Page 59 of Rejected By My Shadow Alpha
His words were a knife to the chest. Ruby and Liora had been taken.
He tried to sit up, but he didn't have the strength. "I'm sorry."
I shook my head. "This isn't on you."
He shook his head weakly, shame etched across his bloodied face. "I'm sorry. They overpowered me. It happened so fast. They were Cornerstone wolves and someone else… I…I didn't recognize the masked person."
My head snapped up.
"Masked?" I repeated sharply, gripping his hand tighter. "You're sure?"
Alex nodded faintly. "Yeah. One of them wore a clownish mask, didn't speak much but just watched and gave orders like they were running the show."
My stomach turned. Whoever hid their identity knew they didn't belong. This wasn't random. Someone knew exactly what they were doing.
I swallowed hard, my voice low, barely containing the urgency in my chest, but in my head, alarms were blaring. "It's okay, you did everything you could."
"I'm sorry, Drew." He apologized again.
I shook my head. "This isn't on you, Alex. You fought, and you're alive, that's what matters now," I said, gripping his shoulder.
I reached for my phone with a bloodied hand and called Jay. "Jay," I said curtly, my voice like steel. "I need backup, now. Alex is down. We need medical support and a secure perimeter."
I didn't wait for a response. I didn't care to hear his voice right now. I was still miffed at his open rebellion against me. If he had told me early about the strange calls, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. I ended the call and turned back to Alex, gripping his shoulder gently.
"Help is coming," I said, quieter this time. "You're not alone, just hold on."
His fingers twitched in acknowledgment. I nodded, silently acknowledging his bravery. I stood, rage and fear churning beneath my skin, and stepped outside. The air was heavy, thick with storm clouds and the scent of violence. My wolf stirred violently inside me, thrashing against the cage of my ribs.
I picked up her lingering scent. Ruby. It wrapped around me—wild roses. It stirred something warm and felt like home. It was faint, fading fast, but it was hers. I picked the scent of Cornerstone wolves.
My heart dropped. Alex was right. Ruby and Liora had been taken by Alpha Alfred, and just then, I picked something else. A third scent, just as familiar, my heart twisted in utter disbelief as it lingered. The third scent was from someone from my pack. Someone I trusted.
I froze. No
I stood there, motionless, as the pieces clicked into place and then collapsed all over again. It all made sense now: the muffled phone calls, the curse on Liora, the mad wolf, and even the attack on Alex.. Every setback and close call hadn't been by chance. It had been orchestrated by someone I trusted.
My knees threatened to buckle, the weight of it crushing. I felt stripped raw and hollowed out. How long had they been lying to me? The scent hung in the air like a slap I couldn't deny. I knew it.
"Why?" I whispered into the empty dark. "Why would you do this?"
I stood frozen, staring at nothing, as the truth closed in around me. They'd walked beside me, fought beside me, and all along, they'd been carving a path for my enemy. Pain like I hadn't felt since the night I escaped as a five-year-old slammed through me, sharp and choking.
My wolf let out a low, mournful growl that echoed in my chest. This betrayal wasn't just random. It was personal. I willed my mind to focus on finding Ruby and Liora. I followed the scent, my wolf surged within me, clawing for release and control. I let it rise. I shifted in a blur of heat and snapping bones, fur overtaking skin until I stood on four legs, my breath heaving and ears twitching for a trace.
I sniffed again and tracked the scent down the hill, along the dirt path through broken trees and crushed leaves. Then nothing. All the scents were gone, scrubbed clean. They'd used scent blockers to cover their tracks. My alpha powers could not pick up anything.
Frustrated, I threw my head back and howled, long, loud, and broken. They were gone, and I had no idea where to find them. The wolf in me wanted to run, to rip apart the woods until I tore something loose, but the man in me knew better. If I chased blindly, I'd lose everything.
I shifted back, panting, naked and raw under the open night sky, staring at the place where their trail had ended. My fists clenched, and my nails bit into my palms. The scent of Ruby clung to me like a cruel memory.
I failed them.
I'd sworn I'd protect them, and now they were gone, snatched by the very men I'd spent years hunting. My lungs refused to work right, my eyes stung, and rage burned just beneath the heartbreak. Everything I'd built, everything I'd become in the past seven years, the man I thought could outmaneuver Alpha Alfred meant nothing now.
I bowed my head, my fingers curling into fists. I had one last card to play. One last wild, desperate move. I stayed there with my eyes closed and my forehead pressed to the ground, waiting for an answer in the silence.
I shut my eyes.
