Page 61 of The Alpha's Seer

“Go, Alpha,” Cox rasps, staggering to the packhouse as his body repairs itself from carrying three half-dead wolves from the border. “Go.” He turns and looks at me, nodding.

I’d trust Cox with my life. My brother trusted him with his too.

“Don’t leave her,” I whisper, the command settling between us as I back away, already changing into my wolf.

I knew this would happen; I just didn’t realize it would happen so fast. Whoever these bastards are, they’re not giving us an inch. I mind-link with Blake and Lyron, relieved to hear that the border is secure. The pack is safe.

It takes less than fifteen minutes to pass the border, and instantly, I pick up on their scent. Different packs carry distinct scents—diet, sweat, and whatever filth they sleep in—so a foul smell usually means trouble. This is vile, like rotting meat and excrement, and I vow to kill them all. But even as I gain on the rogue wolves, my ears prick up when I hear a woman scream.

I stop, waiting to determine where the sound came from, torn between following their scent and the woman screaming. Are they not one and the same? If not, why not?

“Nina!” A voice roars, and my blood turns to ice.

Alpha Asher.

Why is he out here?

I’m distracted by twigs snapping, and I turn to see Alpha Asher in his wolf form, covered in blood, his teeth bared. He stares at me, his eyes blazing red.

Then we hear the scream again, and for a split second, our eyes meet.

Alpha Asher moves toward the scream, and I follow him. An Alpha’s sister is being attacked, and it has to be by the same wolves who attacked my guards. The trees are thick and nothing but a hindrance as we try to reach Nina, but we don’t stop. Even when blood pours from our sides, we keep going.

“Please!” Nina screams, but then her voice cuts off.

Silence.

No.

“Calix!”’ Alpha Asher roars my name as we run into a clearing, my heart freezing in my chest at the sight of Nina’s human form ripped apart lying on the ground. Alpha Asher yelps and hurries to her, but I don’t stop.

They will pay for this.

My wolf sees red as we follow the pungent scent of the murderous wolves, leaving Alpha Asher howling into the night sky, his pain heard by wolves for miles around. I run for hours, but their scent fades into nothing, which makes no sense whatsoever. I backtrack and wait where the scent is most potent, and that’s when my patience pays off.

The trees are thick and dense, but these wolves cannot hide from me. I’m aware of my surroundings, of every creatureslithering along the ground or those taking flight. I see and hear everyone except the one who wants to evade me.

The murderer.

The man my mate has nightmares about.

I can hear the sound of his breathing, however stealth-like he thinks he is. I close my eyes and listen, honing in on his scent, aware that he is watching me. He’s skilled—I’ll give him that, but his time is up. He won’t survive tonight.

“Alpha Calix,” a voice rasps from the darkness, and I open my eyes slowly. “You’re alone.”

I bare my teeth and scan my surroundings once more but see nothing. It’s like he’s a ghost.

“Show yourself,” I command, standing firm. “Embrace your death.”

A chuckle fills the air, and my stomach twists with dread. I’m unfamiliar with his voice, so I’ve never heard him before. Alpha Asher is wrong: this isn’t someone we are familiar with.

“I want your Seer.”

A snarl skims my lips as I prowl, determined to make his death slow and torturous.

“Bring her to me, and I will spare your pack.”

White-hot rage floods my senses, but I know my enemy is pressing my buttons for his benefit.