Click!
Chloe's eyes flew open and she stumbled back with a gasp. Her fingertips were smarting and smoking, and she had to rub her hands vigorously over her jeans to stop the burning sensation. She'd felt her magic flow from her and seep into the iron door. She had unlocked it. Right?
Gingerly, she touched the cell door with her toe. The door swung open slowly with a noisy squeak.
“Oh, shhh!”
Chloe grabbed the swinging door and shushed it angrily. That squeak would bring those vicious Red wolves running back in a heartbeat.
“Do you want to get us killed?” she admonished the door in a fierce whisper.
The door swung forlornly to and fro but it didn't make any sound this time.
“Good door,” she smiled grimly.
She scrambled back into the cell and knelt beside Abigail. Abigail was snoring and twitching on the floor.
“Hey, wake up! Abigail, you've got to wake up.” She grabbed her friend's bony shoulders and shook her. “Wake up! We are getting out of here. Come on.” Her voice rose in desperation and agitation. “Open your eyes, damn it!”
Abigail groaned and blinked up at Chloe. She smiled dreamily and muttered, “Goodnight, my angel. Goodbye...”
“No, no goodbyes,” Chloe said firmly. “We are leaving, and I am not leaving you behind. We have survived. We will survive. Now, let's go!”
Hurriedly, Chloe grabbed Abigail's torn, big t-shirt from the floor and yanked it over her head. The t-shirt was dirty and ragged, but at least it covered Abigail up to her thighs. Throwing Abigail's arm over her shoulder, she dragged her friend up. “You've got to help me out by walking,” she panted. “I can't walk the both of us out of here. Use your legs. That's right. Good girl! Left, right, left, right...” Chloe twisted her grimace into a grin. “Keep going, you're doing great!”
Abigail seemed to understand her encouragements, even though her eyes were glassy and she was shaking and jerking uncontrollably.
Veering all over the place, they made their way down the dark passageway, moving resolutely towards that thin sliver of light. That had to be the door. They would get out of this stinking bunker and escape.
Panting and gulping, Chloe pressed her palm against the cool, rectangular panel in the wall. The door slid open soundlessly, and the two of them stumbled out into the light.
Abigail fell face down onto the carpet with a loud thud. Before Chloe could rush to her side, Abigail had already pushed herself up, grunting and grumbling. She swayed precariously on her feet as she sputtered, “What the hell? Where...?”
“Abigail, are you all right?” Chloe put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. “Are you hurt? Can you walk?”
With a frown, Abigail blinked at her. She shook her head, then nodded once. Groaning softly, Abigail gave her head a quick, hard shake as if to clear it. When she looked up at Chloe, her black eyes were no longer cloudy and glassy. They glinted briefly with intelligence and focus. Chloe saw Abigail suppress a grimace as she bit down a cry. She was trying her best to stay lucid, but the effort was costing her.
“Let's go,” Abigail wheezed through clenched teeth. Chloe could see the perspiration beading on her forehead and upper lip, and she knew that Abigail was fighting down the toxin with every fiber of her being. She refused to relinquish control of her mind and body, and she was going to fight her turning through sheer willpower. But it was depleting her strength, and Chloe didn't know how long she would last. Long enough, she hoped. She just had to last long enough to make it out of the Red Fangs compound.
Grabbing Abigail cold, clammy hand, Chloe stared around wildly in bewilderment. She had been gagged and blindfolded after being bitten by Rhett. She'd felt herself being trussed up and thrown around like a sack of potatoes. When she managed to open her eyes again, she'd found herself in the holding cell with the other women. Helplessly, with increasing, impotent rage, she had witnessed their rapid descent into madness as their animal hunger and lusts wrecked their frail human bodies.
The mansion was grand, opulent, and Chloe thought that the interior designer had gone way over the top. It looked like a palace, with crystals glittering from the ceiling and gilded furniture decorating every nook and corner. The Red wolves sure knew how to indulge themselves. They were living the good life, splurging their ill-gotten wealth on ridiculous luxuries. There was no need to sit and shit on gold. Chloe spat on the marble floor. The Red Fangs pack was a horde of thieving, robbing, murdering animals. They robbed and plundered, bullied and killed without remorse.
They wound down the maze of corridors until they caught sight of the massive, white front door. Hoping with all her might that it wouldn't be locked, Chloe skidded across the polished marble floor of the living room on her bare feet and grabbed the door handle. With a yank, the front door flew wide open. This must be her lucky night. The Red wolves were so eager to charge into battle that they had forgotten to lock their front door. Grinning, Chloe turned around to beckon Abigail forward.
“Quickly!” she urged.
With trembling, aching arms, Chloe pulled the heavy front door close behind them. Turning around, she heard Abigail mutter under her breath, “Well, I never...”
Chloe squinted into the darkness in front of them and gasped. The Red Fangs compound was surrounded by high, barbed wire fences and there were rows and rows of drab, brick buildings that looked like barracks lining the compound. The mansion behind them stood out like a sore thumb in this stark, austere environment. Chloe shook her head slowly. She had been wrong. The Red wolves didn't live like kings.
Only the Alpha of the Red Fangs lived in splendor and spectacular opulence. The rest of the Red wolves had only minimal material comforts. Each family didn't even have their own little house.
Chloe knew that the Snow River wolves all lived on the same street in their territory, but they all had their own terrace house. Even the Snow River Alpha's double-story bungalow was modest compared to Rhett's sprawling mansion.
Rhett had used all the pack's substantial resources and wealth on himself. He didn't use the funds to improve the well-being of his wolves and expand the pack's businesses. He used it to indulge his own sadistic pleasure and decadent, lavish lifestyle.
For a second, Chloe felt sorry for the Red Fangs pack. They didn't deserve an Alpha like Rhett. Then again, maybe they did. She remembered what they did to her and all the other human women. And just like that, the last smidgen of pity evaporated in a huff.
“Come on.” She took Abigail's icy hand and together, they scampered past those grim, gloomy-looking barracks, stopping often to check that the coast was indeed clear. They kept close to the shadows and even closer to each other, huddling tightly together against the grimy walls.
Flattening their backs against the side of the last barrack, they stopped to catch their breaths. The gate was within sight, within reach. To Chloe's relief, she didn't see a chain and padlock around the gate. She didn't think she had any more magic left in her. They had made it so far. Please, please, don't let the gate be locked...
“You ready?” she whispered to Abigail.
“Y-yes.”
As one, they dashed towards the gate. Their breathing and heartbeats sounded too loud in the still night air. Just as Chloe jerked the gate open, she heard a loud howl in the distance.
Her blood froze in her veins.
More howls could be heard, nearer and louder this time.
The Red wolves were coming back. They were coming back to the compound.
And from the sound of it, they were near. Too near.
“They're coming back! But...w-we can run, we can still run!” Abigail cried desperately, clutching at her hair. “I'm not going back in there! No! No!”
“Yes, yes we can, we can,” Chloe repeated the encouragement like a mantra, a prayer. “We can run. We...” She stopped, the words dying on her lips.
It was too late. It
was too late to run.
The first Red wolf had appeared.
Chloe stared into the wolf's wide hazel eyes and gasped. She swallowed and clenched her teeth. Those eyes. She would recognize them anywhere. She knew it was him. Logan Reed.
Sure enough, the wolf snarled and shifted into human form right before her eyes. In a blink, Logan stood in front of her, with only a light sheen of sweat covering his bare, muscular body.
His lips parted, and she saw a brief look of shock and pain on his features. His eyes were swirling with conflict, rage and agony, and every muscle on his body was tensed and pulsing. He looked ready to kill.
Chloe squared her shoulders, preparing to fight. She would fight him, and fight her way out.
“Go...” Logan grated.
Chloe started, but before she could move, another Red wolf appeared behind Logan. Then another, and another.
In the space of a few painful heartbeats, the entire Red Fangs pack was standing behind Logan.
Damn him. Damn him to hell! He had come back, just to catch them. If not for him...
Chloe could feel Abigail's nails digging into her arm. “No! We can run...we can still run...” Abigail kept whispering, even as the Red Fangs pack closed in on them.
Chloe faced the pack of snarling wolves, and took a small step forward to shield Abigail from them. But she could only act of a temporary shield. The wolves would rip her apart, and there was no way she could shield Abigail when she was lying in pieces on the ground.
“We'll be fine...” She smiled shakily over her shoulder and quickly thumbed away Abigail's tear. “Don't be afraid.”
“I'm not afraid,” Abigail answered fiercely. “I'm not afraid of them. I'm not afraid to die. At least I'll die a human. Not a monster. I won't become like them,” she spat.
Another hulking Red wolf moved to stand in front of Logan. Rhett shifted out of his wolf and stalked towards them. “I see my toxin has had no effect on you. You still have the wits and energy to try to escape.” His yellow eyes glowed. “You are of no use to me.” Turning to the wolves behind him, he ordered, “Kill them!”
As Chloe shoved Abigail behind her, Logan put up his fist and said, “No one touches them.” His tone was low but the menace in his voice was unmistakable.
“I said kill them,” Rhett snarled at him. “It's an order!”
“No, Rhett,” Logan said evenly, striding to the front of the pack. “These females are the property of the Alpha. You can't kill them.”
“I am the Alpha!” Rhett bellowed.
“You have been issued a challenge. Until the challenge is concluded, your power and authority over the pack is suspended. You have no right to give any orders as Alpha, and you have no right to these females, until you win the challenge.” Logan's eyes gleamed dangerously as he positioned himself in front of Chloe and Abigail.
Chloe's eyes darted down Logan's scarred, naked back. She couldn't stop her eyes from drifting down his long, powerful frame. His body was broad and solid, with scars zigzagging down his back and limbs. He was tall and lean, unlike Rhett whose muscles looked a tad too big for his stout, stocky build.
Rhett's face was contorted in rage and disbelief. “You dirty, filthy traitor...”
“I am no traitor to the pack. I serve the pack and I protect the pack's interests. I am only challenging you, Rhett. And any wolf in the pack has the right to challenge the Alpha. The challenge is legitimate. I declared it in front of the pack, and in front of the Snow River wolves.” There was a slight smirk on Logan's face.
“I will kill you,” Rhett's snarled, and Chloe saw his claws slice out silently.
“That is your right. The challenge is a fight to the death. You kill me. You remain the Alpha. I kill you, and I take over as Alpha of the Red Fangs. Simple.” Logan shrugged his broad shoulders.
“After I kill you, I will kill all the wolves who supported you in this challenge,” Rhett declared, throwing out his arm to point at the wolves standing solidly behind Logan.
“You'll slaughter three-quarters of the pack?” Logan raised a brow. His tone was incredulous, but Chloe saw the dangerous glint in his eye.
“Yes! I will kill all of them. All your supporters!” For the first time, Chloe noticed that the Red wolves appeared to be split into two camps. The majority of the wolves were standing silently behind Logan, as if backing him, while a smaller group stood on Rhett's side. Were they taking sides in the challenge?
Rhett turned his head and bared his teeth at Chloe in an ugly smile. “And I will kill these pretty little humans as well.”
“No you won't.”
Rhett whipped round to face Logan. “What did you say?” he growled.
“I said you won't kill them,” Logan replied easily.
Rhett gave a mocking laugh. “And why is that?”
“Because—” Logan stepped forward, and Chloe saw that he wasn't smiling this time. “I'll kill you first.”
Logan cracked his knuckles. “Let's fight.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Logan saw Chloe turn away from him, and he had to resist the urge to grab her, and just hold her. He'd said that those two females were the property of the Alpha. But he was wrong. Chloe didn't belong to the Alpha. She belonged to him.
He growled as she began to inch away from him. Turning to the Red wolves standing behind him, he signaled two she-wolves forward. Veena and Yunli were two of his most trusted lieutenants. Quietly, he ordered them to guard Chloe and Abigail with their lives. His lieutenants nodded.
“They won't hurt you,” he told Chloe tersely. “Go with them. They will keep you safe.”
Chloe scowled at him, but turned to follow the two she-wolves back to the mansion without a word. He watched them until the front door closed and they were safely locked up in the Alpha's mansion.
The Alpha's mansion was off limits to Rhett now. Rhett was being challenged, and he would have to defend his Alpha's position and everything that came with that position. The mansion, the power, the women, everything.
The Red wolves began to file through the gate and gather in the square in front of the barracks. The wolves separated into two distinct camps. The majority of the wolves stood solidly behind Logan. A smaller group of red wolves stood with Rhett.
Logan faced Rhett in silence for a long moment.
He had issued his challenge to Rhett, not just in front of his pack, but in front of the entire Snow River pack as well.
Rhett had ordered an attack on the Snow River pack, simply because he wanted the human woman who was now under the protection of the Snow River Alpha, Declan Grant. But it was clear that Declan wasn't giving up the female without a fight. In fact, he wasn't giving up the female ever. That human woman was Declan Grant's mate. And no wolf would give up its mate.
As his pack charged into Snow River territory and began to fight, Logan had looked around and saw all his Red wolves locked in battle with the Snow River wolves. He saw wolves falling on both sides, wounded, dead. So much blood was spilled. So many lives lost, and for what? For Rhett's pride and ego, for Rhett's uncontrollable, rampant lust.
It was time to put a stop to it. He would stop Rhett, once and for all.
Logan had stopped Rhett from hurting Declan Grant's mate. He saw Rhett holding the terrified human female hostage and he saw Chloe in her. Chloe, his Chloe, had been hurt and terrorized by Rhett. He would not stand by and let Rhett hurt another innocent, defenseless woman. Right in the middle of the fight, he had openly opposed Rhett and issued his challenge to Rhett.
I challenge you.
At those three words, all the Red wolves had stopped fighting immediately and backed away from the growling Snow River wolves. A leadership challenge had been declared. All fighting would cease, for now.
A change in Alpha would mean a change in the entire structure and size of the pack. When a leadership challenge was declared, there was a moratorium on
the pack's external affairs. Other packs and clans would have to back off, and allow the pack some time to reorganize itself.
All the Red wolves had howled to acknowledge Logan's declaration. Logan had declared to his pack his intent to challenge his Alpha. The Red Fangs pack would now be split in two. Every Red wolf had to choose.
The Red wolves had to take sides. No wolf was allowed to sit on the fence. They could choose to back their Alpha, or support the challenger. Loyalties would be split, and blood would be spilled.
It would be a fight to the death.
Hearing the Red Fangs pack bay for blood, for the blood of their Alpha and the challenger, the Snow River wolves had ceased their attack and stepped back.
Declan Grant had held up a hand to his white wolves, and nodded once. They were to stand down and let the Red wolves leave their territory.
Turning to Logan, Declan had simply bit out two words, “Three days.”
He was giving the Red Fangs pack three days. Then he would finish the war that Rhett had started.
But Declan Grant and his Snow River wolves couldn't be further from Logan's mind right now.
Right now, Logan had his own war to fight.
He was fighting his Alpha. To the death.
Only one of them would come out of this fight alive.
Logan exhaled very slowly. He wasn't just fighting for his life.
He was fighting for his pack. And for her.
His wolves, his mate, their future.
There was too much at stake.
He couldn't afford to lose. But he wouldn't fight dirty just to win.
The Red wolves were watching him. If he won, he would be their Alpha. He wanted them to know from the outset what kind of Alpha he would be. Things had to change. Starting now.
Logan watched Rhett shift back to wolf form and circle him. Rhett's wolf was more impressive than his human form. His wolf was large, with thick, reddish fur and long, serrated teeth. As a human, Rhett was shorter than Logan, but their wolves were about the same size. Logan's lips curved humorlessly. Well, he had always known that Rhett was more animal than man. The brute was more in touch with his beast than his humanity.
Fight For Me: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Misty Valley Shifters Book 2) Page 3
