Page 26 of The Alpha’s Seer (The Shifters of Stormhollow #1)

Chapter Twenty-Six

CALIX

“Alpha!”

My eyes fly open when Cox screams my name.

“Calix!”

I jump to my feet, aware of Blair rubbing her eyes tiredly beside me. My heart thumps in my chest, and she frowns, reaching for me.

“Calix, what’s…”

“Stay here. Don’t move.” I throw back the sheets and race to the door, slamming it behind me.

My wolf is on high alert, and when I reach the door of the packhouse, I see why.

Three wolves are badly injured, and Cox is dragging them along with two other wolves, his eyes wild.

“They were on patrol!” Cox yells, falling to his knees. “Rogues attacked them.”

I narrow my eyes as other wolves surround us, their eyes wide as they wait for my instruction. The wolves at my feet aren’t dead, but they’re not alive either.

“They’re not healing,” Vix mutters from the ground, tearing at their clothes. “Why aren’t they healing?!”

“Too much damage,” I say, my eyes searching the fringe of the woods beside the lake. “Cox, who’s on border patrol right now?”

“Blake and Lyron took some warriors out there,” Cox pants out, his eyes blazing.

I nod, and we mind-link privately.

They’re close.

We could find them, Calix, if we leave now.

It could be a trap. I’m not leaving Blair unprotected.

But I can’t let these bastards get away when they’re so close.

Cox rises to his feet, his hand over his heart. “I’ll protect her with my life, you know this. Go.”

I stare at my Beta and breathe; one of us must go, yet one must stay. He’s right; it should be me who leaves.

“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 creature slithering 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.

“Maybe I’ll even give your mother back.”

I snap my head toward the voice before he realizes his mistake, my wolf grinning wildly, giddy with excitement.

He steps forward, the moonlight casting a long shadow behind him as he does. His face is horribly grotesque, twisted, and burned beyond human recognition. His eyes aren’t level; one sags lower than the other, and his nose and top lip are melted together. He’s hideous.

“And now, Alpha Calix? Do you know who I am?” His voice drips with disgust, and I prepare myself to pounce.

I will rip him limb from limb. The man responsible for so many deaths.

He attempts to grin at me, and I shudder at the toothless hole gaping from his face.

“No, nor do I care,” I growl, but my wolf stops me from attacking.

Something is wrong.

“But you should care, Alpha Calix.”

He’s mocking me.

Why?

He is genuinely alone here in the woods.

Did he cause this chaos alone?

Surely not.

“Have you not guessed yet who we are?” he crows, clapping his hands together. “We’re the exiles. The rejects.”

I shake my head as I hear feet pounding the ground behind me; Alpha Asher is close.

“But we will prevail,” he continues, backing away. “We will ruin you all.”

I launch myself at him, but he’s too fast—incredibly fast—and as soon as Alpha Asher appears, he vanishes.

“Where is he?” Alpha Asher rages, chasing the ghost of the man. “Calix!”

“The exiles,” I whisper, a frown creasing my forehead. “The rejects.”

Alpha Asher turns to stare at me, his blood-red eyes swimming with murderous rage. “What the fuck are you talking about? My sister was murdered—”

“He said they were the rejects, Asher!” I snap, unable to find empathy right now. “The man is a part of something bigger. He wants my mate, and he’s determined to destroy us all.”

Asher snarls at me and runs into the woods, chasing a man he’ll never catch.

A ghost.