Filed to story: Claimed by My Ex’s Alpha Brother
I approached the inconspicuous concrete building, taking note of the heavy garage door partially open. The chill in the air seemed to seep into my bones, gnawing at my resolve.
Warily, I crouched near the door, peering inside, the low light causing shadows to stretch ominously. The scent was damp and musty. The air was thick with tension. My body was rigid, and my heart raced in a frantic rhythm. Each breath I took was a struggle, my lungs tightening with dread.
As I crouched at the garage door, I dipped my head inside, taking in the dimly lit space. I felt exposed and vulnerable, but I forced myself to announce myself. “Magnus, I’m here. I’ve got the box!”
Shadows loomed and danced around me, playing tricks on my mind. My pulse spiked, and anguish threaded through my veins as I thought of Betty and my mother somewhere in this dank building beyond, my loved ones held hostage by the monster who had dominated our lives for so long.
“Here comes my beautiful bride.” Magnus’s voice rang out mockingly as he stepped into view. His presence was suffocating, every bit the predator prowling toward his prey. “I’m glad you’ve finally decided to follow my commands.”
“Where are they?” I demanded, forcing composure into my words, trying to preserve the fragile mask of bravery I clung to. “Let them go. You have me here. I’ve brought what you wanted.” Out of the periphery of my vision, I noticed a few of Magnus’s men standing at the far edges of the room, too. I hadn’t expected Magnus to be alone, but he had a good handful of men with him.
Magnus tilted his head, a gleam in his eyes. “Yes, I have you and the lockbox, but you’re only one piece of the puzzle, my dear. It’s your mother who knows the code to get into it.
“She, too, has secrets to share, and you were going to be her incentive.” A twisted smile swept across his face. “I’d thought I’d have to threaten your life to make her tell me, but your daughter has been a lovely surprise.”
He gestured, and Carson, one of Magnus’s most trusted packmates, drew back the door behind him. Cold air rushed out, carrying the faint scent of sweat and fear. I could see my mother-pale, thinner, and more fragile than I’d ever seen her. Her honey-blonde hair was now a pale silver and rattier than the glossy locks I remembered. But, otherwise, her slim face and bright blue eyes were the same. My heart seized as I saw her bound hands slung over my daughter. Even tied up, she managed to hug Betty to her, attempting to shield her from harm.
“Betty! Mom!” I started forward.
But Magnus ordered, “Not so fast!” He lifted a finger. “Come forward Lina and lay the lockbox in the center of the floor,” he commanded.
Betty had looked up from where she was burrowed into my mom, and her bright blue eyes were wide and startled as she silently took me in. I could see the puffiness around her eyes and the wetness of her cheeks. She’d been crying. Protectiveness simmered through me, and the thought of Magnus or his men hurting her had rage pummeling me. My wolf wanted to rip into them, but I wrestled her back down.
I ventured forward, setting the box in the middle of the room. I stepped away, backing up toward the garage door again.
“Now, Miriam,” Magnus continued. “If you wish for your granddaughter to remain unharmed-you’ll tell me the password to the lockbox.”
Panic coursed through me as I locked eyes with my mother, who looked as though the weight of the world rested upon her shoulders.
But a flicker of anger stole across my mother’s pale face. She said, “It’ll take far more than destroying the evidence in there to remove my friend’s blood from your hands. But I think you know that. Charlotte’s still very much with you, isn’t she?” My mother taunted Magnus.
Charlotte.
Stephen’s mother, Charlotte Blackthorn. So that’s what the lockbox contained: evidence of Charlotte Blackthorn’s murder, the true alpha of the Blackthorn pack.
I thought of how my mom had looked shaken that day she met me in Central Park and the mysterious directions she’d given me to the lockbox, which was housed in our warehouse by the docks.
My heart raced as I realized the truth-this box held more than secrets; it contained the remains of Magnus’s past that would enable the Council of Blackthorn elders to condemn him. My heart clenched as I wished once more that Stephen was here. He deserved to know that evidence existed that could prove Magnus’s crime against his mother.
“Miriam, you should choose your words with greater care,” Magnus replied, his demeanor colder than before. “The password or your granddaughter will pay the price.” He nodded to Finn, one of Magnus’s most trusted men, who stood close to my mother and Betty. Tall and muscular, with sharp features, he advanced toward them.
“Mom…” I begged, my heart squeezing as I watched my mother wrestle with the choice Magnus demanded of her. I had put her in this situation, and guilt gnawed at my insides. But Betty mustn’t suffer at the hands of this odious man.
My mother’s expression was a mixture of resignation and love. “The password is 210704.”
My heart pounded. They were our lucky numbers: my birthday, which fell on Midsummer’s in June, and then the fourth of July. My birthday had always kicked off our summer celebration, which culminated with the fourth of July. My mom and I had always found the time to celebrate-going out on the Hudson River in our boat to watch the fireworks or taking a special trip away. Those wonderful memories now seemed to spill into the present, such a startling contrast to this dank facility that we now found ourselves trapped in.
Magnus went to the lockbox, while my mother stood up, attempting to use Magnus’s inattention to move toward me. But Finn held her back, and Carson stood guard at the door, ready to shut them back in if they tried anything.
A cold smile spread across Magnus’s face as he leaned down to the box, aligning the numbers on the combination dial as a satisfied click filled the space.
With deft hands, Magnus opened the box, retrieving a USB drive encased within. The innocuous bit of plastic looked so underwhelming and not the priceless treasure it was.
But Magnus raised it high, a sinister gleam in his eyes. “Finally-the last gift from my late wife will be laid to rest.”
His odious brown stare shot to me as he threw the USB on the floor, crushing it under his foot and grinding it into the concrete. Shards of metal and plastic scattered across the floor as a sinister grin swept over his face. “Your game ends here.”
Magnus’s cruel gaze swept toward my mother and Betty as he nodded to Finn and then to Carson, still holding the door. “Keep them back,” he ordered, “We’ll deal with them after.” Then his stare went to me, a dark shadow falling over me as he came toward me.
“It’s time to clean house, and I’m going to enjoy dealing with you myself, Lina.” The dark promise in his voice had my skin crawling, and my legs instinctively backed up toward the open garage door.
Feeling cornered, my wolf rose up, bristling under my skin as I prepared to shift. She was fierce, but even so, I knew she was likely no match for an alpha. The thought of Magnus’ great grey wolf that I’d once seen in Blackthorn Hall had horror pounding through me, and I thought of the area outside the building. At least outside, I could hope my speed might tire his bulkier wolf, but as I backed up, telling myself that this was my one chance to save my daughter and my mother, instead of finding the door, I hit into someone: a warm, hard chest.
Fuck.
I recoiled, trying to wrestle out of the male shifter’s grip. One of Magnus’s men had somehow snuck up behind me, but their hands came around my wrists, gripping them tight and holding me rigid against them.
Lina
The scent of the male shifter who held me now filled my awareness: a grounding and heady mix of spice and earthiness, conjuring memories of warmth and want. My heart thundered in recognition.
Stephen.
Heart-stopping relief flooded me as I realized he’d come through for me. Even though I’d told him I didn’t need him, even though I’d refused to tell him anything about my plan, he’d come. For a moment, I remembered Stephen telling me, “I want revenge, Darlin’, but for a long time now, I’ve wanted you even more.” And without realizing it, I stilled in my struggle against him, the wash of his scent settling into my lungs and deep into my bones.
“What are you doing here?” Magnus bellowed, his voice tight with rage that echoed off the concrete walls, reverberating through my bones.
“We chased off the Boden lot and secured the warehouse, Alpha,” Stephen answered coolly, his deep voice steady and resolute as it flowed over me. His grip on my wrists was firm-a mixture of protection and restraint that sent tremors of both comfort and fear through me. I could feel his heartbeat, steady and strong-a stark contrast to the panic igniting my veins. “I saw Lina’s tracker on the move and followed her here.”
Had he seen Betty and my mom? They were in the shadows of the room beyond, their forms barely moving, with Betty tucked tightly into my mom’s chest. My mom’s silvery, bowed head caught the light. He’d seen them, right? He knew the stakes were higher than just our own lives, right?
The longing to tell him that Betty was here washed through me like a tide, but saying anything would break his cover. And that was the only lifeline we had right now. Each beat of my heart quickened as the tension in the air built like a storm, heavy with foreboding.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?