Page 29 of Brutal Alpha’s Sold Mate (Starfire Hollow Alphas #4)

I’m not prepared for the sight that greets me when I sprint past the last row of East Hills houses.

A beast, easily twice the size of my wolf form, stands on its hind legs with shiny black scales.

Horns as long as my forearms curve from its head, and viscous drool drips from its mouth, hissing wherever it lands.

This is no natural creature. Something about its sulfurous stench makes my stomach roil.

I skid to a halt and check the surroundings for any sign of pack members.

A few East Hills wolves keep their distance, looking more frightened than I’d expect from a pack that has supposedly dealt with this threat before.

This is my first time seeing a demon in the flesh. It’s worse than the stories. When the monster snaps its jaws, I catch a glimpse of razor-like teeth, each coated in slimy fluid. One drop of that stuff could probably kill me if it found an open wound.

In the blink of an eye, I’m in my wolf form.

This may not be my pack’s land, but I’ll be damned if I stand by while a demon rampages.

I glance to my left and spot Kai rushing forward.

Her eyes lock on mine, and I see the same mix of dread and determination that probably shows in my own.

She’s told me about demons, but actually facing one is another matter.

I dig my claws into the earth, trying to calm the buzz in my head that compares this savage brute to my feud with Reed and Jacob. It’s an ugly parallel, and I’m not sure I like the implication that my thirst for victory resembles this monster’s thirst for carnage.

The demon roars and lumbers forward on massive legs. Its scales flex with each breath, reflecting dull glints of sunlight. If it notices me, it doesn’t show any fear. Why would it? My wolf is big, but this creature dwarfs me by a sizable margin.

I bare my teeth, ignoring the wave of unease that washes over me. A female wolf sidles up beside me, her gray fur standing on end. It isn’t until I see her eyes, brown with a rim of gold, that I realize it’s Kai. It’s the first time I’ve seen her wolf, and by God, is she glorious.

We don’t speak, but I know what she’s thinking: we have to stop it, or it’ll devour someone. I let out a short growl, and she tenses, ready.

The demon lunges surprisingly fast for its bulky build.

I leap to the side, but I’m a fraction too slow.

One horn grazes my shoulder, sending me spinning.

Pain flares, but I manage to keep my footing.

Kai tries to circle behind, aiming for the demon’s flank.

It pivots, and its black tail swings. The heavy tail cracks into her ribs, knocking her down.

Rage flares in my chest. I push off with my hind legs, lunging for the creature’s scaly torso, snapping my jaws at a vulnerable seam near its ribs.

My teeth scrape slick armor, not puncturing the scale.

The demon snarls, then snaps its massive jaws at my muzzle.

I recoil just in time to avoid a lethal injection of drool.

Kai regains her footing. She darts under the demon’s tail, lunges upward, and aims her fangs at its underbelly. The monster jerks aside with near-human agility, spitting out more of that vile fluid.

For an instant, my mind races back to how unstoppable I feel when I think about conquering my family’s territories. Now I get a horrifying sense that I’m no different from a demon if all I want is to crush anyone in my path. The thought unsettles me, but this is no time for reflection.

The demon turns on Kai, its horns swinging dangerously close to her neck.

I charge, ramming myself into its side, forcing it to stagger.

Kai seizes the distraction to clamp her jaws onto one horn, pulling it sideways.

The demon roars in fury, twisting around to fling her off.

She flies backward, tumbling across the dirt.

My heart lurches, but then she scrambles upright, battered but alive.

The demon fixates on me now, yellow eyes glowing with malevolence.

I duck as it lunges, sinking my fangs into the base of its horn.

My jaw throbs from the impact, but I hold on, trying to anchor the beast long enough for Kai to recover.

The demon thrashes, nearly throwing me off.

Its tail smacks me in the spine, and pain explodes down my back.

I force myself to keep my grip, ignoring the blood trickling from my flank.

Its scales cut me every time it jerks. I see drips of that deadly slime land near my paws, sizzling the grass. One wrong move, and I’ll be drenched in acid.

Kai leaps onto the demon’s back. The demon howls, flailing its limbs.

I can’t hold on much longer. I release my bite, dropping back to all fours, and Kai tries to sink her fangs into the exposed patch along its throat.

The demon bucks again, managing to hurl her off.

She crashes into a nearby tree, letting out a pained yelp.

My chest burns with wrath. This monstrosity won’t leave here alive.

I rush forward, jaws parting. The demon swipes at me with a massive clawed hand, scraping my ribcage.

The sting makes me want to howl, but I bury my fear.

I clamp onto its forearm, feeling scales slice my gums. The demon thrashes, forcing me to release.

My mouth fills with the tang of demon blood, foul and metallic but not enough to kill.

We have to finish this.

Suddenly, Kai darts in from behind, her wolf jaws clamping around the demon’s leg.

She shakes her head violently, trying to snap bones.

The demon howls in outrage, momentarily distracted.

I seize the chance, lunge at its throat, and sink my teeth into a softer patch of flesh.

Hot, rancid fluid hits my tongue, making me gag, but I bite down harder, driven by raw necessity.

The demon screeches, claws flailing at me.

I register a flash of pain as its claws rake my side, but I hang on, jaws locked.

Kai releases the leg and leaps for the demon’s upper neck.

She digs her claws into a gap near the base of its horns, searching for that critical point.

Together, we tear deeper, ignoring the stench and the gore splattering our coats.

The demon staggers, tries one last violent thrash, then collapses in a heap of twitching limbs.

My jaws clamp until I feel cartilage snap.

The demon’s body goes slack, and a final gurgle escapes its twisted muzzle before it stills.

Gasping, I let go, stepping back on trembling legs.

Blackish blood and that noxious fluid stain my fur.

Kai stands nearby, panting, her muzzle dripping with gore.

We just killed a demon, something rumored to require powerful magic.

We did it through brute force and the one advantage of a well-placed bite.

I swallow a surge of nausea, thinking about how close we came to dying.

Before we can process this, we hear panicked shouts from the other side of the clearing. Two more demons rampage, smaller but still monstrous, each with black scales and massive horns. East Hills wolves engage them, though they look outmatched.

I exchange a glance with Kai. We’re battered, but we can’t stand by. Ignoring the burning in my chest, I sprint across the grass, Kai at my heels. My every step aches, but letting those demons roam free is unthinkable.

When we arrive, we find a cluster of East Hills wolves fighting two lesser demons, each about twice the size of a typical wolf.

Not as enormous as the first one, but still formidable.

Several wolves try to corner one demon against a rock formation, but it’s clawing at them.

The other demon pounces on a fallen fighter, biting at him.

I snarl, launching myself onto that demon’s back.

My claws scrabble for purchase on its scaly hide.

Kai circles to nip at its hind leg, distracting it.

I clamp my jaws around the base of its neck, but the scales are tough.

The demon howls, thrashing in circles. The pinned wolf squirms away, panting in relief.

I cling tighter, shifting position to find an unprotected patch of skin.

Finally, I latch onto a small gap near the top of its spine.

I tear fiercely, ignoring the demon’s shrieks.

Kai helps finish it, lunging for the exposed throat once it rears up. She rips into a vulnerable area with savage precision, and the demon collapses in a spasm of limbs, black blood soaking the dirt. It’s over for that one.

My limbs scream for rest, but there’s still another demon. I see it pinned by three East Hills wolves, who wrestle it to the ground. They dig their fangs into the neck region, a wave of rancid slime spraying. The demon thrashes, but a final coordinated bite brings it down.

A hush falls over the battlefield, broken by ragged breathing and the reek of demon remains. My fur stands on end at the carnage. My side throbs, and warm blood drips from a gash on my shoulder. But I’m still standing.

Some East Hills fighters kneel by the demon carcasses, inspecting them with revulsion.

One tears away a chunk of black scale to reveal iron chains wrapped around the demon’s torso.

My heart sinks. The demons were tethered.

That means someone transported them. My mind flashes to Malcolm and Wiley, the two slavers who dabble in demon deals and kidnapped my mate.

Kai shifts to human form, ignoring the blood staining her naked skin. “Chains,” she mutters, kneeling to tug at a shackle around one demon. “They must’ve been set loose intentionally.”

I shift as well. “Malcolm and Wiley. This has their stink all over it. You said they tried to weaponize demons before.”

One East Hills wolf snorts. “Then the question is, why unleash them here? Are they targeting us or looking for you?” He points at me, not with anger but with curiosity. “Word says you’re from Black Cauldron, right?”

“Yes, but they have no quarrel with me,” I answer. “I suspect these criminals are testing new territory. Either way, it’s a problem.”

Kai wipes demon gore off her arms. “We can’t let them keep doing this, or the next wave might include something bigger.”

I exhale, feeling a pang in my chest. The feud with my brothers seems trivial compared to demon invasions.

But the irony is that dealing with one threat might require me to unify or at least cooperate with others.

If Malcolm and Wiley keep playing with demon fire, my pack might become the next target.

“I can’t let them roam free,” I declare, forcing down my exhaustion. “We need a plan to draw them out.”

Kai gives a tense nod. “Agreed.”

I stare at the twisted carcass, at the black fluid pooling on the grass. The acrid stench of sulfur clings to the air, making my nose burn. My wolf bristles with anger. Malcolm and Wiley have gone too far. They want to spread terror. I can’t let them slink away.

I turn to Kai. “I’ll offer myself as bait. I’ve done business with them before. They’ll meet with me long before they’d deal with anyone from your pack.”

“No way,” Kai argues. “That’s not an option.”

“It’s not negotiable,” I say firmly. “This is a chance for me to prove I’m not just a mindless beast, and if I can do some good in the process, so much the better. If I can bring Malcolm and Wiley in, it’ll save countless lives.”

“Or get you killed.”

“Not if you help me plan.”

She opens her mouth like she wants to argue further, but then her shoulders slump with fatigue. “Fine. But no heroics, or I’ll be forced to kill you myself.”

I nod. “Deal.”

My gut churns. A trap is risky, but we have no other choice. We have to stop them before more people die.

I look to the sky, and my heart clenches. Sunset approaches. This might be the last time I see it. If the trap doesn’t work, Malcolm and Wiley could easily kill me. But if I don’t act, how many more packs will suffer because I was too afraid to stand up to evil?

I can’t let that happen. I know what I have to do.