The Alpha's Heir

CHAPTER.13

Elena's heart thundered in her chest as she stepped out of the cabin, her gaze riveted on Sarah. Her one-time friend stood amidst the armed men in dark gear, with guilt and resolution in her eyes. Sarah had been one of those she could confide in, one she had thought would never betray her. But now, here she was, working for the organization that hunted the existence of werewolves and those linked to them.

"Sarah? What are you doing here?" Elena's voice shook, the incredulity weighing heavy in her tone.

Sarah let out a sigh and lowered her gun a little, but kept an edge of wariness on Lucas, who stood beside Elena tense and ready to strike. "Elena, you don't understand. I didn't have a choice."

"No choice?" Elena shook her head, appalled and moved a step closer. "You're with them? After everything we've been through, after everything I told you?

A low growl rumbled in the back of Lucas's throat, his eyes aglow as he kept his gaze locked on the armed men surrounding them. His protectiveness was running high-to tear into anybody who threatened Elena or his pack. But Elena raised a hand, signaling for him to hold off, at least for now.

"I am not your enemy, Elena, " she said hurriedly. Nervously, she looked around at the other men. "I've been trying to help you, in my own way. I joined this organization because my family was threatened. They. they knew things about me, about us. If I didn't cooperate, they would have taken everything from me.

Elena's chest tightened, wanting to so desperately believe her longtime friend, but seeing her standing with the enemy was hard to fathom, to get her brain to wrap around.

Lucas stirred beside her, his claws digging into the ground. "She's lying," he growled in a low, rough voice full of a hardly controlled anger. "She's with them. You can't trust anything she says."

Sarah winced under the cut of Lucas words, but refused to back down. "It's not quite that simple, Lucas. It's not just werewolves. The organization. They're trying to govern all supernatural threats—before they get out of hand. Before people get hurt."

Elena's brow furrowed in concentration, trying to wrap her mind around what exactly Sarah meant. "Control? That's what they told you? That they're protecting people?

"They are," Sarah held fast. "You don't know what I've seen, Elena. There are things out there, worse than you can imagine. Things that cannot be allowed to roam free. The organization isn't perfect, but they're trying to keep things from spiraling out of control."

"At what cost?" Elena shot back. "They're hunting Lucas's kind-innocent people. And now they're trying to use me, to get to him."

Her eyes softened and Sarah stepped closer. "I never wanted to hurt you, Elena. I've been trying to protect you, trying to keep you out of this mess. But now, you're in deeper than ever."

Marcus wasn't silent any more, his frustration boiling over. "This is insane. I can't believe we're even having this conversation. She's with the people trying to kill us, and you're standing here listening to her!"

Elena looked to Marcus, the anger and fear in his gaze. Out of place, he felt, was putting it mildly-he didn't belong in this world of werewolves and secret organizations. And in some ways, she couldn't blame him. It had spiraled so quickly, and now they were all tangled in something so much more dangerous than they could have ever imagined.

"Marcus, I am trying to understand-," Elena began, but he cut her off with a shake of his head.

"Understand what? That we're being hunted like animals? That we're running for our lives while your friend here is giving them everything they need to find us?" He nodded toward Sarah; his voice escalated. "This isn't some game, Elena. We could die."

A growl deepened in Lucas's throat and his glowing eyes fixed onto Sarah. "I won't let them take us. Not now. Not ever."

Sarah raised her hands in a gesture of peace. "I don't want anyone to get hurt, Lucas. That's why I came to talk to you, Elena. To offer you a way out."

Elena's stomach twisted at the words. "A way out? What are you talking about?"

She took a deep breath and, her eyes darting nervously around the room, reached Elena's once more. "If you help us… help the organization take Lucas into custody, they will let you go. They'll offer you protection, immunity. You'll be safe, Elena. You won't have to run anymore."

Elena's blood ran cold. She could hardly believe what she had just heard. Sarah was asking her to betray Lucas-to turn him over in exchange for her safety. The weight of this decision hung heavily around her neck and pressed down on her with an unseen force, choking the breath off.

"I cannot do that," Elena whispered, shaking her head. "I cannot betray him."

"Think about it, now," Sarah pressed, almost in a beggarly fashion. "They'll come after him with or without your help. But if you cooperate, you'll be safe. You'll be protected."

Elena felt the weight of Lucas's gaze upon her, his glowing eyes scouring her features for any hint of hesitation. "Elena," he said softly, in a voice low and even. "You know what they'll do to me if you hand me over. You know what they are."

She had known that. She had seen how the organization was cruel, hunting people like Lucas, and people similar to him, as if they were creatures that needed to be kept at bay. Yet, Sarah's offer hung in the air, that seductive promise of safety, an end to all the running and hiding.

Torn between loyalty and fear, Elena struggled for her voice. "Sarah… I can't."

Sarah's face fell, but she nodded as if she had known it would come to this. "Then you leave me no choice."

The air in the room thickened once more, and before Elena could say anything else, the men surrounding Sarah lifted their guns, pointing at Lucas.

Elena's heart was racing, pounding in her chest, and she instinctively stepped in front of Lucas, covering him with her body. "No! Don't do this!"

The regret swelled in her eyes, then she sighed. "I'm sorry, Elena. But I have to do what's best for my family."

Lucas growled low, his claws flexing in preparation for the fight. But Elena knew if this became a fight, they might not leave alive.

"Stop!" she cried, her voice breaking. "There has to be another way."

But Sarah's face had hardened, her mind made up.

As those armed men came closer and closer, the weight of Elena's decision settled upon her chest. Caught between two wo

rlds, two truths, she left the consequences of having made this decision to the powers that might be.