Bound to Kill
Chapter 9

Alexa

Hunter looks toward the heavens. “Darius will have ma balls if I let anything happen to you.”

“Relax! This is what I do best.”

He doesn’t look convinced but is smart enough not to say it out loud. “I’m not letting you go alone; follow me.” He leads me outside to a black SUV with three people inside. “This is Adrian, Amanda and Brad, our best trackers. They’ll go with.”

There’s no time to waste arguing, so I jump in the back beside Amanda and give them a half-hearted wave. “I’m Lexi.”

“Don’t let her out of your sight,” Hunter orders, looking so assertive it’s like he’s channelling Darius. Just thinking of the grumpy Alpha sends a ripple of sadness through me. The Beta’s gaze finds mine. “Stay safe, trouble!” I give an ‘aye aye’ two-finger salute. Hunter taps the roof twice before heading back inside, and we hit the road.

I get straight to business. “We need to observe first, find out how many witches we’re dealing with.”

“Agreed.” Adrian’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. He gives me a single nod.

“When the time comes, I’ll go in alone. No one will recognise me.” The trackers share an uneasy look, making it clear they’re not on board with this part of the plan.

Brad is the first to speak up. “Hunter said to stay by your side.”

Looking at the youngest member of the tracker trio, I make it clear I’m calling the shots. “Yeah, about that... This only works if they don’t see you. It’s safer if I go in alone. I’ll keep Paul busy while you track the Alpha. If I get into trouble, you alert the pack and save the day. Sound good?”

Brad begins to protest, but Amanda cuts him off. “Lexi’s right, we’ll only complicate things if we’re spotted.” She turns to face me. “Darius told me yer a badass. I trust ye to get shit done. We’ll be here if ye need us.”

I like this one.

Hearing that Darius spoke so highly of me means more than I care to admit. “Then it’s settled. Let’s go save the Alpha.”

We reach Lakeside territory about twenty minutes later. After parking in a fast food car lot, we make the rest of the way on foot. It takes longer than I’d like to infiltrate the estate. Bypassing the sentries guarding the border undetected proves difficult with the trackers in tow. After hours of surveillance, we map out the guards’ movements, and with a lot of patience, a little bit of luck and ensuring we stay downwind, we eventually sneak past their security checkpoints.

Stealthily, we make our way toward the mansion. “Paul must have bought the spell. I haven’t seen or scented any witches. It’s safe for you to scout. Split up and see if you can pick up Darius’ scent,” I say.

“What about you?” Adrian asks.

Usually, I would carry out surveillance for days before going in. But my need to get to Darius clouds my judgment. “I’m gonna introduce myself to Paul.” I level with them. “If you don’t hear back from me or the Alpha in the next two hours, call in reinforcements.”

“Be careful,” Amanda replies. “And good luck!”

“Same to you.”

They set off in different directions. I reach out to Darius through the bond, suffering the sense of loss again when I only get silence. I’ve spent all these years as a lone wolf, yet never felt so empty. Losing my connection with Darius feels like losing a part of myself. And I won’t rest until I get it back.

Leaving my hiding spot in the trees, I confidently walk toward the mansion, knocking three times.

A greasy-looking hulk of a man answers. “How did you get past security?”

“Hi. I’m from the SEB. It’s my job to stay under the radar. I’m here to speak to the Alpha.”

“Come back tomorrow,” he growls while closing the door on me.

I slip a foot inside to halt him. “It’s a matter of urgency. He would be upset to hear you delayed me sharing this information.”

“What information?”

“That’s above your pay grade.”

Baring his rotted teeth, he opens the door. A beautiful foyer with white and gold finishes greets me. Red carpet runs up the stairs. A small fountain fills the centre, giving a serene vibe. If I close my eyes and listen to the water trickling, I can almost imagine being back at the creek.

He leads me down the left hallway to a small room. Or maybe a large storage cupboard. Whatever it is, it’s seen better days: the sofa seems upholstered in the eighties, boxes are piled on top of each other—bursting at the seams, thick grime mars the walls, and my feet stick to whatever the hell is on the ground. It smells like someone took a shit, smeared it over a dead body, then buried it in the wall.

“Wait here!”

Killing him with kindness, I plaster on a fake smile while breathing through my mouth. “Appreciate your hospitality.” He gives me an evil grin before closing the door and locking it.

That greasy-looking son of a bitch! I cover my mouth and nose while dry heaving. Think happy thoughts. Think. Happy. Thoughts.

Decapitating a chimera, brain-bashing a djinn, skinning a banshee...

My wolf pipes up. Those were some good times.

Right?

Would anyone mind if we decapitated the greasy hulk for trapping us in this shithole?

Hard to say.

I think it’s worth the risk.

Don’t make me laugh. I’m trying not to breathe.

After the longest twenty minutes of my existence, greasy hulk returns and tells me to follow him. I’m out the door in a blink, sucking deep gulps of uncontaminated air. The fucker smirks, so I give him the middle finger making him bark out a belly laugh. He leads me past the foyer and down the hallway to the right. My footsteps squelch on the hardwood floors. Whatever the sticky substance in that room of death was is now embedded in my favourite leather boots, and I’m pretty sure the odour has stuck to my clothes. Just great. I’ll have to burn everything I’m wearing. I curse greasy hulk to choke on his coffee.

We enter a fancy office with floor-to-ceiling windows and modern decor. “Please, take a seat. I’m the Lakeside Pack Alpha, Paul.”

Sitting on the offered chair, I bring my knees to my chest, resting my sticky boots on the expensive leather. I shuffle them side to side a few times for good measure. The muscles on Paul’s jaw tick, bringing a smile to my face. “I know who you are. I’m with the SEB. There’s concern about your rival pack being into some shady shit.”

“Oh?” He places his elbows on the desk, leaning closer.

“There’s a possibility your pack may be in danger.”

“I appreciate the heads up, but I assure you, our pack can and will defend ourselves if necessary.”

“Of course!” I scratch my chin. “Paul, I’ll level with you. The SEB sent me to take Darius out, but I can’t get close to him. I was hoping you could share some insight.”

“Like?”

“Where can I catch him unawares? Do you have any informants in Shadow Creek?”

Paul leans back in his chair. “I do not, but I may have some ideas on how you can get close to him. Let me pour you a drink.” I watch him retrieve a bottle of Scotch from the shelf. He pours us both three fingers and passes me a glass. “There’s a club called Scarlet’s, midway between Shadow Creek and Lakeside territory. Darius is seeing one of the dancers.” He takes a sip of his drink.

I school my features, but blood rushes to my ears, and my wolf is ready to chow down. “Please go on.” I take a swig of the Scotch to keep up the pretence that I’m not on the verge of rolling his dead body in shit and burying him in the death room wall.

“She’s a close friend. If you like, I can ask her to arrange a date for you to crash?”

The information makes me feel woozy. “Surrrre, thattt would beee great!”

My words slur and my eyes feel heavy. It takes a moment to realise I’m drugged. Then darkness takes me.

I wake up in a dungeon with the worst headache. No! Not again! The walls start closing in. My airway closes like an invisible boa constrictor envelops my neck. I squeeze my eyes shut. I can’t breathe.

Yes, you can. We’re fine. I’m here with you this time. Breathe in for four, out for six.

Focusing on my wolf’s words, I take several deep breaths of the putrid air until my panic attack ceases. Thank you! I don’t know what I’d do without you.

I’ve got you. Nobody is tearing us apart ever again.

My eyes scan the dingy cell covered in blood, rat droppings and piss. The walls have claw marks, a futile attempt at escape from the unfortunate bastard trapped here before me.

I detect movement from the corner of my eye. Paul emerges from the shadows, an evil grin on his face. “Hello again, Lexi.”

Shit! He knows who I am.

“It’s a pleasure to officially meet Darius’ mate. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Refusing to show fear, I reply as though bored, “Can’t say the same about you. As far as Alphas go, you’re a poor excuse. Were you too busy trying to steal Darius’ life to learn how to run a pack?” I smile as his face drops. “You know you’re supposed to keep your wolves alive, right?” I can see my words are hitting a nerve. His wolf comes to the surface, but surprisingly, he doesn’t lose control.

“Your guest accommodation could use a little work, by the way. Perhaps some plants to cover up the smell and an actual pot to piss in,” I say while eyeing my cell.

“Do you ever stop talking? Shut your goddamn mouth, you bitch!”

“Or what, you’ll get me and my little dog, too?”

Paul loses control and shifts into a large brown wolf, growling, attempting to make me submit. I stare him down until he averts his gaze and storms off to the sound of my laughter. He might know my name, but he doesn’t know I’m an Alpha’s daughter, destined to lead my pack one day. Or at least I was until the Fates decided a mad scientist should abduct me instead. Still, that doesn’t erase the fact I have Alpha blood.

I retrieve the bobby pin from under my ponytail and straighten it out, sliding it into the padlock and fiddling. It doesn’t take long to hear the beautiful sound of success as the mechanism is released.

As I traverse the dungeon, I check every cell for Darius, but each is empty. I’m about to lose hope when a breeze passes—carrying the scent I’m searching for. Mate! It’s difficult not to succumb to my need to run to the Alpha, but I remain level-headed, looking for threats as I travel. The deeper into the dungeons I get, the darker and more confined it becomes.

The coppery scent of blood grows thicker, making my stomach churn. That’s Darius. As I close the distance between us, my pace speeds up. I peer around the final corner and see five guards surround Darius’ cell. Five guards are all that stand between me and my mate. Not the best odds, but I’ll deal.

I shift, then attack the two guards closest to me, tearing one’s throat with my claws and the other with my teeth. Three guards left. I like my odds a lot more. Before the remaining guards shift, I claw through the third’s abdomen. Guts seep from his body, making a satisfying splat as they hit the ground.

The last two guards shift simultaneously and come at me from both sides. I begin to dodge, but a familiar scent makes me falter.

Mum?

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