Chapter 14

Alex

Julia is not a weakling.

I've seen her fight, and under that elegant and beautiful exterior that she displays to the world lies a vicious beast. She could give Patrick a run for his money. Julia used to be the leader of one of Karina's squadrons. She was among Karina's people who invaded our territory. Her fighting skills are unrivaled. As an Alpha, I could take her on, but Patrick or Jared—my strongest fighters—would be outmatched.

I hadn't expected Nathan to cross paths with her. In fact, I had expected her to be in a weakened state by the time she got here, but I guess I underestimated her. But as I watch her approach us, her clothes covered in blood, anger washes over me. She didn't even have to shift into her wolf form to best Nathan. I can hear his gasping breaths from behind me, and my jaw tightens.

"Alex." Julia's voice is sweet with a sharp edge. "Did you think I wouldn't come for you?"

I stick my hands in my pockets, standing protectively in front of Sophia. "I was hoping you had been dealt with. What a pity."

"If only it were that easy to get rid of me." Julia wipes at Nathan's blood on her clothes. "You keep forgetting that you are mine. I will track you down to the ends of the Earth if I have to."

There's a crowd gathering around us now, lining the street. The pack has always been wary of Julia, and rightfully so. I can see the tension in their faces. Several of the women have surrounded Nathan, and I hear one of them send someone to fetch a healer.

I don't reply to Julia, my silence speaking volumes. From the corner of my eye, I see Hilda join the crowd. One look at Julia has her freezing in fear. I want to tell her to get away from here, but I don't want to divert attention to Hilda.

There is silence from behind me now. Nathan is no longer gasping, and Sophia is quiet. I want to turn around and see what's happening, but I can't take my eyes off Julia. One misstep, and I could put a lot of lives in danger.

"Why did you leave me there?" Julia's expression is hard. "Did you know that I was captured? Did you care?"

My jaw is set. It's almost as if my previous words did not register on her.

"Why are you here?" I ask calmly. "Shouldn't you have gone running back to Karina?"

Julia's eyes turn into slits. "I heard something very interesting in my time with the Red Rock wolves. Not only was their Alpha murdered, but a female from their pack went missing, the same female the Alpha's son had been courting. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the woman in question was the bartender you were so obsessed with. The cage fighter you helped escape."

I study her, not surprised that Julia has managed to gather this much information. But I neither confirm nor contradict her words. This seems to irritate her.

"Well?"

I just shrug. "Why are you here?"

"I want to see her with my own eyes. Don't take me for a fool, Alex. It's hardly a coincidence that the female disappeared the same time you did. I wondered why you were interested in someone so unremarkable and plain. So, what is it? You found the Silver Wolf and decided to stab Karina in the back? You thought you could use the powers of the Silver Wolf?"

I expected that Julia would figure out Sophia's identity, so her words don't really take me by surprise. However, I can see the soldiers and the nannies standing a short distance behind Julia. They are listening to every word. This is complicating things. The very situation I had been trying to prevent from happening is now taking place.

"Just what are you planning to do, Julia?" I finally ask.

"I'm here to take the Silver Wolf with me." Julia's upper lip curls. "Unlike you, I understand loyalty."

A furious laugh leaves my lips. "Loyalty? Does Karina expect loyalty from me? After what she has put me and my people through?"

Julia's expression twists, and she takes a step forward. "You should be grateful to her. She let you live. She could have killed you, but she's been nothing but benevolent toward you. You should be grateful that she's letting you mate someone as powerful and beautiful—"

"Mate you? I would rather die first," I spit out. "You're a shriveled, old hag who's bordering on insanity. The mere thought of being with you makes me sick to my stomach. Don't think for a second that I would ever touch you."

Julia's face turns red. While I have rejected her plenty of times, I've never done so publicly. Some of my pack members shout out in agreement, and her humiliation intensifies.

I hear a quiet sound from behind me as the healer arrives and she whispers, "What are you doing to him?"

She must be talking to Sophia. I don't have to look over my shoulder to know that my mate is healing Nathan.

"How is this possible?" the healer breathes.

However, when Julia speaks, my attention is drawn back to her. "Whatever you think you feel about me is irrelevant. Karina has promised you to me. It doesn't matter whether you become my mate by choice or not. You will still serve me in bed whenever I please, and once I am your mate, this pack will be mine, and you will be reduced to what you always should have been: a sex slave!"

Roars of anger rise around me, but I am unphased. Julia has said this to me plenty of times before.

"I will kill you before I ever touch you," I tell her calmly. "Besides, I already have a fated mate. Why would I even consider something like you?"

This news takes Julia by surprise. "A fated mate?" She stares at me, shocked. "You're lying."

I shrug. "I have no reason to lie. My fated mate is the woman I brought with me from the South. And according to Alliance rules, she belongs by my side. So, even Karina cannot take her from me."

It doesn't take long for Julia to understand what I'm saying. Fury and rage erupt all over her face. "Are you implying that the Silver Wolf is your fated mate?!"

I simply smile at her.

"You're lying!"

The frustrated look in her eyes is satisfying, to say the least. She takes a few steps toward me, her claws unsheathed. "You're fucking lying! You belong to me! How dare you—"

She's mere inches from me now, her hand lifted as if to slash my face.

"That's far enough," comes a cold voice from behind me, and Julia is forced back.

A barrier.

Sophia steps up beside me, her hand outstretched. "You don't come near him."

Julia's eyes widen as she looks between the two of us before her gaze finally homes in on Sophia. "You bitch."

My mate's expression is stony. "Ouch."

"I should have killed you myself that day!" Julia howls, spittle flying from her mouth as she tries to get past the magical barrier. "I should've slit your throat instead of that other woman's! You can never have Alex! He's mine!"

Sophia steps in front of me now, anger in her voice. "You really are crazy. Alex is not a toy that belongs to you. He's my mate. End of story."

Julia goes still, staring at Sophia for a minute before laughter bubbles out of her, the insane edge to it making my skin crawl. "Do you think Karina will let you be together? She will never allow it! She will rip the two of you apart before you even know what's happening! You are her ticket to more power. I'll make you watch as she gives Alex to me. I'll make you watch as a break him. I—"

Sophia instantly covers the distance between them and smacks Julia across the face, forcing her to stumble backward. There's a hushed sound from around us, and I immediately grab Sophia and yank her back to my side. Nobody expected her to assault Julia like that, but I can't say I'm not pleased. Her attack has clearly infuriated the older woman.

"I'm going to kill you. Silver Wolf or not, I will rip out your innards!" Julia shrieks, insanity in her eyes. "You think you're the first woman who has wanted Alex? I've dealt with them all, and I'll deal with you, too! Just because the fates have chosen you for each other doesn't make you special! He's been mine since I first laid eyes on him!"

She charges forward, and I can see Sophia gearing up for a fight. But she can't take on Julia.

"Remove the barrier," I quickly whisper. She doesn't hesitate, and I abruptly push her behind me before shouldering Julia's attack. Her claws slash against my forearm, the strength in her blow excessive. Without missing a beat, I grab her by the neck and throw her to the ground. While Julia may be powerful, she is no match for me, an Alpha.

And she knows it.

She jumps to her feet before shifting into her wolf form. Her black fur is matted and dirty, and it hits me that she must have run all the way here in her animal form. She doesn't attack me, however, her eyes darting toward Sophia, who is standing behind me.

Julia bares her teeth at me, saliva dripping from her mouth onto the ground, bloodlust in her eyes.

I'm not taking any chances, so I, too, shift into my wolf form. I tower over Julia by a couple of inches, and she takes a step back. In our wolf forms, it's even harder for her to go up against me.

But she's sneaky. There's a reason she was the leader of one of Karina squadrons. I've seen her use tactics to take down bigger wolves than me. While she may not attack me head on, that doesn't mean she's not going to devise a clever plan to get to Sophia.

Her brain works fast: she runs toward me and then suddenly takes a sharp left. I look in the direction she's going and see a bunch of my people standing there.

Among them is Hilda.

Julia knows the nature of the relationship between me and Hilda. No wonder she's going toward her. If she can't get Sophia, she's going to get rid of the other thorn in her side. The girl I raised.

Snarling, I follow her. The packmates surrounding Hilda are scattering, but Hilda is frozen in place, terrified. I want to scream at her to run, but all I can do is howl at her angrily. She falls on her behind, trembling. I leap over Julia's head and land directly in front of Hilda, shielding her. But when I look up, Julia has already shifted direction, this time going straight toward my mate. Sophia's hands are outstretched, but I can see the nervousness in her eyes. A mere barrier isn't going to stop Julia, not at the speed she is running. Even magical barriers have a limit.

Before I can sprint toward my mate, Nathan stands up and shoves Sophia aside. Julia jumps on him, her mouth open to rip off his head. A scream of anger reaches me, and then a streak of silver smashes into Julia's side.

I didn't even see Sophia transform, it was that fast.

She's the same size as Julia, albeit a little weaker. Still, Julia goes flying into one of the shops across the street as the Silver Wolf sniffs at Nathan to make sure he's okay. I'm by Sophia's side in an instant, but she stops me from sniffing her, her eyes looking displeased.

In our wolf forms, we are more feral, more attuned to our animals. It is our animals who control us, and Sophia's is not happy with me.

Why? Is it because I went to save Hilda and left her unprotected?

We hear a roar from inside the broken shop, and then Julia runs out, going straight for Sophia.

We stiffen, ready to take her on, but she changes direction once again, this time going after the teenagers standing alone at the far end of the street. I run after her, knowing that the frightened adolescents will not be able to get out of the way in time. The pack members closest to the teens are also running toward them, but Julia has the advantage of speed.

I'm not going to make it , I realize in growing horror.

She's too far ahead of me. Even if I manage to catch up, I will only be able to save one of the kids.

Out of nowhere, I feel a strange sensation flowing throughout me. My speed is increasing, and my body feels almost light.

I'm catching up to Julia. I'm inches away from her.

She reaches the teens first, though, but as she goes to attack them, her body is thrown backward, as if an invisible wall is standing between her and the kids. Taking advantage, I jump on her, tearing out her throat. Her screams are terrifying, and her body jerks as she tries to fight me off and fails. I sink my teeth even deeper, and she finally goes still.

When I look up, I see Sophia standing in the same place where I left her, watching me.

It's over.

It's finally over.

Julia is dead.

The relief that fills me is practically euphoric. Years of being harassed by this woman, years of being controlled by her, and now she's gone. I feel like I can breathe again, as if my soul has finally been freed.

My eyes focus on my mate. She is the most beautiful woman in the world to me, but in her wolf form, she's absolutely stunning. Her fur shimmers under the moonlight; she looks like an ethereal being.

I make my way over to her and rub against her affectionately. Her wolf rumbles in approval, and I lick her ear and then the corner of her mouth. She huffs happily before shifting into human form. I follow suit.

I can feel the eyes all around me. Pack members who were not here before have now arrived, and they are watching the scene playing out before them in awe. Julia is lying dead in the middle of the street, while I stand next to Sophia.

Nobody utters a word, and the silence is heavy. Julia's death is going to have consequences, and everybody here is aware of that.

Nathan hobbles over, and I realize that the arm he had seemingly lost is now attached to his body.

"You did that?" I look at Sophia in amazement.

She nods. "I had a little help from your healer. Don't ask me how I did it, though. I was just desperate to get his arm back."

"I can't believe it grew back." Nathan flexes his arm, testing it out. "It still hurts, but I've got my arm back."

Sophia suddenly nudges me. "Alex…"

I look down at her before following her gaze. The soldiers and the nannies have disappeared.

Alarm fills me.

"The children!" I roar. "Get to the nursery!"

The rest of the pack is behind me, Sophia by my side, as I race toward the heart of the village.

The door to the nursery is wide open, and I smell blood. Fearing the worst, I barge in, only to see Jared, Patrick, and Saul struggling with three soldiers and two nannies. It looks like they are fighting, but in actuality, my men are holding Karina's people down. It is one of the nannies who is bleeding, her claws out; the other one is stained with what seems to be her own blood.

"They're trying to kill themselves!" Saul grunts, pinning down one of the soldiers. Jared and Patrick are holding down the other two, having released the nannies when we entered. Nathan seizes the one with the blood on her neck and claw. The other nanny is backing away, her eyes darting around desperately.

These must have been their instructions from Karina: to commit suicide if they spotted even a hint of a rebellion. And eliminating Julia was definitely an act of rebellion. Too many of our pups are still linked to these people for us to let them succeed.

I begin walking toward the unrestrained nanny, who cries out, "Don't come any closer! I'll slit my throat!"

"No, you won't," I scoff. "You had the opportunity to do so and didn't. You don't really want to die. If you did, you would have completed the job the first time around."

The woman is sweating profusely, desperation etched in every line on her face. Her body is trembling as her back presses against the wall.

"S-stay away from me."

"Sorry," I say simply. In an instant, I have her in my grasp. Shoving her down to the floor, I pull her hands behind her back and look at the pack members gathered around us. "Get the iron chains!" When none of them move, I growl, "Now!"

One of the men hesitates. "Alex, what are you doing? If anything happens to them, our pups will die! Don't do this!"

"If I don't do this, they're going to kill our children," I snarl. "Julia is dead. Do you think Karina is going to let any of us live? Now get the chains before we really do lose our pups!"

The man doesn't go, but somebody else does. After a couple of minutes, I hear the sound of the chains clinking as they are dragged across the ground.

I secure the prisoners tightly before handing them over to Patrick and Jared. "Put them in the storehouse. Guard them."

Turning my attention to the people crowding the nursery, I make sure most of the pack is here before I say, "I know you have questions."

"She has silver fur!"

"What are you going to do about our children, Alex?"

"Is Sophia really the Silver Wolf?"

"How are we going to escape Karina?"

"Is that woman your fated mate?"

I lift my hand, putting a halt to all the shouting. "Yes, Sophia is the Silver Wolf, and yes, she is my fated mate. There isn't going to be a special clothing store in this village; that was a story I made up to conceal Sophia's true identity, to protect her. With respect to the pups, these past few days, Sophia has been working on breaking the links between some of your children and Karina's people."

Shocked gasps.

A young female pushes past the gathered pack. I recognize her as Denise. She's a young mother; her child is barely two months old. The anguish in her eyes is raw.

"My Beatrice. Is my baby…?"

I look at Sophia, a question in my eyes, but she shakes her head. "I'll need to see the child to confirm whether the link has been broken for her."

The words are barely out of her mouth when Denise rushes past her toward one of the cribs in the corner. She lifts out a fussy infant and carries her back to Sophia. Tears in her eyes, her voice thick, she repeats, "My Beatrice?"

Sophia looks down at the baby girl and touches her stomach. After a moment, she removes her hand and looks at Denise with a smile. "She's all yours."

"Oh!" Denise slumps to the ground, a broken sob leaving her lips as she clutches her daughter to her. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Once the pack understands that Sophia has successfully unlinked this child, they begin crowding us.

"What about my son?"

"My Susan!"

"The twins!"

"Enough!" I roar, silencing the room. "Sophia is working as hard and as fast as she can. We'll have a list of names of the children who have been unlinked out by morning. In the meantime, tonight, the nursery will be guarded."

I know my packmates have more questions, but we don't have time right now. Not only did we kill Julia, but Karina's people have also been taken captive. We need to move fast. I cannot risk the Queen hearing about any of this.

We're about to leave when Marjorie steps out of the crowd. Her eyes are glittering with unshed tears. "I don't know what we did, but it must have been a good deed for the Goddess to have sent you to us. We needed an Alpha Female like you to help us out of these dark times." She takes Sophia's hands and kisses them. "I hope you and Alex, together, lead this pack into glorious days once again."

The rest of the pack echoes Marjorie's sentiments. I can tell that Sophia is overwhelmed, but she doesn't push them away or tell me she wants to go. She listens to what each and every person has to say. I notice that she doesn't make any promises; all she does say is that she will do her best.

By the time the nursery clears out, more than two hours have passed. My mate leans against me, clearly exhausted.

"What now?" she asks, looking up at me.

I choose my words carefully. "We might have a couple of weeks. I'll contact the rest of the packs and see if they're willing to help. In the meantime, once all the children are unlinked, I think it would be best if we evacuate them to secure locations. I have bought apartments in the cities under false names; they will be safe there. And I still need to recall my units. We'll have to go against Karina in one fell swoop."

"Don't you worry she'll learn that Julia is dead?" Sophia sounds uncertain.

"She may, but not yet. As long as her people are in our custody here, she's not going to find anything out—unless she decides to drop in for a visit. Let's hope she doesn't do that." I wrap my arm around Sophia's shoulder. "Let's go home. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

But if I thought I would get any sleep tonight, I'm proven wrong when the alarm sounds in the middle of the night and a frantic Patrick shows up on my doorstep.

"They're gone. Karina's people are gone."