They had to get him off her.
I could sense the distress radiating from her in waves, and it would only get worse as he checked her over more invasively while she was tied to the chair and couldn’t fight back.
Darting out, I sacrificed some of my cover to get closer. I’d draw more fire if they thought they had a chance to hit me.
Guns went off all around, but I could only hear Talia’s frightened whimper from all the way across the room.
If they couldn’t get to her, I had to.
She wouldn’t be safe until she was in my arms.
I abandoned shelter completely and took off in a flat sprint toward her. Shooting arbitrarily out at Benjamin’s guys, in the opposite direction of where my packmates would be, I barely paid attention to my aim.
All I could focus on was her.
And then, all I could focus on was the flaming, fiery pain in my arm as a bullet tore through my flesh.
Chapter
Forty-Nine
TALIA
The scent of blood was heavy in the air as I regained my senses. Everything was hazy and so painfully loud. It was hard to tell what was going on, until…
Gunshots. There were gunshots to go with the blood.
And a rough hand on my chin, dragging my attention upward.
Benjamin sneered down at me, words falling from his lips that I couldn’t hear. My head pounded, my cheek stung, and as he ripped jewellery off me I couldn’t help but whimper.
He’d caught me.
I was his, same as I’d been the night he’d bonded me.
Were my alphas coming to save me? Or was that why there were gunshots? Had they already been…
I tried to fight against Benjamin’s touch, his hands patting me down. My mental walls were shattered, and his hatred was more potent than ever. The man despised me. He hated everything I stood for; everything I was. He wanted me to hate like he did.
If I didn’t have my alphas, I might have succumbed to him.
But beneath the blood, I scented them faintly—and whether it was my imagination saving me or reality, they were there.
Sandalwood and brown sugar.
Warm wool and smoke.
Autumn leaves.
Mercer, West, and Conrad.
I trusted them to come for me. Even though the plan had gone south, they would save me. I knew they would.
When I finally blinked away the haze, Mercer was sprinting towards me. His expression was twisted in determination, my pain reflected in his eyes.
I yanked at my restraints, wanting to reach for him, but they held fast.
And then he faltered. Blood dripped. I could almost feel his pain rushing through me like I felt my own.