\[Rosco’s POV\]
“WHAT?” I roar, rage rushing through. “How the hell can that be possible? Where the fuck were the guards when this was happening?”
“About that…” Warren responds, his unease clear on his face.
“Nevermind, I don’t even need you to answer. Fuck!”
Dammit. This had to all be preplanned by Roger. That was the only way those tunnels existed, and those bastards managed to get in so quickly.
‘Lock the boarders!’ I order, mindlinking with all guards who protected the perimeters of Emerald Moon. ‘And keep your senses heightened for any movement beneath the ground.’
Right now, there was a good chance that those cloaked bastards were still around. If I could catch just one, I would have a way to get answers, but that was only if they were caught.
“Warren,” I continue, turning my gaze to the man watching. “You and a few others go and scout through that tunnel they used to get into the dungeon.”
“Yes, alpha.” He says before turning and hurrying off.
“Maybe I should help.” William offers, clearly chomping at the bit to get in on the action. “They’ll stand a better chance if...”
“No,” I respond, shaking my head. “You stay here with my parents and Denali.”
“But…”
“No, buts…” I growl, ripping off my clothes. “This is my pack, and I should be the one to try to protect them.”
I don’t wait for a response before I begin to move, making my way down the stairs and then toward the dungeon. When I reach, I feel Fabian beginning to stir, and not wasting any time, I let him take control.
Once I’m in my wolf form, I burst forward, making my way to the tunnel, where I found two guards already entering.
‘Follow me,’ I order, taking the lead while extending my senses.
As I move, I can feel the energies of the cloaked figures, but I don’t feel Roger among them. However, that didn’t even matter. If he were with them, it would be harder to try to capture one, and that was something I couldn’t let happen. For now, I would take it as the grace of the Goddess that he wouldn’t be a hindrance.
‘We’re quickening our pace.’ I announce to the two behind me. ‘Stay close. If you fall behind, you’re on your own.’
Drawing on my alpha abilities, I burst forward, causing the area around me to blur together.
‘Up ahead.’ Fabian murmurs as we catch a whiff of the ones we are after. ‘They haven’t managed to get out yet.’
‘Good,’ I growl, picking up the pace even more to the point where my muscles are screaming at me. ‘I won’t…’
My words get caught in my head as a loud rumbling reaches us, and before I can truly process what is going on, the roof above us begins to collapse.
‘THE CAVE IS COLLAPSING!’ I roar, skidding to a halt, while rocks and roots threaten to come crashing down on me. ‘THEY WERE READY FOR US!’
Watching the area ahead for a moment longer, I debate digging my way through, but I know if I were to even try that, then I would risk leading not only myself but also the two behind me to our deaths.
Dammit. We needed to get out of here before the rest of the tunnel caved in.
‘Warren!’ I call through mindlink as I turn and begin to move. ‘How’s everything on your end?’
‘There’s a cave in, Alpha.' He responds, voicing my biggest concern.
They planned for this in case we decided to give chase, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they took out their own in the process.
‘Retreat.’ I order, connecting with all the guards. ‘We can only hope those on the outer borders of the pack manage to catch someone.’
Cursing my lack of taking action sooner, I continue to move. Until I’m back in the dungeon of the packhouse, but I don’t stop there. Instead, I begin to move again, bursting out onto the grounds and making my way toward the borders.
Even though I couldn’t catch anyone in the tunnels, there was still a chance I could somewhere just beyond the borders. If they were still underground, they had to emerge eventually, and if I could find where that was to happen, then I had them.
Letting out a howl, I extend my senses, searching all around me, pushing myself beyond my limits, until finally I feel—the smallest tingle of Roger’s energy.
‘Found you!’ I growl as Fabian starts to snarl with excitement. ‘I’ll be damned if I let you get away.’
Zoning in on the place he should be located, I move while my men follow behind me.
‘MEN!’ I call through mindlink. ‘THE ENEMY IS LOCATED HERE!’
As I speak, I show them the area. I’m feeling Roger’s energy, and once I’m sure that they’ve got it, I cut our connection and continue to move.
A little more. I hiss, unwilling to lose against this bastard. Just a little more and...
There he was, surrounded by his cloaked goonies. It seemed that he knew that we managed to locate him, but instead of wearing a look of defeat he smirked in triumph.
Immediately, a feeling of foreboding slams into me, but before I can even attempt to stop those that are closest to him, I watch a wall of fire erupt from the ground, burning those who are in its path.
‘NO!’ I roar. ‘DON’T GO ANY FURTHER!’
But it’s too late; the men on the border are already being consumed by the flames, and me and the rest of my men can only watch it.
‘Alpha!’ Warren calls, coming to stand beside me. ‘What’s the order?’
Although I want to continue to move forward, I don’t know how many more traps they have laid. To even try to get too close now was a suicide mission. But what would happen if I let them go? It was clear that they were most likely the ones that Elise saw in her dream, which meant that they were after my daughter.
FUCK! I hated being this helpless. It reminded me too much of the past, when not only Denali but even Rico was in trouble and there wasn’t a fucking thing I could do.
‘Alpha!’ Warren repeats, snapping me out of my daze. ‘What’s the word?’
His words hold a hint of desperation as they echo in my head, but I can’t respond. All I can do is watch as Roger lifts a hand and gives me a wave before he and the rest of his goons disappear from sight, leaving us with nothing more than a dead end and downed comrades.