Alphas War

Chapter 12

Silence resonated around us, the only sounds were the snapping of twigs beneath our boots. I tried to keep my mind off Zach and Liam but I kept conjuring images of them in pain or dead.

I shivered from the cold and pulled my jacket tighter around me, frowning when up ahead, Blake slowed to a stop. "Are we here?"

He nodded at me. "This is the furthest we can safely go without our scents being detected or the sound of our voices being heard."

I nodded silently, staring at the split in the pathway. "Are you sure about this?" I asked, turning to my friends. My eyes locked on one of them in particular.

"Yes." Mason nodded. "They won't pick up on my scent until I am really close and it will be masked by yours. I can get the closest."

While I agreed with his point, the flutters in my stomach didn't settle and I could hardly stand still from the nerves. Everyone shared glances, ensuring we were all ready to go before Ryder kissed my cheek and turned, leading them all down a pathway to the left.

My father lingered for a moment, watching me closely and I sighed. "I'll be okay," I told him, staring up at him with wide, pleading eyes. "Please don't do anything to jeopardise this, I can't risk him being hurt."

He shook his head slowly while taking a long, slow breath. "I can't risk you being hurt Ella," he said slowly.

"I won't be, he needs me alive; but he will hurt them. Please dad, I love him," I begged, frowning up at him.

He pulled me towards him and kissed the top of my head. "Stay safe," he said before following the rest of my friends.

I waited until he was disappearing in the distance and sighed. "You're taking the biggest risk here, are you sure about this?" I asked, still watching my father vanish into the forest. Once they had all disappeared, I turned to the only remaining one and raised an eyebrow.

"They're my brothers," he said with a shrug. I nodded, understanding his point and with that, we turned down a different path, towards where Rick had told me to meet him.

We walked in complete silence, treading lightly in order to avoid alerting Rick and his men of our presence. With every step, my stomach tightened until I could hardly breathe.

After a while, the familiar scent of my dear uncle slammed into my nostrils. A deep frown set on my face as we continued to near the location and I shared a glance with Chris before he grabbed a hold of my arms.

Panic fluttered in my chest as he dragged me through the trees towards a large opening. A frown pasted onto my face and I allowed him to force me forward into a large clearing where a small, run down hut was positioned. Instantly, several men swarmed out of the hut, forming a semi circle around us.

"Who the hell are you?" Rick barked as he stepped through a gap between two men, taking his place in the centre, his eyes focused on Chris.

"Chris," he answered in a bark. "I'm Zach and Liams brother."

From where we were standing, Zach's scent was pungent and my chest warmed at the knowledge of him being so close. The relief seeped through me at the fact him and Liam were safe and sound in the hut, however the weak smell of blood intermingled with their own scents, making me nervous.

A scowl crossed Ricks face. "How many bloody brothers are there?"

While he grumbled under his breath, I kept my focus on the soft sound of footsteps making their way through the trees, the slight scent of musk reaching my nose. In my chest, my heart thundered with nerves but Rick hadn't seemed to have noticed.

"Just us three," Chris answered him and then paused, "I hope," he added, bringing a small smile to my face. "Anyway, I want my brothers."

"You'll get them as soon as Ella here agrees to my terms," Rick answered, his expression blank.

Chris shook his head. "Give me my brothers or I will kill Ella and you won't have the chance to create your army," he threatened, tightening his grip on me.

A deep, rumbling laughter echoed around us as Rick grinned, chuckling and shaking his head. "Thats cute. I'm sure you thought this would work and that I would just hand the two boys over and you would all fight your way out but I was not born yesterday. Not only is Ella much stronger than you and therefore definitely not a prisoner of yours, you're Zach's brother and he would kill you if you hurt her. So, Ella?"

I frowned, glancing up at Chris to see defeat crossing his face. I eyed Rick, wondering what my next course of action should be before sighing. "Let them go first," I ordered as a last ditch effort, stepping out of Chris's grip and facing off to my uncle.

"Not a chance," he laughed, eyeing me with sincere amusement. "You may be a strong Alpha but at the end of the day, you're a cub and I will always be one step ahead of you."

"I'm not agreeing to anything until I know you will let them go," I told him, shaking my head. The sound of footsteps became louder now as a figure appeared on the other side of the clearing.

I bit my cheek and took a steady breath, keeping my eyes locked on Rick. "Well I am not going to let them go until you agree... so, its your move," he responded.

I released a shaky breath. "What exactly are your terms?" I asked in a soft, defeated voice.

I was hardly listening as he began reeling off terms and conditions of the arrangement. Noises sounded from inside the hut but still, Rick was oblivious as a victorious smile contorted his face. Finally, I saw movement from the corner of my eye and grinned.

"No," I interrupted him, shaking my head. He frowned, watching me in confusion and I smiled. "I will never ever help you ruin peoples lives to make an army."

"Then I will kill them both," Rick said with a shrug, waving a hand which caused his men to disperse and aim towards the hut.

I waited patiently for them to enter and then laughed softly. "You didn't really think a fake hostage was the best I could do... did you?"

"Sir!" One of the men called, causing the already confused frown on Ricks face to deepen. "They're gone."

For a moment, I took immense pleasure in the look of pure shock on Ricks face before it morphed into complete fury. "They can't be," he claimed, turning slowly back to me.

I smiled sweetly. "You constantly underestimate me," I said with a shake of my head.

I frowned when a smirk suddenly crossed his lips. "Very clever," he admitted with a nod, "faking being a hostage as a distraction. But since your boyfriend isn't here to kill..." he turned to Chris, "his brother will have to do."

I side stepped so I was blocking Chris and snarled in warning. Again, Rick laughed. "You can't fight off every single one of us Ella. Face it, you lost." He shrugged and this time it was my turn to laugh.

"Like I said, you underestimate me," I said with a grin before the sound of pounding footsteps sounded from all around us.

Rick turned in every direction, attempting to trace the noise before my friends and a large number of the pack all emerged from the trees, eyes ablaze. I grinned over at my uncle before he was swept away by my father and absolute chaos erupted around us.