Page 17 of Alpha Bride

“Goddess, protect us,” Ryan mutters as Malik steps forward before pausing and staring at us quizzically.

“And who do we have here?” Malik says in a hushed voice that echoes around the clearing. He almost appears to be peering around Ryan, who is standing in front of me. “Now, this is a pleasant surprise.”

“What the fuck do you want?” Kris snarls, but Malik ignores him and turns toward his rogues.

“Slight change of plan today,” he says, almost jovially. “Kill the men, but bring me the girl. She’s an unexpected find. Rare.”

Ryan turns to look at me, his eyes wide. I shake my head, “W-what’s he talking about?” I whisper.

“We’ll worry about that later,” Ryan says, edging forward.

“Wait,” I say, grabbing two of the runes and handing one each. “I don’t know about Malik, but these should weaken any rogue that comes at you.”

The men nod, taking the runes, and advance. I can’t believe this is happening, I think as I watch the scene unfoldingin front of me. They don’t stand a chance against this many rogues. I jump in the driver’s side of the truck and start the engine; perhaps if I can ram the rogues, we could outrun Malik.

The engine turns over, and I’m just putting it into gear when there’s a flash, a loud bang, and smoke rising from the engine. I leap from the truck to see the front has a large hole in the side. Ryan and Kris look back, their mouths hanging open as Malik stands with his hand aloft, a ball of energy glowing at his fingertips.

“Run, Emily, just run,” Ryan yells. But I know there’s no point. We can’t defeat them on our own or outrun them.

Just then, I hear vehicles approaching from behind us, and turn to see Tristen’s truck and some others appear.Thank the goddess.

My relief is reflected in Ryan and Kris’s eyes as they welcome their pack members, who don’t hesitate as they leap from their trucks and advance on the rogues. “Malik is here, be careful,” I call out.

Ryan backs up slightly to meet Tristen, who is moving into the fray and standing between the rogues and me. “He wants Emily.”

Tristen’s gaze immediately flicks to me, and I see something indecipherable in his expression.

“Protect her,” he says to Ryan, who nods as Tristen shifts, leading his pack into the fight.

As chaos ensues around us, Ryan turns to me. “Can these runes protect us from Malik? Is that why he isn’t attacking himself?” he asks.

I nod. “We think so. He’d have attacked long ago properly if they didn’t work against him.”

Ryan looks thoughtful. “Right, let’s line them up, create a shield. They reach far, right?”

“Yes, if we can throw them down toward the edge of the clearing, they’ll line up with the older ones that run along the tree line,” I say, counting how many we have left.

We work quickly, using the truck for cover and placing or throwing the runes into a rough formation. It takes time, but we eventually manage to create a line that extends into the trees.

Ryan turns to me. “Let’s hope this works.” We both look out into the mass of bodies and wolves fighting, unsure of who is winning at this point.

I watch as the fight rages on, feeling helpless. Tristen is magnificent. His strength and speed are unparalleled. He’s a true leader. The runes begin to work, affecting Malik's rogues, causing them to appear disoriented when they get too close, helping Tristen and his men finish them off. The rune line is disturbed when a body crashes through two of the runes. I creep away from the truck to move them further out again.

I’m so caught up with what is happening right in front of me that I don’t notice Malik has circled around, his eyes blazing with fury as I see him approach. “Brave little witch, aren’t you?” he snarls before backhanding me across the face, hard. “We need to have a chat.”

I stumble back, dazed, as he closes the distance between us, his hot breath on my face. Just then, Tristen appears, blocking him. They circle each other warily, both waiting for the other to make a move. I can see the tension in Tristen’s stance; he’s ready to defend me with everything he has. Malik raises his hand, and I see the flicker of energy on his fingertips, but as he does, Tristen summons the wind, and a ferocious tornado sends Malik flying back across the clearing.

The whole world tilts as my vision clouds, my face burning where Malik hit me. The last thing I hear is Tristen’s voice as strong arms lift me: “I’ve got you.”

And then everything goes black.

Chapter 9 - Tristen

The drive back down toward the town is nearly silent, with the exception of Ryan’s occasional groan as Kris tries to stem the bleeding from his wounds. Shifters heal fast, but some of his wounds are taking too long to stop bleeding, and I can see the concern written all over Kris’s face. Ryan fought as hard as I could ever ask of one of my betas, and he’s paid the price for it.

I glance back at his mangled form lying across the back seat, grinding my teeth with rage. “Tell him to hold on,” I grind out, “we’ll be at the clinic soon.”

Kris nods, grabbing more towels from the back to stem the bleeding. I look at his side profile, noting his own injuries. They both put up a hell of a fight and protected Emily against unprecedented odds. My gaze flickers to her slumped form in the passenger seat next to me. Her tangled hair covers most of her face, but the scrapes, ripped clothes, and dirt clinging to her pale skin are still all too visible. Her whole being reeks of fear, and my wolf hates it.

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