Chained By The Alpha Jessica Hall

Four hulking forms enter and shut the door and I feel Zarek press against my skin, and my vision changes as it switches to my wolf's vision. "The others tired already?" I ask, weighing up my chances with this refreshed lot mentally, while Zarek sends his rage through the bond to Cleo, trying to get her to fight whatever has her so petrified

"Big talk for a mutt in chains," one sneers, stepping closer. "You won't be so smug when we're done with you."

"Boss wants you to remember this night, not long before your mate is married, and our pack owns the city," another one chuckles darkly, rolling his shoulders in preparation

"Right," I say with a mock sigh. "Because clearly, I've been having trouble with my memory."

Laughter ripples through them. "Any words before we start, Alpha?" the third man taunts, raising a fist

"Make it count," I challenge, locking eyes with each of them in turn. "So who's first?"

Their laughter turns uneasy, a shadow of doubt flickering across their faces as they exchange glances. But it's too late - I've already planted the seed of uncertainty, already taken control even as I hang from these darn chains

"Let's just get this over with," the first one growls, stepping forward with clenched fists, while the others sneer and laugh

"Then I guess it's time to introduce you to my wolf," I say, my voice low and steady, the calm before the storm. The laughter dies abruptly, replaced by a tense silence

"Let's see how well you dance with Zarek," I say, the edges of my vision tinged and changing rapidly, the heat of shift beginning to simmer Just beneath my skin when my wrists crack

And with that, I let Zarek forward. The chains that bind me are nothing to the fury that fuels my wolf. As my captors step back in shock

The concrete room becomes a blur as Zarek takes over and I cringe as he breaks our wrists to get out of the cuffs, his only thought-protect our mate as he melds with my human form

Chaos erupts as the men scramble, their bravado melting into pure terror. Their shouts and curses

fill the dank chamber like a discordant melody of their deaths, but it does nothing to shake Zarek. We are one force now - a brutal, merciless storm they've brought upon themselves

"Come on, gentlemen. Don't be shy."

Their terrified eyes dart around the room in a panic, seeking an escape that isn't there as I stand between them and the door. I can smell their fear seeping through their pores, heavy and intoxicating in my nostrils

Suddenly, one of them breaks from the group, lunging headfirst towards me. With an instinctive snarl, Zarek meets him head-on. It's not even a fair fight within seconds, his limp body crashes against the dusty floor and lies motionless

The others watch in stunned silence as I turn towards them once more - one down, three to

go

The deafening silence is broken when another gathers his wits and charges at me, trying to catch me off guard. But Zarek and I are one; we sense the attack even before he launches it

Zarek shifts and his powerful jaws clamp onto the man's throat. A strangled cry echoes around the room before being abruptly silenced

Each punch thrown our way is met with a swift counter-attack, leaving them whimpering on the cold concrete floor. The once cocky bunch is reduced to panic-stricken lambs ready for slaughter

By now, terror dictates their every move. One tries to run, while another lunges with a knifeCopyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

he'd apparently concealed. But neither pose any real threat - their fate is sealed just as much as their companions' was. One by one, we take them down before turning to the door

The door to my prison bursts open under the force of my escape, and I'm out, my senses tuned to one thing only: finding Cleo as we run through the rest of Dane's men, and we barrel out of the council chambers only for me to run directly into Alpha Greyson and Vance coming to rescue me. Greyson tosses his arms in the air in exasperation. "10 more minutes, you couldn't wait a few extra minutes," he snaps and folds his arms across his chest

"Dane would have felt their deaths, you know? Always getting ahead of yourself." Greyson snaps and Vance tosses his tranquilizer back through the car window. I am about to leave and go get her when Vance speaks

"Maya alerted Lydia. Lydia got to her in time

You aren't ruining this because you're a hot head." Vance snarls, and Zarek stops and feels through the bond. Feeling her fear isn't some palpable thing radiating off her now but confusion is. But great now we have Lydia involved but it was fast thinking on Vance's end and Maya's

"You wanna take them down, we stick to the plan. Dane has every news outlet covering that wedding." Greyson reminds me

Zarek shifts back, and I am suddenly standing naked in the old council chambers parking lot

"Not a chance." Greyson snaps stepping into my path. "We have a wedding to crash, and there are only a few hours left to figure out the rest

Get dressed. Cleo is fine." Greyson tells me and I press my lips in a furious line but know he's

right. The worst part is I can't even check on her. She needs to think Dane still has me. I can't risk her refusing at this point. We need those cameras there and if Dane gets wind of us closing in more than he would now already know, he may just hurt her