Page 40 of The Alpha's Forced Pregnant Mate

I couldn’t hear the conversation, but Julian’s stony expression broke after about thirty seconds, real worry flashing over his handsome features before he forced the neutral expression back on once more. He didn’t speak, but just listened for two or so minutes, before saying, “For him. Not you. Send me the location.” Then he paused, adding, “She’s with me. Fine. We’re on our way.”

My heartbeat was fast and fluttery, like a hummingbird, when he hung up and stalked toward me. I was frozen, waiting for his explanation, because the energy I could feel through our bond had me nearly panicked. Something was really, really wrong.

But Julian didn’t explain right away. His first words burst out like he couldn’t hold them back, and just had to tell someone. “That’s the first time we’ve spoken since the Naomi thing.”

“What did he want?” I prodded, impatient.

Julian swallowed hard, rolling his neck to ease some of the tension there. “Peter was on his way to Silverfang Creek territory to deliver a load of weapons that Saul had spelled when he was run off the road. He was on a back road nearly halfway between the territories, and while Danny can track his phone, it hasn’t moved and Peter hasn’t answered. He’s positive he’s been taken by demons and Danny is hours away.”

I put the pieces together in my head instantly as Laura came up beside us, already taking her own gloves off. “Halfway between the territories means he’s close to us.”

Julian nodded grimly. “We have to go. There’s no one else.”

“Let’s go.”

It didn’t take long for us to get back to the cars, and Julian called out orders as we drove. “I’ve got the location that Danny sent me. Do we need to go back to the cabins to get your weapons?”

Laura and I both laughed out loud. “Oh, no. Not at all. I’ll show you our car stash when we get there.”

His eyebrows raised as he glanced at me, then looked back at the road. “You have weapons stashed in your car?”

“We have a weapons stash everywhere,” Laura explained, looking excited to show him. She loved showing off our gear almost as much as I did.

Julian chuckled softly. “Damn, I should have had you guys on my side from the jump.”

“Bold of you to assume we’re on your side.” I huffed. “This is just a temporary alliance.”

“Whatever you have to tell yourself,” Julian replied, steering us out onto the main road, his expression going grim. “I’m glad to have the help for this, either way.”

I didn’t say anything but took a second to examine his face. Peter had raised Julian, and he must be sick with worry deep down. No amount of pack violence or animosity could break a bond like that. Peter might be disgusted over what Julian did to Naomi, but he’d probably walk through fire to save him.

It took forty minutes to reach the area that Danny had marked on Julian’s phone. The closer we got, the more I could feel the dread building in my stomach. This wasn’t going to be good.

We parked off the side of the road, and I jumped out to open the floor hatch in the back of the vehicle, revealing our weapons stash. Julian and Laura joined me, Julian letting out a low whistle.

“Damn. I was expecting some knives, maybe a crossbow.”

“Well, you know what they say. Expect the unexpected,” I said, pulling out two blades for me and one for Laura, before grabbing my belt with my knives. I took one of the guns, too. Laura and Julian each took one as well, along with a knife.

Julian strapped a sword to his back, and it was almost comical watching him try to adjust the strap that had been sized for someone much smaller. “His truck should be just beyond the tree line if Danny’s location is accurate, and we’ll have to track them from there. Peter is…ah. Fuck. He’s a strong old bastard, but he’s not as much of a fighter as he was in his prime. We have to hurry.”

I nodded, strapping the belt on. “Let’s get going. Lead the way.”

The three of us fell into a steady pace as we jogged through the trees, moving as silently as possible. The forest was quiet, too quiet for my tastes, and I knew it wouldn’t take long for the demons to figure out we were here.

We found the truck within ten minutes, but it didn’t look like anything had been touched. “I’m surprised they bothered taking him alive.”

“They would have taken him out immediately if they wanted him dead. They want him for something else.” Julian growled, emotions running high. “Another bargaining chip, I’m sure.

“Bargaining chip? For who?” Laura asked, but the answer hit me instantly.

“Peter’s connection to Danny and Julian makes him valuable,” I said softly. “If they took Peter, then they want to negotiate. For a witch, no doubt. Faye, Sienna…or me, I guess.”

“Fuck.” Julian rubbed a hand over his face. “Well, if they want a negotiation, they’ve got one. And it’ll be the last one they ever make.”

We ran faster, following the trail of the demons, and it only took a few minutes for us to reach the edge of a clearing. There was a small, dilapidated cabin in the center, with an SUV parked outside of it, and even from here I could feel the dark energy radiating out of it.

We ducked behind some bushes just inside the tree line, but Julian was already moving toward the cabin. I reached out and grabbed his wrist, my fingers barely wrapping all the way around it.

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