Page 76 of Alpha Chained
My head snaps up, eyes wide. “What?”
“Some of our packmates, they were taken. Like you.” Willow’s gaze is intense, burning into mine. “I don’t know where, but they’re out there somewhere.”
I stagger back a step, mind reeling. All these years, I thought I was the only survivor. The only one left to carry the burden of our pack’s destruction. But if there are others…
“My God.” My voice rasps the words, my throat clogged.
“It’s true.” Willow’s eyes are bright and earnest. “We’re not all gone, Riley.”
“Fuck.” I scrub a hand over my face. The thought of anyone else going through what I’ve endured is intolerable. And even worse, the thought of Willow being sold into a life of slavery…
I won’t allow it.
Something tightens inside me. A sense of resolve.
I’m getting us out of here.
It’s not the first time I’ve had this thought while in this cell, and maybe I’m a fool for even thinking it, but I don’t care.
“What’s wrong?” Willow is looking at me. Even after all these years, all this time apart, she can still tell when there’s something on my mind.
I glance about at the bars surrounding us. The bare walls. The reinforced steel.
“We’re not staying here,” I say beneath my breath.
Her eyes fly wide. “You mean…?”
I nod grimly. I don’t have any idea how I’m going to do this yet, but it’s going to happen. There’s a sense of certainty in me that I can’t quite put my finger on. A sense of resolve. As if something just clicked into place.
And then I feel it.
Her.
I feel her.
“Raura’s coming,” I whisper. I know it with a certainty that’s absolute.
“What?” Confusion colors Willow’s face. “Who’s Raura?”
“My mate. She’s coming.” It almost makes me breathless to say the word. She’s my mate. It’s as simple as that. What isn’t simple is the realization that this is a problem.
Shit!
She can’t come here. It won’t be safe. But the longer I stand here, the more my senses start to tingle until it feels like my blood is burning. There’s no stopping her. She’s being drawn here. Resisting it would hurt as much as it hurt for me to leave her.
And now, the feeling of Raura coming closer is like a siren call inside me, growing stronger by the second. My wolf is practically howling to get to her, to hold her in my arms again. But at the same time, a sense of dread settles like a lead weight in my belly. It’s too dangerous.
If Parker gets his hands on her again…
I shake my head, refusing to even entertain the thought. I took her back to her pack to keep her safe, dammit. I can’t let it be for nothing.
And then there’s Willow. My baby sister, who I haven’t seen for so many years, is finally within reach. I have to get her out of here. I can’t fail her again.
My mind races, trying to formulate some kind of plan.
Maybe if I-
Suddenly, a loud commotion erupts outside the cell block, yanking me from my thoughts. Shouts echo off the concrete walls, followed by the pounding of heavy boots.