The rush of blood in my skull nearly deafened me. I staggered up the steps of the front porch, gasping in ragged breaths. Behind me, the sounds of a struggle filled my ears and when Huxley shouted out in pain, my soul bled cold. I flung the door open and lurched through the doorway before coming to a stop.

The house was dark and quiet, but the reek of Bones tingled in my nose. No. No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening. Dread drove my gut into the ground like a pile-driver. Where was Soren? Dresden? God, if that bastard hurt them… I whined and slapped at the wall until I found the light switch.

I wished I hadn’t.

Soren was tied up, slumped over in a kitchen chair, his wrists wrenched behind his back. His face was swollen, bloody and bruised, and his hair was a mess. When he saw me, his eyes went wide and panicked and he began to struggle, his cries muffled by the duct tape gagging his mouth.

Where was Dresden? Oh god.

I didn’t get the chance to scream. I was slammed back against the wall hard enough to hurt. Pain shocked through me when Bones threw a punch, his fist cracking into the side of my face. “St-Stop!” I shoved at him, but he had me pinned in moments. Terror swamped me when his clawed hands groped over my stomach.

“Stop it, you bastard! Just leave us alone!” I screamed in his face, thrashing beneath him, only to get my head smacked back against the wall a second time. This time, I saw stars.

Bones sneered. “Shut the fuck up, bitch. You really think I’d let you go so easily, after you fucking drugged me? Really, Chance? How fucking stupid can you get?” I leaned away from him, his sour breath hot on my face, but I was trapped.

Down the hall, Dresden’s screams were muffled and terrified. Bones snarled, fury written all over his face. “That little mutt needs to shut up—” Before he could make a move, I brought my knee up into his groin, hard. He howled and buckled and I scrambled away from him. I couldn’t breathe. He was right behind me. “I’ll tear that bastard child from your gut with my bare fucking hands!”

I staggered into the kitchen, but he shoved into me from behind. I was barely able to catch myself on the edge of the counter before it struck my stomach. I yelped when claws dug at my hips to yank down my pants. He hissed into my ear, “Little Omega bitch needs put in his place.”

Behind me, I heard the whirr of his zipper going down. I screeched and bucked against him, but his fingers gripped my thighs and yanked them apart. “Please! Stop… Stop, I’ll do whatever you want, please!”

“Damn straight you will, you whore.”

His teeth bit into my shoulder, where the fabric had slid off in my struggle. My stomach soured, but I went still beneath him. “Please don’t do this. I’ll be good…” I wanted to curl up and die. I swallowed around the knot in my throat and tried to keep myself from shaking.

Then I saw it: The knife block sitting only inches away from me.

My heart kicked in my chest. No. I wouldn’t succumb to this bastard. With a snarl of defiance, I slammed the back of my skull against his nose with a sickening crack. I lunged for the knife when he howled, then jabbed it deep into the side of his neck. His scream of pain turned to one of outrage when I yanked the blade free. Blood gushed and I grabbed my pants, hiking them back up before sprinting down the hall.

The gun. The gun. The gun.

I needed the gun. I needed to stop him before he hurt anyone else. I burst through the bedroom door and locked it behind me, then scrambled for the box in the closet. My hands were shaking something fierce, but I carefully handled the silver bullets, sliding them one by one into the chamber.

The doorknob rattled, Bones snarling on the other side. “I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

Biting back a scream, I clung to the pistol like a lifeline. The heft of it was solid in my grasp. I slipped the safety off and prepared myself for the worst. My heart beat a sharp staccato rhythm in my skull. I forced myself to breathe, even as the door splintered beneath the Alpha’s kicks. With one final crack, it slammed open hard enough to bounce off the dresser.

Bones’s blue eyes were cold as ice and filled with a seething hatred.

I didn’t hesitate. I aimed and pulled the trigger. The gunshot exploded through the room and my arms jolted from the kickback, thrumming with an ache. The wolf staggered back, his jaw going slack as he stared down at the hole in his gut and the bright red blood blossoming out around the wound.

“You little bitch…”

I aimed lower this time, shattering his kneecap. He toppled over with a garbled cry, his hands pressed against his stomach. I darted past him and out the front door, rage building up inside of me. Huxley was on the ground, motionless. “Get out of here!” I screamed at the two wolves kicking the shit out of my mate. “Leave him alone!”

“Fuck you!” One of them laughed. Neither of them realized I had a gun until the shot split the night. The first dropped like a rock, his skull shattered by a silver bullet. The second scrambled back with a curse. “What the fuck? Holy shit. Kyle? Holy shit. You’re crazy! You fucking killed him.”

He turned tail and sprinted towards the woods. My hands were shaking now, the adrenaline and fear catching up with me. I squeezed the trigger again, but I missed for the tears swimming in my eyes. I tossed the weapon aside and dropped to my knees beside Huxley, the stench of copper and pain filling my nose.

“Hux?” There was so much blood… It was smeared across his too-pale face, soaking into his coat. His chest rose and fell in shallow, staggered gasps, but he didn’t move. I reached to brush hair out of his face and he moaned low. The sound was like a bullet to my heart. “Don’t you dare leave me,” I uttered, squeezing his limp hand in mine. His skin was clammy. My stomach ached. I dug my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed 911.

“What’s your emergency?” came a woman’s voice over the phone.

I struggled to speak. “I—We were attacked. They broke into our house and m-my boyfriend’s hurt. He’s bleeding really bad and I don’t know… I don’t know what to do.” I gave the responder our address and clung to Huxley’s hand. She stayed on the line with me the entire time, reassuring me that help was on the way.

“Please don’t leave me alone,” I whimpered, kissing the back of his bloodied palm. “I can’t do this by myself. I need you. I love you. Please, just hang on, Hux. Please…” I slumped over his body on the wet ground, winter’s chill seeping through my clothes and into my skin to entrap my heart in a sheet of ice.

I heard sirens wail in the distance and I began to sob.