Page 22 of My Ruthless Alpha (Alpha Outlaws Club #5)

My heart pounded in my ears in a deafening roar the entire way back to my territory.

I could only think about Faye and what I watched happen to her through the clipped security feed that was sent to my phone from the home cameras while I was gone.

He got in and took her after beating Miles up. He came in, did whatever he pleased, and left just as fast. All the while, I had been too busy fighting off his goons to leave as soon as I could.

The thought of Colton and the others getting their hands on her sent me into a crazed state, and I knew I’d stop at nothing to get her back. It didn’t matter what it took, I wouldn’t let him think he won.

She was my mate. The mother of my child, and I’d be damned if I didn’t find her.

I hardly registered anything Ethan might’ve said to me on the way back, and I could only concentrate on getting home and finding out what happened. He sat in the passenger seat, using his shirt to soak up the blood from his nose while he waited for the healing process to kick in.

Whether I had blood on my face or not, I didn’t notice or care. I was too fixated on reaching my grounds and checking in. From the look of it, I was already too late, but I didn’t want to consider what else might’ve happened.

But the moment I pulled up to the house, shut the engine off, and hurried inside, I was greeted by far too many faces that didn’t belong to Faye.

Miles was sitting on one of the dining chairs, his face partially swollen and bruised. He looked exhausted and alarmed, the remnants of tears in his eyes, while Aiden and Tyler stood around him.

Sydney was there, too, looking worried while she paced in the kitchen.

The moment I stepped inside, and their heads went up, Miles’ distraught look deepened as he stood and kept his gaze on me, putting down the cloth he had been using to clean his face.

“Beau…I’m so sorry…” he began, looking devastated while he stood there, looking more like his younger self than he had in a while. “…I tried. I tried to help her, but they were too strong.”

With my attention fixed on him, I wasted no time cutting the space between us as I reached out, putting a hand against the back of his head while I looked him over.

“I know…I saw what happened from my phone. Are you all right?”

He blinked back at me, trying to stave off the hurt and remorse in his eyes. His right eye was already bruised, along with his jaw, and his nose looked broken, but given how the blood stopped flowing, it looked like the healing had already started, and in an hour, he’d be as good as new.

Still, I didn’t like seeing my brothers in that state. It made me even more furious than I already was.

“I’ll be fine…But the alpha and his beta took Faye. I tried to protect her…I really did.”

My heart sank at the confirmation that Faye was gone and that nobody else had been able to intercept them. My emotions started running wild, but I forced myself to keep them down for his sake. As ready as I was to storm out and get her back, I knew that Miles needed that comfort.

“I know you did…you did well trying to look after her,” I said, bringing our foreheads together in a sign of subtle affection while he closed his eyes and tried to keep himself together before I pulled back again. “Where’s Margo?”

“She’s still asleep in her bed,” Sydney said, gaze wary about what happened. “I just checked a little while ago.”

I glanced over at her with an appreciative look. “Good. I don’t want her to know what’s going on. When did they leave the ground completely?”

“About twenty minutes ago,” Miles murmured, wiping faintly at his eye. “I tried calling you, and I got everyone else here.”

“I was already on the way here,” I answered, glancing at the front door while the other guys came in looking concerned and ready to do whatever needed to be done.

“Are they both absolutely gone?” Sebastian asked. “Colton and Faye?”

A solemn yet agitated expression settled on my face. “Yes…he took her off the grounds. He’s likely on the way back to his territory now, which means we have to find them before he can do anything.”

They nodded, already aware of what would be expected of them.

“Sydney, can you watch Margo for me?” I asked, aware I needed every loose end to be tied before I could do anything.

She let a determined gleam fill her eyes as she stepped up easily. “Of course. I’ll make sure she doesn’t know what’s going on.”

“Good. Thank you.”

“Please let me come with you,” Miles said, gaze earnestly on me. “Let me help track them.”

I furrowed my brows at him in concern, aware that he was still healing. “Are you sure you can handle it right now?”

He replied quickly, not leaving any room for doubt. “Yes, I can. I’ll be fine soon enough.”

As much as I wanted to say no and keep him out of harm’s way, given how Colton had already beaten him, I also didn’t want to deny him the chance to feel like he had redeemed himself. I didn’t want to push him into the background, yet I expected him to somehow get stronger in the meantime.

He had to learn from experience, so I needed all the help I could get.

“All right, you can help us track, but you’re pulling up the rear.”

Miles nodded, accepting the compromise.

“We’re going too,” Tyler said, clapping a hand against Aiden’s shoulder. “We’re not missing this.”

Knowing my brothers were by my side instilled me with more hope. I took a breath and focused on the task ahead of us.

“Then we can’t waste any more time. We need to go now,” I said, already heading for the door.

The others offered their confirmation as they followed me back outside into the night, all following into step and allowing me to take the lead.

“Can you pick up her scent?” Levi asked.

“Yes…hers and I’m assuming Colton’s and his beta’s. Even if I lose the others, I can’t forget her scent,” I replied, glancing around the group. “If the gang is lingering around his territory, then we need to split up. I’ll call the rest of my pack. Half will come with me, and the other half will go around making sure nobody is hiding out anywhere else. We need to surround the area and make sure he can’t escape with her. Tyler, take Miles with you.”

Everyone agreed, including Tyler, who positioned himself with our youngest brother. I needed to know he at least had someone there to keep an eye on him.

With a final nod, we split up into two groups.

Aiden, Levi, Ethan, and Ezra came with me while the others ran together in the opposite direction. Once we were out of sight from the main strip, we shifted, letting the instincts take over at once.

With paws on the ground, running through the trees, I felt an even stronger surge of determination to get Faye back and stop Colton once and for all.

As she described him to me, I knew he wasn’t the kind of leader any decent pack would want or need. He functioned solely based on power and taking what one wanted by force. He didn’t care about the integrity of his pack or the way he led anyone. He just wanted his title and everything that came with it, and I could only imagine he was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish his goals.

He needed to be taken care of before he could harm any more innocent lives.

With the breeze blowing around me, I hammered on, throwing my head back to let go of a loud, distinct howl.

It was one my followers knew and always listened to. I knew it would only be a matter of time before they answered the call and made their way through the woods alongside me.

While the group of us ran, led by me, I followed the scent trail that moved deeper and deeper into the woods. I could only think about Faye and Margo.

Above all else, I needed to find her for our daughter's sake. I couldn’t let Colton do whatever he wanted…not when his intentions had been clear from the beginning.

He wanted Faye to be his Luna, regardless of her already being claimed, and I had the feeling he wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted or until he was killed.

Either way, there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d let him follow through with it.

Before long, I heard the sound of more paws moving through the woods in the distance behind us, and the familiar calls of my pack surrounded me. With their presence and knowing I had them to back me up, as well as the guys and my brothers, I felt as if that power surged through me and guided me forward without hesitation.

Regardless of how long it might take, we would find her. I would make sure of it.

With my heightened senses and memorized map of the woods locked within my mind, I moved swiftly, not daring to waste even a moment. I could see our approximate location, and given where the distant yips and howls came from, the others must’ve either managed to find more gang members or betas from Colton’s pack.

Pushing on while my group stayed close, I gathered as Faye’s scent grew more apparent, meaning they had just been that way not too long ago. With that knowledge to spur me on, I narrowed in on that scent, and my wolf wouldn’t stop until we found her.

They were just up ahead. Right within arm’s reach.

More scents mingled with Faye’s and Colton’s, and my hackles went up. Growling, I warned the others behind me.

In response, Levi and Ezra picked up the pace as they snarled, moving in a near blur as they locked on to two shifters ahead.

With a mutual understanding between us, I kept moving while they lunged at them, quick to strike them down in the meantime. Ethan and Aiden closed in behind me, offering their support as we drew closer to Faye.

To the mate I had already lost once and wasn’t willing to sacrifice again.