Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 470: Run Mate

At the cabin in the mountains....

It felt like forever, but night eventually came.

Strangely, Roman had settled. Though still feral, the beast within him had quieted, no longer thrashing against the walls, trying to be free.

To be honest, Asher and Alaric were tempted to return to Violet, but if earlier events had taught them anything, then they were safer out there than the inside where Violet’s scent would tempt them into losing control.

The plan was to survive the night in this cabin with Roman, and by dawn, pray the fever broke. They sat in heavy silence with their backs pressed to the wall, when Roman’s ears twitched and his nose flared.

A low, rumbling growl rolled from his chest.

Alaric straightened. "What now?" he muttered, already bracing himself. Just when he had started to believe Roman was calming down.

But Asher was already alert, his eyes narrowing. Roman wasn’t acting up, but was reacting to something.

"There’s someone out there," Asher said grimly.

Alaric focused, tuning into his werewolf hearing. Then he heard it.

"We’re surrounded."

"Don’t make a sound," Asher ordered, low and lethal.

Whether he was speaking to Alaric or Roman, it didn’t matter because the feral Roman had already froze, motionless as stone.

For a moment there was unnatural silence as the boys stood taut, waiting in anticipation. Then Roman picked on the smallest sound and growled the warning just as Asher shouted. "Down!"

The windows shattered as bullets rained through the cabin. The floorboards cracked, splinters flying, and both boys hit the ground, shielding their heads while Roman buckled to a crouch in the darkness.

seemed to last forever and when

someone

as soon as the first soldiers barged in, Alaric threw out his hands and bolts whipped across the air, striking down

and they turned only to see that Roman

him, fully shifted, his bear form monstrous

rag dolls, slamming bodies aside with

any of the soldiers could recover, Alaric finished

found. Unknown to him, an enemy crept behind him with his gun raised. Before he could

lunged forward and punched him through the mask, then ripped it off and locked eyes.

"Who sent you?!"

ordered to kill the Cardinal Alphas and

bolt just as another

more were coming. Almost immediately, a silver bullet grazed Asher’s ear,

man who nodded like a robot and picked up his weapon, spinning and opening fire on his own

weaving between bullets, and dropped beside Alaric

need to

nodded once. Then lightning erupted from his hands and tore a path through the

into the forest toward her while praying to the goddess they

—--------------

Violet—what are you doing?!" Griffin shouted in

her to run, he meant away from danger, not straight into

thinking, something instinctive had taken over. Her feet moved before her brain caught up. She stepped between the soldiers and Griffin, her breath shaky, her skin burning with fever and fury. The gunmen raised their weapons, but hesitated to shoot.

And then, she screamed.

through the hallway like a sonic hurricane, slamming into the armed men and flinging them backward. The shockwave

gasped like a drowning man breaking the surface. His shoulders straightened, and then, he was back

ran to his side. "I

up rapidly, bones stretching and snapping into place