Page 59 of Alpha Chained

Fuck. That one’s gonna leave a mark.

Jagger presses the advantage, launching himself at me. We crash to the ground, our snarls intermingling, the sound wild and menacing.

The need for dominance surges through me, fueled by adrenaline and the thrill of the fight. Neither of us is willing to back down, our wills clashing as violently as our fists. I can taste the metallic tang of blood mingling with sweat, but the pain only spurs me on, igniting the beast within.

“Riot! No!” I can hear Raura screaming at us to stop, but her pleas fall on deaf ears. The beast inside me has taken over, and all I want is to make this fucker submit.

I manage to get Jagger down, pinning him to the ground with my superior strength. But before I can deliver the final blow, rough hands grasp my arms as the other members of the team pounce on me, wrestling me away from their Alpha. I snarl and thrash against their hold, half in my wolf form, my fangs bared and ready to tear into flesh.

“Enough!” somebody bellows. “Back down!”

It takes all of them to restrain me, their combined strength barely enough to keep me contained. I’m fueled by years of pent-up rage and the instinct to dominate. Jagger is in a similar state, his eyes wild and his teeth snapping. But it seems that he has better control over his wolf than I do because he’s back on his feet, a picture of restrained ferocity.

The same can’t be said for me. The beast inside me still rages, refusing to submit. With a feral snarl, I tear myself free from the grip of the wolves restraining me, my claws slashing through the air. I feel them connect with flesh, the sickening sound of ripping skin and tearing flesh filling my ears.

“Barrett! Barrett’s down!” someone yells, the panic in their voice cutting through the haze of fury clouding my mind.

I glance down, my heart skipping a beat as I see a silver-haired male crumpled on the ground, crimson pooling beneath him.

Fuck! What are you doing?

I didn’t come here for this. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. A haven. I’m supposed to be safe here.

Then why are you fighting?

I don’t know the answer to that, except that it’s all I know how to do. Face the enemy, take them down. Adrenaline drives me with a rush that seems unstoppable as I work to tear myself free.

The wolves renew their efforts to subdue me. The red-haired female is changing into her wolf form, her fangs bared. I sense others beginning to shift, too, turning to the superior strength of their beasts as they wrestle me to the ground.

I thrash and snarl, my body half-shifted, caught between man and beast. The dirt and gravel bite into my skin as they pin me down, their combined weight crushing the air from my lungs.

“Riot, please! Stop!” Raura’s desperate screams pierce through the fog of rage, her tear-streaked face coming into focus above me. “Please, don’t do this!”

Her words are like a bucket of ice water, shocking me back to reality. The fight drains out of me, my body going limp beneath the hands holding me down. I’m torn, the need to fight warring with the desire to comfort her, to wipe away her tears.

You made her cry, you asshole! You did that!

Jagger steps forward, his face a mask of blood and fury. “Get him out of here,” he snarls, his chest heaving with each labored breath. “Lock him up.”

“Jagger! No!” It’s Raura again, and my chest tightens. “You don’t understand. Please”

I’m hauled to my feet, feeling myself being dragged. I struggle against their grip, more out of instinct than any real desire to break free. My eyes lock with Raura’s, the pain and despair in her gaze tearing at my heart.

The small group keeps their distance as I’m hauled away. Before I know it, I’ve been pulled into a small building and pushed into a room lined with cells.

Just like before.

“Maybe you’ll cool the fuck down now,” the she-wolf snarls at me as they shove me into one of them. The cell door clangs shut behind me, the sound echoing. I turn to face them, chest still heaving, fists clenched as I watch them walk away.

And then I exhale.

I’m back behind bars, just like I’ve been for the past decade. But this time, it’s not the Enclave that holds me prisoner; this time, it’s my own kind.

Either way, I’m caged.

Chapter 22

Raura