“I agree,” Alicia replied. “So do something about it. Fight with us.”
“Us? What, you two?” Alistair pointed briefly to Alicia and Nicole.
“Maybe. What’s wrong with that?”
“You are delusional, that’s what. In any case, you know as well as I do, any action must come under the direction of the Alpha.”
“You know as well as I do that’s complete bullshit. When did Wilson order the removal of his own head?”
“You would expect us to mutiny, especially after that?”
“I expect you to fight! To stand for something. Look at this place, what has happened here? To you all? I cannot believe you would just lay down like this.”
“You expect us to fight your squabbles. Lay down? We are following orders. Something I have always done. I fought on Wilson’s side. And though I did not agree with what happened, I would’ve fought for Creed. I would’ve fought for you had you been the Alpha. I think it is wrong to follow Tynan. You want to say the house has declined? I won’t disagree. But these were the actions of those higher than I. There is no fight here, Alicia. It’s over. Wolves know their place. They follow their Alpha’s.”
“Wolves follow their hearts.”
“He has my son…” Nicole said.
Alistair looked confused for moment. “Your son?”
“Please…he’s just an infant. I don’t know what Tynan is doing to him. He wants to use him as a weapon. I’m not a wolf as you can tell. I fell in love with one and I’m the mother of one. I don’t know the politics…and I don’t want you to risk your life for me. For him. But…” Nicole fought back more tears, seemingly determined not to cry. “I’m hoping you’ll help me if you can.”
Alistair looked down, the words and her tone leaving a mark on him, when suddenly he, Alicia, and the rest of the room, looked to the right of the room, out the window. All the wolves heard it, an approaching aircraft. Coming fast.
“Were you expecting someone?”
“No,” Alistair said evenly.
“Sensors that pick up approaching weaponry still active? They still connected to the anti-aircraft guns?”
“Yes. But…” he turned to her. “If we are now aligned with House Ross…”
“He’d have the codes…”
Alicia and Alistair both had the same thought, screaming for the others to leave. Alicia grabbed Nicole by the arm and had only taken a few steps with her before the screeching whistle of a missile and the earth-shattering explosion.
Alicia pushed Nicole forward just as she herself leapt back from falling debris. Supports snapped as the ceiling crumbled down, cascading the space around Alicia in cement and dust as yet another missile struck somewhere outside. Alicia swatted away the thick cloud, stumbling over bits of the room until she met a wall of rubble. “Nicole! Can you hear me!?” she screamed.
The response came through coughs. “I’m here...I’m ok.” Alicia’s knees trembled and she fell face forward into the rubble as yet another explosion rocked the mansion. “Quick! The passage we came through. Use it to get out. Head right to the end and I’ll find you.”
“But what about you?”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Just get yourself to safety. Now go!” Alicia heard the scurry on the other side before she moved away to the others in the room. Alistair was on his feet, checking over members of the pack lying in front of him, shaking them. But it was no use. A ball of fire billowed through the windows just behind them and both he and Alicia had no choice but to jump out into the courtyard, where the aircraft hovered. Alicia landed on her haunches and took a brief glance before running full pelt away from the gunship’s search light. Two missiles streaked from the aircraft, only missing them because they leapt clear. The force propelled them almost twenty feet forward.
Alistair landed in a roll but collided with Alicia, who wasn’t so lucky, her foot snapping upon contact with the ground. Alistair ignored her pleas and wrapped her arm around his neck, scooping her up in his arms and running towards the hedges. The searchlight roamed for them but appeared to have lost them after their unwitting jump.
“Stay here for a minute...” Alistair whispered as Alicia bit her lip and screamed behind her teeth as he snapped the bone back into place. “You’ll heal soon.”
Alicia and he both stilled at the sound of her name coming from the aircraft. It shouldn’t be possible, but it was. Alicia looked up to see Tynan Ross on the ground, a sickening smile on his face, holding the arm of a terrified Nicole in his hand. “Secret passage Alicia? Really?” he chuckled, pulling her closer as she tried to fight her way free.
“You fucking cunt...” Alicia seethed, before screaming the exact three words again as she charged from the hedge, ignoring Alistair’s cries for her to come back. The adrenaline surged through her, numbing the pain of her foot as it re-broke with every running step she took. The estate she called home for the better part of two decades was ablaze, not long after being ridden into the ground despite Talia and Alistair’s efforts. Nicole was screaming, petrified, fighting him off, or trying to. Alicia, though in a rage, was still alert enough not to run headlong into danger. The missiles wouldn’t be fired at a target so close. They would have to use bullets, which she could take. Or if there was a God in heaven, hand to hand. She would slowly splinter every one of Tynan’s ribs.
Tynan saw her coming and merely laughed. With a brief flick of his hand, one of his soldiers threw a hose from the craft to him. He pointed it and with a gleeful smile, erupted a pulse of flames from the head as he dragged Nicole into the craft
