until his body goes limp beneath me, his one eye rolling back as he loses consciousness. My wolf howls within, demanding I finish it. End him while he’s helpless.
Do it! Do it now!
But another small voice in my mind stops me. I can’t kill a defenseless man, no matter how much he deserves it.
Releasing Rack, I stand and glance around. Most of his wolves have fled like the cowards they are, aside from the one Savannah disabled. He lies motionless nearby, a pool of crimson spreading beneath him. Whether he’s dead or alive, he’s no longer a threat.
Savannah pads up to me, tongue lolling. Our bond thrums between us, flooded with relief and residual adrenaline. I glide my hands over her silky fur, breathing in her sweet scent untainted by fear.