Page 163 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
“I’ve called in a team to scout the area,” he said. “I’m going to join them, but I wanted to make sure the house was secure first.”
I tilted my head back to look at him. “Thank you, Noah. For everything. I’ve never had anyone care about me the way you do.”
He brushed his thumb across my cheekbone in a tender caress.
The moment was shattered when Noah suddenly stiffened. At the same time, Ro came barreling out of his room, his face pale and stricken.
“There’s someone calling in my head!” Ro cried.
Noah didn’t hesitate. He charged for the door, shouting for Lance to follow. In a blur of motion, they shifted, powerful wolf forms bounding toward the distant woods.
Dread settled like a boulder in my gut. I knew with sick certainty that it was George, using his bond with Ro to lure my son straight into danger.
42
NOAH
Icaught George’s scent and snarled, picking up speed as I chased after him through the woods. His scent grew stronger. I was gaining on him.
But then another scent hit my nose just before a heavy weight slammed into my side, tackling me to the ground.
It wasn’t George. Another wolf—muscular, dark fur. We tussled and snapped our jaws, rolling in the dirt and dead leaves. He was strong, but no match for me. With a vicious growl, I pinned the wolf beneath me, my teeth hovering over his exposed throat.
Slowly, the wolf shifted back into human form beneath me. A man, maybe in his late twenties, with shaggy hair. He glared at me defiantly.
I shifted back as well, still pinning him down. “Who are you? Why did you attack me?”
“Fuck you,” he spat. “I don’t answer to you.”
I applied pressure to his throat. “You do now. Talk. Who are you?”
He struggled futilely before going limp in surrender. “Carlo,” he said. “I run with George’s crew.”
I sighed and released him. George’s crew. Of course. That bastard had hired muscle to take me out once again.
But something didn’t add up. I hauled Carlo to his feet roughly.
“If George wanted me dead, why not just take me out from a distance? Why attack me head-on and risk yourself?”
A flicker of unease passed over Carlo’s face before he schooled his features. “I don’t know, man. I just do what I’m told.”
Bullshit. This was sloppy for a planned hit. And George striking in broad daylight, so close to the pack grounds? No way.
Realization hit me like a punch to the gut. This wasn’t a real attempt on my life. Just a distraction...
My blood ran cold. While I’d been busy fighting off Carlo, George had slipped away.
And I had a sinking feeling l knew exactly where that sociopathic bastard was headed—straight for Zoey and Roland.
I cursed and shifted in an instant, tearing off at full speed toward the house. My paws pounded the earth, heart hammering against my ribs. How could I have been so stupid, letting George distract me like that? If anything happened to Zoey or Roland...
I burst through the tree line and skidded to a halt in the yard. The scene in front of me made my blood boil.
Lance was struggling to restrain a snarling, snapping Roland, the young wolf’s jaws smeared with blood. Zoey sobbed nearby, red scratches scoring her arms where she must have tried to hold back her son.
The acrid stench of George’s scent hung heavy in the air. That son of a bitch. He’d used his alpha influence to try to force Roland to come to him.
“Noah!” Zoey cried when she saw me. “It’s George! He’s calling to Roland. I can’t snap him out of it,”
