Page 44 of Rejected by My Stepbrother Alpha (Billionaire Shifter Club #1)

O utnumbered

Ivy

“No!” I screamed, the noise coming from deep within my soul.

My heart raced, and my hand shook as I studied my son. Adrian’s eyes were closed, and his head lolled to the side at a strange angle.

I looked toward Asher. His face had gone pale, and there was a terrified look in his eyes.

“I can’t tell if he’s breathing,” I said as tears gushed down my face. “Can you hear his heartbeat?”

Asher focused for a moment, and his shoulders slumped in relief. “It’s faint, but it’s there.”

“Oh, thank the Goddess,” I breathed out.

But then he looked at me with remorse in his eyes, and I knew what he was about to do.

“No!” I begged. “Don’t, Asher.” I lowered my voice so that only he could hear me. “They will be here soon.”

“We don’t know if our plan worked. We don't know if they’re coming, Ivy,” he murmured, his eyes searching my face like it was the last time he would see it. “I have to do this. For our son and for you. I love you so much, baby. I wish I could have had forever with you and Adrian.”

Then, he looked back up at my mother. “I’ll sign whatever you want. Just don’t hurt Adrian or Ivy.”

A horrible, satisfied smile blossomed across my mother’s face. “I’m going to enjoy killing you,” she said, her blue eyes glinting with excitement.

“No!” I yelled, my broken scream echoing around the large room. “Please, kill me. Take me. Not Asher. He has to survive.” My body shook with sobs.

I couldn’t lose Asher. Not when I had just found him again.

My mother tilted her head to the side, studying me like a viper would its next meal. After a moment, she jumped off the stage, landing smoothly even in her high heels. She slowly stalked toward me, and I lifted my chin, meeting her gaze, despite my tears.

“You would die for him?” my mom asked, expressionless.

“No! Ivy! Please, don’t do this!” Asher yelled. “Adrian needs you.”

I met my mother’s icy gaze. “I would die for him because I love him. Something that you know nothing about.”

“I’m not going to kill you, my dear daughter,” she said. “Your punishment is going to be to watch him die in front of you.”

Fear flooded through me, and I let out a long, shaky breath.

There was a beat of silence as my mom and I stared at each other.

“I’m going to get you back for this,” I said through gritted teeth, my fear morphing into anger. “Someday, I’m going to punish you for this. You’re a monster.”

My mom raised her hand and slapped me across the face.

Pain radiated from my cheek, and my head whipped to the side.

“Stop!” Asher commanded in his Alpha voice. “Hurt me instead. Just don’t hurt Ivy. She’s your daughter.”

My mother turned to Asher with an appraising look, then snapped her fingers at Silas. “Give me the contract, then we can kill him.”

“No!” I screamed, looking at Asher, then at my son.

Seeing them both in danger made adrenaline pump through my veins like a drug. When I looked at my mother, I saw red. A burst of energy allowed me to rip free of my ropes. The drug they gave me must have worn off, because I felt the familiar magic that allowed me to shift flooding through me.

As I jumped out of my chair, my body morphed.

My spine curved as my teeth elongated into sharp points, and my limbs lengthened.

When I landed in front of my mother, I was in my animal form.

Power was radiating from me. At that moment, I felt like I had the strength of a hundred Alpha wolves.

I didn’t care that I was severely outnumbered right now, and Asher was still tied to a chair.

I was going to tear this room apart until my family was safe.

I growled, my eyes narrowing in on my mother. When I smelled her fear, a satisfied rumble came from my chest.

But she recovered quickly. As I sprang for her, my mother morphed into her own wolf form.

I ended up jumping over her. When I landed and turned back, she had transformed into her wolf.

We circled each other. In our wolf forms, we looked exactly alike.

My mother and I were medium-sized wolves with auburn fur.

But I was younger, stronger, and, more importantly, I had a family worth fighting for.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Asher escape from his bindings, leap into the air, and transform into his wolf. He went straight for Silas.

But I wasn’t able to watch their fight because my mother leaped for me, her sharp teeth heading for my neck. I managed to dodge out of the way. I’d always been quick on my feet.

Now that my mother had her back to me, I shot forward and sank my teeth into her hind leg. The sharp and salty taste of blood flooded into my mouth, but I didn’t dare let go.

When my mother howled in pain, I only bit down harder.

But my stomach stiffened with dread when I saw Silas’ guards beginning to transform. I cried out when one of them dropped Adrian to the floor like he was a sack of potatoes.

My mother used this opportunity to break free and kick me in the head.

I barely registered the blow to my snout.

My panic rose as I watched the guards converging on Asher, who was fighting with Silas.

The latter had transformed into his wolf form, too.

Asher was winning the fight, but we were about to be outnumbered .

By a lot.

There was no way we were going to win this fight.

My mother stalked forward, and I saw a glint of wicked glee in her eyes as if she could read my thoughts.

Then, I heard a sound that made my heart lift with hope. A high-pitched buzz was coming from my right, and when I looked toward the large window, relief shot through me.

A drone flew by the window. More specifically, an enhanced drone capable of tracking someone without being detected by other technology.

The drone that Asher, Damian, and I have been developing these past few weeks with our teams for the Alpha king.

Damian, my father, and Asher’s guards had used our finished prototype to track Asher and I to Silas’ territory without being detected.

They did it!

The doors to the meeting hall burst open, and Damian, our father, and all of Asher’s guards came running in.

My mother turned around, and when she saw them, she growled in rage.

Asher’s guards kept piling into the room. Now, my mother was the one who was significantly outnumbered.

My dad’s gaze zeroed in on my mother, recognizing her by her scent. “Get the hell away from our daughter,” he growled in rage and transformed into his wolf form.

Damian and Asher’s warriors followed behind him, running at Silas’ guards.

My mother snarled, turning back to me with rage sparking in her eyes.

An intense battle began around us. The smell of blood and howls of pain filled the air.

But my mother and I were focused only on each other.

My heart slammed against my rib cage as I prepared to attack.

This is for Adrian and Asher.

My muscles tensed, and we sprang forward at the same time, colliding in midair. Her teeth went for my neck, but I twisted and went for hers.

When my teeth pierced into the fur at her neck, I bit down and aggressively shook my head from side to side.

My mother roared with pain, but I continued to rip her throat out. I saw red as her threats toward my family ran through my head.

Soon, her cries stopped, and when I finally let go of her, she collapsed to the ground. Her eyes were lifeless. She was dead.

For one moment, I stared down at my first kill. I felt no remorse for ending my own mother’s life.

A grunt of pain reminded me that I was in the middle of a battle. I spun around and looked up at the stage.

Our side was winning as Asher’s warriors took down Silas’ guards. In the center of the fight, Asher had a hold of Silas’ neck. Satisfaction flowed through me. Asher was about to kill my son's other kidnapper.

Good.

Before Asher could rip out Silas' throat, one of Silas’ guards noticed that his Alpha was about to die. The wolf leaped at Asher, and it all happened so fast that I only had time to howl in warning.

But I was too late.

The guard was able to catch Asher by surprise. My heart ripped in half as the wolf sank his teeth into Asher’s neck.

I growled and leaped onto the stage as Asher threw the wolf who bit him onto the ground while still managing to keep a hold of Silas. In rage, I sprang on the guard and tore his throat out before he even knew what was happening.

He was dead before he could even make a sound.

I spun around and watched Asher growl in anger as he tore out Silas’ throat, blood spraying everywhere.

Silas’ body crumpled to the ground. He would never get back up.

Asher and I locked eyes for the length of one heartbeat.

Then, he fell to the ground. When he hit the stage with a loud thump, he transformed back into his human form.

No!

I ran toward Asher, my heart sinking with dread. His eyes were closed, and the wound on his neck was gushing with blood. Asher had already been weakened by the drugs we'd been given. Even though he was an Alpha, could he survive a wound like this ?

My body trembled, and I transformed into my human form, trying to stop his bleeding with my hands. Frantically, I searched for my son amidst the battle.

I wasn't sure if either of them would live to see tomorrow.