"I still think it’s a terrible idea leaving her back there like that," Alaric said with guilt.
"Lila’s dead," Asher replied bluntly. "We’ll give her a proper burial after we rescue Violet and Griffin. Until then, we can’t afford any more delays."
"For soone so loud about protecting Violet, she died too quickly though,"Adele muttered with a snort.
"Yeah, too easily," Asher said, his brows pinching together in thought.
Suddenly, Roman raised his hand. "Stop."
At once, they halted, having learned enough from Lila’s unfortunate fate.
Roman tilted his head, his ears twitching while his now glowing eyes searched the forest.
"Soone’s coming." He announced.
"I hear it now," Alaric said, tuning into his wolf instincts.
"Not just one, but two. " Asher comnted.
Adele murmured, tensing. "And they’re coming my way fast."
They all turned toward Adele’s direction. Electricity crackled in Alaric’s palms as he readied himself while Asher and Roman crouched into attack stance, their muscles coiled for fight. The trees rustled louder as the footsteps ca closer and closer.
Suddenly, two young girls burst out of the treeline, screaming at the sight of them.
"Please don’t hurt us!" one of them cried, shivering.
The Alphas and Adele glanced at each other, thrown off.
Adele then stepped forward carefully. "It’s okay. We’re not here to hurt you." She could see the raw distrust in their eyes.
Asher stepped up, eyes glowing. "We’re looking for a girl with purple hair and a guy with red. And don’t bother lying, I’ll know and trust when I say, it won’t end well for you."
"Stop it, they’re scared already," Alaric scolded, elbowing him.
Roman crouched down, offering his most disarming grin. The girls flinched.
"Don’t mind him," Roman said cheerily. "He just likes scaring people. It’s why he has no friends. You’re welco to feel sorry for him."
Asher scowled. "We don’t have ti for this."
One of the girls blinked, then gasped. "I know you. You’re Alpha Roman."
That got his attention. "Well, damn. My reputation precedes ."
"We’re from the East Pack," she continued. "The rogues raided our ho and took us."
Everyone stiffened instantly.
"Did you see Griffin?" Alaric asked, a thread of hope in his voice.
"I don’t know. We were kept in separate cells," the girl answered honestly. "There are a lot of them, cells, I an for won. The rogues keep us like prizes and boast about it. Then earlier, we heard a roar like nothing we’d ever heard. A wall near us cracked in the commotion. So we widened the gap and escaped. But there was blood and bodies everywhere like sothing tore them apart."
Asher’s eyes narrowed. "Griffin let the Beast out."
"So where did he go? Did you see him with the purple-haired girl?" Roman asked eagerly.
"No," said the other girl. "After the whole thing, the surviving rogues tried rounding up the escapees. They caught us, but then these n in dark gear showed up with these guns. We don’t know who they were but they started killing the rogues and capturing so of us."
This ti, not just Asher but everyone looked uncomfortable with the news. As if on cue, a gunshot cracked in the distance.
They instantly crouched, alert.
"Well, this just got complicated," Asher muttered.
"Humans?" Roman asked.
"Very much," Alaric answered.
"You think it’s the military?"
Asher replied. "Could be, but I don’t think so. They wouldn’t be this sloppy. Not to ntion the Accord would never allow them to leave witnesses if they’re capturing the won."
"Exactly,"Adele agreed. "If it’s them, they’ll kill everyone and cover it all up."
"We have to go. Now," Asher ordered.
Roman turned to the girls. "Follow our trail. It’ll lead you out." He added with a wink, "And watch for traps. Also, if you happen to bump into Irene Hale, let her know her son’s boyfriend-in-law saved your asses. Got that? Good. Now Go!"
The girls didn’t wait a second and bolted.
"That gunshot was close," Roman pointed out as he scanned the woods.
"So of them must’ve tracked the escapees into the forest," Asher said, putting the pieces together quickly.
"Be careful out there, guys," Adele warned them with worry in her voice. She can only heal the living, not the dead.
They took off, sprinting toward the direction of the gunshot. It didn’t take long before the rogues’ hideout ca into view but Asher was the first to encounter trouble.
A man in uniform stepped out of his hiding place with his gun raised. But he never got the chance to fire because Asher ripped the weapon from his grip, and drove his claws through the man’s chest, tearing out his heart in a brutal move.
The man dropped to the ground while another appeared firing, but Asher spun away, dodging it with inhuman grace.
Roman lunged out of the darkness, grabbed the shooter by the collar, and flung him so hard into a tree that the bark exploded on impact. The man hit the ground with a groan and went still.
"And that’s how we roll." Roman grinned,
brushing his hands off like he’d just taken out the trash. He glanced at Asher’s victim and winced. "Dude. That’s so nasty work."
Asher ignored him and crouched beside the man, rifling through his pockets. He pulled out a phone, a black wallet, and an ID card with a foreign insignia.
"This isn’t military," he said to them.
Alaric appeared beside him and picked up the discarded weapon, studying it for a second. "This is a private firm. The gadget is custom tech. The military doesn’t carry tech this specialized for cleanup jobs."
None of them needed further convincing.
They dropped to the forest floor and crawled through the brush toward the clearing ahead. Lying flat on their bellies, shielded by leaves and darkness, they observed the scene.
Uniford operatives moved around with weapons while several wounded and terrified she-wolves were being loaded into a black transport truck.
"They’ve clearly got plans for our kind," Adele said coldly, watching the capture unfold.
"Violet could be in that truck," Roman said with fear in his voice.
"No, she’s not." Asher’s tone was firm with confidence as if he knew sothing they didn’t know.
"Either way," Alaric said, his eyes locked on the truck, "we’re not letting that leave. She-wolves are rare, and we don’t know what sick shit they’re planning."
"So we do it, then," Asher said, the finality in his voice sealing the mont.
Roman’s smile returned, that familiar dark thrill lighting his eyes.
"Let’s spill so blood."
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