Page 103 of Unhinged Alphas

A bone-chilling roar fills the train car as Wraith lets go of Valek, dumping him unceremoniously onto the floor. His face is hidden in shadow, but his piercing blue eyes flash in the moonlight.

The train car erupts into chaos. Wraith's massive form drops through the hole in the ceiling like an avenging angel, his body a blur of motion as he descends upon Valek. The impact shakes the entire car, metal groaning under the force.

Valek's head whips to the side a split second before Wraith's fist connects with the floor. Wood splinters and cracks, the sound of splintering timber drowned out by the rush of wind and the clatter of wheels on tracks visible through the newly formed hole.

The car lurches violently, throwing me off balance. I scramble to grab onto something, anything, as Wraith and Valek tear into each other like rabid animals. Their snarls and roars fill the air, punctuated by the shriek of tearing metal and splintering wood.

Valek's knife flashes in the moonlight, a silver blur as he slashes at Wraith's massive form. But Wraith is a force of nature, unstoppable and relentless.His fists crash down like sledgehammers, each impact shaking the entire car, his sweat-dampened black hair obscuring his face.

The train car bucks and shudders beneath my feet as I scramble to my feet. Wraith and Valek are locked in a deadly dance, fists and blades flashing in the moonlight. The car rocks violently as they slam into the walls.

The train rocks dangerously on the tracks. I need to do something, fast.

"Stop!" I scream, but my voice is lost in the cacophony of their battle.

There's no way they can hear me. They're fighting so hard and so viciously, they can't know they're about to derail the entire train. There's no way they would put me in danger like this if they have any idea.

I need to stop this train before we all die.

I lunge for the door, my fingers closing around the handle just as another violent jolt nearly sends me sprawling. The metal is ice-cold against my skin as I wrench it open, wind whipping my hair into my face.

The world outside is a blur of shadows and moonlight. We're high up in the mountains, the tracks hugging the edge of a cliff that plummets intodarkness. My stomach lurches at the sight, but I force myself to focus.

Behind me, Valek lets out a pained grunt as Wraith slams him into the wall. The entire car shudders, the coupler between this car and the next twisting and sparking dangerously.

No time to think.

I grab the cold metal ladder that leads to the roof of the next car and haul myself up, the howling wind buffeting me. If I get to the front of the train, I can force on the emergency brakes. These freight trains are rarely manned by humans. They're controlled via satellite instead and escorted by drones. There's nobody up front who will realize something's wrong and put on the brakes so we can escape.

My heart sinks when I glance up at the sky. Six drones keep pace with the train in V formation. Their undersides flash red as they bank, revealing Reinmich's telltale flag. That fucking double-armed crimson cross on a field of black. The symbol that's haunted my nightmares for years.

It might mean freedom and safety to some, but not me. Especially not now. And right now, all six of them are trained on this train.

Fuck.

A red light blinks on the nearest drone'sunderbelly, and my blood runs cold. That's not just a camera. It's a weapons system powering up. We're seconds away from being obliterated.

I need to move.Now.

There's just no way I can get to the front in time.

Then something catches my eye. There's a pattern to the drones' movements, a split-second lag as they adjust their formation to account for the winding mountain track.

If I time it right...

No. It's insane. Suicidal, even.

But as another crash echoes from inside the car, followed by Wraith's bone-chilling roar and the sound of metal twisting and breaking away, I realize I don't have a choice.

I take a deep breath, waiting for that split-second window.

There.

I launch myself off the train car, my body arcing through the frigid night air. For one heart-stopping moment, I'm suspended between the speeding train and the cliff's edge, nothing but darkness below me.

Then my hands close around cold metal, and I'm clinging to the underside of one of the drones, my heart pounding so hard I'm sure it'll shake me loose.

The drone dips under my sudden weight, itsengines whining as it struggles to compensate. I grit my teeth, fighting against the wind threatening to tear me away as the drones lift away from the train and start pursuing the one I'm hanging from.