Chapter 30 The Attack
Morning light slanted through the windows, casting long shadows across the foyer as I descended the stairs. The house felt oddly still, the usual hum of activity muted. Clara met me at the bottom, her expression neutral but her eyes flicking toward the front doors.
“Master Ben is preparing to leave, miss,” she said softly. “He asked for you.”
I nodded, a mix of relief and curiosity stirring.
When I entered the living room, he was zipping a leather duffel bag, his suitcases already stacked by the door. He looked up, flashing that practiced smile that never reached his eyes.
“I have to head out for a few days, maybe a week or two. Business calls. Some deals need my personal touch.”
I kept my tone even. “Everything okay?”
“Of course. Just tying up loose ends. You’ll hold down the fort here with Alexander?” His words carried a subtle edge, as if testing me.
“I’ll manage,” I replied, not rising to it.
He squeezed my hand, a performative gesture, even without an audience. “Good. I’ll call when I can.”
With that, he grabbed his bags and headed out, the door closing behind him with a final click. The house exhaled, tension easing fractionally. Alexander emerged from his study moments later, his presence a warm pull through the bond.
“He’s gone,” he said quietly, eyes searching mine.
“For now,” I agreed.
We shared a brief, stolen kiss in the hallway, quick but heated, his hands framing my face. “Be careful today,” he murmured. “Pack matters are stirring.”
I wanted to ask more, but he was already pulling away, duty calling.
The day passed in a haze of quiet routine, but as evening fell, an uneasy prickling settled over me. Snow continued to drift outside, blanketing the grounds in pristine white. Dinner was solitary, Alexander caught in calls, me picking at a tray in my room. The wind picked up, howling against the windows like a living thing.
I retired early, slipping into bed with a book I couldn’t focus on. The bond felt taut, Alexander’s focus sharp but distant. Sleep tugged at me, but just as my eyes drifted shut, a distant crash shattered the silence.
Glass breaking. Downstairs.
I bolted upright, heart slamming. The house alarm blared, a piercing wail that cut through the night. Footsteps pounded in the halls, staff? Guards?
Then howls. Not the wind. Real, guttural howls echoing from outside.
The bond surged with Alexander’s alarm, fierce, protective. Get to safety, it seemed to scream.
I threw on my robe and slippers, racing to the door. The hallway was dim, emergency lights flickering on. Shouts rang out below, Clara’s voice, panicked: “Intruders! To the safe rooms!”
A growl reverberated through the walls, low and animalistic. Not human.
I froze at the top of the stairs. Below, in the foyer, shadows moved, dark figures bursting through shattered French doors, snow swirling in behind them. They weren’t men. Or not fully. Silhouettes twisted, elongated, wolves, massive and snarling, eyes glowing amber in the low light.
Pack attack.
One lunged at a security guard emerging from a side hall, jaws snapping. The man fired a shot, silver bullets? but the wolf dodged, tackling him with brutal force. Blood sprayed across the marble floor.
Terror rooted me, but the bond yanked, Alexander, drawing me toward the chaos.
“Maddie!” His roar cut through the din. He appeared at the base of the stairs, shirt torn, eyes wild. “Get back! Safe room now!”
Before I could move, a wolf bounded up the steps, fur black as night, teeth bared in a savage grin. It was huge, muscles rippling under its pelt, claws scraping gouges in the wood.
Alexander intercepted it mid-leap, slamming into its side with inhuman speed. They tumbled down the stairs in a blur of snarls and fury. Alexander’s form shifted partially, his hands elongating into claws, fangs glinting as he grappled the beast. Fur sprouted along his arms, his shoulders broadening with a sickening crack of bone.
I gasped, horror and awe colliding. This was him, the alpha, unleashed.
The wolf snapped at his throat; Alexander dodged, raking claws across its flank. Blood welled, dark and steaming. The beast yelped, twisting free, but Alexander was relentless, pouncing, pinning it with his weight, jaws clamping on its neck in a vise.
A sickening crunch. The wolf went limp.
But more poured in, four, five, crashing through windows now, glass exploding like gunfire. They moved as a unit, coordinated, sensing vulnerability in the house’s divided state. Ben’s absence had left a crack; they’d exploited it.
Alexander rose, bloodied but unbowed, his partial shift making him a hybrid nightmare, human form but with wolfish features: elongated snout, furred limbs, eyes burning gold. “Maddie, run!”
I turned to flee upstairs, but a wolf cut me off at the landing, sleek gray fur, scars crisscrossing its muzzle. It stalked forward, lips curled in a snarl that exposed razor fangs dripping saliva.
Panic surged. I backed against the railing, heart thundering. The bond screamed, Alexander charging up, but too far.
The wolf lunged.
Instinct kicked in, something primal, stirring deep. I dodged sideways, grabbing a heavy vase from a pedestal and swinging it with all my strength. It shattered against the wolf’s skull, shards flying. The beast staggered, shaking its head, blood matting its fur.
It recovered fast, eyes narrowing with rage. Claws scraped as it coiled for another leap.
Alexander slammed into it from the side, a blur of motion. They crashed through the banister, wood splintering, tumbling to the foyer below in a heap. Snarls echoed, Alexander’s claws tearing into flesh, the wolf’s jaws snapping inches from his face.
I raced down the shattered stairs, dodging debris, terror fueling me. More wolves circled, two harrying guards in the living room, one dragging a limp body toward the doors. Gunshots rang out from somewhere, silver rounds finding marks, yelps piercing the air.
Alexander pinned his opponent, fangs sinking into its throat. A gurgling whine; it went still. He rose, chest heaving, blood streaking his shifted form. His golden eyes locked on me, protective, fierce.
But the pack wasn’t done. Three more burst from the shadows, coordinated in their assault, one flanking left, one right, the largest charging straight at Alexander.
He met the charge head-on, claws slashing. The big wolf, alpha of this rival group? bowled him over, jaws clamping on his arm. Alexander roared, twisting free, raking gashes across its belly.
The flanking wolves circled, waiting for an opening. One spotted me, exposed on the stairs, and veered, bounding up with lethal grace.
Time slowed. Its eyes fixed on me, hungry, calculating. Claws extended for the kill.
Alexander broke free from the leader with a savage wrench, hurling himself between us. He took the impact full-force, the wolf’s momentum slamming them both into the wall. Plaster cracked; they rolled, a tangle of fur and fury.
I grabbed a fallen guard’s pistol, heavy, unfamiliar, and aimed with shaking hands. The shot went wide, embedding in the ceiling, but it distracted the wolf long enough for Alexander to gain the upper hand, claws piercing its side, twisting until it howled in agony.
The leader regrouped, snarling a command that sent the remaining wolves into a frenzy. They attacked in unison, coordinated strikes, feints and lunges designed to overwhelm.
Alexander fought like a demon, partial shift giving him speed and strength, dodging bites, countering with slashes that drew blood. One wolf went down with a torn throat; another limped away after a brutal kick shattered its leg.
But the leader was relentless, larger, smarter, landing a bite on Alexander’s shoulder that tore flesh. Blood flowed; Alexander staggered but roared back, claws embedding in its chest.
The fight spilled into the living room, furniture overturning, lamps shattering. I followed at a distance, pistol raised, heart in my throat.
A wolf broke off, charging me again. I fired once, twice. The second shot hit its shoulder; silver burned, smoke rising as it yelped and retreated.
Alexander finished the leader with a final, savage twist, neck snapping. The surviving wolves howled retreat, fleeing through broken windows into the snow.
Silence fell, broken only by labored breathing and distant alarms.
Alexander shifted back partially, features humanizing, but wounds stark. He turned to me, eyes fading to normal darkness.
“Maddie,” he rasped, reaching out.
The adrenaline crashed over me, but the fight wasn’t over yet, not quite.