Page 24 of Alpha Wolf’s Arranged Bride (Rose Hollow Wolves #1)

The attack happens so fast, none of us has time to react. The ground heaves beneath my feet as the crackling sound of broken concrete hammers around me, and I’m thrown to the floor of the hall. Desperately, I reach for Jarrod’s hand, and as he grabs it, I see a flash of his fear-filled eyes.

Malcolm roars and charges at the doors, where three wolves are racing to meet him. Even with the floor bucking under us like an untamed mustang, I manage to signal to Mrs. Florence, and we start crawling towards the nearest exit.

The sounds of the fight behind us are brutal. Enemy wolves growl and bark as they attack Malcolm, and he howls in pain as they set upon him. I try as hard as I can not to look back, focusing only on the door ahead of us and Jarrod’s hand in mine.

As we get near the door and I can see the playground ahead, I pull myself up and run towards it shakily, Jarrod’s hand still in mine. Freedom is close enough to taste when two men leap into our path.

They smell strange, almost like wolves, but not quite. Dark shadows seem to hang across their faces, and all I can see clearly are their glowing, acid-yellow eyes.

I reach down and grab Jarrod, holding him against my chest. One of the men grins and snaps his fingers.

Behind me, the other children begin to scream as bright tongues of flame bloom around the edges of the hall. The floor heaves again, cracking in the center. I cling to Jarrod, trembling with the need to run, but having nowhere to go.

The two men rush me, and a thick wave of darkness floods across my vision. I struggle against it, but it’s like drowning in an ice-cold river, the force of the current stealing breath, sight, and sound.

Several times, I try to wake up. My need to protect Jarrod gives me strength, and when I try to break free of the dark poison, I see flashes of light and hear the men talking.

At one point, I hear the crying of a child, and my need for release becomes frantic.

This time, I feel a sharp blow, and true unconsciousness takes over me.

Terrible heat awakens me, the complete opposite of the poison spell that took me down back in the school hall. Sharp pains lance through my skull, and my stomach lurches as if it’s trying to crawl out of my throat, but I manage to open my eyes and look up.

“Mom?” Jarrod says, tugging on my hand.

With a cry of relief, I wrap my arms around him, so happy to see him alive that for the moment, I can’t focus on anything else.

“Scarlett,” a terrified voice whimpers. I look towards it and see Mrs. Florence huddled next to me with the rest of the children.

“Are you alright?” I ask, knowing it’s a stupid question. Instead of answering me, she looks up, and I turn to follow her gaze.

“Uncle Azarian,” I mutter, seeing him standing over us.

“Yes, my dear. I’d like to say this is the big-reveal moment, but you already knew I was behind this, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” I growl, sitting up. “Everyone at Rose Hollow knows, and they are coming after you!”

He laughs softly, shaking his head.

“What’s so fucking funny?” I scream at him.

“Oh, it’s not funny,” a smooth female voice cuts in. “It’s hilarious .”

Vanessa walks up behind my uncle, touching him on the shoulder. He leans back against her, and they kiss. The sight of it is so disgusting, I look around for the first time and realize where we are.

This is the stone! We’re right in the middle of the fucking stone, and the thing is as hot as an oiled frying pan!

“Look, I get you have some kind of vendetta against me,” I say, trying to sound calm and reasonable. “But you don’t need Mrs. Florence or the kids. Just let them go, and I’ll cooperate.”

Vanessa laughs, and Azarian shakes his head, chuckling.

“We need the kids, I’m afraid,” Vanessa says. “I could toss you out of the circle if you like?”

“No!” I yell, clinging to Jarrod’s hand. “I’m not leaving!”

“Suit yourself,” Vanessa giggles. “I must prepare, my love,” she says, kissing Azarian on the cheek before walking away.

“What are you doing?” I ask, trying to divert him in any way possible. “Explain this to me, please?”

“This is the ancient ritual of the Old Gods,” Azarian says. “It’s a secret guarded by every generation of our pack. Many years ago, it was sealed, and each new alpha had to take an oath to protect it and never attempt to take the power for himself.”

“Did you take the oath?” I ask.

“Of course I did,” Azarian answers. “I just lied through my teeth. My entire rise to power was in pursuit of this. I knew I could find a way to control it as no one else had.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing!” I blurt. “You’ll be killed.”

“I don’t think so,” he replies, pointing at Vanessa. “I have a secret weapon none of the other alphas had. I have Vanessa.”

She turns and waves, smiling sweetly as if we’re at a church picnic, not baking alive on an ancient stone circle marked with evil runes.

“She’s a dark arts practitioner, and she’s very powerful,” he says. “And damn sexy, too.”

“Thanks,” Vanessa giggles, continuing to walk around the circle, touching the runes in a sequence.

“What do you get out of this?” I yell at her. “How do you know he won’t hurt you, too?”

“Oh, I don’t think he will,” Vanessa says.

“Besides, when I make the transfer, I take on a considerable amount of magic, and I’ll be extremely powerful.

That’s the key—I can’t take the power because I’m not a wolf, but I can share it.

So long as Azarian is alive, both of us will be fed by the ancient source. ”

“Uncle, listen to me,” I implore him. “You don’t know what you’re doing. The reports from the past say that the area was leveled for miles. Eccles was damaged more than once. There’s no way you can contain it!”

Azarian waves a hand at me, sighing. “I honestly thought you were smarter than this,” he says. “What a disappointment. Do you really think I’d be doing this if I wasn’t assured of my success?”

I look around at the other kids, Jarrod, and me, right in the center of the stone circle.

“You’re going to sacrifice us,” I choke out, my voice almost trapped in my tight throat.

“Correct. As well as a magic practitioner to guide the energy and work the runes, we need the blood of shifters. Children are essential, I’m afraid.”

“So why did you bother with the treaty?” I ask in despair. “Why send us away if you needed us here?”

“I needed all of you!” he yells. “The treaty got Rose Hollow to take their defenses down. They just sat there like sitting ducks while we advanced. The idiots from Wolf’s Shadow attacking at the same time were just utterly glorious. Couldn’t have planned it better myself.”

“You knew!”

“Yes, my dear. I’ve known all along. Vanessa has telepathic abilities. So go on, tell me that Rex will come for you. That he and all the warriors of Rose Hollow, as well as his Shadows, are on their way to rescue you and the little pup.”

“You’re going to sacrifice them,” I say, hope draining out of me. “The little trick with the advance guard was just a warm-up. You’re waiting for them to get here.”

“Yes, Scarlett,” he says, leaning down to take hold of my chin. “Innocent blood here, right in the center of the stone. Then every other inch must be covered in the hot blood of over a hundred warriors. And you, my dear, brought them straight to me.”

Something inside me dies right then. All our fighting and pain were orchestrated—we never had a chance. Azarian was a step ahead of us the whole time.

“My dad will come!” Jarrod shouts, standing up and glaring at Azarian. “I always knew you were a bad person, and I know you think you’re really clever, but my dad is smarter, and he’s going to beat you!”

Azarian stares at him, his face calm. With one quick move, he pulls a long knife from a sheath at his hip and whips the blade up to Jarrod’s throat.

“No!” I scream, crawling towards them. “Please—I’ll do anything! Take me first!”

“Not yet, Azarian,” Vanessa calls. “I have to activate the last runes before we start.”

My uncle looks down at me, cowering at his feet, and his eyes are cold and hard as if he feels nothing but contempt for me. He takes a quick step back, putting the knife in its sheath, and Jarrod falls into my arms.

“How far off are they?” Azarian yells.

“A few miles,” a voice answers from the edge of the field.

When I look over, I see some of the men who attacked us at the school lined up outside the stone. Their bodies appear twisted and stretched, and I still can’t see any details of them except their yellow eyes.

“Do you like my wraiths?” Vanessa asks, joining us in the center of the circle. “They wanted power, so I gave it to them. Pity they didn’t know it would hollow them out and make them mindless little beasts. Mere vessels for my will.”

“You’re evil!” I scream at her, holding Jarrod tightly against my chest.

“No, not quite yet,” she says with a satisfied smile. “Right now, I’m just bad. Once the ritual is complete, then I’ll be evil.”

“And so will I,” Azarian says, turning to her. They share another disgusting kiss, the display of affection reminding me of insects that kill each other when they try to mate.

“They’re coming,” she says, looking up into the sky.

“Yes, they’re close,” Azarian agrees.

They look into each other’s eyes briefly, then nod before Vanessa runs across the circle, touching runes along the way and making them glow. The sickly green shine rises from the marks in the rock, thickening in the air like mist.

Azarian pulls out his knife again and steps forward. I tighten my grip on Jarrod, and even though tears are running down his cheeks, he glares at Azarian with utter fury.

“Which one shall I take first?” Azarian teases, tilting the knife back and forth as if he’s playing eenie meenie miny mo.

“Don’t fuck around!” Vanessa yells, her voice sharp. “We need blood on that stone in exactly two minutes. The army is getting here in close to five minutes. If the entire stone isn’t soaked almost immediately after I activate the runes, that’s when all the shit goes down.”

“Understood,” Azarian answers, turning back to us.

All the cruel playfulness has drained out of his eyes, and he looks cold and menacing.

“I’ve waited so long to get rid of you and your shameful brat,” he hisses.

“I’m glad I can make use of your deaths—but the satisfaction of killing you would have been enough. ”

I look over my shoulder at Mrs. Florence, trying to signal to her. If she and the others run while Azarian is focused on us, they might have a chance to get away.

And that would disrupt the entire ritual! If he doesn’t get enough blood to cover the stone, it fails!

My triumph is short-lived when I realize that failure to complete the ritual could result in a massive explosion that takes out everything in the surrounding area.

That would still be better than Azarian and his bitch getting the power!

I look at Florence again, nodding quickly. She looks terrified, but I can see determination in her eyes.

When I turn my gaze back to my uncle, there is nothing but rage in me. To protect my son, I would gladly give up my life, and if it comes to that, I’m taking Azarian with me.