Page 61 of The Alpha's Mates

Reese!

My name was whispered softly in my mind. I couldn't look around, but it had been Soren. Where was he? I could feel them. The strength that always seemed to amplify when they werearound was flowing through my body. It was a comfort in this stressful time.

"You're a great deal more difficult than your family has been."

I focused back on Arune, shock making me forget about what I'd heard. "What?"

Her smile was wicked. "You thought your grandfather managed to start a war between shifters all by himself?" She clucked her tongue, giving me a pitying look. "You don't exactly come from the brightest of shifters. Made it easy for me."

That was the truth. My grandfather was a fool if he aligned himself with this devious bitch. The look on her face told me what she said was true. She was hoping it would hurt me to hear the reasoning behind that despicable war. If she thought it would endear me to her, she didn't really understand my hatred for the males in my family. They'd killed my mother. The night I'd tried to escape, Mom had insisted I run. That she would talk with my father, give me time to go. I hadn't told anyone what I'd seen that night, but neither my father, nor my brothers would live to see their elder years.

"I don't care," I told her honestly.

She frowned at me. "You should. You think your mates aren't going to feel differently about you once they realize that your grandfather played a part in all this?"

They already know he started the war. And they accept me anyway,I told myself. She wasn't going to make me insecure about them.

Why isn't she waking up?

My breath caught in my throat. Atlas's question made me realize why everything seemed so off. I was dreaming.

Why the fuck is she bleeding?

Swallowing hard, my mind raced as I tried to figure out how to break out of the hold Arune had on me. If Calder could seewhere she cut me, that meant she could actually kill me in this dream state. Was this the only place she could? Why hadn’t she attacked directly? It didn’t matter right now. If this was a dream, I could win. Only I controlled my dreams. She could only infiltrate them.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked her, trying to understand. Trying to buy time. "Is a broken, uninhabited world really worth ruling over? Because that's what's going to be left if you pit shifters and humans together in a war."

Her smile grew. "You think I don't want them to destroy each other?" She laughed, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. "I'm counting on it, little wolf."

Gritting my teeth together, I tried to focus on my mates' voices. More of their conversation was bleeding through. I kept them centered in my mind.Wake up. Wake up.

She spun suddenly on her heels, fire blazing in her eyes. “What do you think you are doing, little wolf? You think you can escape my grasp?”

It’s just a dream, it’s not real.Around us the wind picked up, the moon rose higher and shone down much brighter than should have been possible, but this wasmydream. She stalked closer, hand raised ready to strike me. I grabbed onto Soren’s voice, steady, and calm. I could feel Atlas holding my hands, the warmth in them. I was resting in Calder’s lap, his hands stroking my forehead comforting me. They were grounding me. I clung to them, their love coursing through me. Giving me strength.

Arune stepped forward and brought her hand down on me. It didn't connect. Her face went from rage to frightened confusion. We both turned our heads slightly. I was holding her arm at the wrist. I had caught her blow.

The winds intensified, washing clouds over the moon and blocking the light. Darkness swept over us, and for the briefest second, I felt her fear as though it was my own. She was scaredof me. It had brought her out of hiding and forced her to take action. Arune tugged hard and snatched her arm out of my grip.

With a gasp, I reared up, struggling against the hands trying to hold me down.

"Easy. Easy, Mate," Soren said in a soothing voice.

I looked around, but I was back, concealed behind our rock with them surrounding me. My eyes locked with Soren's. There was worry and questions swimming in them. "We have to go. Now."

CHAPTER 27

Soren

She was terrified. I frowned, but looked around and met the gazes of my cadre mates. Atlas gave an almost imperceivable nod. We didn't need to speak. Didn't need to wonder whether she had just had a bad dream. We were way past doubting her. Reese had kept herself, and her pack, alive for longer than most could have. Her instincts were well honed and, though I didn't know what had happened to put the panic on her face, I knew we needed to listen.

"Come on," I grabbed her by the hand to help her up. It took everything inside of me to keep from holding her close. It would be a waste of precious seconds and her urgency was riding me hard through our mind link.

Atlas and Calder had already shifted, bags in their mouths. We quickly undressed and followed suit. She was right behind us as we made our way out onto the plains. Sound traveled at night and my ears twitched when the unmistakable bay of a houndrolled through the air. Humans. Looking over my shoulder, I met her worried gaze. She was right. We needed to go. More barks and bays filled the plains.

Humans were relentless in their pursuit of shifters. It didn't matter to them that we were people, too. That we had families and lives just like they did. They hated us. Wanted us dead. They used dogs to help hunt us, and though their hounds were no match for our speed or strength, the weapons their Goddess had given them, along with their bloodthirsty nature, made them a dangerous foe. What they lacked in raw strength they made up for with sheer numbers.

They weren't as troublesome before, when shifters outnumbered them. But now they were like locusts on the land, everywhere all at once, and our numbers had dwindled down until it would be easy for them to extinguish us if done right.