Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 134**Nora POVThe silence that had fallen over the castle was more frightening than the sounds of battle that were ringing through the halls for the past few hours or the deafening blast of the emergency alarm that was sporadically ringing out. I held Vera’s hand as we all strained to listen for any sign of movement outside of the small panic room.All I could hear was the restrained crying and breathing of the staff that were crammed in the room with me.After I had set off the emergency alarm, I ran to the safe room. I only intended to check that all of the staff members were accounted for, but Charles had pulled me inside and begged me not to leave.I couldn’t bring myself to turn away from him. Charles had always been kind to me and he was afraid. If my staying with him could help alleviate his fear, then how could I leave?Besides, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything to help in the fight. If I stayed, then at least I could help keep the staff calm and make sure no one tried to flee and put themselves in the path of Graham’s troops.𝗪𝑤⒲.ℕ𝗼𝘷𝓔l𝗪𝕆𝓡𝓂.c𝚘𝗠I sat on the floor holding onto Vera’s hand and speaking softly to whoever was nearest to me, assuring them that reinforcementswere on the way.I didn’t know that for sure, but I said it with confidence. I had faith that Cressa would take my letter seriously and that Jeremy would be willing to help us.Clinging to that hope and waiting was all that I could do.When the sounds of fighting faded away, none of us were sure what to think.Footsteps down the hallway slowly became audible to us. Everyone held their breath as we waited to see what would happen.If the enemy got inside, they shouldn’t be able to find the panic room easily. The doorway was hidden behind a bookcase in the smoking room. It was a large but rarely used room in the castle. No one would think to check there.The footsteps were coming closer. I didn’t have the aid of a wolf’s sense of smell to detect who it was. Even if I did, I doubted that I would be able to smell anything besides smoke.The footsteps came straight to the bookshelf. The locking mechanism clinked into place and the bookshelf slid aside to reveal Maisie.Cries of joy and relief filled the small room and everyone scrambled to their feet. If Maisi e was here, we must be safe. I rushed forward and hugged her tightly.She returned the hug, although she was stiff and uncomfortable. She held me just as tightly as I held her, as if we were trying to assure one another that we were both real.“I’m glad to see everyone is safe,” she said.“We have to move quickly though. Thefighting has ceased for now, but we don’t know if they have more forces coming and the fire has spread to the west wing. We have to get everyone out of the building.”My heart sank. It still wasn’t over yet. I nodded my understanding.𝘄𝕎𝑤.𝚗𝑜𝘃𝕖𝓵𝔀𝕠𝗿𝘮.𝒸𝔬𝘮“We can move everyone to the gym. That’sthe nearest shelter,”I noted.“Is anyone working on controlling the fire?”“Some of our warriors have run to thefirehouse to get the truck and gear, but it will take time for them to get here,”she explained.“Of course,”I said.“We need to get the staffto safety right away.”“Exactly,”Maisi e replied.“The Moonerywarriors are waiting downstairs to escort everyone to safety.”Moonery’s warriors. So they did come. I smiled briefly, then it faded with the urgency I now felt.I turned to the castle staff.“We can’t let our guard down yet,”I said loudly.“We need to move to the nearest shelter immediately. Our allies will escort you there and makesure that you are safe.”“You’re coming with us, aren’t you?”Charlessaid anxiously.I shook my head. I had to see Blake. I couldn’t stand not knowing what was happening anymore.“I’m leaving it to Maisi e to keep you safe from here.”There were some grumbles, but no one argued with me. Maisi e stepped aside and whispered to me before I could run out the door.“Be careful, Luna,” Maisi e stated firmly.“Blake’s uncle is still putting up resistance.”My heart rate doubled at her words. I hurried past her and broke into a run the mo ment I was sure no one could see me. I didn’t want to frighten the staff, but I was afraid. I needed to see that Blake was okay.

I burst through the front door and stood on the landing, watching the horrific scene that was unfolding on the front law.There were bodies lying in puddles of blood and the garden was decimated. Flames were licking up the side of the castle and all that I could sm ell was burning.Blake was in his wolf form, fighting another wolf that I had never seen before. He was large and gray with wild, golden eyes. It could only be his uncle.Blake seemed exhausted and I could seeblood matting his fur. His uncle didn’t seem to be nearly as injured. I wanted to rush forward and intervene, but what could I do? I had no wolf,I couldn’t fight…Blake was having trouble putting weight on his front right leg. He didn’t even seem to notice it himself, but I knew that if I could see it, so could his uncle.I clenched my fi st over my heart and stared in horror as Blake lunged at his uncle and sank his teeth into his shoulder. The older wolf shook him off before any real damage could be done. I saw a trickle of blood darkening his fur, but he didn’t seem bothered by it.Blake sprang to his feet immediately. A menacing growl ripped through the air as Blake stalked toward his uncle again.I had never seen him so angry. I could practically feel the air crackling with the force of his rage. Despite his obvious exhaustion, Blake wasn’t going to back down until his uncle was dead.His uncle had caused so much grief for Blake. He had hurt so many people and brought suffering to the pack. Now this…The blood staining the castle grounds was on his hands. Blake wasn’t going to allow him to hurt anyone else. He would kill him to prevent it, even if doing so pushed him beyond his own limits.Standing by and watching this destruction continue was too much for me. I wouldn’t watch while Blake ended up like the rest of these poor souls lying in the grass. I wouldn’t lose him.There had to be something I could do to help.The older wolf stalked toward him slowly, then launched forward without warning. His jaw snapped shut on Blake’s injured leg and he howled in pain.The sound was like a dagger through my heart and spurred me into action. I ran forward and jumped on his back. I wrapped my arms around his n*eck as hard as I could and squeezed.Ŵ𝕎𝘸.ñó𝓿ê⒧𝘸𝗢𝕣𝘮.𝓒𝓞ⓜHe growled in frustration as he was forced to release Blake. I held on with all of my strength as he thrashed wildly, trying to throw me off.When my g rip gave out,I was sent rolling across the pavement. The impact hurt and I could feel my arms scrape against the rough ground, but I jumped back up immediately, intending to rush back into the fight.Then, I stopped cold at the sight before me.Blake’s jaw was clamped tightly over his uncle’s throat. From where I was standing, I couldn’t see Blake’s face, but I could tell that he was shaking. He bit down harder and I heard his teeth click together.There was no howl of pain or struggle. I saw the look of shock in the older wolf’s eyes as he struggled to look down at Blake. Then the blood rushed out, as if it had been too shocked to react at first, too.A puddle formed beneath them and the gray wolf slumped forward.Blake released his grip and his uncle’s b*dy fell to the ground with a harsh thud. Blake staggered back a few steps and stared, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did.His uncle lay still on the ground.Blake shifted into his normal form and took a few uneasy steps toward me. I rushed to him and put my arms around him. I was afraid he was going to pass out. I could feel his heart hammering and he was breathing heavily.There was an unfocused, far away look in his eyes as he turned to look at his uncle’s b*dy again. I couldn’t begin to imagine what was going through his mind right now. The relief of finally knowing that this threat was neutralized was powerful, but I imagined that the pain of seeing his family lost was just as strong.“It’s over,” I told him firmly.Blake looked down at me and nodded slowly. He put his arms around me and pulled me close. I held him tightly and let my head restagainst his collar bone.“It’s over,” he