CHAPTER 5
1135 Words
The sound was impossible—hundreds of wolves howling in perfect, chilling unison.
The cabin vibrated. Evelyn’s bones vibrated.
Her protector—the Alpha—staggered, bracing one hand on the floor, the other instinctively reaching back to steady her. He wished she had run when she had the chance, but now it was too late.
“They’re here,” he rasped.
The woman with the silver eyes smiled, stepping over the shattered pieces of the suppressor charm. “Good. We’ve wasted enough time.”
The man beside her cracked his knuckles. “You ready for round two, Alpha?”
But the Alpha wasn’t looking at them.
He was staring at the open doorway, pulse roaring beneath his skin. He knew what was coming. He feared what was coming.
Evelyn followed his gaze—
And froze.
Leaves tore loose from trees. Branches snapped. Shadows zipped between trunks. A wall of eyes—dozens, then hundreds—glowed at the forest’s edge.
“Who are they?” Evelyn whispered.
The woman answered without looking away. “My pack.”
The Alpha snarled. “This is an invasion.”
“No,” she corrected softly. “This is a retrieval.”
The wolves stepped out of the tree line, forming a semicircle around the broken cabin. Wolves of every colors surrounded the place.
Massive. Gray, black, russet, silver. Twice the size of normal wolves and three times as fast.
Evelyn’s lungs fought for air.
“What do you want with me?” she asked.
She didn’t mean to sound afraid—but hell, she was afraid.
The woman gave a polite, humorless smile.
“You’re a tether, sweetheart. You belong with the Coven of the Silver Path. You always have.”
Coven.
The word scraped something cold across Evelyn’s spine.
The Alpha’s growl dropped into something dangerous. “She’s under my protection.”
“Protection?” the woman laughed lightly. “You can barely stand.”
The Alpha struggled upright anyway, muscles trembling, breath ragged. He moved in front of Evelyn, shielding her with his entire body, even though he was a heartbeat away from collapsing again. He really wished he had his strength back for he was afraid, hell, scared of what was coming.
Evelyn’s heart twisted painfully.
“You don’t have to—” she whispered.
“Yes,” he rasped. “I do.”
Before she could respond, a shadow lunged through the broken doorway.
A wolf—huge, white-furred, eyes so bright they glowed like cold moons—sprang straight toward them.
Evelyn screamed.
The Alpha shoved her hard to the side. She hit the floor as he collided with the wolf midair. The impact shook the whole cabin.
Teeth snapped, claws raked, wood splintered.
The Alpha fought savagely, but he was weakened, blood dripping from his earlier wounds.
The white wolf pinned him, jaws snapping inches from his throat.
“Stop!” Evelyn cried, scrambling to her knees.
The woman lifted a hand lazily.
The white wolf immediately froze, holding the Alpha down but not biting.
“Let him breathe,” the woman said. “There’s no need to kill him. He’ll be useful later.”
Useful. He hated himself that moment for not being able to protect her.
The Alpha’s lip curled, eyes blazing with fury.
Evelyn surged forward, but the man caught her arm in a vice grip.
“None of that,” he murmured.
She jerked away—hard—and he released her with an amused smirk.
“You have spirit,” he said. “You’ll need it.”
Evelyn ignored him and stumbled toward the Alpha. He was still pinned, chest heaving, teeth bared.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
His eyes snapped to hers—golden, fierce, desperate.
“Run.”
She shook her head. “I’m not leaving you; I can’t leave you.”
His jaw clenched.
The woman clapped her hands once, sharply.
“Bring her.”
The white wolf backed off, letting the Alpha collapse to his knees. Two smaller wolves padded in behind Evelyn, hemming her in.
“No!” the Alpha roared, trying to rise again. “Don’t touch her!”
Three wolves forced him back down.
“Stop fighting,” the woman said, voice sharpening. “You’ve lost.”
She reached for Evelyn.
Evelyn flinched—and something inside her flared. A heat in her chest. A pulse of pressure, like a heartbeat that wasn’t entirely her own.
The woman’s hand made contact—
And pain exploded.
Evelyn screamed as a shockwave ripped from her skin like lightning. The woman stumbled back, eyes wide.
The wolves yelped. The man swore. Embers blew from the hearth.
And the Alpha—
He gasped.
His eyes snapped to her, shock and recognition lighting his face.
“Evelyn,” he whispered, voice hoarse. “You just—”
The woman straightened slowly, her expression no longer amused.
“So,” she breathed, brushing soot from her sleeve. “It’s already awakening.”
Evelyn panted. “What is?”
“The tether bond.” The woman’s smile sharpened. “But not with us.”
Her gaze flicked between Evelyn and the Alpha.
“No wonder he wants you so badly.”
Evelyn felt the Alpha tense.
The woman’s voice dropped to a purr. “You’ve already begun bonding to him.”
The Alpha froze. Evelyn’s heart stopped. The entire cabin went silent.
Bonding?
“To break that,” the woman murmured, “I’ll need you unconscious.”
Before Evelyn could react, the white wolf lunged—
Straight at her. Teeth bared.
She braced for impact—
But the Alpha moved faster than she’d ever seen.
He tore free from the wolves restraining him, grabbed her, and shoved her behind his body—
Just as the white wolf’s jaws closed around his shoulder.
Blood sprayed. He didn’t make a sound. He didn’t want her to be worried.
He bore the pain as the white wolf bit hard on his shoulder.
“Stop!” Evelyn screamed. “Leave him alone!”
The man grabbed her around the waist, hauling her backward. She kicked, twisted, clawed, but he held her effortlessly. She hated how he held her and prevented her from going to him. She needed him to know she was okay, that all would be okay.
“Don’t fight,” he grunted. “Makes it easier—”
“EVELYN!” the Alpha roared, reaching out to her even as the white wolf dragged him down. He tried to break free with all his might but he was just too weak to free himself from the grip of the white wolf.
His fingers brushed hers—
Then the woman snapped her fingers.
A wolf slammed into Evelyn from behind.
Darkness swallowed her before she could scream
- Writer
