Page 236 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

Something in me, some ancient genetic memory of my wolf, took over. Seeing him like that, writhing in agony and kicking his back legs to get back up, thrilled me. Prey, cornered and injured, unable to defend itself. It was more than my wolf could have hoped for.

We leapt forward. Paws slamming into Kyle’s chest, we rolled him to his back, exposing his belly and neck.

Backed into a corner, Kyle did his best to fight his way out. His three good paws clawed, kicked, and scratched at me. His back left paw found purchase, tearing a gouge in my hip. It didn’t matter. I was stronger. I was angrier. I was the fucking alpha. I pressed my muzzle forward beneath his snapping jaws and closed my teeth around his throat. The growling and grunting sounds stopped, and his movements became frantic, feverish in their desperation. Instead of trying to hurt me, he was now trying to escape.

For a moment, I held him there. I recalled all the pain and terror he’d put us through, the things he said he’d do to my mate, the way he’d stolen my child, and the friends he’d murdered. I knew what would happen if he went free. There would be no peace. I would always be looking over my shoulder. My family would never be safe.

With one deep, angry growl, I bit down harder and yanked my head to the side with more force than I’d ever used on anything in my life. Flesh ripped, arteries tore, and cartilage broke as I tore out a massive hunk of Kyle’s throat. Blood spurted and arced through the air, coating my face as I pulled away.

Spitting out the hunk of meat and fur, I watched him kick the dirt. His wolf eyes looked at me with a mixture of horror and surprise. Even in the end, he couldn’t comprehend that he’d lost. The crimson puddle grew steadily larger as his movements became more sluggish. Then, with one final kick, his eyes became lifeless orbs, staring at nothing.

It was over.Finally.

Langston and Trent rushed around the side of the building at the same moment I shifted back. They saw the scene and stopped short.

“Dad!” Ashton cried and crashed into me. Avery hit me next, wrapping her arms around both of us and sobbing.

Ashton shook, and when I looked down at him, I saw him scrunching his face up, obviously fighting back tears. Did he not want to cry in front of me?

“Let it out, son,” I said. “Real men cry.”

He began to sob, his body shaking as he clutched me. For an instant, he wasn’t the big, tall teenager I’d gotten to know. Instead, he was the small child whose life I’d missed out on. In that moment, I experienced fifteen missing years of comfort. I could hold my son and let him cry. Between him and Avery, I held my entire life in my arms.

I gave Kyle’s dead body one final look. He lay there, forever in wolf form, blank eyes staring up at the night sky. The girl who’d helped save us was nowhere to be seen. I wanted to ask where she’d gone, wanted to thank her, but the shouts picking up around us demanded my attention.

The mansion was on fire.

Ashton, Avery, and I stepped back and gazed up at the house. Orange flames peeked through the shingles like demon tongues tasting the house before devouring it whole. From the far side of the house, a deafeningboomerupted.

“I think that was the natural gas tank,” Langston shouted. “Get the hell back!” He waved his arms at everyone to move away from the house.

“Probably a good idea,” Ashton muttered.

We’d only gone a couple feet when I remembered that Dallas was hurt inside. Maybe dead, but maybe not.

After everything my brother had done, in the end, he’d saved my family. He’d risked his life to see them to safety. I hadto try to save him, Ihadto.

“Langston? Trent? Watch them.” I shoved Avery and Ashton at them.

“What?” Avery cried out in surprise as Langston took her under his arm. “You can’t go in there,” she said, pointing at the house. Flames flickered in nearly all the windows.

“I have to,” I said.

Before she or Ashton could argue, I sprinted to the rear of the house.

The coal chute stood wide open. That must have been how they’d gotten out. Sliding in, I landed on my feet in what looked like a basement. Ahead, I saw a heavy door sitting open. The air was hazy with smoke, and it tickled my lungs as I ran, praying my brother was in that room. Even if hewasdead, I was getting him out of here. He didn’t deserve to burn to dust in this fucking place.

To my right, an orange glow shimmered up a set of rough steps. Two-by-fours nailed together with a simple handrail that led up to the upper levels of the house. The flames had already begun to envelop the floor above. I needed to move quickly. This house was old, mostly wood and flammable paint. It was going up faster than I’d thought possible.

Dallas lay in a pool of blood inside the strange room. It contained shelves of canned food, five-gallon jugs of water, and random chests with locks. One chest was open and looked like it held an entire armory within. This place was some sort of bunker or safe room. That didn’t matter, it was going to be ashes soon. What mattered was Dallas.

Kneeling beside him, I felt a rush of joy when he blinked lazily. When he saw my face, he made an almost comical frown. Blood smeared his lips and dribbled across his cheek as he spoke.

“Why are you here?” he croaked.

“To save my dumbass little brother, that’s why,” I said as I slid my arms beneath him.

“You should leave me,” Dallas said, and there was a heartbreaking misery in his voice. “After the shit I’ve done, I deserve to burn. First here, then in hell.”

---