The Alpha's Heir

CHAPTER 12

The past weighted the air with an imaginary coating of fog as Lucas stood at the door, his huge frame still caught between human and wolf. His chest rose and fell in slow, deep breaths. The words thrown at him by those men reverberated within his mind louder than any gunshot.

We have your sister.

He had buried that part of his life so long ago: his pack, his family, his sister—Leah. At the time, she had been a teenager full of life until it all came crashing down around them. It had been during a raid several years ago, when the organization came hunting werewolves as if they were too dangerous to live among men. Leah was taken in the chaos, and he'd been late getting to her.

He had thought she must be dead. That was what the organization did, wasn't it? They didn't take prisoner; they eliminated.

And now they're telling him different. She was alive. Could that be? Or just another inhumane joke, a trap for his surrender?

"Lucas, we don't have time for this!" Elena's voice cut into his thoughts, keen and urgent. She was just behind him, her eyes wide with fear, but there was something else in her gaze-concern. For him.

He turned to her, his claws still extended, his eyes aglow under the dim light. "I cannot just ignore this," he growled. "If Leah's alive. I have to know."

Elena stepped forward, her head shaking. "But what if this is a trap? They know how to reach you. They are trying to use your emotions against you.

He clenched his jaw and bit his anger back. Of course, she was right-it could be a lie, just another of those twisted games the organization played. But what if it wasn't? What if Leah was out there somewhere, just waiting for him to save her?

Before he could say a word, Marcus spoke up from across the room, his tone tight. "They're going to break in soon. We don't have much time." He glanced upward toward the windows as if at any moment to see the shadows of the armed men outside that already were inching closer. The cabin would not hold for long.

He knew that the choices were fast dwindling, and he had to make his choices: whether to stay and protect Elena and Marcus or to go after his sister, risking everything.

Elena's hand touched his arm-small against his powerful, transformed frame. "We need you here, Lucas. I need you here."

Her words cut to his gut, but the thought of Leah-small, innocent Leah-being kept by these men somewhere just tore him up. He couldn't leave her behind. Not this time.

"I gotta do this," Lucas rasped out in a low, gravelly tone. "If they have her. I'm not walking away."

Elena's gaze softened, and for a moment, Lucas thought she'd argue. But then she nodded, seeming to sense the weight of his hurt. "Just. be careful. Don't let them play you."

"

I won't," he said. But deep in his heart, he had no idea if he actually could keep that promise.

The crunching of boots against dirt outside grew louder. The men were closing in. There was no more time for debate.

"I'm going out there," Lucas said now, steady with resolution in his voice. He turned more fully into his were-kind form, muscles bulging, fur rising along arms and across his back as senses heightened to extremes. He could smell them-the sweat and fear of the men outside, the metallic tang of their weapons.

Elena stepped back, eyes afraid, yet trusting. "We'll back you up from inside."

Lucas nodded and then turned toward the door, his heart bucking against his chest. He drew deeply into his lungs, filling them to capacity with one gulp of cold night air. Then he opened the door and strode silently out into the dark woods.

Outside, guns up, the men were waiting; their flashlights cut through the dark. A low growl rumbled in his throat now as eyes, razor-sharp, scanned the group and came to rest on the figure at the front-the one who'd spoken a minute ago.

"You said you have Leah," Lucas growled, barely his voice, almost pure animal now. "Prove it."

He smiled then, his face half-concealed in shadow. "Oh, we have her. But you're going to have to come with us if you want to see her again."

Lucas took another step forward, his claws flexing. "I'm not going anywhere till I know she's alive."

The man nodded, his smile never faltering. "Fair enough.

He gestured behind him, and another figure came forward. Lucas's breath caught in his throat. Even through the dimness, he could make out the features so well known: the long, dark hair, the eyes that once shone bright yet were now empty, void.

"Leah…," he stuttered, his mind numb with utter disbelief.

She was so different-thinner, paler-but it was her, his sister. Alive.

He moved closer to her, his heart drumming in his chest. But something wasn't right. She didn't move closer to him; she didn't call out to him. She just was there-like a puppet without strings.

"What did you do with her?" Lucas growled; his voice shook with rage.

He laughed. "Nothing permanent. She's under our control now. You see, Lucas, you were always too dangerous to let roam free. But with her… we can control you."

Lucas's claws dug into the dirt beneath him. His fury boiled over, and he felt the animal inside him rising-ready to strike-to tear them apart for what they'd done to his sister.

But before he could do so, Elena gasped behind him. "No… it can't be."

Lucas turned back to him, his heart sank as he saw the look of horror which was frozen in her face. She stared at one of the guys standing near the back of the group. He followed her gaze, and his blood ran cold.

It was someone she knew. Someone she trusted.

"Elena?" Lucas asked, his voice thick with confusion.

She shook her head, her body backing away. "That man… I know him. He was a friend. He… he betrayed us."

Lucas's heart clenched. They were surrounded by enemies, but now even their allies weren't to be trusted.

And just as the night's darkness closed in around them, so, too, the weight of betrayal and the ghost of his past threatened to destroy everything he had fought to preserve.

But he wasn't done fighting yet.