Page 15 of Alpha Bride

We charge forward, the pack moving as one as we begin to take down the rogues easily. It might have been a different story if they'd surrendered, but they’re as battle-ready as we are and eager for a fight that we’re more than happy to bring. My wolf is in its element now, and I let it loose, sinking my teeth into their necks without a second thought. This is what I need. To be doing something about this Malik situation instead of just sitting around waiting. Taking some of his rogues out—rogueswho destroyed that village—feels righteous. This fight cleared my head better than my previously restrained one with Aiden, and I'm happy to let my wolf rule briefly, taking what he needs.

The dust settles, and with the rogues dead, we check the surrounding area for more but don’t catch any lingering scents. After dispatching a further patrol just in case, I call Marian to send more witches to replace the runes. I could call Emily; Ishouldcall Emily. She is in charge of the overall rune strategy, but for some reason, I don’t. I want her at home, not out here surrounded by all this death and the lingering threat of further attacks while the runes aren’t active.

I circle back to the village and help with the cleanup, finding Aiden and sorting out some of the alarms to see what can be salvaged. He looks up when he sees me approaching, taking in my torn clothes and disheveled appearance that somewhat matches his own.

“Been a hell of a day. I only came out here for some bonus sparring,” he laughs, the smile not quite reaching his eyes this time.

“Got more than you bargained for?” I sigh.

He shakes his head, turning over one of the broken runes. “Nah, it’s always a pleasure to take down some of those bastards.”

“Damn right,” I mutter and then wave my hand at the pile of runes. “Marian is sending some witches to set those back up.”

“Well, I hope Em’s got some bright ideas to stop this happening again,” he says.

I shake my head. “Emily is back at the house. She doesn’t know yet.”

Aiden looks taken aback. “She’s the rune queen, isn’t she working on something new for these?” he asks. “She’ll be pissed you didn’t tell her.”

“She’s pissed at me for a lot of things,” I reply sharply, realizing too late I’m giving away more than I intend.

Aiden chuckles. “I see. That’s what Ryan meant earlier—who, not what. Trouble in paradise?”

I roll my eyes at him. “A fake union to get the witches to toe the line is hardly paradise.”

“Of course, I forgot how selfless you are, brother.” Aiden laughs, but doesn’t risk saying more. I look away and see Marian and her sisters arriving. Sighing, I run a hand through my hair.Just what I need—more witches.

It’s late by the time I get back to the house, and I'm more tired than I have been in a long time. I instantly know Emily is in her room, her uniquely alluring scent calling to me. I stand in the hall, my hand twitching as I recall how tight she felt around my fingers. Hot and tight. After all the violence and death today, something within me calls for me to go to her, sink into that heat, and forget everything.

Knowing she’d reject me again, I force myself to turn and walk away. Deep down, I know fucking her wouldn’t change anything. However much my wolf protests.

Chapter 8 - Emily

“So, let me get this straight,” Ava mutters thoughtfully. “He didn’t even tell you about the attack? Or that the runes were destroyed?”

I shake my head, even though she can’t see me over the phone. “No, I had to hear it from Marian when she called asking about how we’re progressing with the updated runes. It was so embarrassing that I didn’t even know about the attack.”

Ava lets out a breath. “Did he tell you why he didn’t tell you?”

“No,” I sigh. “To be honest, I haven’t asked him. I know why he didn’t. He thinks I’m useless and went over my head to the proper witches.”

I can almost hear Ava shaking her head vehemently. “No, no. No one thinks that, Em,” she says. “Everyone knows how vital you are to the work with runes. We wouldn’t be as safe as we are now without your help.”

“Not safe enough, though, apparently,” I reply sadly, thinking of all the people who were hurt in the latest attack and how the runes failed. “The runes will fail again, and then what?”

Ava’s silence speaks volumes. As she nears the end of her pregnancy, I can’t imagine how worried she is about all this, especially as she’s already experienced Malik’s evil intentions when he kidnapped her lovely daughter Harper. But Ava is one of the strongest women I know; she takes a deep breath before replying, “Then we will keep finding solutions. You said yourself, the new runes are stronger.”

Suddenly, I hear raised voices coming from somewhere in the house. Tristen and some others I don’t recognize.

“I’m going to have to call you back; something’s going on,” I tell Ava, saying goodbye and heading out of my room into the hallway, following the sound of the men’s voices.

I realize it’s Ryan and a couple of the other betas with Tristen, and they’re talking about the attack. “We need to reinforce the runes and send an extra patrol to the area. It’s still vulnerable,” Ryan says as I turn the corner.

“Rogues have been seen checking the border there,” Kris, one of the other betas, confirms.

Before Tristen can say anything, my presence is noted, and they all turn to where I’m standing. I see the subtle way he grinds his jaw, clearly not happy that I’m here. “Please, don’t let me stop you talking about the attack on our pack. It sounds like you need the new runes?” I say, not even hiding my tone.

I’ve spent weeks working with some of my sisters from the coven to perfect a new set of defensive runes that offer stronger and more far-reaching protections. They should block entry to anyone not from the individual packs, meaning anyone wanting to move between territories would need to do so through the checkpoints. Our current runes only stop wolves not linked to an alpha from crossing their boundaries, but they’re easier to confuse, which is probably how the latest attack happened.

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