A Ridge Mountain Pack 3: The Ultimate Sacrifice

MELANIE

A persistent hum echoed in my head. Voices, distant and muffled, floated around me. “What’s wrong with her?” A man’s voice, familiar yet distant, asked.

A soothing sensation of a cool cloth swept across my forehead. “She’s okay, just fainted. Apart from a racing heart and a thin layer of sweat, I can’t find anything wrong. It’s as if she just finished a marathon.” Dr. Sky’s voice, I recognized it instantly.

“Here are the smelling salts, doctor.” A woman’s voice. The nurse, perhaps?

Then, a sharp, pungent smell hit my nostrils, making my wolf growl in protest.

“Ahhhhh,” I screamed, jerking upright and swatting the doctor’s hand away from my face. My heart pounded in my chest, my breaths coming in quick, shallow gasps.

I opened my eyes to find myself on a gurney in the clinic, bathed in the harsh glow of a fluorescent light. “What the heck?” I blinked, trying to adjust to the brightness.

“Easy, Melanie, you’re safe.” Dr. Sky’s calming voice came from my left. I turned to face him.

“How did I end up here?” My voice came out as a strangled whisper.

“Well, you drove my car here, of course,” he joked. “You seemed to be having a panic attack. You were mumbling something about someone finding you while you were unconscious. It was hard to make out what you were saying.”

“Oh,” was all I could manage.

Dr. Sky tilted his head, studying me. “Who were you talking about, if you don’t mind me asking? Are you in danger? Is there something I should know?”

“No, not at all. I just… I thought I saw someone in the park. Someone bad.” I glanced down at my hands, now twisting anxiously in my lap. I forced myself to let go and took a deep breath. “Maybe I imagined it.”

“Do you think you imagined it?” Frederick’s voice startled me. I hadn’t noticed him standing in the corner, watching us.

“No, I don’t. But it’s impossible.” I closed my eyes, and his face flashed across my mind. It couldn’t be, could it? He was in prison.

But then it hit me. He was in prison here, in Texas. Could he have escaped? I had been assured when they decided against the death penalty that I was safe and he could never leave the facility.

“Dr. Sky, how much do you know about our werewolf prisons?” I asked.

I watched as he and Frederick exchanged glances. “Well, we know a bit. Most of the high-security facilities are here or in other desert locations, if in the United States. Why?”

“Is escape possible?” I asked, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down my back.

He shrugged. “I suppose anything is possible. It’s unlikely, though. What are you getting at? Please tell us so we can help.”

I sighed and took a deep breath. “There’s someone who tried to kidnap me years ago. I was severely injured. Eventually, my brother led our pack, along with others, to take him down. His pack was disbanded. He was tried by the council. Instead of death, they sentenced him to life in the highest security werewolf prison. He was to be injected with wolfsbane to keep him and his wolf weak.”

I looked back and forth between the two men standing before me, hoping to see a sign that my fears were unfounded. That no one had escaped. That it was just the light playing tricks on me, making me think I saw him when it was someone else.

Frederick cleared his throat. “Perhaps, George, we should take Melanie to see the alpha? Better safe than sorry.”

My anxiety was creeping back. I’m not usually an anxious person. Plus, I’m a well-trained fighter. While I may be an alpha female, alpha males are generally stronger.

The only advantage I could have is if he was weakened with wolfsbane or silver, or if he hadn’t fully recovered. “Please, George, take me to your alpha. I need to know that this mad wolf hasn’t escaped and come for me.” I clasped my hands together, pleadingly, looking at him and waiting for his response.

George nodded and extended his hand to me. “All right then, let’s go see if we can get an audience with the alpha.”

I took his hand and he led me out of the clinic, locking the door behind us. Frederick walked on my other side, taking my other hand. Their support eased my uncertainty. Surely the alpha could give me an answer and I could laugh this off later.

BROCK

I was finally heading back to Texas. My alpha was swamped with work in my absence. I’d been away far too long, over a year actually. It had been the longest year of my life. While I enjoyed visiting my family and spending time back in my homeland, there was someone waiting for me. At least I hoped she was still waiting.

I slung my large bag over my shoulder as I headed to the baggage claim. I had to check a bag this time because I brought back gifts from Ireland. There might also be a few things from home for myself.

Being six-foot-eight, I could easily see over people. Not that it mattered much, they seemed to move out of the way when they saw me coming. I guess a three-hundred-pound giant like me can be intimidating.

Today I was wearing a short-sleeve t-shirt and had put my leather jacket in my backpack. I was back in Texas and it was summer. The heat was stifling. I had forgotten how suffocating it could be until you got used to it.

I made my way to the baggage claim and watched as the conveyor belt started up, delivering bags. There was a large screen television on the wall near the baggage claim area. I glanced at it and nearly froze in my tracks.

The news was on and the anchorwoman was talking about a breach in a high-security prison system near San Antonio. They zoomed in on the exterior of the facility and I immediately recognized the building.

This was one of our prisons. Humans just assumed it was another prison, and that people who went in there were very bad and never came out. It was better that way, we didn’t need them snooping around.

This must be the issue that the alpha had been talking about. I wonder why they hadn’t fixed the issue yet. It had been several months since they realized that the security of the building was at risk.

It had to be an inside job, at least that’s what the council believed. I agreed. It couldn’t be easily breached, so it had to be someone who had knowledge of the building and procedures within it.

“Isn’t it wild?” A man sidled up next to me, his eyes glued to the same spectacle.

I shot him a quick glance and offered a noncommittal nod. He was human, but he was also a pretty big guy, standing about five inches shorter than me.

I stole another look at him and recognition dawned on me, but I wasn’t about to make a scene. I’ve never been one to get starstruck.

“Did you catch the news about the prison break?” He asked, breaking the silence.

I turned to face him fully. “You’re Dwayne, right?” His smile was his only response, but it was enough. “I’ve been overseas for a while, just got back. So no, I hadn’t heard. Do they have any leads or anything?”

Dwayne shrugged. “Not that I’ve heard. I think if they did, they’d keep it under wraps. The public’s on a need-to-know basis, and the government doesn’t think we need to know names.” He chuckled, then pointed at the conveyor belt. “That’s my bag. Have a good one.”

I returned my attention to the conveyor belt, tuning out the news chatter. As soon as my bag appeared, I grabbed it and made a beeline for the exit. One of the Delta guys should be waiting for me.

Sure enough, there was Kevin, our Delta, leaning against a massive Hummer, aviator shades in place. A woman was trying her best to charm him, but he just smiled and nodded along.

“Excuse me,” he said, “That’s my buddy.” He gestured toward me as I approached the vehicle. The woman turned to look at me, her jaw dropping. I had that effect on people.

“Good to see you, man,” I greeted him, pulling him into a quick hug. “Feels good to be back.”

I tossed my bags into the back and hopped into the passenger seat, ignoring the woman. She handed Kevin a piece of paper, which he pocketed before climbing into the Humvee. The woman waved at him, a silly grin plastered on her face. I just shook my head. Some people have no shame.

“You’re not actually going to call her, are you?” I asked.

Kevin shrugged. “Maybe. It’s nice to have options outside the pack, you know. It’s not like it would be anything serious. She was pretty cute, and she had a nice rack,” he laughed, winking at me. “Let’s get you home, Beta. I bet you’re ready to be back in your own space.”

“Actually, I’m more interested in this prison break situation. Sounds like a big deal.”

Kevin nodded. “It is. The alpha will be glad you’re back. He could use the help.”

I stared out the window as we left San Antonio behind. It was a four-hour drive to our pack land, giving me plenty of time to mull over the situation. I also needed to call Melanie.

I pulled out my phone, only to find the battery dead. I muttered a curse and reached into my backpack for a charger.

“Have you heard anything else about these escapees? Any names?” I asked Kevin, turning to face him.

“No, but there are rumors that one of them is a high-profile alpha who was locked up a few years ago. He’s apparently on the top of the must-find list.”

I felt my wolf growl in my head. Easy, Zeus, I soothed him. ~We don’t know for sure who it is. We need more information, and I need to get back to San Antonio as soon as possible.~