The Alpha's Call Book 5

LYLA

I scrambled to regain my footing after being shoved off Mercer. My claws were out, but when I turned to face my attacker, I knew there wasn’t time to shift fully.

A dozen werewolves, some in human form and others in wolf form, came through the pine forest toward us. The person who had knocked Sebastian and me away from Mercer was helping the bastard get to his feet.

I snarled, launching myself forward again. My way was blocked by two men who sneered at me.

“You’ll pay for what you did, Mercer!” I howled.

Dammit, I should have brought my sword! I swiped my claws at the first man, raking across his chest. He fell back, screaming with pain…

Only for another man to take his place.

Sebastian fell in step behind me, protecting my back from further attack. The men surrounded us. I punched and kicked, clawed at their faces, and tore at their throats. The men seemed to dance around us, moving in and then back like they were goading me to try to chase them.

I stuck by Sebastian, knowing if I left him, I’d lose what protection I had for my blind spots.

The first wolf charged forward. It leaped at my throat, jaws snapping in the air. I was barely able to roll out of its way.

Our attackers were relentless, circling and snapping at us. Every time I moved forward, they charged at me, driving me back. Teeth and claws tore my clothes and skin. The scent of blood grew heavy in the air.

A howl bugled through the forest. It was so strong that I instinctively froze, my head swiveling toward the sound. Around me, the other werewolves stopped as well.

We all stared between two massive pines as their branches started to sway and crack. A giant wolf, bigger than any I’d seen before, came through them like something out of Jurassic Park.

I could only stand there, gaping. Some part of me screamed to fight, but I knew it would be useless against a monster like that. If I could have moved my feet, I might have tried running. Useless, too, I knew.

The wolf would be able to get to us in a single bound.

And it did. It landed lightly beside Sebastian and me and tore into our attackers.

It was all over in seconds. Three bodies lay around us, the rest running into the forest all around us.

The wolf shifted, the long fur retreating as it moved into a standing position. My eyes widened further as Arthur’s shape took form.

Completely naked.

“Like something you see?” he asked, whipping his cock around in a circle.

I couldn’t help but start laughing, even though the situation wasn’t funny.

Sebastian told me his uncle had a reputation as a brawler… now I knew why.

SEBASTIAN

I scowled as I pulled my shirt off and threw it at Arthur to cover himself. “I don’t want to see that thing.”

“Jealous, Runt?” he asked.

As grateful as I was that he had just saved our bacon, I wasn’t in the mood for his taunts. “Where’s Mercer?”

“He went this way,” Lyla said, pointing.

I fell in step beside her as we started following the trail. After only a few feet, though, it disappeared into the lake.

Lyla burst into a series of swears as I folded my arms, glaring across the water. There was no sign of a boat on the lake, which meant that he couldn’t have gone that far.

“We should split up and search along the bank for where he got out,” I said.

“That’s a bad idea,” Arthur said.

I turned toward him. The anger from seeing Mercer still bubbled in the pit of my stomach, but I wasn’t going to be stupid here. “You have a reason for saying it’s a bad idea, I presume?”

Arthur arched an eyebrow at me as he wrapped my shirt around his waist loincloth style. “Are you asking me?”

“I want to hear what you have to say, yes,” I said.

He stared at me for another moment before a wide grin crossed his face. “I knew there was a reason why I liked you, Runt. Your father would have just started swinging.”

I frowned at him but didn’t reply.

“It’s a bad idea because there’s still more werewolves out there,” Arthur said. “If we split up, we’re each more vulnerable. They already outnumber us; let’s not make it worse.”

He was right. I should have seen it. I kneaded my fingers into my forehead, nodding. “Right. I shouldn’t have suggested it.”

Arthur chuckled. “You really aren’t your father.”

Before I could decide if that was an insult or a compliment, Lyla cleared her throat. “If you two are done, I’ve found something.”

I hurried over to her side. She showed me a small book, only as long and wide as my hand. As I took it, I opened it. The inside was filled with a spiky, scrawling language I couldn’t understand.

“Great,” I muttered. “Just what we need. A clue we can’t decipher.”

“Speak for yourself,” Arthur said.

As Lyla and I gazed at him, startled, he took the book. His eyes skimmed the pages, and he nodded once, looking satisfied. “Just what I thought. It’s an ancient language used exclusively by the Moon Guardians for hundreds of years before it was phased out.”

“And you know how to read it?” I asked.

He grinned. “Yes. It’ll tell us where to find the artifact we’re looking for.”

Anger heated my chest again, despite my attempts to fight it down. “What exactly are you after? You have to tell us, Arthur. I know you like to play games, but it seems like Mercer is after the same thing. He attacked the Holy City and killed the Moon Goddess, we—”

“Hey.” Arthur’s tone wasn’t rough as I expected. Rather, he sounded almost… defeated. His shoulders slumped. Even though he was a powerfully built man, it almost made him small. “I know. This is about more than just me now.”

Lyla’s hand slipped into mine, squeezing gently. I was calmed by her presence and released a heavy breath.

“It’s about more than any of us,” I corrected softly.

“You’re right,” Arthur said, surprising me again.

Lyla cleared her throat. “We shouldn’t talk about it out here. Let’s get back to the hotel and discuss it there, okay?”

I nodded, squeezing her hand again.

“You have a wise mate,” Arthur said.

He was silent as we returned to the car, sitting untouched where we had left it. Mercer must have taken the opportunity to flee rather than try to trap us.

Which meant he didn’t know we were going to be here any more than we knew he was going to be here.

I hoped it also meant Arthur hadn’t led us into a trap.

We returned to the hotel, but as we got off the elevator, Arthur stiffened.

I followed his gaze down the hallway. The door to our hotel room stood slightly ajar. Beside me, Lyla growled.

I flexed my hands, bringing my claws out again. Looked like this battle wasn’t over yet.