Chapter Ten: The Price of Protection

Liam and Luther moved silently through the dense forest, their wolves sharp with purpose, driven by the scent trail that led them directly to her. The moonlight barely cut through the canopy, but they didn’t need it to see—they could feel her, smell her. She was close, her scent growing stronger with every step they took. But beneath the intoxicating pull of their mate, there was something else—something darker.

Fear. And the scent of blood. Her blood.

Liam’s heart pounded in his chest, his wolf, Al, growling deep within him as anxiety clawed at his insides. He pushed his legs to move faster, the familiar weight of panic heavy in his lungs. He and Luther had let too much time pass. They had failed her before, and they couldn’t fail her now—not when she needed them the most.

They burst into the clearing, and the sight before them made Liam’s blood turn to ice.

There, straddling Charlie’s crumpled form, was their father—Alpha Greg. His fists, still stained with her blood, slammed down into her again and again. Her body, fragile and bleeding, barely moved beneath him. Every blow sent fresh blood splattering across the ground, mixing with the dirt beneath her. Her skin was bruised and torn, her clothing ripped and soaked in crimson. She was barely alive—if she was even alive at all.

Liam’s vision blurred with red-hot rage, Al surging to the surface with a guttural snarl. NO. He couldn’t let this happen. Not to her. Not to their mate.

A primal roar tore from Liam’s throat as he charged across the clearing, his wolf in full control, every muscle straining with fury. Luther was only a step behind him, both of them propelled by the same all-consuming need to protect her.

Liam reached their father first, slamming into him with the force of a hurricane. The impact sent their father flying off of Charlie, his hold on her broken as Liam’s claws sank into his father’s flesh. His teeth bared in a vicious snarl, Liam wrestled him away from Charlie, his rage giving him a strength he had never known before. Alpha Greg tried to fight back, but Luther was already on him—his wolf tearing into Greg’s arm with a bone-crunching snap.

Alpha Greg let out a howl of pain as Luther dragged him further away from Charlie, the combined strength of his sons overwhelming him. He fought with everything he had, but Liam and Luther were relentless, their wolves driven by the need to protect their mate at all costs.

Liam slashed at his father’s side, the scent of blood thick in the air as he landed blow after blow. Luther attacked from the other side, his powerful jaws sinking into Alpha Greg’s leg and pulling him to the ground. Together, they tore at him, their rage fueled by the sight of Charlie’s broken form lying motionless in the dirt. There was no hesitation, no doubt. This wasn’t just about revenge—it was about survival. Charlie’s survival. She could never be safe as long as their father still lived.

With one final, devastating strike, Liam lunged for Alpha Greg’s throat, his fangs sinking deep into his father’s neck. He bit down with all his strength, feeling the sharp snap of bone as Alpha Greg’s body convulsed beneath him. Luther latched onto his arm one last time, pulling it back with a sickening tear, until finally, the vicious Alpha’s body went limp beneath them.

Liam pulled back, his chest heaving with ragged breaths, his teeth stained with the blood of his father. Alpha Greg’s lifeless body lay crumpled at their feet, his eyes vacant and unseeing. The air was thick with the scent of death, the clearing eerily silent now that the fight was over.

But the victory felt hollow—because it wasn’t over.

Liam turned toward Charlie, his heart seizing in his chest as he saw her still form lying in the dirt. She wasn’t moving. Blood pooled beneath her, her breaths shallow and labored. The light in her eyes was fading fast, and the sight of it filled Liam with a terror unlike anything he had ever felt.

Luther shifted back first, his naked flesh slick with blood and dirt as he raced over to Charlie. His hands, trembling with fear, reached for her, gently lifting her battered form into his arms. She was so small, so light—emaciated from years of neglect and now beaten within an inch of her life.

“Charlie,” Luther whispered, his voice cracking as he held her against his chest. Her head lolled to the side, her lips stained with blood. She didn’t respond. “Please, stay with us.”

Liam shifted back moments later, his body trembling with the weight of exhaustion and horror. He knelt beside Luther, his heart breaking at the sight of her broken body. Her skin was cold to the touch, and her breaths came in weak, uneven gasps. The blood…there was so much blood.

“We have to get her back,” Liam said urgently, his voice tight with fear. “We can’t lose her. Not now.”

Luther didn’t respond. He only cradled her tighter against his chest, his eyes wild with desperation as he rose to his feet. Every muscle in his body was tense, every instinct screaming at him to move, to protect, to save her.

“We’ve waited too long,” Luther whispered, his voice thick with emotion as he glanced down at her fragile form. “We can’t lose her now.”

Without another word, Luther took off toward the packhouse, his speed blinding as he raced through the trees, carrying Charlie’s battered body as if she were the most precious thing in the world. Liam followed close behind, his heart pounding in his chest, his thoughts a blur of fear and regret.

They had waited too long to find her, to claim her as their mate. Now, at the very start of their bond, they faced losing her before they’d even had the chance to begin.

It would destroy the both of them if Charlie didn’t survive the newest horrors their father had inflicted on her.

As the packhouse came into view, Liam prayed to the Moon Goddess—prayed with every fiber of his being—that they weren’t too late. That somehow, against all odds, they would be able to save her.

Because if they couldn’t, neither he nor Luther would ever forgive themselves.