The Alpha's Mate Who Cried Wolf novel Chapter 39

"Amelia! Are you okay?" I ask. She nods.

"You're lucky. Ryker and his warriors have entered our territory. Otherwise, you would get far worse than lashes, Amelia!"John yells.

"Ryker is here?" I ask.

"Yes, but not to worry. I have prepared our warriors for this," he chuckles.

"If you hurt Ryker, I will kill you!"I scream.

"We will see," John says, walking away.

"Amelia, what happened? Are you hurt?" I ask. I wait for Amelia to catch her breath.

"They were going to give me twenty lashes. John tried to tie me up. I scratched his face as hard and as deep as I could. Then I shifted into my wolf and ran as fast as I could. There are pack warriors spread out all over the place. I hid for as long as I could to evade them. Two of them caught me. They brought me back here to be lashed, but Alpha Zenith says it will have to wait. They have spotted alpha Ryker and his men entering our territory," she says.

"I'm glad you aren't hurt, Amelia. I'll mind-link Alpha Ryker and let him know that Alpha Zenith is aware he's here," Seth says. "He says they've brought Alice and Vanessa with them, hoping to exchange them for us!"

Suddenly, a surge of pain rips through my body. I cry out in pain and roll across the cold stone floor.

"Luna!"Seth yells.

"It hurts! It hurts! Make it stop!"I cry.

"Shit! You're shifting!"Seth yells. Amelia reaches through the bars and places her hand on my back, trying to soothe me.

"I've told Alpha Ryker to hurry and that you've started shifting," Seth says. I continue to cry out in pain.

"How long does this take?" I cry out.

"The first shift, on average, takes around half an hour," he replies. I let out another scream as the pain surges down my spine. It is horrendous.

"Ryker!"I scream.

Alpha Ryker

We enter Shady Crest territory right at nightfall. Vanessa and Alice walk in front of Kane with their wrists tied together while Leon leads the pack warriors. Alpha Zenith's warriors are all spread out, making them easy targets. Our arrival must have sounded an alarm. They retreat toward the packhouse.

"Alpha Zenith knows we're here," I yell out. Seth is mind-links me: Alpha! 'They know you're here!"

"Good!' I say.

"Or we can trade. Astrid and Seth for Vanessa and Alice." Alpha Zenith glares. 

"Or I can kill you, claim your pack, and have everything I want!"He snaps.

"War it is!"I say, growling. 

"War it is then!"Alpha Zenith yells as he walks back to his warriors. He shifts into an ugly, large, grey wolf. His ear is missing, and he is worn and ragged. I shift into my black wolf and let out a howl, signalling war. In wolf form, my warriors charge toward Alpha Zenith's warriors. I lose sight of him and charge toward the others, attacking us, crashing into them, and biting any area of fur exposed to me.

Two wolves run toward me and pounce. I quickly rip the throat of one out while the other bites my leg. I whimper, release the wolf I hold, and lunge at the wolf, gnashing my leg. Clawing his face, he releases me. I pounce and bite into his side, tearing a large piece of flesh from him. He retreats, yelping. I observe the two packs fighting. It isn't a pretty scene.

I shift back into human form to look for Astrid! I run toward the packhouse. 

"Leon! Follow me!"I yell. Leon follows as we race into the packhouse. I can hear Astrid's screams beneath the floor. 

"Leon, a door must lead down to the cells," I figure.

"Astrid!"I yell, running through the house. 

"Alpha! Here! I found the entrance. It smells so good, like lavender and musk," Leon says. I push past him to time-poor for his observations and run downstairs.