23. Levi
Chapter twenty-three
Levi
M agnus and I wait on standby with Gryphon and the rest of our squad.
We have this place thoroughly surrounded. Gryphon has other squads stationed around the premises, and it will only be a matter of time until we take the warden down.
Every Alpha in this squad has a bone to pick with that asshole.
Gryphon has taut lines around his face as his burgundy eyes flare in the dark, eager to end this war once and for all.
Barret wears a mask of calm as he keeps Lachlan in check.
Lachlan can barely contain his excitement as he clenches his knife, desperate to stab someone. He’s jittering nervously, and Barret whispers, “Easy, Lach. Oliver and Mila have got this…”
Yet the crazy Alpha merely growls as he shuts his eyes, tying back his long blond hair in a ponytail.
It seems he just needed something to do with his hands.
Jeremy's cool storm cloud eyes are focused as he never takes his gaze off the building.
His pack brothers, Troy and Leo, are by his side, and Leo gives a low whistle when he counts all the dead bodies.
“Fuck. Rian and Belle have outdone themselves.”
“Well, Rian is a trained soldier, Leo. Give him some credit,” Troy whispers back.
Jeremy chimes in, “And let’s give Belle some credit, too. She may be sweet on the surface, but remember, she was Rogue once.”
She really was. I saw her take down several soldiers.
They all took down their fair share.
The Omegas swooped in earlier and dispatched the soldiers guarding the decrepit old building, and it almost seemed too easy.
It puts me on edge.
Something is up, and I try to channel Zayden through the bond.
He’s alive. That’s all that matters, and I breathe a sigh.
I just wish I could channel Opal, but we haven’t bonded with her yet.
I regret it every moment.
As soon as all this shit is over with, we can bite her into the pack.
Whoever she chooses.
There will be three eager Alphas ready to make her a part of our pack.
“You sense it too, huh? The ‘foreboding’.”
The question comes from Theo Titan as he and his pack take cover by a tree across from us.
All I spy in the dark are the Alpha's shining eyes of onyx, but there’s no missing that scent of ozone.
It looks like lightning is about to strike.
Kellen and Alastor flank his left and right, and it seems Theo is pack lead once again for this mission.
It still baffles me how they can pass along the position as if they're playing a game of football.
Magnus and Reed have never once challenged me for the spot, and we always get along for the most part.
Well, except lately.
I swear, when we rescue Reed, I will punch him in the face, too, for making me sick with fear.
He's alive. I sense him through the bond, but it’s dull.
The warden has hurt him, though, and that prick is going to pay for harming my brother.
A sigh escapes me. “Yeah.”
Theo clicks his neck, gazing back at his pack brothers. Kellen chuckles, and Alastor’s green eyes shine like a cat’s.
Theo smirks. “Our Omegas have got this. Don’t worry, Pack Gold. Your pet Acute will be rescued soon enough.”
Magnus scoffs. “So have ours, and he's not our pet, asshole.”
Alastor's eyes burn. “You wanna bet on that, Gold?”
“You’re on,” Magnus quips back at the Alpha, and I shake my head at him.
“Don’t give in to his bait,” I communicate through the bond.
Magnus smirks, glancing at Alastor . “Nah, I’m gonna wipe the floor with that smug Alpha.”
Theo continues, the smugness leaving his eyes at last. “In all seriousness, though, we’ve got your back. We’re all going to make this guy pay big time.”
“Yeah,” I reply, trying to focus on Zayden again.
Fuck, I’m so tense. The suspense is killing me.
“I can’t take this anymore. I’m going to fucking explode if we don’t do something soon,” Lachlan whisper yells, gripping his knife tighter.
“Hold your position, soldier. Do not do anything to jeopardize this mission. Oliver has everything under control,” Gryphon orders his pack brother.
“It’s just… I need to stab something…” Lachlan begins to cackle like a deranged circus clown next, but Barret muffles his mouth with his hand, pushing him back against the tree.
“Deep breaths, Lachlan. Deep breaths…” Barret whispers, and the Alpha finally slumps his shoulders, closing his eyes.
“I’m relaxed now.”
“Good because I was about to put my sock in his mouth,” Theo mutters, and Alastor and Kellen chuckle along with him.
“I would have settled for my boot. Fuck, that Alpha is unhinged. Almost makes you seem… well, hinged , Kelly…”
Kellen gripes. “Hey, I’m unhinged too!”
Lachlan’s ice blue eyes snap wide open, settling on Pack Titan. “I can hear you all… My ears are burning louder than the voices in my head …”
Barret still has Lachlan pressed to the tree as he turns to the other pack. “I would refrain from talking about him, you know. He can be very sensitive.”
Alastor mutters so only his pack can hear. “No, shit.”
“But that’s okay because I forgive you,” Lachlan says, his voice all singsong. “We’re all going to take on our biggest threat together. The warden is going to pay…”
“You can say that again,” Troy growls, his electric blue eyes burning as bright as embers as he gazes at the building. “After what he did to me… almost made Belle do to me… I think it’s fair that I should get first dibs.”
We all have a score to settle, but Troy is right. He suffered the most out of us all.
“You have our word,” Theo says, and I’m surprised he caved so easily.
Kellen and Alastor agree, too.
Barret speaks up, letting go of Lachlan at last. “He’s all yours, Snow."
“Ditto,” Lachlan chimes in, and it seems he has finally calmed down.
Gryphon peers at Troy. “It’s settled. When the time comes, we will give you the honor of finishing him off. Just… make it hurt.”
Troy’s eyes flare like fireworks next. “Oh, I will, sir. You can count on it.”
Jeremy places a hand on his pack brother’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly. “We have your back, Troy.”
“We’re all going to make him pay,” Leo says, bumping Troy’s shoulder with his own.
Troy looks at me and Magnus now. “You wanna help? I can imagine you’re both eager to blow that Alpha’s brains out too.”
“You can say that again,” Magnus replies.
“Well, I think it’s only fair that both of our packs get first dibs. So, you in?” Troy asks.
“We're in," I reply.
It doesn’t matter who gets to kill him in the grand scheme of things. All this talk is just a way to help us calm our nerves.
Sure, we have the warden surrounded, but things are still uncertain.
Things may go pear-shaped quickly.
Gryphon straightens, and we all follow suit.
Oliver must have just sent him the same image Zayden sent me.
Fuck. It’s not good.
Well, looks like war has come calling.
All the other Alphas jump to attention, and I hear several rumbling growls.
Our Omegas need backup.
“Well, this is it, men. Time to fight," Gryphon orders, slipping down the hill, and we follow.
My body pumps with adrenaline as I keep my eyes on the target.
“We’re coming for you, Zayden, Reed, Opal.”