Chapter 4 The Alpha Arrives
RILEY'S POV
The thumping bass of the party faded behind us as we slipped into the dim hallway leading toward Sam’s office. The farther we moved from the dance floor, the heavier the silence became.
Too quiet.
Medulla groaned weakly, her limp form sagging in Marcus and Rick’s arms.
"Easy," I whispered, brushing damp, sweat-soaked hair away from her face. "You're going to be okay. Just hold on."
She didn't answer. Beneath my fingertips, her pulse fluttered like a trapped bird. Weak. Far too weak. A cold knot settled deep in my stomach; this wasn't ordinary alcohol poisoning. Someone had given her something stronger. Something lethal.
Suddenly, a scent cut through the sterile smell of the hallway.
Pine. Smoke. Rain on stone.
Rex.
My wolf lifted her head instantly, pacing behind my ribs. He’s close. Too close.
An involuntary wave of heat spread through my veins before I could stop it. I clenched my jaw, fighting the sudden flush. Not now. Not here. Focus.
Rick unlocked Sam’s office and shoved the door open. Marcus laid Medulla carefully across the examination bed. Stripping away the distraction of Rex's scent, I placed both palms over her chest and closed my eyes.
Warmth gathered beneath my skin. Unlike most healers, I didn't need herbs, tinctures, or instruments to begin. Healing was stitched into my very blood.
A soft, golden light slipped from beneath my fingertips, sinking into her skin. The others stepped back, watching in hushed silence.
Medulla's shallow breathing began to steady, the ragged edge leaving her chest. I let out a breath—
Then, she jerked violently.
Her eyes flew open, blown wide with stark terror. "They're here!" she screamed.
Every hair on the back of my neck stood up.
BOOM.
The office door exploded inward. A heavy body crashed across the floor, splintering a nearby chair. It was Rick. He slammed into the far wall with enough force to crack the plaster, groaning as he slumped down.
"What the—"
Three hyenas stormed through the ruined doorway, their hideous, mocking laughter echoing off the walls. "Found you."
Marcus didn't hesitate. Claws burst from his knuckles as his features shifted halfway into his wolf form. "You idiots picked the wrong room."
The largest hyena grinned, a sick, yellow-toothed smile. "No." His dark eyes landed directly on Medulla. "We picked the right girl."
He lunged.
Marcus intercepted him mid-air, and the sheer impact shook the entire room. Furniture splintered into kindling. Suza grabbed Ariel, dragging her backward to shield her behind me.
I stood frozen. My instincts were screaming, throwing red flags in every direction. Something wasn't right. These hyenas weren't fighting to kill—they were stalling. They were buying time.
For what?
Then, beneath the foul stench of the scavengers, I caught it. Another scent.
Wolves. Several of them. Outside the building, watching. Waiting.
Oh, no. My blood ran cold. My father’s men. If they saw Rex here, if they realized what was happening, everything would fall apart before it even began.
Before the panic could swallow me, a roar thundered through the hallway. It wasn't just angry; it was fiercely territorial. A suffocating wave of pure, unadulterated power rolled through the building like an earthquake.
Every wolf in the room froze, completely paralyzed by the dominant aura. Even the hyenas went pale, their laughter dying in their throats.
Heavy footsteps approached. Slow. Confident.
One...
Two...
Three...
The remaining piece of the doorframe shattered to splinters as a broad shoulder slammed against it.
Rex Goodwin walked inside.
His piercing blue eyes swept across the room once. One glance. One calculation. He didn't ask questions. He didn't demand explanations. He simply moved.
The first hyena barely had time to blink before Rex caught him by the throat, lifting him effortlessly, and hurled him straight through the office window. Glass exploded into the night like a halo of diamonds.
The second hyena charged with a desperate snarl. Rex stepped inside the guard, driving a brutal fist directly into the male's ribs. A sickening, hollow crack echoed through the room. The hyena folded instantly, dropping to the floor in a breathless heap.
The third looked around wildly, his courage entirely evaporated, and turned to sprint back into the hallway. He never made it. Duda blocked the doorway, Chris looming right behind him. The hyena’s escape route vanished.
Within seconds, the room fell into a dead silence, broken only by Medulla’s ragged breathing.
I stared, my heart hammering against my ribs. The rumors had never done Rex justice. He wasn't merely strong. He was terrifying. A force of nature in a leather jacket.
Then, his gaze shifted. His eyes found mine.
Instantly, everything else disappeared. The ruined room, the bleeding rogues, the stunned onlookers—it all blurred into nothingness. There was only him. Only those piercing, predatory blue eyes.
Deep within me, my wolf whimpered a single, undeniable word: Mate...
No. Impossible, I panicked, my chest tightening.
Rex’s hard expression shifted for the first time that night. The cold killer vanished, replaced by genuine, burning concern. He crossed the room toward me in three long strides, his eyes searching my face.
"Are you hurt?" his deep voice rumbled.
Before I could even draw breath to answer, a familiar, hated voice roared from the darkness outside the shattered window.
"RILEY!"
The sound made my stomach drop. Ben. He was my father’s most ruthless enforcer.
He’d found us. And judging by the heavy, synchronized footsteps echoing from the alley below... he brought an army with him.
