Chapter 46
**Adam’s POV**
We went over the map a million times, marking every place we searched under the advice of Jiang, our former Beta. Right in the centre of every searched location is an area left completely untouched and I have no idea how we missed it before. The land has been unclaimed for years, once occupied by a small pack that was wiped out by human hunters over sixty years ago. The land was deemed too dangerous to repopulate so it was left completely deserted, or so we thought.
Now we stand on the border of what was once Copper Wolf territory, and I see wolves going about their day, completely unaware of our presence.Under instruction of Warrior Ezra we try to quietly take out every patrol we see.
We brought fifty wolves with us to fight, and we plan to bring every single one of them home to their families, but first I need to find mine. To keep Silver Eclipse protected though we left the rest our warriors behind, along with the group lent to us from Red Dawn. Alpha Romeo even stayed back, we knew the risk of coming here, and if the mission is unsuccessful we need to make sure there is someone back home that will keep the pack safe.
Alpha Romeo has also been struggling to keep his wolf under control, the betrayal of his Beta after the loss of Roman has him shifting and losing control. Unfortunately that makes him a risk to this mission that we cannot afford.
One by one we eliminate every Dark Claw wolf that crosses our path, while trying to remain unseen until the moment is right. Eventually we have collected the lives of maybe fifteen wolves, but with the blood still fresh on our muzzles, I catch sight of a small wolf, they are so small that you could barely believe they were a shifter if not for their scent. I crouch down ready to lunge for them, but Ezra gets in my path and stares me down, giving me their reasoning through mindlink.
‘Stand down Alpha Adam, they aren’t big enough to be a threat, and they can lead us to where they are hiding Alpha Roman’
The head warrior makes a fair point so I chuff out quietly in agreement lifting from my hunched posture and shaking out my fur. Just as predicted the small wolf catches onto our scent and darts off into the heart of their pack land till they reach a large cottage.
Once we get the signal from Ezra to go ahead we charge forward, following the path that the little wolf chose. Before we can reach the nearly crumbling building though, a small army of what smell almost like rogues start pouring from all the cottage's entry points.
The next few minutes are a violent dance, wolves rushing in every direction. A frenzied flurry of teeth, claws and blood. I may not have followed in my fathers footsteps and become the head warrior like him but my father taught me how to be a great fighter and I put every part of his training to use as I take down every enemy in my path.
My focus however is broken when I catch onto my dear Roman’s citrus scent. Following the direction of his scent I see a large cellar door opening from the side of the cottage and three figures heading into what's hidden below the ground. A claw drags down my back though since my attention is no longer on the fight.
I shake off my attacker, the same small grey wolf that led us here and in one swift motion pin them down. As I lower my teeth to tear out their throat, they shift and I see a young girl baring her neck in submission as tears well up in her blue eyes. “Please don’t kill me, please just spare me and I will tell you anything you want to know”
The girl, who looks to be not even twenty yet pleads and I have to question if this is just another trap set by Dark Claw. I shift my form above her, even in my human body I keep her pinned. “You have one chance to tell me where the prisoners are being kept or I shift and sink my teeth into you”
“Luna keeps the Beta boy close to her side in the pack house, and the other prisoners stay in the old storm cellar. She converted it into a prison when we relocated here” my gut says she is telling the truth, especially after I saw three people rushing down there in the fight.
“Warrior Ezra, take this one in as a prisoner for questioning. I want her alive. I’m going to find Roman” I call out to the brown wolf that has just taken down a large wolf with a greying muzzle. Ezra runs over shifting into his human form mid run, tensing as he approaches. With a scowl curling his face but an unreadable emotion clouding his eyes he takes a hold of the girl, placing her in his custody.
Then I find myself running towards the underground prison and down the creaky metal stairs. “You have to help us! Please, Willa is Dying!”
A small boy I quickly recognise as Qiang runs into me grabbing my wrist and hurriedly pulling me deeper into the cellar. There I see Greta sitting atop a man's body plunging a knife into him repeatedly, just screaming something unintelligible. A woman I don't recognise seems to be sputtering and gasping for breath with purple bruises covering her whole neck. What makes my blood run cold though is my little mate.
The light of the sun from the open ceiling reflects off the silver knife that sits deep, plunged in his bare chest. The only clothes he is wearing in this freezing room are his torn pants and every bit of exposed skin is covered in marks and scars in different stages of healing. My little mate just stares unmoving at the flickering bulb above him as blood trickles from the side of his mouth.
“No, no, no, Ro please hold on” I scoop him into my arms and rush him out of the prison as I feel his body going limp in my hold. I scream at some warriors to retrieve Greta, Qiang and the unknown woman while I rush to find a vehicle I can commandeer to get my love back home.
“You have fought so well little mate, but I need you to hold on just a little bit longer, please”