Page 26 of Runt of the Pack
I clench my fists tightly against the rage howling inside me. Not Grisha—this was an unknown Alpha’s doing. But the brutality carries the same depraved message.
“Where is your pack? Your Alpha?” I question. “I would have words with them about strengthening our united numbers against this threat.”
The three outcasts shift uneasily, refusing to meet my gaze. “We have no pack," the sandy-haired one admits. “We three are... lone wolves.”
The admission makes my chest constrict painfully. I know too well the hardship of surviving solo without pack bonds.
A low growl rumbles in my throat. I exhale slowly, mind churning with this new information. If I am to combat this menacing evil, I will need allies. And these three lost souls may prove valuable indeed.
I turn to Anya and gently raise her chin until our eyes meet. Her gaze is clearing from its earlier shock, strength beginning to return. She searches my face trustingly.
“It seems fate has brought us and these young wolves together, just when we each need allies most,” I say. Anya’s eyes widen in understanding.
I turn back to the omegas, who fidget nervously. “My mate and I would welcome you three into our fold, if you would pledge yourselves to us and our purpose.”
The trio stare in disbelief for a long stunned moment. Then as one, they drop to their knees before us in supplication. “We are forever in your debt,” they murmur humbly.
A smile curves my lips as fierce satisfaction roars through me. The fight to come will be long and bloody. But perhaps with these new loyal warriors, our odds are finally improving.
22
ANYA
I stare sightlessly out the frosted kitchen window, hands wrapped around a cooling mug of untouched tea. Days have passed in a blur since the gruesome attack at Yulia’s estate. My kind patron did not deserve such a brutal end, and the weight of survivor’s guilt presses heavily on my heart.
If not for my presence in this town, she would likely still be alive, going about her vibrant life. Her death was no random tragedy as Vlad believes—indeed, it was a message. But not the one he initially suspected.
Ever since the attack, I’ve been lost in my thoughts, too frightened and shocked to speak. Vlad has noticed it too, but he’s been mindful to grant me space as I sort out my emotions.
From the moment I heard the description of the enemy Alpha, and the dagger brand he carries, I knew this was no random tragedy. It was a living nightmare, come for me at last.
The Alpha behind poor Yulia’s murder is none other than Roan Mikhailov, the depraved leader of my old clan, the Alpha Krov pack. The same monster who forced me to abandon everyone and everything I knew to escape his twisted desires.
Now it seems my bid for freedom has failed. Roan finally tracked me here, and his bloody message was clear—this new haven will offer me no safety. He will raze it and everyone I care for to the ground unless I return to him. I’m sure he’s not forgiven me for escaping his fangs on the night of my branding. He left me little choice, since he wouldn’t reject me as his mate.
I thought a quiet life in the country would keep me safe from Roan’s reach... How wrong I was.
This bitter knowledge has paralyzed my tongue, but I cannot conceal the truth from Vlad forever. Roan will not stop until I’m back under his cruel thumb or all I love lies in ruins. Either I find the courage to fight at last, or surrender to the merciless fate from which I once fled.
Heavy footsteps sound outside the kitchen, followed by low voices. In the parlor, Vlad is speaking with our new pack members, the omega wolves who have pledged their loyalty. Word of an emerging sanctuary here has spread quickly, and now more lost wolves come seeking the shelter of pack daily. Our numbers swell, though it does little to ease the hollow ache inside me.
I pause outside the closed kitchen door. Vlad’s deep rumbling voice drifts through the aged wood, locked in serious discussion with someone—one of our new pack members, by the sounds of it.
I hesitate, not wanting to intrude. But the urgency in their hushed tones intrigues me. I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop, yet my feet remain rooted by the door, curiosity winning out.
Pressing nearer, I catch the tail end of Vlad’s sentence. “...best thing you could do under the circumstances, don’t you agree?”
“You’re absolutely right,” comes the fervent reply, tone laden with both relief and respect. I can’t place the voice—perhaps Thane, one of the omega wolves who recently joined our ranks.
I hear movement within, and risk cracking the door slightly to peek through. Thane rises from the sofa, clasping Vlad’s hand with effusive gratitude. “I feel much better about my options now.”
Their exchange confuses me. The solitary man who stumbled bleeding into my life seems to be commanding greater followers by the day, all drawn to him by an unexplainable pull. It’s almost as if Vlad were...
“Thank you for the counsel, Alpha,” Thane says as he opens the door.
Vlad meets him on the threshold, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat. “I’ll see you tonight at the strategy meeting.”
I reel back from the door, pulse racing. Alpha? Vlad never mentioned being an alpha wolf, let alone leading his own pack—his brother Gavriil was the Alpha, the leader of the bear shifters… The mug slips from my quivering hand and shatters on the floor.
