Alpha’s Claim (Bad Boy Bears #1)

Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

D arius

We march down the hall. I try to stay one step ahead of Paloma, so I can take a bullet for her, but she’s leading us.

Behind me, there’s the sound of crinkling plastic. Axel has finished his apple and is eating something else. Corn chips, by the smell of them.

“How can you eat at a time like this?” Lance asks him.

Axel shrugs.

“He always has snacks,” Canyon says. “Did you bring me any?”

“Nope.” Axel tips the bag upside down to pour the last crumbs into his mouth.

“Focus,” Matthias orders. I’m glad he’s with us. He’s one of the few people, other than our mother, who can keep Axel and the triplets in line.

I have bigger things to worry about.

I can feel him. My bear. He’s trying to explode out of my skin.

Not now, I tell him .

Mate. The bear shoves an image of me in bear form holding Paloma. Keep her safe.

I am. I grind my teeth, forcing my bear to surrender. The last thing I need right now is to lose control of the bear. I need my wits about me.

We’ve reached the corridor where Axel and Canyon took out a bunch of guards. Bodies lie everywhere. Blood smears the wall where they were thrown against the wall. Bloody paw prints lead up the stairs. Everest was here.

“Down this way,” Paloma tells us. She stands back and lets Rafe and Lance lead us down the first flight of stairs. “The largest safe room is on the subterranean level.”

With every step we take, the tension grows.

We reach a locked door with a black keypad and a sensor used for a fingerprint scan.

“Let me try.” Paloma steps up and puts her hand to it, but it flashes red.

“Plan B,” Rafe says. He punches the wall, ripping out the keypad entirely. Metal bars come down, but we rush to grab them. Everyone but Paloma joins in. It takes all our strength, but we bend the metal and make a hole so we can claw out the entire steel frame of the door.

The passageway beyond is dark, except for flashing orange lights.

“No use for stealth. They know we’re here,” Rafe shouts. He and Lance rush into the breach. Matthias and I are next, on either side of Paloma. Axel and Canyon bring up the rear.

We have Paloma in the middle to protect her. A shifter wall to take the brunt of an attack.

It’s a good thing we do because three seconds later, we run into more guards.

Paloma

Shots sound and someone roars in pain. In a flash, I’m pressed up to the wall, covered by Darius. I peer past his arm.

The helmet turns the hallway an eerie green. Golden shapes dart to and fro. Lance and Rafe crouch to return fire. The werebear brothers run forward to take out the shooters.

I happen to look back the way we came. “Look out,” I scream. Another wave of guards pours down the stairs.

Axel and Canyon turn back, and nets shoot out. They land on the younger werebears, the mesh glinting in the flashing lights. Canyon screams, writhing.

Darius cusses.

“Go.” I push at him. I wish I had a weapon, so I could help. Instead, I hunker down to create a smaller target, and Darius charges into the fray.

For a moment, there’s nothing but gunfire, screams and roars. I crawl on my hands and knees to the closest werebear–Axel. The net is unusually heavy, like a fishing net made of metal, but I manage to lift a corner up. He gasps, wriggling out from underneath it. Both of us crawl to free Canyon. He cries out as we drag the net off, and lies there, shuddering. The lights flash, revealing his bare torso. It’s crisscrossed with red lines, like he’s been burned.

“What happened?” I ask Axel.

“Silver,” he answers. His own face has red marks where the net landed on his bare skin. “The net is poison to shifters.”

My blood turns icy cold. The new guards have weapons that hurt shifters. “But…that means… ”

The lights power up completely. I’m blinded for a second until my helmet adjusts.

Darius, Matthias, Rafe and Lance stand over the bodies piled on either side of us. “They know what we are,” Rafe rasps. “And they know how to take us down.”

“No,” I breathe. This is a nightmare. These shifters are risking everything to help me, and now their lives are in danger, too.

A comms unit crackles. Rafe and Lance put their fingers to their earpieces at the same time.

“Report from the outside. More of Thompson’s troops have arrived,” Lance says. “Deke and Channing are pinned down.”

“Tell them they’ve got silver nets,” Matthias says. He’s crouched beside Canyon and Axel, checking their wounds.

“I’ll be fine,” Canyon croaks. His body is crisscrossed with red marks. He got the worst of it because he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Axel just has marks on his arms and face. Matthias and Axel get Canyon up between them.

“You don’t have time for this.” Canyon pushes Matthias away. He leans into Axel, and they both stagger but stay upright.

“We need to keep going to get Wren,” Axel says. His eyes blaze green.

“No, you’re injured. Bear form, now,” Matthias orders. “You’ll heal faster.”

“But–” Canyon protests.

“Now,” Matthias growls. His voice booms and echoes like he’s in an amphitheater. Goosebumps break out on my arms.

Canyon and Axel respond to Matthias’ order. They fall to all fours with their backs hunched. A second later, they’re in bear form .

“Go,” Matthias commands. “Get Everest and get out any way you can.” He waits until they lumber off to turn to Rafe and Lance. “You need to go, too. Cover my brothers, and then reinforce your team.”

“Are you sure?” Rafe asks.

“We got this,” Darius rumbles. He turns, and I follow, stumbling over the fallen net. He steadies me. Matthias takes up the rear. Rafe and Lance have disappeared.

We come to the round vault-like door at the end of the hall. The safe room. There are no more guards, but no way in.

This last part is up to me.

I pull off my helmet. The cool air hits my sweaty temples. “Thom,” I shout. “You wanted me to come back. I’m here.”