Stolen Fate: Bound to Seven Alphas

VERAH

I had never heard the name "Willa" in my life before.

Not that I knew every student in the dormitory by name. There were over a hundred of us but still... the name sounded completely foreign.

The monster narrowed its single eye at me, as if I had just told the worst lie of the century. It grunted deeply and stretched out one massive, clawed hand.

My heart leaped into my throat. I braced myself.

"Ready, Stacey," I murmured under my breath, pulse racing.

I waited for it to take another step and swing at me like it had done to Mary and the others still bleeding on the floor.

But it didn’t do what I expected.

Instead, a huge, crude gnarly looking club materialized in its grip. It swung the weapon slowly, testing its weight. Its single eye darkened, and its massive teeth bared in a grotesque snarl. Chunks of flesh were still stuck between them.

My stomach churned violently. I didn’t even want to guess whose it was.

"I asked you a question," the monster growled, its voice vibrating through my chest like thunder. "I expect an answer."

I scoffed, trying to hide my fear. "Of course I’ll only answer what I actually know." My eyes flicked behind it toward the injured students, then back to its face as I chose my words carefully. "But even then... you’ll have to earn it."

"Wrong answer!" the monster snarled. Its voice shook the hallway.

It stomped one enormous foot on the floor.

The impact sent a powerful shockwave rippling through the ground and straight into my bones.

I stumbled backward, clutching the doorknob tightly to stop myself from falling.

"I am giving you one last chance," the monster growled, pointing the massive club directly at me. "Tell me where she is."

I glowered at it. "Would you rather I lie and say I know who the fuck you’re talking about, or just tell you the truth?!"

Either way, I knew I was screwed.

Monsters weren’t exactly known for being reasonable. Whether I answered or not, I’d probably end up like the others on the floor. I was sure they had tried their best too.

Still, it wasn’t enough.

"Five... four..." the monster started counting down.

I snorted in disbelief. "Really?"

"Three," it snarled, stepping closer. The club dragged heavily along the floor, creating a horrible scratching sound that made me wince.

"Two."

"Do monsters usually force people to say things they don’t know now?" I cut in.

It ignored me completely.

My heart squeezed painfully. My head spun. Sweat gathered on my forehead as panic clawed its way up my throat. I fought to keep my expression tough, even though I was literally shaking.

Of course I was afraid. Any sane person would be.

A giant monster with a club bigger than my entire body, murderous intent burning in its single eye, towering over my 5’5 frame.

But I couldn’t just stand here and let it do to me what it had done to Mary and the others.

I needed to fight.

My wolf stirred. Stacey was pacing inside me, alert and ready. A sudden burst of strength surged through my veins.

"One..." the monster growled.

"Ready!" Stacey snarled in my head.

Always.

I shot forward without thinking.

A roundhouse kick. That was the only thought blazing through my mind.

I twisted my hips with everything I had, channeling the burst of strength Stacey had given me. My leg whipped upward in a fast, powerful arc — knee driving high, foot aimed straight for the leg to catch it off guard.

The motion was clean, years of training behind it. For a split second, I felt the satisfaction of the kick about to land.

But before my foot could connect, the monster suddenly lurched forward.

I gasped and jumped back just in time. Its massive body crashed face-first into the floor with a deafening thud that shook the hallway.

My eyes widened in shock as I stared at it.

Six arrows were buried deep in its back, their shafts still vibrating. Gleaming greenish liquid dripped from the tips, sizzling as it hit the ground.

"Five!" a voice shouted.

I snapped my head up.

Lance and Elliott stood at the end of the hallway, weapons drawn, breathing hard.

As soon as the shock wore off, Lance darted forward and stopped right in front of me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the fallen monster, his eyes frantically scanning every inch of my still-trembling body.

"Are you alright?" he asked, genuine concern thick in his voice.

I swallowed hard and nodded. "I’ll survive."

My gaze lingered on the streak of blood across his jaw and the messy, damp state of his hair. "What happened to you two?"

They had clearly come from the heavy rain still pouring outside, but they weren’t nearly as drenched as they should have been.

"Where is Elyse?" I added, noticing she wasn’t behind them.

Lance and Elliott exchanged a quick glance before looking back at me.

"She’s in the common room, right?" I started to move past them toward it.

Lance’s hand snapped around my wrist, stopping me.

"What?" I questioned, trying to pull free. His grip only tightened.

"She isn’t there," he said quietly.

"Then tell me where she is!" I snapped, irritation rising.

I didn’t understand why he was stalling. He could have just said it instead of dragging this out.

"Are both of you going to keep mute all day or actually tell me where—"

Lance’s hand suddenly fell away from me.

He staggered back a step as if struck. At the same moment, Elliott clutched his chest.

I frowned, watching in confusion as both of them gasped and collapsed to the floor. They began writhing in agony, bodies convulsing violently.

"What the fuck is going on?" I demanded, shock replacing my irritation.

I had never seen anything like this — two strong Alphas suddenly struck down at the exact same time.

By what? Absolutely nothing!

I crouched down in front of a wheezing Lance. I flinched as he suddenly gripped my hand again — much tighter this time, his fingers digging into my skin.

"Call the ambulance!" he rasped.

"Why—" I started, but his hand went limp.

His eyes rolled back into his head. He went completely still. My stomach clenched with raw fear.

"Lance!" I shouted, shaking him desperately.

He didn’t respond. I glanced at Elliott, the same horrifying thing was happening to him. Both of them were unresponsive.

What the hell...

A foul, acrid smell hit my nose. I turned toward the dead monster, assuming it was coming from the corpse. Then my eyes landed on the arrows still buried in its back and the gleaming green liquid dripping from the tips.

Wolfsbane?

Of course. What else could kill a werewolf so quickly and do that much damage to a monster of that size?

But no. That wasn’t it.

The smell... it was different. Sharper. More chemical. I could only think of one thing.

My eyes widened the instant realization slammed into me.

"Shit!" I grunted, turning back to Lance. "You stupid idiot!"