Page 45 of Alpha's Claim
Colt’s wolf surged to the forefront, his senses sharpening, adrenaline spiking through his veins. His horse slid to a stop, and he swung down from the saddle before it had fully stopped, striding toward the figure while Bryce remained on his horse.
Elle.
She was sprawled on the ground, unconscious, her clothes disheveled and dirt smudging her pale face. For a moment, Colt’s heart pounded with a flicker of cold, calculating fury. Whatever had happened to her, it had to be connected to Briar’s absence.
“Is she breathing?” Bryce asked, getting off his horse and coming to stand by his brother.
Colt crouched and placed two fingers against her neck. A faint pulse thudded beneath his fingertips. "She's alive," he confirmed. His jaw clenched. "But she’s going to start talking the second she wakes up."
Bryce grunted in agreement, scanning the area with narrowed eyes. “No sign of Briar.”
Colt inhaled deeply, trying to catch Briar’s scent on the wind, but the only thing lingering was the bitter smell of magic—heavy, dark, and all too familiar. His wolf bristled, muscles coiling with frustration.
“Wake her up,” Colt growled, his voice a low rumble of command.
Bryce dug a canteen from his saddlebag and poured cold water over Elle’s face. She stirred with a groan, her eyelashes fluttering open as she struggled to focus.
Colt leaned closer, his expression hard, his eyes glowing with barely restrained fury. “Where’s Briar?”
Elle blinked groggily, confusion clouding her eyes. It took her a moment to remember where she was—or perhaps what she’d done. Her face crumpled as weak, choked sobs spilled from her lips.
“They took her,” she whispered, her voice hoarse and trembling. “Briar’s coven. They came for her. They said she belonged to them.”
Colt’s entire body went rigid, his wolf snarling inside him. “Start talking, Elle,” he ordered, his voice dangerously low. “What the hell happened here?”
Elle sat up slowly, cradling her head in her hands. Tears welled in her eyes, streaking dirt down her cheeks. “They… they came to me at the hotel,” she stammered, her words barely audible. “Men from her coven. They had a picture of her and knew everything about her—who she was, where she’d been. They offered me a lot of money and said they’d set me up in California.”
Bryce scoffed. “And you believed them?”
Elle’s sobs deepened. “I… I was desperate. I thought... I thought if I helped them, then Briar would be gone and maybe Colt would see me differently, and if he didn’t then at least I would be beyond the pack’s reach.” She pressed her hands to her face, shame written all over her expression. “I just wanted a way back. I didn’t know they’d take her like this. I didn’t know...” Her voice cracked, and she dissolved into tears.
Colt’s jaw flexed, his teeth grinding together as a wave of righteous anger surged through him. He wanted to shake her—wanted to make her understand the magnitude of her betrayal. Instead, he gripped her arm tightly, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“You betrayed your pack,” Colt growled, his voice as cold as steel. “You betrayed me, and you betrayed Briar.”
Elle sobbed harder, but Colt had no sympathy left to offer her.
“How did you contact her?” Bryce demanded, his voice sharp with suspicion. “Briar wouldn’t have just agreed to meet you after everything.”
Elle sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “I...” She hesitated, then glanced away, guilt shadowing her face. “I… looked at Etta’s phone before I left. I found Briar’s number.” She swallowed hard. “I thought it might be useful, and I texted her. I told her I wanted to apologize… that I needed to explain things.”
Colt’s vision blurred with rage, his fists clenching at his sides. “You manipulated her,” he snarled, his voice barely human.
Elle shrank back, her sobs quieting to soft, pitiful hiccups. “I didn’t mean for it to happen like this. I swear! I didn’t think...”
“You didn’t think at all,” Colt interrupted, his voice cutting like a blade. “And now Briar’s gone because of you.”
Elle whimpered, her hands trembling in her lap. “I thought they just wanted to talk to her to convince her that she belonged to them. I didn’t know they’d...”
“You didn’t care,” Colt finished for her, his tone laced with disgust.
Bryce crouched beside her, his expression hard. “Where did they take her?”
Elle shook her head, panic flashing in her eyes. “I… I don’t know. I swear, they didn’t tell me. They just… they knocked me out after Briar fought back.”
Colt’s heart twisted painfully at the thought of Briar trying to fight her coven alone, surrounded and outnumbered. What would they do when they realized he’d claimed her, and she was now part she-wolf? His wolf howled inside him, a raw, guttural sound of fury and anguish.
He stood abruptly, towering over Elle. “You’d better pray we find her,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. “Because if anything happens to Briar, there won’t be a pack in this world that can save you.”