Page 39 of Stalked By the Alphas

38

CARTER

The sight of Hazel, bound and naked on that filthy bed, with that bastard’s knife at her throat, unleashes a primal fury inside me, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Every muscle in my body tenses, ready to tear this monster apart.

But I force myself to remain still behind the black mask, my eyes locked on Hazel’s terrified gaze. One wrong move could mean her death. I can’t risk it. This alpha is trying to force me to submit, and while he caught me by surprise earlier, there is not a fucking chance he will get a second shot at me.

He is dead.

“Let. Her. Go,” I growl, each word dripping with menace.

It sickens me to learn that the masked magician is Leah’s father, David, but I recognise that smug face that I always hated as a child. He just laughs, pressing the knife harder against Hazel’s delicate skin. A thin line of blood trickles down her neck, and I have to physically restrain myself from lunging at him.

Ayden stirs from where he landed, and I lower the end of the pipe to his chest. Pushing down hard, I growl, “Stay down.”

“You’re in no position to make demands,” David sneers. “One more step, and I’ll slit her from ear to ear.”

My grip tightens on the metal pipe, knuckles white with barely contained rage. “You touch her again, and I’ll make you wish for a quick death.”

David’s eyes narrow. “Big words from someone who can’t do a damn thing right now.”

He’s right, and we both know it. As long as he has that knife to Hazel’s throat, I’m powerless.

But he’s forgotten one crucial detail - I’m not alone.

Not that Noah and Zach will show their hands just yet. We want David on the ropes. And there is only one way to get him there. I’m risking everything on the knowledge that he didn’t stalk Hazel all these years and then abduct her just to kill her now. He wants her alive.

I hope .

Raising the pipe, I bring it swiftly and viciously down onto Ayden’s chest.

The satisfying crunch of Ayden’s ribs shattering under the force of my blow echoes through the room. He lets out an agonised scream, blood bubbling from his lips as he struggles to breathe.

David’s eyes narrow in fury, but he doesn’t move. Whoever this arsehole is to him, he doesn’t give a shit if I kill him.

That means I have one choice.

One choice that I have to make to save Hazel.

I lunge forward, swinging the pipe at David’s head with all my strength. He dodges at the last second, the metal whistling past his ear. The knife slips, nicking Hazel’s neck as he stumbles back.

“You bastard!” David roars, abandoning Hazel to charge at me.

But that’s what I needed. I needed him away from Hazel.

We collide in a tangle of fists and fury. His first punch catches me under the chin, snapping my head back. I taste blood, but I don’t feel the pain. All I feel is rage.

I drive my knee into his stomach, following up with an elbow to the face when he doubles over. Blood sprays from his broken nose.

He tackles me, slamming me into the wall. The impact knocks the wind out of me, but I manage to bring the pipe up, catching him across the temple. He staggers, dazed.

I take full advantage of his disorientation as Zach and Noah ghost into the room to take out Ayden and to release Hazel from her binds. The pipe connects with a thud to David’s face. Once, twice, three times. I don’t stop. Blood splatters on the walls, the floor, and me, but I don’t care .

David collapses, barely conscious. I stand over him with a look of sheer disgust. “You are a sick fuck, and you will die in this cellar, alone and forgotten.”

I take a step back as Noah moves forward, the drill whirring. He unleashes no mercy as Zach takes out his demons on Ayden.

I watch with a hard gaze as Noah takes the drill and presses it against David’s dick. He presses down slowly, and David’s screams fill the air. The scent of his blood hits my senses, and I grimace behind the mask, wishing him as much pain as possible.

Tearing my eyes away from Noah, I see Zach. He is hacking Ayden up into tiny pieces with the machete, the wet thud and screams fill the air.

I feel nothing.

Shoving the pipe into the back of my pants, I turn to Hazel, my heart clenches at the sight of her. She’s curled into herself on the bed, trembling violently. Her wide, terrified eyes dart between me and the carnage behind me.

“Hazel,” I say softly, approaching slowly with my hands raised. “You’re safe now.”

She flinches as I near her, a whimper escaping her lips. The sound cuts through me like a knife.

“Please,” she whispers, her voice hoarse. “Please don’t hurt me.”

“Never,” I vow fiercely. “I would never hurt you, Hazel. I’m here to take you home.”

I carefully remove my blood-spattered mask, letting her see my face. Recognition flickers in her eyes, followed by a flood of tears.

“Carter?” she sobs. “Is it really you?”

“It’s me, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

She launches herself into my arms, clinging to me desperately. I hold her close, burying my face in her hair as she sobs against my chest.

“Shh, it’s okay,” I murmur, stroking her back gently. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

Picking her up, I cradle her, looking around for something to cover her with, but there is nothing. I disappear up the stairs, leaving Zach and Noah to finish this as painfully as possible, but Hazel doesn’t need to see anymore.

It’s nearly dark when we emerge from the old school building. A car is parked up, visible in the waning light. It’s a dark blue sedan. Basic, ordinary. I peer closely at it, holding Hazel closer. Caution races through me.

The car door opens, and Leah climbs out. She is frail-looking, too thin, with dirty hair and old, baggy clothes. Her pale face is set as she approaches us.

“Don’t come any closer,” I warn her, stepping back with Hazel still in my arms.

Leah doesn’t stop. She moves at a slow, steady pace, and then I see the gun in her hand. It’s small, but it appears big in her tiny hand. “Is he still alive?” she asks as she walks past me into the school.

“Not for much longer.”

I crouch down against the wall, making sure Hazel is comfortable as I remove my shirt. It’s all I’ve got. I drape it over her, and she chokes back a sob, pulling it to her and burying her face into the collar. It makes my dick go inappropriately hard.

The sound of the gunshot rings out, making Hazel jump. But I’ve got her.