Page 46 of Rescued by the Alpha

The howls that Elam now recognized as coming from his pack drew closer, and he heeded his wolf’s warning. Right as he began to crawl toward the evergreen where the chain tethering him

originated, a sharp pain sliced through his gut, wrenching a yell from his throat. Oh no. No, no, no.

Not now! He rubbed his abdomen, but it didn’t seem tighter, the way Alex had described it had been with her. Another sharp pain shot through him but seemed higher that time. My abdomen hasn’t gonetight, however…

Elam choked on his own spit as liquid spread across the front of his thin T-shirt, the only piece of clothing other than his sweatpants that he wore. He quested beneath his tee with his fingers, terrified that he’d find blood when he withdrew them, but the liquid was clear. He explored again and his stomach roiled when he discovered the source of the wetness. My belly button. An opening that hadn’t existed before could now be felt. Perhaps no larger than a dime, but still distinct.

He steeled his reserve, clenching his jaw as he dragged himself out of the clearing using the strength of his elbows and kicking with his feet. A snarl sounded behind him and he screamed when he checked over his shoulder to find the source of the sound. Yuri was almost upon him. A feral gleam shone from his eyes and Elam understood his murderous intent. Elam curled into a ball, facing down, hoping to protect the life of his child long enough for help to arrive.

The barest swipe of sharp claws raked across his shoulder before the air exploded around him in fury, the chaos of thunderous growls, snaps and snarls filling the clearing with the sounds of a raging battle between the two packs. As the wolves slammed into each other, grappling and biting, their unleashed rage spurring them on—Elam dodged their flying bodies as they crashed to the ground, his only goal as he crawled through his agony to get somewhere safe from the fighting.

When Elam finally reached the tree he was chained to, he slumped against the scratchy bark.

The rough surface barely made an impression on him as he endured wave after wave of pain, the top of his belly tightening with each excruciating contraction. Time lost all meaning. All he could do was bear his suffering and keep his breathing steady while cacophony roared around him.

And pray that Nic isn’t torn to pieces.

* * * *

Nic’s wolf chanted kill, kill kill! in his head as he leapt through the air toward the foul beast about to descend on his mate. He rammed his body into Yuri’s side, using his vise-like jaw to clamp down on the enemy Alpha’s thick neck, then rolling them away from Elam. His entire world narrowed to keeping Yuri from hurting his mate and their child.

Nic kept his fangs buried in the meaty neck of Yuri, shaking his head vigorously as he held on.

Another wolf jumped on Nic’s back, sinking his teeth in at the base of Nic’s skull and making him release his hold on Yuri. The lesser wolf, likely a beta, was easy for him to fling into a nearby boulder, but when he’d returned his attention to Yuri, he was bounding toward Elam who had managed to crawl his way to a large spruce.

Nic sprang into the air, roaring, landing on Yuri. This time, with fangs holding Yuri’s scruff in a tight grip, his front legs clinched around his enemy’s chest, he allowed his gaze to drift up to Elam.

His mate grimaced in clear agony and the truth of Elam’s pain surged through him.

Labor. He’s in labor.

With a growl originating from somewhere deep inside Nic’s soul where both he and his wolf merged as one being, he bit down harder than he ever had on any prey, his jaw a steel trap as it ripped into Yuri’s flesh.

No one fucks with my family.

Blood poured from Yuri’s neck and he let out a thunderous howl. As Yuri tore himself free from Nic’s bite, he sent him flying. Nic rolled a few times then immediately leapt to his feet, seeking the opening he needed to finish Yuri off. Nic waited, every muscle coiled to strike at the perfect moment as Yuri faced him, his lips curled back in a snarl, his mouth frothing as his eyes glowed red. Right as Yuri launched into the air to attack, Nic jumped beneath him before pushing his body upward and tearing away a piece of Yuri’s throat.

More blood gushed from Yuri as Nic spat out the chunk of skin and fur he’d ripped from the Alpha’s throat. Yuri yowled and flailed, his death cries loud enough to rise above the rest of the battle. Another beta slammed into Nic, but he easily knocked him away then chomped on his front leg, snapping it in two. The terrified wolf trained his gaze on his dead Alpha and shifted, rolling on his back and holding up his hands in surrender.

“Mercy, Alpha! I submit!”

Nic growled at the beta who had made the unfortunate decision to offer his submission to Yuri, yet part of Nic applauded his loyalty to his own Alpha. But he threatened your mate! Nic growled again, fighting the compulsion to ignore the beta’s surrender and rip him apart anyway. But the frenzy of battle had subsided, and it appeared that the members of the Yukon Delta Pack who were still alive had also surrendered.

Nic jerked up his head at the sound of a tormented cry, his stomach dropping as he realized it came from Elam. He immediately shifted then snarled at the injured beta. “Get the fuck off Wolf Creek Pack lands and don’t come back. I’ll let the Alliance deal with you.”

He ignored the fevered thanks from the beta and hurried to Elam’s side, terrified at the sight of him writhing against the tree, holding his belly. Nic noted in horror that Elam’s shirt was soaking wet.

Is it blood?

Vera had shifted back as well, and she rushed over, dropping to her knees next to Elam. Nic trembled as he wrapped an arm around Elam’s shoulders and attempted to lift him off the freezing ground. Elam cried out in anguish as soon as Nic moved him, so he rested Elam’s head on his lap

instead. Vera clasped Elam’s hand and he gripped her back, peering up at Nic as she held onto his mate.

“Were you expecting him to go into labor now?”

Nic stared at Elam’s face, his mate’s expression twisted in pain, continuous moans and whimpers falling from his lips, and shook his head. “No. I mean… maybe. I don’t know! The doctor told us he thought it’d be a little longer. The C-section isn’t scheduled for two more weeks.”

Vera nodded. “We have to get him out of these woods then, we certainly can’t do something like that here.”