The kill, p.1
The Kill, page 1
Also by Reece Barden
Alpha Games
Rogue Games
Shifters of Grey Ridge
The Alpha's Saviour
The Alpha's Inferno
The Alpha's Catch
The Alpha's Revival
The Alpha's Regret
The Alpha's Quest
The Alpha's Mystery
The Alpha's Return
The Steel Pack Alphas
The Chase
The Hunt
The Kill
Standalone
Shifters of Grey Ridge Box Set
Watch for more at Reece Barden’s site.
THE KILL
STEEL PACK ALPHAS
BOOK 3
REECE BARDEN
Copyright © 2024 by Reece Barden
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
A WORD OF WARNING
My books are steamy.
Shifters are a passionate lot so there may be a bit of swearing. I like to think it adds colour but if you’re not a fan of cursing, consider yourself warned.
There is some violence but nothing too graphic. Some injuries too, but given these shifters have special healing powers, nothing permanent.
Due to the use of British English, there may be too many u’s, double l’s and not enough z’s for my incredible US readers.
These spellings and grammar quirks aren’t wrong, they’re just different :) Let’s focus on the spice instead!
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
Rogue Games
Also by Reece Barden
About the Author
Thank you!
1
MANDY
From my hiding spot, I see Blake approach from one side and Tyson, his long-lost half-brother, sauntering casually into the clearing from the other.
The second Tyson steps into a shard of light splitting through the canopy of leaves overhead, I know.
It’s him.
“Couldn’t face meeting me alone?” Tyson taunts his brother.
His tone is condescending, but, to me, his voice sounds like liquid. I’ve heard it in my dreams for sixteen years. Trying not to reveal myself, I wait, needing to hear what he has to say.
He looks terrible.
Still devastatingly handsome, with strong features and an intense aura I can feel from here, but the red glow to his eyes gives away the darker side he now possesses. Part vampire, part wolf; he’s a dangerous combination wrapped-up in a mysterious package.
I’ve often wondered what happened to him, whether he died, as I had suspected, at the hands of my former pack. Something bad clearly happened to him; but still, that uncanny need to be close to him makes me restless.
I want to run to him.
He asked for me. Does that mean he’s thought about me, too? Has he felt the same strange longing? Or is he just calling in a debt I’ve owed him for sixteen years?
Raiden is here, the powerful witch’s presence giving me some comfort that if he means me harm, she’ll see it. A vision would be useful right about now, if she could provide a clue about exactly what he wants.
Ignoring the sheen of sweat already glistening on his ripped body, I focus on his words.
“Where’s Mandy?”
I crouch lower in the slow-moving water. It’s a perfect, if cold, way to hide my scent while I eavesdrop on the meeting I should have been invited to attend.
“At home. Where she belongs. I will not hand over a member of my pack to you. You know that. No real alpha would.”
Blake would never have forced me to come, but he doesn’t know that I trusted this man once before, and, perhaps naively, have no qualms about doing it again. Especially if it prevents conflict for the Steel Pack, who so generously took us in.
“She does not need protecting from me,” he snarls. “I will not hurt her or the boy.”
Tyson’s voice is sharp with anger, genuinely insulted that Blake would suggest he’s out to harm me. Looking as though he might leap across the stream between them, Tyson’s jaw clenches and the veins in his neck bulge.
“Then what do you want with her?”
Blake’s wondering the very same thing as me, except Blake suspects it’s something negative. I’m certain it’s not.
Tyson blinks, refusing to give Blake the answers he wants. When a small smile appears on his handsome face, I feel sick. I’ve seen that look once before. It means trouble.
“I gave you a chance to end this peacefully. You keep your pack, and I get what I want. Maybe it’s better this way, because when I kill you, I’ll get it all. Including your beautiful mate,” he goads and I put my face in my hands, knowing what’s going to happen next, even before he adds the icing on the lets-make-the-alpha-feral cake: “Don’t worry, little brother. If she’s with pup, I’ll raise it as my own.”
Fear strangles me as the two alphas clash, Tyson’s words getting the desired reaction from the normally calm Alpha Blake Steel. My chest is tight as I watch the two of them battling to get the upper hand.
Tyson uses his speed to get around Blake, about to attack, when Raiden fires a bolt of lightning toward him. A horrified gasp tumbles from my mouth before I can stop it, drowned out by the sound of growling and snarling.
Relieved he’s not hurt, I frown when I see a leather strap tumble from his paw onto the forest floor.
“No cheating,” Raiden warns, amazingly brave in the face of Tyson’s hostile glare.
The fighting resumes, growing more and more brutal.
I can’t seem to tear my eyes away, even though it physically pains me to see my alpha and Tyson inflicting damage on the other. Unsure what to do, the scent of Tyson’s blood carries to me on a breeze, and everything finally clicks into place.
I finally understand. The decision has been made for me.
Standing, shaking from the freezing cold seeping into my bones, I squeeze my eyes shut and shout as loud as my chattering teeth will allow. “Stop! Stop it, right now!”
Both wolves stop immediately, chests heaving and panting, staring in disbelief as I wade toward them through the stream.
“Mandy, what are you doing here?” Raiden rushes forward to help me from the water, but I ignore her hand, gaze fixed firmly on Tyson as I climb inelegantly over the slippery rocks and onto the mucky bank. Transfixed, I can’t stop staring at him.
“Mandy, don’t,” Raiden warns, but I continue to walk toward him, his glowing eyes pulling me in. “He’s dangerous.”
Tyson growls at her when she reaches for me, and her footsteps falter, but she continues trying to keep me back.
“Not to me,” I whisper.
Taking in his injuries and fighting the need to tend to them, I turn to Blake nod firmly. “I’ll go with him. If it saves the pack and stops you two from killing each other, I’ll go.”
Tyson’s massive wolf comes closer to me and sits, bowing his head. He knows what I am. That’s why he wants me, wants Blake to hand me over.
“Mandy? Do you know him?” Blake has shifted back to his human form. “What’s going on?”
When Blake edges closer, Tyson positions himself protectively in front of me, his hackles raised. He might be different, but the wolf inside him is still the same one that fought for me all those years ago.
“We’ve met before,” I say wryly. “Once. When he killed my mate.”
2
MANDY
Seventeen years ago…
Just keep running.
Ignoring the burn in my chest and how my lungs scream, I pump my legs even harder, knowing that if I stop, I won’t be able to get moving again.
And he’ll catch me.
Brambles tear at my clothes and thorns scratch my face, but I barely feel it, adrenaline and pure terror drive me on. Fear pushes me to put even more distance between myself and the pack I’ve just fled. Only when I’m certain they’re not hot on my trail will I restI.
I duck and weave through dense thicket, hoping Lee and his enforcers will be too big to squeeze through, and the shallow stream that’s been calling to me finally appears. My dry, parched throat begs me to pause for a drink. Scanning the forest, I slow to a trot and plant my paws in the sticky mud, ready to take off again if I need to.
Or to help me spot any stealthy wolves stalking me from the depths of the woods.
Lifting my gaze to the treetops, I beg the moon goddess to cut me some slack. Instead, a light pitter patter slowly becomes a loud din. I almost laugh as drops comes down heavier and heavier, the drops hitting the leaves and falling to the forest floor.
Just perfect.
Trying to stay positive even as my fur grows damp, I watch the soil quickly becomes slick with water. At least this rain shower will wash away some of my scent trail. Taking the deluge as a sign that this night is not going to get any easier, I force my weak body to keep going. I wade into the freezing water, following its path downstream, stumbling over large rocks and protruding tree roots in my exhausted state.
But I know I can’t stop. My mate is pursuing me. His anger feels like a living thing, breathing down my neck. All snapping teeth and sharp claws.
For longer than I thought possible, I push on but trip over an unseen dip with a clumsy step, I curse and limp over to the water’s edge. There will be no escape with a broken leg. I need to rest.
Slinking away from the river, I crawl into the undergrowth, finding a hollowed-out tree trunk and squeeze myself inside. Once I’ve curled up, I drag some fallen branches across the entrance in a feeble attempt to disguise my hiding place. Not that those will really help if Lee gets this close. An alpha wolf like him will detect my scent easily.
A few scrawny branches won’t offer any protection against a determined, extremely angry shifter.
Sliding my bruised muzzle under my front paws, I press my back against the inside of the trunk and close my eyes. Anxiety claws at my gut, urging me to stay alert; but my tired, battered body wins over, telling me I need to sleep and heal. Just for a little while.
Slipping into darkness, I whimper, knowing the torment that awaits me in my dreams. Nightmares, I should say. Memories of beatings. Jeering taunts from pack cronies. The sick, leering smile of Lee’s father enjoying my punishments. Vivid flashbacks of the injuries inflicted upon my poor body by the man who’s supposed to treasure me more than anything.
Wrapping my tail around my torso, I smile sadly.
No more.
Despite the lingering dull throb of the final assault I suffered at his hands, I’m free. Even if it’s just for one night.
And the baby growing inside me is away from that man.
When the sun finally peeks through my makeshift door, I know I’ve stayed longer than I should have. Every second I linger, he draws closer. I can feel his rage pulsing through the tattered tendrils of our bond still tying me to him. And he’s near.
Shoving through the branches, I stick my head out and scent the air. There’s no sign of anyone nearby, but I can’t be complacent. He’s a well-trained alpha and an excellent tracker, definitely better prepared than me.
Stretching out my aching limbs, I struggle to get my bearings. I’ve no idea where I am or how far I’ve run. All I know is that I’m a long way from my pack’s territory, which means I not only need to worry about my mate discovering me, but also about another pack. Wherever I am, the pack might not be pleased to find an unknown, uninvited wolf racing uninvited through their lands.
They might hand me right back to my alpha.
Or worse.
Deciding to stick with the river, following its gentle descent in the hopes that it will lead me to a town, I point my nose and take off. My broken ribs, from kicks delivered dangerously close to my stomach, have almost healed. After a couple of hours of rest and recuperation, my movements feel easier and I can take a deep breath without stabbing pains. Pushing my body further, I lengthen my strides and rejoice when there’s no pain.
If I can keep up this pace, there’s a small chance my plan will work.
But almost as soon as I think the words, the eerie silence of the forest around me registers in my tired brain. There should be birds singing and insects buzzing. There’s nothing. My slowing footsteps are the only sounds disturbing the stillness.
He’s found me.
An evil chuckle taunts me, and I pivot, unable to pinpoint where it’s coming from. My eyes scan the trees. When a twig snaps behind me, I curse. I know instantly that I wasn’t fast enough.
In a split second, Lee's overpowering scent surrounds me, clogging my throat, making me panic as defeat shuts down my fight or flight response. I freeze, cursing myself for being such a coward as he barrels into me, sending us tumbling down the embankment and into the frigid water. The shock wakes me from my stupor, and I scream at my wolf to flee.
Rolling away from him, ignoring the pain in my back from a jagged rock, I scramble to my feet and spin to face him. His eyes are wild, glowing with a sickly yellow hue. He snarls viciously, his wolf crouching low, ready to pounce. Thick brown fur matted with mud and leaves adds to his crazed look. Lee hasn’t rested. He’s running on fury and a thirst for vengeance.
With slow, deliberate footsteps, he prowls closer, and I’m overtaken by the familiar feeling of defeat. His dominant alpha aura weighs over me, making my movements sluggish, the urge to cower battling with the voice in my brain pleading with me to run.
Not even remotely afraid of my frail wolf, Lee shifts when he’s a few feet away, lifting his furious gaze to mine slowly as he stands from his crouched position in front of me. Wet hair hangs in his dark eyes, black as coal with his wolf barely held at bay.
Shuddering, I shift myself, and shield my nudity from his hard eyes and the disgusted sneer curling his lips. Lee doesn't see me as his mate, just a nuisance he has endured, allowed to stay alive, to keep him strong and on track to become alpha.
This might be the final straw.
“Did you really think you could get away? That you could reject me and I’d take it lying down?”
His mocking voice, laced with venom, makes me retreat instinctively, wrapping my arms protectively around myself. I hate how he still has the ability to make me feel so small. Despite my valiant attempt at escape yesterday, in his presence, I’m once again reduced to a quivering wreck.
“I told you, Mandy, the only way you’re leaving me is in a box. Maybe now that can be arranged.”
He tilts his head and waits for me to say something. When I edge further away, he closes the distance between us and I whimper. I don’t want him near me, but I need to keep him talking. I should have something brave and witty to say, but I don’t. His cruel, knowing grin tells me he knows the words are clogging my throat.
“Anything would be better than this,” I whisper, sweeping my arm down over my exposed flesh, riddled with old mottled bruises at various stages of healing; scars from the times he deprived me of the rest and nutrition my wolf needed to heal me. “I’ll keep running away. Embarrassing you. Why not just let me go? You don’t want me. Just accept the rejection and move on. Find a wolf good enough to be your luna.”
The longer I speak, the redder his face becomes.
Spitting the words, laced with venom, “Because you’re mine, little mate. I’ll never accept your rejection.”
