Marcus’s POV
The mind link from Jett hit like lightning. Elena was under attack. Every instinct in my body scread at to get to that trailer imdiately. I knew it was our weakest point, a vulnerability I should have addressed long ago.
The trailer park sat on the edge of our territory like a forgotten wound. That’s where we’d dumped Elena and her mother, Iris, because the entire pack wanted to erase them from mory. My father wanted to forget them. Forget what her father had sacrificed for him.
I barked orders at my warriors through the mind link. No more gas with these rogues. Kill them fast and clean. They obeyed without question.
We sprinted through the forest, our paws thundering against the frozen ground. By the ti we reached the trailer, chaos had erupted. Jett was fighting desperately, outnumbered but holding his ground against multiple rogues.
Then I saw her.
A white wolf with her back to , standing protectively near the trailer. The wolf turned when she heard our approach, and those eyes stopped cold. Elena’s eyes, unmistakable even in wolf form. She was magnificent and terrifying, her white fur stained with blood.
Elena was a white wolf. How had I never known?
She swayed on her feet, clearly wounded. Without hesitation, we charged past her into the remaining pack of rogues. My warriors moved with deadly precision, following my earlier command to end this quickly.
When the last rogue fell, I turned to find Elena collapsed in the snow, shifted back to human form. She lay naked and unconscious, her skin pale against the white ground.
"Elena, open your eyes sweetie. Please open your eyes." Iris’s desperate voice cut through the silence as she knelt beside her daughter.
I shifted back, accepting shorts from one of my warriors. Without thinking, I rushed into the trailer and grabbed Elena’s blanket from the couch. I wrapped it around her carefully, then lifted her into my arms.
"What are you doing with her? Leave her alone. I don’t want you anywhere near her!" Iris’s voice cracked with fury and fear. I couldn’t bla her for hating . The pack had treated them like outcasts.
Jett had to physically restrain Iris as I started running toward the hospital. Every step felt crucial, Elena’s breathing shallow against my chest.
The doctor was already waiting when I burst through the ergency room doors. I laid Elena on the examination table and stepped back, though every fiber of my being wanted to stay close.
"How bad is it?" I demanded, peering through the doorway.
The doctor’s expression was grim. "Deep claw marks across her back. Multiple bite wounds. We need to start antibiotics imdiately. Rogues carry all kinds of infections, and we can’t risk sepsis. She’s lost significant blood too. She’ll need a transfusion."
"Then do it. Now." The command ca out harsher than I intended, but the doctor nodded and got to work.
"Marcus!" Viviana’s shrill voice echoed through the hospital corridor as she stord in, her designer heels clicking against the linoleum.
"What the hell do you think you’re doing? Why are you helping this nobody? I heard you went to her trailer." Her voice dripped with disdain.
I forced myself to sound casual. "The rogues breached our territory there. I had to eliminate the threat. She got hurt in the process, so I brought her here. She might not be popular around here, but she’s still pack."
The lie tasted bitter, but I couldn’t let Viviana suspect the truth.
"She’s trash, Marcus. Co on, you can check on her later if you’re so concerned." Viviana grabbed my hand possessively.
I glanced back at Elena one more ti. She looked so fragile under the harsh hospital lights. Iris and Jett were rushing through the entrance as Viviana pulled away.
Back at the packhouse, I poured myself a drink and listened to the casualty reports. Only a few minor injuries on our side, nothing serious. The rogues had been completely eliminated, or so my warriors reported.
Then ca the detail that made my blood run cold.
"Alpha, we identified the lead rogue. It was Bane."
I’d known he would return eventually. Bane always ca back to finish what he started. But I hadn’t expected him to target Elena and Iris. Not after what happened to her father, his supposed best friend.
"Alright. I want to know what the hell is going on with you." Viviana’s voice cut through my thoughts. She stood in the middle of the living room, her foot tapping impatiently against the marble floor.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, already exhausted by this conversation.
"Don’t play dumb. You haven’t been interested in lately. No sex, no affection, nothing. You only act loving when my uncle is around. Are you just using to get close to him?"
Her accusation hit closer to ho than I cared to admit. "Of course not. There’s just a lot happening in this pack that you don’t understand."
"Prove it to . Right here, right now." She stepped closer, her fingers working at the zipper of her dress. The fabric began to slip from her shoulders.
I stared at her, knowing I should feel sothing. Desire, attraction, anything. But all I could think about was Elena lying unconscious in that hospital bed, fighting for her life because I’d failed to protect her.
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