Back and Better book

Chapter thirty-seven

I quickly relay Kroll's words to my mates, receiving growls and snarls at the mention of Kroll wanting to keep me as collateral

Our trackers have a scent. They'll close in on you soon. You'll be back in our arms in no time, Christian soothingly says. Hearing his wolf helps calm me, hearing that I'll be out of here soon is even better. "Do you actually believe that plan will work?" I ask, tilting my head like I'm speaking to a child. "Keeping an Alpha female away from her mates is an impossible job. Surely you know that. Surely you know you're not going to make it out of this situation alive."

A flicker of apprehension makes its way into Kroll's eyes, likely because he's realizing just how much he f****d up. And he monumentally f****d up. When any wolf's mate is in danger, there's a compulsion that bubbles up inside of them to get to their mate.

Said compulsion has no boundaries, no barriers. The wolf will do any and everything necessary to get to their other half-even if that means burning down entire countries.

Alpha wolves are ten times worse-their protective instincts are natural stronger, because they're born to lead packs and keep their members safe. I've heard of Alpha's going rogue while searching for their

mate.

"It doesn't take a genius to know kidnapping an Alpha's mate is a death sentence. Now kidnapping someone who belongs to three Alpha's?" I tsk. "That's a stupid move if I've ever seen one."

Kroll scowls at me, straightening his spine and trying to make himself seem intimidating, which fails in a truly spectacular fashion.

"You're pretty confident for someone chained to a wall," he sneers. I smile. "And you're starting to shake with fear." Which satisfies me far more than it should.

When my mates get here, and I have complete confidence they will, I'm willing to bet I'll get my pound of flesh for the S**t I'm having to deal with. And I honestly can't wait to f**k Kroll up beyond compare.

- An explosion suddenly goes off in the distance, the shockwave making my cell shake for a second. The chains wrapped around my wrists clack together loudly. A surge of adrenaline goes through me, because following the shockwave, Kroll's face pales.

We're in, Christian's voice echoes in my head. Do you know where you are? In a cell somewhere, I respond. Kroll's still with me. We'll find you in the next few minutes, Erebus assures me. If there's a f*****g scratch on you, I'm destroying this entire pack, Damon practically spits out.

Kroll whips his phone out of his pocket, casting me a brief glare before putting it to his ear. "What the f**k just happened?" he demands.

The voice on the other end of the line is quiet, but shifter hearing helps me hear just fine.

"They've invaded, Alpha. They blew up the front door, and now dozens of wolves-most in wolf form-are pouring in.”

Kroll swears at the update, clutching his phone so hard it cracks. He pockets it, and then closes the space between us with two strides. He fishes a key out of his pocket and unlocks my manacles, hauling me to my feet.

Thiss out a breath at the intense pins-and-needles sensations shooting through my arms, clenching and unclenching my fists in an attempt to help blood circulation get back to normal. I don't have much time to focus on myself, however, because Kroll pulls a gun out of his waistband, points it at my torso, and then starts herding me out of

the room.

I can't help myself. I chuckle. Because when my mates see me, a gun pointed at my heart, they'll go certifiably insane-and will rein hellfire on Kroll and any other motherfucker stupid enough to have aided him in his little mission for power.

He roughly leads me out of the cell and walks me down a cement-paved hallway. There are several other cell doors on either side of the hall, some of them open, the others locked. Shouts of pain sound from down the hall, followed by a lot of gunfire.

"Stop f*****g laughing!" Kroll snaps, pushing me and making me stumble slightly before I regain my footing.

things really work. Who wouldn't find that funny?"

I feel my wolf start to stir inside of me slightly, meaning the effects of whatever Kroll drugged me with is close to completely wearing off. Unfortunately I can't shift just yet, because chances are Kroll will shoot

me.

"Anyone normal," he hisses back at me, taking me out of the exit of the dreary hallway and up a flight of stairs.

Light filters through the stairwell as the door at the top is thrown open, and I come face to face with Erebus, Christian, and Damon. All three's chests are heaving, eyes are feral, and fists are clenched. Honestly, they look ready to tear Kroll apart-which he senses, because he swiftly puts me in a chokehold and holds the gun to my head.

Damon, dark eyes glittering, says, "You're going to die today, Aaron Kroll. How fast and painful your death is relies solely on you." His words are slow, his tone calm and even. But I can feel the anger, the desperation to have me safe emanating from him. "If you Amira go now, you'll get a semi-clean death. If

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you-idiotically-continue holding a gun to her head, I'll put you through agony that you can't even begin to imagine. You'll be brought to the brink of death again and again, only to be healed so the process can be repeated."

Kroll doesn't respond, his gun trembling in his hand, his arm flexing around my neck. Christians eyes flit over me. "You okay, baby?" "Yeah," I say. "Just stiff, tired, and thirsty for blood." His lips twitch into a small smile. "Shut up," Kroll hisses in my ear.

"Sorry. I should've kept in mind that

someone with your IQ would struggle interpreting such a situation, so let me help you out. If you let me go right now, I'll rip your throat out-that's it. A nice and

relatively clean death. If you try to do something stupid, Damon will make good on his threat. And it won't just be him hurting you-no, you'll be a guest in our dungeon for a long, long time. You'll lose count of the amount of times you almost die. You'll beg for death-relief from the pain-and you'll never get it."

When Kroll doesn't say anything, Erebus speaks.

"You know, growing up, I was thoroughly groomed to be an alpha. Part of that training was learning the art of torture. It really is that, an art art form. There are so many ways one can inflict unthinkable pain-butd have to say, a personal favorite has always been skinning someone alive. It's a long, gory process...but it's also immensely satisfying. If you don't let my mate go right now, that's exactly what you're in for."

I hear a click as Kroll c***s the gun, and a surge of panic goes through me. He's a cornered dog right now and a cornered dog is incredibly dangerous. He knows he'll die, and he might just choose to take me down with him.

Not willing to let that happen, I spring into action. Stomping on his foot with all my might, I elbow him in the gut, and spin away from him, grabbing the hand holding a gun. He fires, but the bullet sinks harmlessly into the wall-which Islam Kroll's hand against so hard it breaks, and the gun drops to the floor. Then, I shove him back with all my might, sending him falling awkwardly down the stone stairs. Immediately, all three of my mates are on me, herding me out of the stairwell and barking orders for their men to detain Kroll.

Erebus's mouth slams on mine as his arms come around me. "Never do that again," he whispers against my lips in between kisses.

When he pulls back to let me breathe, I'm pulled into Christians arms. And then Damon's, who squeezes my ass as he kisses me deeply-just because.

"Seriously, Amira," he growls once he pulls back, moving his hands to my waist. "Never. Again." "Yes, because getting drugged and kidnapped was totally intentional," I say drily.

After a few more minutes of kisses and hugs, the men reassuring themselves that I'm alive and well, they lead me out of the large packhouse I was held hostage under, and directly into a car. I'm pulled onto Damon's lap, Christian and Erebus flanking me on either side.

As the car starts to move, I let out a sigh of contentment and lean into Damon, taking Christian and Erebus's hands into my own.

Despite the mess that I was just in, despite the unpleasant, unpredictable road that has gotten me to this moment, I feel truly, completely content and at peace with myself.

There was a time when I hated fate. I thought that the moon goddess must have had something against me to pair me with my mates. But now I know that I was put with them because I can handle them, and they can handle me. Despite our flaws and differences, at the end of the day, we truly fit well together.

So now, I no longer think about fate with distaste and hatred. Now, I understand that although life will throw hurdles and difficulties at me, I'll always have three powerful, ruthless men there for me at the end of the day-and nothing could possibly make me happier