The Alphas Sister (Complete)

Chapter Four: Fury in the Shadows

8:00 PM came around soon enough, the day slipping away in a blur of sweat and steel. I'd spent the afternoon rigging traps in the forest, my hands still raw from the wire, my jaw tender from Cade's punch. Now, standing in the forest clearing behind the pack house, I decided to meet this note-leaver head-on. The air was thick with pine and the faint musk of damp earth, the moon a sliver overhead casting jagged shadows. I'd been waiting maybe five minutes, boots sinking into the soft ground, when I heard footsteps, light, deliberate, crunching over fallen twigs.

What didn't surprise me was that it was a woman. I could tell by the rhythm of her walk, the subtle sway in her step. I'd had a few secret meetups like this before, women I'd hooked up with, agreements to keep it quiet, no strings. My gut told me this was different, though. The air felt heavier, tinged with something sour.

She approached slowly, a silhouette against the trees. "So, why'd you want me to meet you here?" I called into the shadows, my voice rougher than I meant it. As good as my sight was, human form dulled it in the dark, and her face stayed hidden. She didn't answer. "Well?" I pressed, impatience creeping in.

The figure stepped closer, her outline sharpening under a stray beam of moonlight. When her face came into view, my stomach twisted, Diana. I'd known her a while back, a fling that fizzled out months ago. She stopped a meter away, head bowed, her dark hair curtaining her face. I tried to catch her eyes, but she turned aside, avoiding me.

Then it hit me, that smell. Blood, sharp and metallic, faint but unmistakable. "Diana?" I said, softer now, unease prickling my spine. I reached out, sliding a hand under her chin to lift her face. She resisted, jerking back, but I held firm, gentle but insistent. She relented, and as her features tilted into view, rage flared hot in my chest. "Who did this to you?" I growled, my voice low and menacing, barely containing the storm building inside.

Her face was a mess, bruises blooming purple across her cheekbones, a cut splitting her lower lip, another gash above her eyebrow. They were healing, wolf-fast, but fresh enough to have happened today. Her brown eyes glistened, tears carving tracks through the grime on her cheeks.

I didn't think, just pulled her into a hug, my arms wrapping tight around her trembling frame. My heart cracked at her sobs, muffled against my chest. "I'll kill him, Diana," I snarled, the words slipping out before I could stop them. She shook her head against me, a frantic little motion, and I eased her back to arm's length, searching her face. "Tell me who did this. Please?" I begged, my eyes boring into hers, hunting for answers in the storm of fear and pain I saw there.

Her sobs quieted, hitching into shaky breaths. "I...I didn't know who else to go to. You're the only one I trust," she whispered, voice breaking as she lunged forward to hug me again. "He's been so awful, I thought he loved me." Her cries grew louder, words dissolving into a wail that tore at me.

I needed a name. My rage was a live thing now, clawing at my ribs, begging for release. "Please, tell me who," I said, my voice tight, barely holding it together.

Her grip loosened, and she pulled back, meeting my gaze with red-rimmed eyes. "It was Shane," she murmured, and that was all it took. I spun on my heel, storming toward the pack house, Diana trailing close behind. Shane, I knew him, a wiry guy with a mean streak, always smirking like he owned the place. I'd never liked him, sensed something off, but this? This was a death sentence.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, her voice trembling as she hurried to keep up, nearly running to match my strides. "Don't kill him," she added, a desperate plea. I couldn't promise her that. The fog of fury clouded my mind, every step fuelling the need to smash Shane into the ground until he couldn't hurt anyone again. Her fear and worry rolled off her in waves, sharp in my nose, but it only stoked the fire.