Page 18 of Second Chance By Fate

“Help us!” Violet calls back, her words slightly stronger than before. “We’re trapped.”

I push the glass and rebar off me, kicking the mangled door open with my hind legs. Pain shoots up my spine, but I ignore it, feeling the creak with the effort.

Do you hear me, Steele?

I hear you,my brother responds.I’m coming.

Relief overcomes me, and together, we work to escape, my teeth catching on the edge of Violet’s jeans. She yelps at the suddenness of the motion, but she doesn’t fight as I pull her to safety, my second kick creating a space for us to exit the vehicle, my brother on our trail.

We collapse on the desert floor and morph back into our human forms, panting and sweating, blood seeping into the beige sand beneath us.

“Alphas!” The driver rushes toward us. “Thank all the gods!”

“What the hell happened?” I snap, pulling Violet a safe distance from the smoldering car. Breathing heavily, Steele sidles along the other side of Violet, embracing her trembling body.

“I… I don’t know!” the driver cries, wringing his hands as we stare up at him skeptically.

Something about his demeanor sits oddly with me. He’s avoiding eye contact, staring at his hands. On closer inspection, he doesn’t have a scratch on him. He keeps a safe distance, and I smell the deceit all over him.

Suddenly, I’m on my feet, advancing, my teeth baring. “What happened?”

He backs away, his hands held up, and trips over a rock, falling to the ground.

“Something came onto the road,” he yips. “A turtle?—”

“A fucking turtle?” Steele is at my side now, and we surround him. “You almost killed us over a turtle?”

“He’s a warlock,” Violet wheezes from behind us.

My head whips back toward her, my eyes narrowing. “Come again?”

She stands shakily and approaches, her steps uneven.

“He’s a warlock, and I can smell the dark magic on him.” At first, the driver shakes his head in denial, but Violet meets his eyes defiantly. “You are. Don’t lie.”

He immediately loses his façade, sneering at us, but before we can confront him, he laughs maniacally.

“We’ll get you next time, Alphas,” he drawls. “And you…” He wags a finger at Violet. “Shame on you for betraying your own kind.”

In a plume of black smoke, he vanishes, leaving us dumbfounded and speechless for a moment.

“What the hell was that?” Steele rages, glowering at me. “Where did you get that guy?”

“Me?” I snap. “He’s your hire!”

“Not mine!” he denies. “Jax must have brought him on!”

Violet collapses to the ground, and our bickering is put on hold as we rush to her side with concern.

“Hey,” I growl reluctantly. “Are you all right?”

She tries to smile. “I’m okay.”

“We need to get her back to the estate,” I tell Steele, and he nods.

“And we need to do a full inventory of our staff. Immediately.”

Every step is agony,but I don’t let my brother or Violet see how much damage the accident caused me. My real concerns lie with them. If I’m in this much pain, how bad off are they?

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