Promised To The Alpha Twins
Chapter 86

Aly seemed agitated, and her rapid movements suggested that something urgent had happened. The twins and I immediately got up, putting on the first clothes we found, briefly regretting not having slept dressed. I quickly opened the door as the twins put on shorts.

Aly rushed in, her hair in complete disarray and her eyes reflecting intense anxiety. I was still in the process of putting on my own shirt, not bothering with a bra.

“What’s going on?” I said shakily, gently taking Aly by the arms. I searched her eyes for answers, replaceing only fear and doubt in them. “What has happened?”

Aly trembled, her eyes revealing the fear that had taken hold of her, just as I had imagined. She straightened up, her shoulders tense, and let out a trembling sigh before regaining her composure.

“I had the idea to go down a floor for some ice, I thought it would be fine since there were guards everywhere,” Aly spoke quickly, shooting an annoyed glance at Ethan when he chuckled. “I had bought some drinks from the store during our stop, but they were warm. Am I going to get sued for wanting something cold?”

“What happened next?” I pressed, sending a look to Ethan that clearly said “not now.”

“A guard followed me, we hadn’t been gone for more than five minutes,” Aly continued, her eyes again full of nervousness and focused on me. “When we got back, the guards were gone. All of them. Even the one who accompanied me to get ice took me back to my room and asked me to stay there. Of course, I didn’t. Why would I when something so strange was happening? I waited a minute and then went out again. But the guard who had escorted me was no longer there.

I could swear I heard something echoing in the hallway. As if something had fallen. That sound was followed by a muffled crash, loud enough to catch the twins’ attention.

“Something’s not right, do you feel it too?” Aly asked, her voice dropping to a barely audible whisper.

“Yes, I feel it now,” I nodded, looking at the twins to see if they also shared the sensation.

I headed towards the door, ready to open it. The fatigue had completely disappeared, replaced by fear and a strange apprehension. Something was definitely wrong; we just hadn’t noticed it in time. Just as I was about to open the door just a few inches, Liam’s shoulder bumped into it.

“Don’t open it,” Liam growled; his nose twitched as he sniffed the surrounding air. His eyes turned to Ethan, showing both determination and fierce anger. “Do you smell that?”

Aly also raised her nose, inhaling deeply. I did the same, but I felt confused. I didn’t smell anything other than the usual scents of a hotel. Lotion, soap in the bathroom, cleaner and laundry detergent, and just a touch of the cologne the twins had used before leaving the cabin.

“What do you mean?” I asked, unable to identify the smell they were talking about.

“Damn it, this is not good. Whoever is here, came prepared,” Ethan said, his eyes scanning the room.

“In short, it’s a gas designed to affect werewolves. Created by the High Council. It also contains silver particles. The smell is subtle but has a sweet and metallic undertone,” Liam growled, peering through the peephole as Ethan examined the room for something. “Small doses cause hallucinations, in large quantities, it causes total unconsciousness.”

I inhaled deeply again, separating the various scents until I identified what they were referring to. A kind of floral sweetness, like a perfume, trying to mask the metallic backdrop, almost like the smell of fresh b***d.

“And now what?” I murmured, feeling the urgency of time. I knew the hotel doors wouldn’t protect us from the gas for long. Suddenly, I felt a knot in my stomach. “Axel, Thomas, and your parents are outside!”

My concern wasn’t so much for us as it was for the others. I had confidence in the twins and knew Aly could take care of herself. Plus, I wouldn’t hesitate to use my abilities if it helped us escape. It was the twins’ parents I was truly worried about. Possibly Axel and Thomas as well.

“We can’t help them,” Ethan replied, his voice and gaze firm. “If the gas touches our skin, it’ll burn us. The hallucinations will start if we’re not affected by inhalation.”

“Each one for themselves,” Liam nodded, his brows furrowed.

A knot formed in my stomach, and instant tears filled my eyes as I felt the emotions of the twins. They were strong, concerned, even terrified, but they were keeping control to help Aly and me. We were their priority in that moment, and I knew they would do everything possible to get us out of this situation.

I took a deep breath to calm my emotions and prevent myself from breaking down. It wouldn’t be helpful if I collapsed in a state of distress. I pushed the worry and pain aside, letting survival mode take over.

“Time is running out. The person who threw that is going to try to break down these doors,” Ethan spoke, heading towards the window. He moved to the wall, using a finger to shift the curtain. I understood his intention: to check if we were surrounded, if the windows could be a viable option.

The good news was that we weren’t surrounded. The side of the building we faced was towards a dense forest. The parking lot was on the other side, making reaching the sedan difficult.

The bad news was that we were on the fourth floor. Though I doubted falling would mean death, it would certainly worsen our situation.

As I feared but also hoped, the windows were our only way out. Aly, Ethan, and I opened the windows. They were large windows offering a view of the forest and a distant mountain range. It was a beautiful sight, but now it seemed dark and menacing in the darkness.

Liam had placed an old wardrobe in front of the door. It wouldn’t be a solid barrier, but every extra second could make a difference in this situation.

I could hear them now, the constant pounding of feet on the floor. Liam stood rigid by the peephole, and I knew he was right. Whoever they were, they had arrived.

“We need to get her out of here now,” Liam growled, abruptly turning from the door. He took a step forward before an explosion at the door threw him forward. The blast echoed in my ears, causing me pain. I winced as I felt the splintered wood scatter in all directions, scratching my cheek and leaving some splinters embedded. Despite the absolute horror flooding over me, I reacted immediately. I rushed over to Liam’s twisted form. He wasn’t dead, not by a long shot. Though dazed and with some burns and cuts, Liam moved on the floor.

Ethan’s arms wrapped around my waist, and a deafening scream escaped my lips. It was a scream of agony and fury, a sound that wasn’t entirely human.

Men dressed in black flooded the room. In those moments when time seems to elongate, I had a second to assess their attire. If I hadn’t been a werewolf traveling with my two alpha companions, I would have thought they were members of a SWAT team. Their padded vests lacked insignias, and their dark helmets had face shields.

I was furious with Ethan for pulling me away from Liam, for not rushing to help his brother. I realized too late why Ethan had gotten me out of there. When the men broke through our door, they let the subtle strands of gas fill the room. It was a kind of mist, akin to cigarette smoke as it spread through the room. Instead of dissipating slowly, it expanded quickly, carrying that sweet and acrid smell with it.

The gas enveloped Liam’s figure, even as he stood up with supernatural speed. I could see it in his eyes, when the gas invaded him. They seemed to cloud slightly.

In a matter of seconds, I was looking into Liam’s eyes, full of fear and determination. In the next, I could taste that acrid smell on my tongue. Coughing and sputtering were my responses, my throat burning and feeling raw, as if dealing with a throat infection.

The gas had spread everywhere, penetrating every taste bud and nerve ending in my body. I felt its flow in my lungs, even in the shallow breaths I managed to take. My lungs and head hurt, and I knew our time was limited.

All of this happened so fast, much faster than it seems when describing it. Not three minutes had passed, and everything had twisted horribly.

As my vision blurred, Ethan sprang into action. Though he must have been grappling with the effects of the gas, I couldn’t discern it from his emotions. Everything was jumbled, a confusion of colors and faces, smells that stung my nose and made my eyes water.

“I’m going to try to lessen our fall,” I heard Ethan’s voice echo in my ear. I could barely discern the pain in his voice as the men who had broken in began to fire.

The next second, we were plummeting through the air. My mouth was open, but I couldn’t force myself to scream. The fall abruptly stopped, making me g***n, feeling the pain shoot through my torso.

“It’s going to hurt,” Liam’s voice resonated seconds before we fell again, then crashed onto the ground.

Darkness and the green shadows of the forest passed before my eyes.

The noise was a dull rumble, but every breath of oxygen was ripped from my lungs at that moment. My muscles ached, even my bones. Though I didn’t have any broken bones, at least I thought so. If not for my wolf’s side, my body would be covered in bruises.

Black spots danced in my eyes amidst the darkness of the night. My body growled, demanding a moment to rest there, in the midst of pain.

“Get up and run! We can’t stay here!” Ethan growled, and a hand took my arm, dragging me to my feet.

My legs felt like jelly, but I managed to stand as Ethan pushed me forward. My torso hurt and throbbed, but I couldn’t determine whether it was due to the fall or the run.

Everything passed by me like a blur, distorted by the inhaled gas. It was worse than being drunk. Not only did I have little control over my own body, but the world around me was warped, and I was fairly certain I saw something massive moving through the forest up ahead. The hallucinations were bad enough, but I also felt as if I had inhaled liquid fire. My throat burned, and it hurt to take oxygen into my lungs.

‘Run, run, run, run, run.’

That word was a song, a mantra that repeated in my mind. Until the pain turned into a constant searing.

We ran into the forest, not looking back. Branches scratched my skin, leaving stinging marks of pain in their wake. It was a challenge not to trip, especially as we continued to run.

“We have to shift,” Aly said from somewhere to my left. “Our wolves can handle it better.”

“We have to do it now, sweetheart,” Ethan murmured. “It’s going to hurt, but you need to embrace the pain.”

It was nearly impossible to call to Gea, and I remembered wondering why the gas affected her differently. She was still in my mind, with the same amount of pain as me.

Ethan was right, I thought as a wave of sharp pain shot up my back and shoulders. I could feel every movement of my bones, every pull and muscular twist as I transformed from human to wolf.

Gea didn’t have time to fight against the pain enveloping her. She stood on all fours and bounded into the forest. I felt myself fading, losing consciousness as Gea propelled us through the woods. The last thing I remembered was hearing Liam’s soft voice calling to me in the darkness.

I woke with a start, feeling as if I had the worst hangover in the world. My head throbbed with a piercing pain, and my mouth was horribly dry. I spat out something that looked like dirt and struggled not to vomit.

As I looked around, I understood why I was naked and covered in dirt. Though we were still deep in the woods, the trees looked entirely different here. They were taller and much denser than in the forest near the hotel.

My naked body was streaked with dirt, mud, and scratches. It seemed that Gea had rolled down a hill, and we had moved in the midst of the fall. My body was entwined with Ethan’s, and part of me rested against his chest. We were at the base of a steep hill, partially lying in some kind of ravine. Fresh water was in contact with the sweat covering my skin.

Ethan regained consciousness almost at the same time as me. I knelt by the edge of the ravine and drank deeply, wincing as my throat hurt.

“Liam?” I called. I wasn’t shouting, but I raised my voice a bit. Speaking like this hurt, but it was worth it despite the twinge of pain. “Aly?”

“Silence, dear,” Ethan hushed me, lifting me from the stream to cradle me in his arms. His hands were gentle as they picked twigs and leaves from my tangled hair, and wiped some dirt from my face. His eyes were laden, and sensing his emotions, my heart squeezed in my chest. He was scared, worried, utterly drained and beaten. Ethan didn’t usually display these emotions. He was unwaveringly strong and tremendously stubborn. I knew where these emotions were coming from, and my eyes darted frantically, my heart on the edge of a panic attack.

“Where are they?” I asked, my voice raspy and broken. I had heard them with us, I knew it. They were right beside me. I couldn’t see them because of the gas, because everything was distorted, there must have been a mistake. Their voices were real, they had to be.

“We don’t know. I’m afraid neither of them knows,” Ethan’s voice was low but firm. He wasn’t shutting down his emotions, he was allowing them to flood him, filling him with a somber determination. His sadness quickly transformed into anger, and it was only his anger that kept tears from welling in my eyes. “We were all affected by the gas. We might have hallucinated most of what happened last night. We will replace them, Sussan. We will eliminate each and every one of them, one by one.”