Page 201 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
“He’s here! The alpha is?—”
The guard’s warning died on a gurgle as I silenced him. Bullets peppered the wall behind me as more of George’s men rushed out of the house. I lunged forward. Bones shattered beneath my powerful teeth, flesh tearing like tissue paper.
I was unstoppable. Unbreakable. The wolf and the man united in one deadly purpose—to end the bastard who’d hurt our mate.
I snarled, ripping through the sea of bodies like they were nothing. These men were mere obstacles in my path, and I wouldn’t rest until George’s blood dripped from my claws and Zoey was safe.
Forever.
I crashed through the front door in a shower of splintered wood, shifting to human form. The tang of blood and sweat hungheavy in the air. That bastard was hiding, cowering somewhere in this house.
“George!” I roared with fury. “Face me, you fucking coward!”
Silence. Then the floorboards creaked behind me. I spun around just as George lunged from the shadows, a silver knife flashing in his grip. I caught his wrist, bones grinding together as we grappled.
“You’re too late,” George spat, eyes wild with hatred. “By now, my men will have her. Your preciousmate.”
White-hot rage surged through my veins. Snarling, I wrenched the knife from his hand and hurled him across the room. He hit the wall, and plaster crumbled around him.
“She’s not yours to touch,” I growled, stalking closer. “This ends now, George. You’re never laying a hand on her again.”
George staggered to his feet with a wheezing laugh. “Big words, mutt. You think you scare me? I own her.”
“The only thing you own is a death wish.”
I shifted, bones cracking and realigning in a ripple of sandy-blond fur. My lips peeled back from gleaming fangs, a red haze filling my vision.
George shifted as well, his transformation quick and violent. His fur, dark as the void, bristled as he grew in size, his eyes a glaring reflection of malice.
We circled each other, growls reverberating off the walls, primal instincts taking over. Around us, the house seemed to hold its breath, the very air charged with the tension of impending violence.
George snapped at me, his eyes glinting with fury and desperation. But I was faster, more fueled by the need to protect than he was by his desire to dominate. I lunged, clamping my teeth down on his leg with a force that could crush bone. George howled in pain, writhing as he tried to free himself from my grip.I held on, shaking my head side to side like a predator with its prey.
He jerked his leg out of my grip and limped away. Something in his eyes told me he knew he couldn’t win this. Without warning, he shifted back into his human form and dragged open a drawer. I ran forward as he pulled out a gun and aimed it at me. I leaped, trying to get to him before he could pull the trigger, but I was too late. The gun went off, and pain exploded in my chest.
But the bastard’s aim was off, and he missed hitting anything vital. The bullet had passed straight through, though blood oozed from the wound. The coward had used a fucking silver bullet.
Gritting my teeth against the pain, I lunged forward once more, my human instincts and wolf strength merging into a single force. George stumbled backward, the gun slipping from his fingers. Even with a firearm, he was no match for the raw ferocity of an alpha protecting his mate. My teeth clamped around his throat, pinning him against the wall with such force that plaster dust sifted down around us. I growled, my voice a menacing rumble that filled the room as I slowly bit down, crushing his throat until the breath left him in a final, desperate gasp. He slumped against the wall, his eyes wide with the shock of his last moment.
I released him, watching as he slid down the wall. Blood pooled around him, stark against the pale carpet. His reign of terror was over.
Panting, I shifted back into my human form, the pain from the poisoned bullet more pronounced now as the adrenaline began to wane. I leaned against the wall for support, my body shaking from the silver and the raw emotions that flooded through me. I had taken a life—a necessary evil to protectthose I loved—but the gravity of the act weighed heavily on my conscience.
My heart raced as I crouched down, inspecting George’s lifeless body to ensure he was truly gone. Leaving him there, I limped through the house, stepping over fallen bodies and debris. The chaos of the battle was fading into an eerie silence. My men were searching the property, making sure there were no remaining threats.
It was over.
55
ZOEY
Ipaced the living room, my heart racing as I waited for news. Noah’s father’s phone rang, and he answered, his expression going from tense to grim.
“It’s over. George is dead,” he said heavily.
My knees gave out, and I sank to the floor. It was finally over. George could never hurt me or anyone else again.
But then Christian’s face fell.
