Page 50 of Alpha Chained

There’s only one thing left to do.

With a growl, I wrench the wheel hard to the left, standing on the brakes and cranking the emergency brake up in one savage motion. The truck spins in a spray of dirt and gravel, the centrifugal force wrenching the driver’s side door open with a tortured shriek of metal. I steel myself for what has to happen next because I have no doubt about our last course of action.

If we can’t outrun them, we’ll just have to face them down.

Chapter 18

Raura

I grip the door handle tightly, my knuckles turning white as the vehicle bears down on us. Terror grips me, my heart pounding so hard I can hear the blood rushing in my ears.

Then Riot flings himself out of the truck, his powerful body primed and ready. “Wait here!” he bellows at me.

Two heavily armed men get out the front of the vehicle, their weapons raised menacingly. They’re the ones from the diner. My stomach drops as two more emerge from the back, both hulking and dangerous-looking. But Riot doesn’t seem fazed at all, standing his ground defiantly.

“We’re here to take you back,” one of the men growls. “The girl’s a bonus. But we’ll be happy to get rid of her if you even think of giving us any trouble.”

Riot’s eyes blaze with fury. “You’ll die first,” he snarls, his hands curling into fists.

“Or maybe you will,” the biggest of them – he looks like the leader – spits out.

“Either way, you’re not taking us back.” Riot’s features set into a grim line

I find myself nodding in agreement. There’s no way I’ll ever go back to that place. I’d rather face death than be caged again like an animal. Riot saved me once – if he’s willing to fight for our freedom, then so am I. With trembling hands, I ready myself to shift forms if needed. We’re not going down without a battle.

There’s a dry chuckle from one of the men at the back. “You’re big, wolfboy, but you don’t know what you’re up against. You think we haven’t done this before?”

I swallow hard. If they’re prepared for us, that means those weapons will be loaded with silver.

The big one raises his weapon and draws a line on Riot. “Make this easy, and you might both get back in one piece,” he says. “Otherwise—”

There’s a sudden blur of movement that leaves my mouth hanging open.

I brace myself against the door, my heart pounding as Riot springs into action. He moves so swiftly that the gunman doesn’t even have time to react before Riot is on him, a blur of lethal grace and coiled strength. Riot’s fists are like lightning, raining down brutal, punishing blows that land with sickening thuds.

The man crumples to the ground like a broken doll, his weapon landing uselessly beside him – no match for the ferocious power rippling through Riot’s every movement.

I can’t tear my eyes away, my heart pounding as I watch the warrior at work, ruthless yet controlled, unstoppable yet somehow restrained. Riot fights with a raw intensity, but there’s a cold precision to his brutality that leaves me in awe. This is his element – the dance of combat that has shaped his life for so long.

A movement catches my attention. The second gunman swinging up his arm – and I realize that Riot had taken the first one out with such speed that the others hadn’t realized what was happening. But they’re reacting now…with deadly force. I see the man’s finger on the trigger, and then a gunshot cracks out. I scream as the bullet clips Riot’s shoulder, but he doesn’t even flinch. The silver must hurt like hell, but he simply pivots and charges the second gunman with the same ruthless efficiency.

The fight is over almost before it’s begun, the man lifeless on the floor so fast it’s hard to figure out what happened.

My hands are trembling, but I force myself to stay focused. There are still two more assailants left, both looking more wary now that they’ve seen what Riot is capable of. I tense, my nails elongating into claws as my wolf’s energy starts coursing through me.

Without warning, one of the remaining men charges at Riot, automatic weapon raised. Terror grips me as I see the muzzle flash and hear bullets start peppering the side of the pickup truck.

“Riot!” Without thinking, I bound out from my cover, halfway shifting into my wolf form as I move. My bones crack and reform, fur sprouting over my body as I rush to help Riot. But before I can reach him, a powerful arm wraps around my throat, jerking me back against a solid chest. The cold muzzle of a gun presses against my temple.

“Don’t move, wolfboy,” a gruff voice growls past my ear. “Silver bullets in this thing. One wrong move, and I blow her pretty head off.”

Riot freezes, his eyes locking onto mine. I can see the conflict raging within him – the desire to keep fighting warring with his need to protect me. A sickening sense of powerlessness washes over me as I realize I’m once again being used as a bargaining chip, just like Parker had done. And it was my own stupidity that got me into this position.

The man holding me chuckles darkly. “There’s no escaping Franklin Parker. You should know that by now.”

But he’s underestimated the situation. In a blur of motion, Riot’s body contorts and shifts. One second he’s standing there, the next the massive black wolf with glowing silver eyes takes his place.

He’s magnificent!