Page 8 of Finding Forever with the Alpha Pack (Return to Wolf Creek #4)

Chapter 8

Grace

One week later…

I have ‘Me Too’ blaring in my earbuds, the beat thrumming through my body as I dance around the room, trying to shake off the anxiety gnawing at me. Nicolai and his team are already in place, setting the machines and charges. My eyes flicker to the clock. Each tick feels like a countdown to something I’m not sure I’m ready for.

The plan, Nicolai said, is to close off the mouth of the cavern first, before setting off the bigger explosions. His logic—using up all the oxygen inside to force the rogues to surface—makes sense, but it still feels like overkill. I can’t shake the feeling that something could go wrong, though I keep that worry to myself.

“Ready to go, Grace?” Griffin’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts. He’s standing in the doorway, waiting. I follow Griff out the door and across the yard to his truck.

I climb into the car beside Griffin, and the door shuts with a solid thud. The tension in the air is almost suffocating. As the engine roars to life, I let out a shaky breath.

“I’m scared, Griff,” I finally admit, my voice barely louder than a whisper.

His jaw clenches, and I can see the strain in his expression, even in the dim light. “We all are, Grace. There’s too much we don’t know—how many rogues are out there, waiting. All we have is our betas and about sixty wolves near the two open cavern mouths.”

I nod, the numbers giving me a small sense of relief, but it’s short-lived. “How many will be watching our backs?”

He’s silent for a beat too long, the road stretching endlessly ahead. “Twenty, including the blast crew. They’ll be with you the whole time.” His hands grip the steering wheel tighter, knuckles whitening.

“And what about you?” I place my hand on his forearm, feeling the tension vibrating beneath his skin.

He glances at me, his smile forced, his eyes betraying the truth. “Not sure about the exact numbers. Keeping you safe is the priority.”

My stomach twists. I know what that means. They’ll be out there with bare-minimum support, risking everything. The weight of it presses down on my chest, and I suddenly feel like I can’t breathe. Each minute that passes feels like we’re driving closer to the edge of a cliff, and I do not know if we’ll make it to the other side.

My mind races with terrifying possibilities as the realization sets in—I’m about to leave my mates exposed. The weight of it crashes over me, tightening my chest. My fingers tremble as I glance at Griffin, my question clawing its way out of my throat.

“Griff?” My voice cracks, but I push through, trying to sound stronger than I feel.

“Yeah?” He tilts his head, giving me a quick glance before turning back to the road, his jaw tense. He knows.

I hesitate, forcing the words out before I can second-guess myself. “If I die... will Lorcan and Barrett survive because they’re not alphas?”

My heart stutters painfully in my chest as I notice Griffin’s knuckles turn white, his grip on the steering wheel tightening until the leather groans under the pressure. The silence between us stretches, suffocating, before he finally speaks.

“Yes, they will,” he answers, his voice tight, controlled. “We talked to the elders earlier this week. If the worst happens, and you fall … or we do… they’ll live.”

He pulls the car to a stop, his movements deliberate, and reaches over to take both my hands in his. His touch is warm but trembling, the weight of our conversation reflected in his eyes. “Don’t sever the bond with me, Grace. Not for any reason. If you have to break the bond with anyone … let it be Conrad.” His voice cracks, and the plea in his eyes breaks my heart. “He can take care of the kids, manage the packs. Lorcan and Barrett will help him. But... don’t condemn me to a half-life without you.” His hands squeeze mine tighter, desperate. I swallow hard, my throat thick with unshed tears.

“Okay,” I whisper, biting my bottom lip. My gaze drops to my phone, and I feel the urge to call Conrad, to hear his voice one last time before everything falls apart. “Does he know?”

Griffin nods slowly. “He knows. He doesn’t want to be spared, but he understands. It’s for the kids. My son... he’s next in line to be alpha. Conrad would protect his place in the pack until he’s old enough.” I can hear the careful thought Griffin’s put into this. The sacrifice. The future that could so easily crumble.

“Makes sense,” I mutter, my fingers brushing over the screen of my phone again. I can’t shake the feeling this might be the last time I talk to Conrad, the last time I tell him I love him. I’m going to call him before the attack. I have to. Just in case. My decision is made, even as dread coils around my heart like a tightening noose. Time is slipping away, and all I can do is hope we come out of this alive.

Griffin starts driving again, and my thoughts swirl like a hurricane in my head. Nicolai and Ethan’s presence fills my mind, their calming energy reaching out to quell the storm raging inside me. But it’s not enough. Fear—an emotion that’s haunted me for as long as I can remember—tightens its grip on me, threatening to choke me. As Griffin pulls back onto the road, my heart sinks, heavy with the weight of what’s to come. My mates, the loves of my life, are ready to die for the future of the packs. They’re willing to gamble their lives to ensure I’m safe. I can’t breathe.

Griffin’s voice cuts through the chaos in my mind, pulling me back to the present. “We decided last night that you’ll close the mine at the corner of the three packs on our land. Ethan will be at the Wolverton site, so he’s close if you need him.” The car slows, and I feel the pit of dread in my stomach widen as the tunnel I’m responsible for comes into view. “Ambrose will be at the tunnel on the Cruz pack lands. Nicolai’s covering the one on his land, across from Wolverton. I’ll be at the far left tunnel on Volkov land.”

His voice is steady, but I feel the fear underneath it, the fear that he’s trying to hide for my sake. He leans forward, pulling me into a deep kiss. It’s filled with everything—love, desperation, the terrifying knowledge that this might be the last time. I can taste the goodbye on his lips, and it rips through me like a blade.

“I love you, Grace,” Griffin whispers, his breath warm against my cheek. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“I love you too, Griff. Come back to me.” My voice cracks as I bite down hard on my bottom lip, holding back the tears threatening to spill over. I can’t break, not now. Not in front of him. I force myself to stay strong as I get out of the car, my legs feeling like lead.

The moment he pulls away, a wave of dread crashes over me, so strong it nearly brings me to my knees. I watch his car disappear down the road, and the truth hits me like a punch to the gut. They planned for their deaths—and didn’t tell me. The betrayal stings almost as much as the fear. I press my hand to my chest, trying to calm the frantic beating of my heart, but it’s no use.

I sit in the excavator's cab, my fingers drumming against the dash as I watch the explosives crew work. They move with precision, drilling, and setting charges, running wires through the jagged openings like surgeons threading veins. My heart pounds, the walkie-talkie heavy in my lap as I wait for the go-ahead. The whole cavern feels like it’s holding its breath.

“Testing...” Nicolai’s voice crackles through the static. I glance at the walkie, my thumb poised over the button. My throat is dry, but I respond as rehearsed.

“Position one, copy.” My voice feels steady, though nerves buzz under my skin. I wait for the others to follow suit.

“Position two, copy.” Ambrose checks in.

“Position three, copy.” Ethan’s voice cuts through.

“Position four, copy.” Griffin sounds calm, but I know he’s just as keyed up.

Now, it’s a waiting game. We’re supposed to call out once we finish, warning the others to be on alert. I watch the explosives team finish running their wires, but my mind is already on edge, hyper-aware of every sound around me. The radio crackles again, snapping me back to the moment.

“Position two, go.” Ambrose’s voice is a signal, one step closer to closing his tunnel. My nerves spike, the air feels tighter. We’re sealing them in, and all I can think about is how many of those rogues are still lurking in the darkness, waiting for their chance to rush us.

“Position four, go.” Griff’s voice comes next, steady and clear. I glance at the mouth of the tunnel ahead of me, my eyes straining to see into the pitch-black void. I can’t shake the feeling something’s going to come barreling out at me at any moment. My skin prickles with tension.

“We’re good to go,” the explosives expert appears by my side, nodding toward the excavator. My heart skips—my turn. The time has come.

“Position one, go.” I press down on the pedal and turn the key, the engine roaring to life. The excavator lurches forward, and I guide it into position, dropping the blade with a heavy thud. My pulse hammers in my ears as I extend the boom, the metal arm reaching above the mine entrance. Rocks and earth groan and crumble as I pull them down, the sound a deep rumble that vibrates through the machine and into my bones.

Every thud echoes louder in the darkness, but the anxiety gnaws at me, twisting tighter with every second. I feel like at any moment, something will break free from the shadows.

“Position three, go.” Ethan’s voice pulls me back. I take a deep breath, focusing on the task, on the weight of the earth above me as it shifts and collapses.

“Position five, go.” Nicolai calls out, his voice the last signal. Now, all but two tunnels are being closed in, and it’s just a matter of time.

The machine groans under the weight of the rocks as I pull them down, scoop after scoop. The entrance shrinks, slowly, painfully slowly. It feels like it’s taking forever. Every second stretches, every noise magnified as I watch the darkness, waiting for something—anything—to break through.

Minutes drag into thirty, and finally, the entrance is sealed. I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding, but the tension in my chest doesn’t ease. The job is done. But the danger? I’m not so sure.

The explosives team has us pull back, far enough to be out of harm’s way but close enough to feel the tension thick in the air. I park the machine where the site leader points, hands gripping the wheel tighter than necessary. My pulse quickens as I survey the distance between us and the cavern. It’s too close.

“Luna, if you huddle behind this berm and put on the hard hat, we’ll be ready to fire the charges once everyone’s in position.” His voice is calm, but I catch the flicker of anticipation in his eyes. I nod, swallowing back the knot of nerves that suddenly swell in my throat, and shuffle into the safe zone they’ve carved out. Hard hat, goggles, earplugs—it all feels like a thin layer of protection against the sheer power about to be unleashed.

“Initiate protocol.” The words crackle over the radio, the crew chief dropping beside me with a small box in his hands. His fingers hover over a button that looks far too small to carry the weight of destruction we’re about to witness. I catch his eye, and he gives a tight nod. This is it.

“Fire!” The command echoes through the radio. His hand slams down on the button, and time seems to stutter for a heartbeat before the first explosion hits. The ground trembles beneath me, a deep, primal rumble that vibrates through my bones. Fear shoots up my spine, gripping my chest like a vise. I brace myself against the berm as the charges go off in quick, deafening succession, each blast sharper, closer. I can feel the shockwaves in my lungs, the force of it all making me instinctively shrink down further, every muscle tight with anticipation.

Then, silence. It’s sudden, almost unnerving. I hold my breath, waiting. One beat. Two. Three.

I poke my head up cautiously, my heart pounding in my ears. The smoke curls lazily around the mouth of the cavern—well, what used to be the mouth. It’s buried now, hidden beneath the rubble. I exhale slowly, understanding why Nicolai insisted on sealing it first. The contained blast worked like a charm, keeping the debris from flying, but the air is thick with dust, and the forest seems to hold its breath with me.