Cruel Alpha, Season One (Wolves of New Eden #1)

20. Heads will roll

20

Heads will roll

Annalise

This isn’t the sort of endeavor I’d knowingly choose to embark on alone, but it’s the only way. Elizabeth’s sworn to Aunt Geneva that she wouldn’t betray her trust, and now I’ve sworn the same allegiance to Elizabeth.

Although, almost as quickly as I allowed my imagination to paint a picture where Cas is somehow at fault for the threats Elizabeth spoke of, I’ve come to my senses.

He’s no angel, I know, but I’ve also come to know him as a man of his word. If he promised to take care of my aunt and uncle, in exchange for my willingness to be his mate, that promise may as well be etched in stone.

The engine revs, and I’ve admittedly never driven anything quite this powerful. Or this sporty. With all of Cas’s staff aware of my freedom within the estate, no one batted an eye when I borrowed the keys to a white two-seater, then left the property without explanation.

The tires hug the tight curves of the winding road that’s already taken me halfway down the steep hill, atop which the estate sits. The village below draws closer, and I’m filled with nostalgia, remembering when the most I could ever hope for was to get a glimpse of the High Chamber, a glaring symbol of regality as a row of bright lights illuminated it in the night sky. Never in a million years could I have imagined that fate would spin such a twisted path.

A path that ultimately led me here.

To Cas.

My fingers grip the steering wheel as I exhale, unable to ignore that my circumstances are twofold. There were definite, tangible losses that came with my being brought to Cas as his mate. While I can no longer say it’s all been bad, I certainly can’t pretend it’s all been good, either.

For instance, if I were still living at home, if no one saw me as anything other than Annalise Breedlove—a girl from noble yet hardworking stock—I don’t believe my family would be in danger. Which means, if anything happens to them, I’m to blame.

In the short time since I’ve left the estate, I’ve come up with a plan. It’s thin and full of holes, but it’s a plan nonetheless. A plan that starts and ends with bringing my aunt and uncle to the High Chamber where Cas’s status and resources can protect them. Despite Elizabeth’s concerns, it’s the safest place they could possibly be.

A sharp gasp leaves me when the car suddenly jerks, followed by the distinct sound of rubber flapping over pavement.

“Shit. Not now.”

Of all the times to get a flat, this is possibly the worst. Just as I ease off the gas, preparing to pull off onto the shoulder of the road, another sharp jolt pulls the steering wheel right out of my hands, and I lose control. Loud screeching fills the air as I slam on the brakes when desperation sets in. I’m headed straight for the ravine, and all that awaits me beyond the tree line is jagged rock, and a fifty-foot drop that could quite possibly kill me.

A guardrail meant to prevent drivers from falling to certain death has the opposite effect. At such a high speed, and with so little control, the reinforced steel doesn’t stop the car when I slam into it, but instead causes it to flip. And as the world topples, and metal twists and collapses around me, my wolf is present, using her strength to protect me.

After what feels like forever, the car finally comes to a stop, and smoke billows from the engine as it hisses. It serves as a hint as to just how bad the damage is, but somehow—likely thanks to my wolf—I’m alive.

Although, as the pain sets in, I’m not sure I’m happy about that part.

“Shit!”

A loud cry leaves me as I land on my shoulder when I undo my seatbelt, letting my weight fall to the hood of the upside-down scrap heap that used to be a car. My arm is definitely broken, but I’m sure that’s just one of many body parts I’ve mangled.

I scan the dense forest surrounding me, fighting a spell of dizziness that’s closing in, but the edges of my vision are already going dark. I can’t black out, though. Not here, where no one will know where to look for me. And seeing as how Elizabeth and a few random staff members are the only people who know I’ve left the estate, who knows when someone would even know I’m in danger.

“You’re strong, Annalise. Act like it,” I say, taunting myself with hope that I can at least make it out of the car. And almost as soon as the words leave my mouth, a bright orange glow, and the smell of gasoline, make my escape that much more urgent.

A whimper leaves me as glass crunches beneath my palms when I attempt to move, but it’s no use. It feels like the bones in both legs are shattered. Like the car, I’m mangled.

The small space that used to be the passenger side window is the only viable exit, but I don’t think I can make it. A fact made more dire by a loud popping sound just as the flames begin to spread. I’ll be damned if I survived that fall only to burn to death in this expensive, metal coffin.

“Help!”

The odds of someone being in earshot are slim to none, but it’s my only chance. I fight the urge to rack my brain, play back the last few minutes to sort out how I missed whatever debris lie in the road that led me here, but it doesn’t really matter now.

“Help!” I yell again, giving up hope as the car begins to heat, and my wolf makes a desperate attempt to heal my broken bones, but there’s too much damage. I think I can heal myself, just not as quickly as I need to.

Not quickly enough to get myself out of this.

“Can anybody hear me?”

My throat is raw, and I cough when smoke fills my lungs. Every thought that enters my head is bleak, but that all changes when I spot a pair of dark boots trudging through the dead leaves and sticks lying on the forest floor. My heart pounds, and I try to move again, only making it a few inches.

“Help! Please! I’m—I’m stuck! I need help!”

I’m desperate, and I blame that desperation for my eyes playing tricks on me. It seems as though whoever had just been moving swiftly in my direction has suddenly slowed their pace after hearing my voice.

After realizing I’m alive.

“Please, you have to help me!”

What I feared becomes abundantly clear when their steps halt altogether. It seems that they fully intend to keep their distance and watch from afar.

“Just a little longer, then it’ll all be over,” a deep voice calls out, taunting me. “You made this incredibly easy. Didn’t even need to get my hands dirty to kill you.”

My heart races hearing his words, his admission. The accident I’d blamed on my own clumsiness wasn’t an accident at all.

“Why are you doing this?”

Hot metal sears my knee and, on instinct, I flinch, attempting to move my leg, but a second pain shoots through it as bone shifts over bone.

I cry out again. Only, now I know no one’s coming, and the one who has shown up only wants to watch me suffer.

Wants to watch me burn.

“I’m willing to bet you still haven’t put two and two together, have you? You still have no clue how you ended up here. No clue who set you up.”

I hear his words, but I’m starting to slip, succumbing to the pain, the heat. Through the flames, I see his silhouette, and he’s just far enough to avoid injury if the car explodes.

When the car explodes.

Shit… I’m actually going to die here. In some obscure part of the forest, with zero understanding as to why this happened.

However, the one thing I do know… is that this is all Elizabeth’s doing.

I’m barely conscious, so I consider that it might be my imagination when I make out a second silhouette through the flames. There’s a brief scuffle, a deep, guttural growl, and then something thuds to the dirt. Half a second later, the body of the one content on watching me roast to death in this car falls to the ground. Only then do I realize the thud that came first was his head.

“Annalise!”

My eyes flutter as I struggle to stay conscious, but I’m aware of the sound of twisting metal. Then, strong hands have me beneath my arms, and I’m pulled free from the wreckage I honestly believed would be my final resting place.

“Cas…”

My voice is weak, hardly a whisper.

“I’ve got you,” he promises, and while I do believe him, I’m not sure what good it will do.

He’s careful when he hoists me into his arms, and I smell the scent of fresh blood on him. The blood of the man who attempted to kill me. Cas’s body flexes and tenses as he carries me far away from the burning car, climbing the steep hill I tumbled down.

“What the hell are you doing out here?” he asks, but I think he knows I’m not in any position to answer.

We reach the road, and I feel my wolf. She’s nowhere near full strength, but she’s no longer fading, no longer slipping away. She makes me feel stronger, more aware of my surroundings.

“You’re going to be okay,” Cas says again, and this time, I’m able to see his face. There’s immeasurable worry creasing his brow, and I find it hard to believe he’d harbor so much concern for me. But there it is, plain as day—evidence that I’m not the only one who’s feelings have deepened.

Cas braces me against the side of the truck when he needs a free hand to open the back door. I wince and a sharp hiss of air fills my lungs from the pain, but I endure it. He slides me in gently, but everything hurts. I fight the urge to react to the pain again, knowing it’d make him feel guilty for having hurt me. But in truth? I’ve never felt so banged up before, so close to death. I’m out of that car, yes, but I’m nowhere near being out of danger. If I don’t start to heal soon, I may not live long enough to explain what happened to me.

“I’m taking you home.”

“No.”

That one word leaves my mouth, but I can’t muster the strength to say more.

Cas’s brow gathers again. “You don’t feel safe there? Is someone at the estate behind this?”

I manage to nod, but can’t say more, can’t explain.

Rage flares in Cas’s eyes, rivaling the powerful sense of worry.

“First, we’ll focus on getting you better. Then, the moment you’re well enough to give me a name… whoever did this will feel my fucking wrath.”

There’s pure venom in his words, and I don’t doubt that he means them for even a second. Nor do I doubt that finding out my cousin, Elizabeth, is to blame will have no bearing on the harshness of his punishment.

As I said before, Cas is nothing if he isn’t a man of his word.

Covered in sweat and blood, he takes his seat behind the wheel, then starts the engine as he slams his door shut. We drive, moving at a dangerously high speed, but getting help quickly might be my only hope.

Cas dials a number and the line trills through the car’s speakers as he casts a look over his shoulder toward me. He faces the road again, but reaches behind the seat and takes my hand, squeezing it, bringing me comfort as I attempt to keep my eyes open.

“You found her?”

“I did. There’s been an accident, and she’s in bad shape. Tell Jezabel to be ready and waiting when I get there. Whoever and whatever she needs, make sure she has it.”

“On it,” the voice on the other end of the line confirms. “Any idea what’s going on?”

“No, but I sure as hell intend to find out. In the meantime, the estate is officially on lockdown. No one gets in, and until I get to the bottom of things… no one gets out. Understood?”

“Understood.”

There’s a long breadth of silence, and I feel his emotions swirling inside the car—fear, anxiety, anger.

“What about you, Cas? Are you good?” the voice asks, and only now am I able to put a name to it. Creed.

“I’m fine. I just need her to be okay,” he answers, and while I’m not able to show much of a reaction otherwise, I squeeze his hand a little. “Thank the gods Archibald thought enough to tell me something seemed off when she left. If he hadn’t, I…”

Cas’s voice trails off, and his jaw clenches as the rest of his statement goes unsaid.

“Say no more,” Creed interjects. “And whatever assistance you need, I’m here.”

“Thank you.”

The line goes dead when Cas ends the call, and the mood in the car is just as heavy as before while his truck winds over the very road that nearly ended me. There are still so many pieces to fit together, so many pieces to the puzzle that may never fit, but there’s one thing I’m certain of as of this very moment.

Caspian is officially, beyond the shadow of a doubt, my hero.

And I owe him my life.