Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 152666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
In the market, I headed to the dry fountain, scanning the area, doing my best to look unhurried. My heart was beating so fast I worried it would wear itself out and stop. Nova would meet me back here with the alpha. Together we’d storm the mayor’s house for Aurelia. Hopefully whoever was coming for her had a good distance to travel.
Hopefully they hadn’t harmed Aurelia.
“What’s going on?” Burt paused the horse near me, his cart filled.
“We got trouble,” I said quietly, looking around as though it were just an idle day. I did my best to ensure the panic rising in me didn’t play out across my face. “Nova went to get the alpha. Head back. We’ll need to get out of here in a hurry once we get Aurelia.”
“We’re getting—“
“Just head back,” I hissed.
The others found me next. Them, I told to wait here.
I felt the ripple of fear before I saw the crowd shiver collectively. It was how I knew he was coming. There was no more awesome sight than an alpha of Weston’s caliber in action.
A throng of people burst from around the corner of the buildings in the direction of the gate, screaming and running. They poured into the square and spread out, a couple staggering, falling. Everyone in the market gasped or shrieked, turning to see the source of the commotion.
The great wolf ran at the head of his pack, power and grace and vengeance incarnate. He’d come for his mate.
What must’ve been the watch ran out from the right in shifter form, their leader thin and agile but obviously lacking. Judging by their sloppy formation, he had only a loose hold on his people. They ran at Weston as I pushed off the fountain. He could’ve bonded them and stopped them easily but he didn’t. He crashed into their leader, ripping out lumps of flesh before tearing out his throat.
I sprinted at them in human form as our pack joined the melee, tightly structured and working as a perfect, cohesive unit.
Pride welled up through me. I watched as my pack made short work of the watch before catching up with the alpha.
“In the mayor’s house,” I said, out of breath. “They’re keeping her in a guest room in the mayor’s house.”
It occurred to me that I didn’t know where the fuck that was.
“This way. We found it when we were looking around. It’s huge. This way!” Dina shed her clothes and shifted into her wolf form. I did the same to keep from being left behind. Thankfully Marc stayed in human form, grabbing our clothes. I doubted we had anything that could identify us in those clothes, but it was better to be safe, just in case.
Weston followed Dina and my wolf fell in line. People ran away from us shrieking or shouting as we traveled through the large town. No one dared to get in Weston’s way.
The house was indeed huge, with a grand porch and white columns. Dina peeled away and Weston stopped, the message through the bond instructing us all to stay in our wolf form as he alone shifted into his human form. Someone had to speak and open doors. He marched up the few stairs like a man on fire, his muscles glistening in the sun and his shoulders swaying with purpose. He reached the door and kicked, knocking it from its hinges and sending it sailing into the room beyond.
I shifted into my human form and hurried to catch up. I rarely did as I was told.
Servants ran into the room with wide eyes and terrified expressions.
“Where is my mate?” Weston growled, the sound as scary as a nightmare you couldn’t wake up from. He roared, “Where is she?”
“He means Granny’s worker,” I clarified, just in case they had a few people stashed in this big place.
“Up in the—” A maid pointed at the stairs in the far corner. “Up in the East Wing. The guest—“
“Show me!”
She hurried forward and he followed. A few of the pack members broke off, covering the door so that we weren’t attacked from behind.
We climbed the stairs quickly, following the woman, to the left and down a long hall with plush carpeting and windows adorned with heavy drapery. This guy clearly did well for himself. I doubted it was just politics that bought all these riches. Granny’s business was thriving.
“What is the meaning of this—” A man in his fifties with slicked back salt-and-pepper hair and wearing fancy attire paused in the center of the hall. His eyes went wide in shock.
“Are you the mayor?” the alpha demanded as he stalked closer, a predator at the top of the food chain.
“Y-yes . . .”
Weston’s voice dropped low as he growled out, “You dare imprison my true mate?”
The mayor’s eyes widened further in sheer terror. “Wh-what? Who are you?”