Page 155 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
“Bullshit,” I snarled, getting right in his face. “I fucking heard it. What happened? My mate and her kid are there.”
The cop swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. I could smell his fear, see my face reflected in his widened eyes. I looked barely human—more animal than man.
“I’m sorry, I truly can’t say more,” he said, but there was a telling tremor in his words.
Kyler grabbed my arm in a warning. I shook him off, a growl rumbling through my chest. The cop scrambled for his cruiser, tossing a terse “wait here” over his shoulder.
Like hell I would. I was already moving, long strides eating up the pavement. Kyler matched me step for step, not saying a word. He knew better than to get between a wolf and his imperiled mate.
My phone rang, the sound shrill and urgent. I had it to my ear in a heartbeat. “Zoey? What’s wrong?”
“Noah.” Her voice was high and thready with panic. “Someone tried to break in. The police are here, but Ro... God, Noah, something’s wrong with Ro!”
Ice flooded my veins even as my wolf surged closer to the surface, howling to protect what was ours.
“I’m on my way,” I said. “Just hold on, baby. I’m coming.”
I didn’t remember the drive, just the scream of tires and the red haze of fury and fear clouding my vision. I left the car door hanging open as I charged toward the house.
Cops swarmed the yard, the strobing lights painting the scene in nightmarish flashes of red and blue. It barely registered. All I could think wasZoey, Ro, danger, protect, defend...
I shouldered through the chaos, my sole focus the front door. I had to get to my family, had to keep them safe. Nothing else mattered. Not the guns trained on me, not the shouts ordering me to stop.
My wolf howled. My mate needed me. And God help anyone who stood in my way.
Warman intercepted me at the door, his face grim. “Noah, you need to calm down.”
I snarled, my wolf snapping at my fraying control. “Get out of my way.”
He grabbed my arm as I tried to push past. “Listen to me. Zoey’s scared enough without seeing you like this.”
His words penetrated the haze of rage and fear. Zoey. I had to hold it together for her, for Ro.
I sucked in a ragged breath, fighting for control. “What happened?”
“After you left for the gym, someone tried to break in. Lance got to him first, took him down with a stunner. He’s human, and he didn’t see the plainclothes watching the house.”
I glanced over to the man sitting in the back of a cruiser. I knew him—a low-level troublemaker from town. Fury ignited in my gut. He’d dared to threaten what was mine?
Warman’s grip on my arm tightened, pulling my focus back. “Noah, Zoey needs you calm and steady. For her sake, for the boy’s, you gotta keep your head.”
I closed my eyes, reaching for the place inside me where my human half and wolf existed in balance. I had to be the rock Zoey could lean on, the strength she could draw from.
Slowly, with effort, I reined in my rage and locked my wolf back in his cage.
I met Warman’s gaze. “I’m good. Take me to my family.”
He studied me for a long moment, then nodded and released me.
“How the fuck did he know they were with me?” I said. “They only came to stay last night.”
Warman sighed, his expression grim. “Noah, I hate to say it, but there must be someone in town who’s in George’s pocket. He’s got eyes and ears everywhere. It’s disappointing that one of our own would turn on us like this.”
My hands clenched into fists at my sides as I tried to stifle the urge to lash out, to punish those who threatened my mate and her son. But I forced myself to focus on Warman’s words.
“George’s pockets are deep,” Warman continued. “And he’s into some shady shit. Loan-sharking, among other things. Anyone who owed him money could be leveraged as a weapon against you and Zoey.”
The thought made my stomach turn. How many people in our town were under George’s thumb? How many would be willing to betray us, to put Zoey and Roland in danger, just to save their own skin?
