The Alpha's Prey [Alpha-series (I)]

Chapter 20

“Sooo … that’s it. You officially completed your first trip as an ambassador-in-training”, Neil stated.

We had left New York about seven hours ago, were already back on Canadian soil and had put most of the way behind us. Only a six-hour drive through the woods still separated us from the pack.

“Yeah, I did ….”, I replied, thinking about all the amazing things I had experienced in this few days. Mermaids and Vampires. New York, my old home. Maya. Caleb’s visit. The big vampire wedding. What a trip it was! “Now you will never get rid of me because there is no way in hell I’ll ever want to do something else again. Every other job will seem dead boring compared to this!”

A deep chuckle was his response.

“Glad to hear you liked it!”

“Do you have any idea when our next trip is going to be?”

“Some vague ideas, yes, but nothing concrete yet”, he answered. “But your next big adventure will take place in the pack anyway.”

I threw him a questioning look.

“The claiming, my dear”, he reminded me with a big smile.

“The claiming!”, I screamed.

There she went, my good mood. I had totally forgotten I had agreed to that madness. Why on earth had I done that? Why?

“There is no chance I am going to get out of this again, is there?”

“I fear that ship is sailed”, Neil nodded, amusement in his features. “The invitations were sent out last week, and the preparations within the pack are running at full speed. Everybody is looking forward to the big event.”

“Yeah, except for the bride to b …”

BANG.

My grunting was interrupted by a deafening boom that came out of the blue before the car abruptly pulled to the right, giving the four of us a good shake. Neil put on the brakes with all his might and the car came to a swift stop while the airbags popped open.

“Is everyone alright?”, Neil asked.

“I … I think I am good”, I replied. I could still move my arms and legs, and I didn’t feel any pain.

“What the fuck was that?”, Samuel bellowed.

“Let’s find out”, Deacon growled.

We climbed out of the car to find one of the front tires had somehow burst. Samuel knelt beside the car to have a closer look.

“Probably …”, he started, but I never heard the end of his guess. Within a split second, my whole body felt as if it was about to explode as if thousands of invisible strings pushed and pulled at my organs, much like when I had first shifted – only worse. This time however the mysterious force pulling me apart from the inside didn’t originate from within myself but had entered my body from outside.

The wave of agony ended as soon as it had started, taking with it my consciousness. Horrified, I sank into the impenetrable darkness, knowing it left me at the mercy of whoever – or whatever – had attacked us.