Chapter 0057

The rogue wolves burst through the clubhouse walls in a frenzy. Adrian shoves me behind his massive frame, shifting mid-motion to take down two attackers before they can blink. I barely register the fluidity of his transformation before three more wolves charge at me.

Selene surges forward, claws extending, when Alpha Alistair's command booms across the chaos. "Warriors to the front! Get the vulnerable to safety!" My gaze sweeps the room - elderly wolves trembling in corners, mothers clutching whimpering pups. My human form will serve better here.

We form a protective wedge, Selene's razor-sharp claws carving through any rogue stupid enough to approach. I spot Gregory maneuvering his wheelchair toward the evacuation point, already barking orders to establish defensive lines.

A high-pitched whimper cuts through the noise. A tiny pup, no older than four, cowers beneath an overturned table. A rogue lunges for her exposed back. Selene strikes like lightning, her claws opening the attacker from shoulder to hip in one brutal swipe. I scoop up the shaking child as the rogue collapses in a gurgling heap.

Another beast springs at us. I twist, shielding the pup with my body while driving my free hand into the wolf's throat. Hot blood sprays my arm as its lifeless body hits the floor. Gregory's voice rings out when I deposit the child behind warrior lines.

"Evelyn! To Alpha Adrian - now!" His wheelchair pivots toward the breach. "Guard your future Alpha!"

I'm already moving when an unearthly howl reverberates through the shattered walls. The rogues disengage simultaneously, retreating through the gaps they created. Through the dust and debris, I spot Theron's massive form leaping through a gaping hole in the eastern wall.

Selene takes control, our shift rippling through me in seconds. The scene outside chills my blood - at least fifty rogues encircling the building, their yellowed fangs gleaming. Selene's warning howl shatters the night, alerting our warriors to the true threat.

Alpha Alistair's mindlink burns in my skull. I report the overwhelming numbers and Adrian's disappearance before severing the connection. His scent trail leads northeast, tainted with something acrid. Wolfsbane. Selene's growl vibrates through my chest.

'Trap.' Her mental voice drips with disdain. 'Theron's gone silent.'

I mindlink Gregory the situation before plunging through the undergrowth. The clearing beyond reveals our worst fears. A mountain of a man - easily seven feet tall with muscles stacked like cordwood - holds Adrian by his hair, a serrated blade kissing his throat. My Alpha kneels naked in the dirt, wolfsbane-laced shackles burning his wrists.

Twenty-five sets of glowing eyes emerge from the tree line. One makes the fatal mistake of entering my strike zone. Selene tears out his jugular before he can whimper.

"Guardian!" The giant's voice rumbles like distant thunder. His dark eyes rake over my shifted form with unsettling interest. Adrian snarls violently when I shift back to human skin, his restraints clanking against the wolfsbane weakening him.

The leader tosses me a rancid-smelling shirt. I slip it on without breaking eye contact. "You know what I am," I say, rolling my shoulders. "Which makes you either suicidal or brain-damaged for touching my Alpha."

His laughter dies abruptly when ten wolfsbane darts thud into my chest. Adrian's roar of fury shakes the trees as I pluck the first dart free. "Really?" I flick the toxin-coated projectile into the dirt. "I eat wolfsbane for breakfast."

Nine more darts follow as Selene's power surges through my veins. The rogues shrink back when my eyes flare gamma-bright. The leader's smirk falters for the first time.

Game on.