Page 29 of Brutal Alpha's Sold Mate
He nods without question, rushing off to assemble a small search group. I push down the spike of unease. This is purely precautionary, right? She’s probably just wandering around, stewing in her own thoughts. She’s strong-willed, so maybeshe needed space. Yet, my gut churns, remembering the brutal beating that happened recently, possibly at the hands of some rogue from Reed’s territory. Or even from Malcolm and Wiley’s circle. We haven’t ruled anything out.
I hurry past the next set of cabins, ignoring the curious glances from a few bystanders. They can keep their gossip to themselves. I’m not about to let any potential threat slip through my grasp. Not when my pack is vulnerable, and especially not with Kai out there alone.
Within minutes, I’m leading a handful of men into the forest’s edge. Some are watchers, others are volunteers with decent tracking skills. I assign each group a route, instructing them to cover ground quickly but meticulously. We can’t risk splitting into tiny pairs that might get ambushed.
“Report back in an hour,” I tell them. “If you find Kai, guide her back safely, then alert me through the pack connection.”
They nod, then scatter along separate paths. I take the route that leads toward the meadow she uses for training. The quiet is unnerving. I cross the meadow swiftly, spotting only a few footprints. I crouch to examine them, and sure enough, they’re smaller, possibly Kai’s, but overlaid with a heavier print. That sets my hackles rising.
I follow them, occasionally spotting broken twigs or a scuff in the dirt. The footsteps appear to move deeper into the forest than she usually goes. Why would she head this far if she’s just blowing off steam? Unless she’s following someone or being followed.
A fresh wave of worry hits me. I quicken my pace, observing the surroundings with every step. A few minutes later, I spot a mark carved into a tree trunk—two parallel slashes thatlook deliberate. Kai taught some of her students to leave signals if they ever needed help. Did she leave these? Or is it random? It’s suspiciously precise.
“Dammit,” I grumble as I press my hand to the bark. My pulse jumps. This has to be from her. She must’ve known she was in trouble.
I sprint along the path, searching for another sign. Another set of scratches appears on a low branch, angled toward a narrow game trail. I bolt down that path, feeling my heart slam with every stride.
My mind conjures images of her pinned by a stranger, that haunted look from the day I first met her, when she was too weak to fight off Malcolm and Wiley’s potions. She’s stronger now, but not at full capacity. If she’s cornered by someone who has some real muscle, she might struggle.
I skid to a halt when I see another mark on a rock, arrowing left. I dash that way, nearly tripping over a root. The forest thickens, and branches claw at me. I ignore the scratches and keep going, following whatever signs I can find.
Suddenly, I hear something—a muffled grunt, possibly. I freeze, straining my ears. Yes, there’s a sound of a struggle. I clench my teeth, forging ahead until I reach a small clearing overshadowed by twisted trees.
My breath catches at the sight: Kai is on the ground, wrestling with a stranger who straddles her. He has one arm pressed against her throat and the other wielding a blade aimed at her side. She’s thrashing, trying to knock him off, but it looks like he’s got the advantage.
My wolf roars inside me, and adrenaline floods my limbs. The intruder’s knife glints as he shifts position, attempting to pin her arms. Kai’s face is contorted in fury, and perhaps a bitof fear. She’s not helpless by nature, but right now, she’s at risk, and that’s all I need to see.
I lunge forward, ready to tear this scum off her. Everything else fades to a blank haze. My single focus is on stopping that blade before it plunges into her.
And at that instant, an emotion flares through me—something primal, protective. The realization that I might lose her if I don’t act floods me with a singular certainty. I can’t let it happen. I won’t let it happen.
Chapter 11 - Kai
I don’t even realize I’m screaming until my throat burns. Everything happens in a blur—one second, I’m pinned, half-choking on my own panic, and the next, I’m watching a massive black wolf that used to be Theo tear into the stranger with a brutality that leaves me shaking.
My head spins. I scramble backward, pressing a hand to my ribs. The urge to run is huge, but I can’t take my eyes off the fight. The stranger tries to throw Theo off, but Theo’s wolf is too strong. Snarls and yelps fill the clearing, and each second is more vicious than the last. I swear I can feel the ground tremble under me with each impact.
When Theo bites down, the man’s screams turn into wet gurgles. I want to look away, but something in me refuses to blink. My pulse pounds. I’m afraid for Theo, terrified he’ll get sliced since the man is thrashing that knife around so wildly. He ends it when he tears out the attacker’s throat in a spray that sends me recoiling. The body collapses, twitches once, then goes still.
Theo’s wolf stands there over the corpse, breathing ragged. My brain finally catches up to what just happened. He saved my life, but he also killed someone right in front of me. I’m a warrior by anyone’s definition. I’ve killed, too, but the violence he just displayed… It’s a lot to process. My limbs start shaking, and a whimper I can’t control slips out of my mouth.
He shifts back almost instantly, and he stands there completely naked. There’s blood on his hands, on his bare chest, smeared across his arms. I scramble upright, bracing myself against a tree so I don’t topple over. He’s panting and glancingaround for more threats, but there’s nothing left. Just us, the body, and my frantically pounding heartbeat.
“Kai,” he rasps. “Are you hurt?”
I stare at him, still rooted to the spot. “I… I think I’m okay.” My gaze flits to the body. My stomach flips, and I swallow the bile rising in my throat. “I… thank you.”
He takes a staggering step forward, favoring one leg. A jagged slash runs across his calf. “Let’s get out of here. This isn’t exactly a sight you need burned into your brain.”
I nod, pushing down the roiling mix of horror and relief. I let him steer me away from the carnage, and we move in silence for a few minutes. My brain can’t settle. Part of me wants to curl into a ball somewhere and sob for letting someone get the jump on me. Another part wants to pretend I’m fine. But I’m not.
When we finally reach a safe stretch of forest, Theo flags down one of his watchers, who arrives, wide-eyed at the blood on Theo’s body and the rattled look on mine. “Stay here,” he tells the watcher, pointing back in the direction we came from. “Find that corpse, deal with it. He’s not one of ours, and I want answers.”
The watcher nods and takes off without question. Theo takes my arm gently, leading me toward his cabin. Normally, I’d protest being led anywhere, but my limbs feel unsteady. I keep replaying the moment that blade hovered near my kidney, one slip away from ending me.
He glances at me as we reach his door. “Lean on me if you have to.”
“I’m good,” I mutter, though I know I’m lying. My legs feel like rubber.
