MAX
I charge at Alpha Jason with all the strength I can muster, knocking him off his seat at the edge of his desk. The omega girl immediately pulls herself into a ball, her knees tucked into her chest, her sobs reverberating in the room.
She doesnât make a move. I have Jason pinned down, my dagger at his throat.
The smell of his skin sizzling from the silver of my blade permeates the air. âGive me one good reason why I shouldnât castrate you right here,â I snarl at him.
His eyes are wide, his pupils dilated with fear. He swallows hard, then, to my astonishment, he starts to laugh.
Heâs actually finding humor in this grim situation. I seize the front of his shirt, lifting him slightly before slamming his head against the floor.
I repeat the action, his laughter fading with each impact. Heâs dazed, but still conscious.
I glance over to where the omega girl had been. Sheâs vanished.
âEverything okay, Max?â Brockâs deep southern drawl brings me back to the present. I look down at Jason, whoâs stopped resisting.
I stand up, keeping my boot firmly on his throat. âIâm fine. We got what we came for. Now letâs drag this jerk back to my father.â
I turn to see Brock, his muscular chest smeared with blood, standing there in just his shorts. He has a minor cut on his lower right abdomen.
I raise an eyebrow at him and he chuckles in response. Brock steps into the room, quickly scanning the area before moving to one side of the alpha.
I remove my foot from Jasonâs throat and yank him to his feet. Brock grabs one of Jasonâs arms, twisting it behind his back.
While heâs holding him, I spot some leftover rope on the deskâthe same rope Jason had used to bind the omega girl. We use it to secure his hands behind his back.
With my knife at his throat, we make our way down the stairs and toward the front door of the pack house. Brock assures me itâs secure, and I pause just long enough to pull on some sweatpants.
As we exit the pack house, I keep Alpha Jason in front of me, his hands bound behind his back. He could easily snap the rope if he wanted to, but the threat of my silver dagger at his back keeps him in check.
He knows any attempt to escape would be a death sentence. Brock and I stand at the top of the steps, surveying the yard in front of the pack house.
About fifty members of the Canyon Ranch Pack are huddled together in the yard, surrounded by our warriors. A hush falls over them, broken only by the occasional whimper.
I project my voice so everyone can hear. âAnyone who willingly surrenders and pledges allegiance to Alpha Sebastian of the Ridge Mountain Pack will be spared. This pack will be relocated to Ridge Mountain until a suitable leader can be appointed here. From what I can see, there isnât a single one among you. Those who refuse to pledge allegiance will be executed on the spot.â
Whispers and cries ripple through the small group. One brave wolf steps forward, his neck bared in submission.
âSir, what about our women, children, and elderly? Theyâre locked in the basement of the pack house.â I exchange a glance with Brock, who nods in understanding.
He signals two warriors to accompany him to the basement. âThey will be unharmed and given the same opportunity to pledge allegiance to Alpha Sebastian. Does anyone here refuse to pledge?â
I scan the faces before me. Not a single one steps forward.
We have about half an hour before our transport vans arrive to take everyone back to Mountain Ridge. In the meantime, we record the names of the wolves who will be joining us.
The bodies of the deceased are piled in the center of the training grounds. We assign several wolves to dig a mass grave.
We canât leave any evidence for humans to stumble upon. The hole is dug, the bodies are pushed in, and then set ablaze.
The stench of burning flesh fills the air. As the women, children, and elderly are brought up from the basement, I hear several of them sobbing.
Iâm sure theyâve lost their mates in the battle, but they must know this is Alpha Jasonâs fault. I glance at him, now sitting on the ground with a look of contempt on his face.
He shows no remorse for his actions or the fate of his pack. I genuinely feel sorry for those in his pack who suffered under his rule.
Heâs a disgrace to the title of alpha. The transport vans start to arrive and we begin loading the Canyon Ranch pack members, distributing them among the vans with several Mountain Ridge warriors.
Even if theyâve chosen to follow Alpha Sebastian, we canât afford to be careless. They might still try to escape.
As Iâm talking with some of our warriors, Alpha Sebastianâs black Suburban pulls into the driveway. I watch as my father steps out, his face taut with tension.
He walks over to where Alpha Jason is sitting on the ground, squatting down to look him in the eye. His expression is hard.
âYou had the audacity to attack my pack? To harm my family? To try and take my daughter? You should have known there would be consequences.â He stands, grabbing Jason by his lapel and pulling him to his feet.
âI hear you also enjoy raping women. Youâre a real piece of shit.â He wraps his hand around Jasonâs neck, squeezing slightly.
With a hard shove, he sends Jason crashing into a tree. Jason crumples to the ground, curling into a fetal position.
He remains silent. My father walks over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
âYouâve done well. I canât wait to get him to the dungeon,â he says, nodding toward Jason. âLetâs get everyone loaded up and get out of here. Iâve sent warriors to retrieve your vans so you donât have to go back for them. We should have enough to get everyone home.â
He walks away from me, turning toward the burning pile of bodies. He points at two of the warriors standing nearby, âPick a couple of your buddies and stay here till this fire is out. Fill the hole back in with dirt. Once thatâs done, you can head back to the pack. We will leave a vehicle here for you to drive back.â
They nod and set about getting to work. We watch as my father gets in his Suburban and drives away.
Weâve nearly finished loading everyone up. Weâre just waiting for the prisoner transport van so we can throw Jason in and be on our way.
Taking stock of our men, I learn we only had two casualties, while Canyon Ranch had nearly eighty. They were ill-prepared to take us on, which is why their alpha had hired rogues.
Iâm certain of it. Itâs finally time to put this ordeal behind us.
Itâs a relief to know that my sisters are safe. Our pack wonât have to endure this kind of nonsense again.
Alpha Jason will pay for his crimes, and it wonât be a pleasant experience. A slow and painful death awaits him.
We give the go-ahead and our vans start moving in a convoy. The journey back should take us roughly an hour, now that weâre cruising on smooth, paved roads.
I find myself reflecting on the whirlwind of events from the past few weeks. It hits me how eager I am to start my alpha training.
I havenât let my mind wander to that in a while. My thoughts drift back to the issues with Derek and that alpha heir from Denver.
I canât help but hope their drama doesnât throw a wrench in our training. Iâve been so caught up in everything thatâs been happening.
Once Iâm home, itâs time to make that crucial call to the council. I need to find out when Iâm supposed to report.
My patience is hanging by a thread. Iâm ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work.
Iâm ready to become the alpha my father knows I can be. I believe Iâve just shown that Iâm up to the task, having led the successful takedown of Alpha Jason.