Saved By The Alpha
Chapter 19

Even though Iris and I had gotten to sleep later than intended, I woke up feeling more refreshed than I had in days. Not a single dream plagued me that night, and once I’d fallen asleep, I stayed that way until the alarm went off. I probably could have slept another few hours, but we were going to meet with Remus and the others soon. Everyone was anxious to know if Maverick had succeeded in his quest to obtain Dr. Brenner’s blueprints.

I checked my phone as I walked down the stairs, sighing as I saw there were no new messages. It was still early, and I knew Maverick probably didn’t want to risk contacting me — but still.

Iris joined me a few minutes later, looking a fair bit sleepier than I did, though no less pleased. I made her coffee as we waited for the others to show up. Once Remus and Bane arrived, she practically jumped out of her chair. “Where’s Bella?” she asked, glancing past his shoulder toward the door.

“Good morning to you, too,” Remus replied, stifling a yawn. I turned to grab another mug for him. “I left Bella with Luna and Fiona again today. I told Maverick to meet us here — I thought it would be best for Bella to remain far away, should anything happen.”

Iris frowned, but she nodded and took her seat. I understood her disappointment, even though I wanted Remus to be wrong. I knew Maverick wouldn’t flip on us, not after everything — and I was d*mn certain he was smart enough not to get tailed to our location, either. It would take some sort of terrible error for him to get tracked down after everything he’d managed to accomplish.

“Is anyone else coming?” I asked.

“No.” Remus shook his head. “I asked Nic to stay back at my home today. Now that we’ve captured Dr. Brenner, it’s only a matter of time before the Raven Brothers and Project Night Moon catch onto us. I cannot put Luna or the children at risk.”

I nodded, setting down the coffee in front of him. “Good,” I said. I probably would have done the same. “What about Agent Foxrun? Has she been in touch at all?”

Before Remus could answer, the front door swung open again, slamming into the drywall. Remus cringed at the crunching noise, and my skin prickled as I hurried from the kitchen, my nerves jumping to life. The door quickly shut as Maverick took quick, long strides toward us. There was a light sheen of sweat over his skin, and his sides rose and fell rapidly.

“You made it,” I said, unable to help my smile.

“Of course I did,” Maverick replied gruffly, clearly trying to get his breathing back under control as he followed me back to the kitchen. “Though it would have helped if someone told me that the safe house was in the middle of suburban Austin.” He gave Remus a sideways look as he handed me a roll of papers.

The papers were damp, and I noticed a few puncture marks as I spread them out on the kitchen table. Maverick must have shifted and run all the way here — at least until he couldn’t risk being seen in wolf form. He must have kept running after too, judging by the sweat and the glass of water he seemed to horse down in a single swallow.

“Everything’s there,” he said, pointing as he filled his glass back up.

The rest of us leaned over the papers, eyes glued to the map as we gazed over the facility’s layout. The crisp lines were easy to read. Doors and windows were clearly marked. Hallways were obvious, and each room was labeled. It was as if Maverick had obtained the architect’s original design itself.

I read each label as I tried to commit each room to memory. High Priority. Laboratories A and B. Incubation Chamber. Medical Bay. Administration. I snorted. Even criminal, highly unethical, secret labs have administration, huh? I traced my finger across the map. Isolation Chamber. Armory. Pediatric Care. Black Zone.

I frowned and lifted my head, looking for Maverick. “What’s the Black Zone?”

He shrugged, shaking his head. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I didn’t even know it existed until I had the plans myself. Clearly, it would be accessed by a black security card, but it must be well guarded if the guards don’t even gossip about it.”

I raised a brow. “Do you have a black card?”

“No. Mine is red.” Maverick’s mouth twisted, and he pulled a card out of his pocket. “But Dr. Brenner does. We should be able to access any location within the building.” He joined us at the table and began pointing at small symbols in the corners of most rooms. “The biggest issue won’t be access but the security cameras. I don’t think there’s an inch of this place that isn’t covered.”

“Not even the bathrooms?” Iris asked, raising a brow.

Maverick grimly smiled. “Not even the bathrooms. Given everything you know about Dr. Brenner, does it really surprise you he doesn’t provide any privacy for his ‘employees’?

I grunted, curling my l!p. Iris pressed hers together. “No — but I’m surprised the Raven Brothers allow it.”

Maverick shrugged. “Grunts don’t matter to the higher-ups at all. They don’t even bother learning their names until they get a tattoo — for some wolves and any human, that’s never. Speaking of which…they will be the most problematic of the guards. There are four alphas at the top of the Raven Brothers’ hierarchy.”

“That’s easy enough,” Remus said. “We have four alphas, too.”

I frowned, looking at Iris for a moment before realizing he must be referring to our father. Iris was just going to be a bonus. Given what Maverick said, they’d probably write her off as inconsequential, and that would be their downfall.

“How powerful are these alphas?” Iris asked. “I assume they must be pretty d*mn strong if they can lead other alphas.”

“Correct,” Maverick said, nodding. “Most of them have killed several other alphas or bent lesser alphas to their will accordingly. They aren’t afraid to kill their own if they feel they’re ‘getting out of line’.” He frowned, pressing his mouth into a thin line. “I witnessed such a killing within the first two months of being undercover before I was given a tattoo myself. They make no bones about what they expect and what any recruit should envisage if any of the top dogs are displeased.”

“Death,” I said, this whole thing leaving a foul taste in my mouth. “And that’s what they’ll be looking to give us as well.”

“Exactly. I didn’t have time to grab much since I shouldn’t have had access to Brenner’s office in the first place, but I did print off pictures of all four heads,” he said, pushing the blueprint to the side. He showed us a page of photos. They were in black and white and a bit grainy, clearly blown up from the access cards.

He began to flip through them. “This is Henri Dubois, recruited back in the 90s. This one is Victor Whithall — he was—”

“Wait,” Iris said, cutting him off. “I know that one.”

Maverick raised a brow. “Really? They usually leave the ‘grunt work’ to their recruits.” He looked skeptical.

Iris scowled. “I’m sure they do. But he wasn’t just bringing me from one room to another,” she grunted. When she didn’t continue, I frowned, nudging her arm. She sighed heavily, not making eye contact. “That’s the as*sh0le who bit me and tried to force a mating mark,” she explained. Iris tugged down the collar of her shirt, exposing her neck. There wasn’t a mark to be seen. “Obviously, it didn’t work. I’m still not entirely sure why — but I’m not looking that gift horse in the mouth.”

I barely heard anything after ‘mating mark’. My b***d rushed through my veins, and all I could hear was the deafening roar in my ears as adrenaline surged through me. Rage was stoked, heavy, and hot in my chest as I tried to focus just on breathing. My wolf, who’d only been mildly interested in all of this boring planning stuff moments ago, was suddenly slamming against the surface, snarling and snapping as he tried to claw his way free from my self-restraint.

Someone had tried to claim our mate.

Iris had mentioned it before — had mentioned it had failed, even — but I wasn’t expecting to ever see the man’s face. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see it today. After last night, my feelings had deepened for Iris, and that only poured gasoline onto the fire of my fury.

Maverick and Remus both eyed me for a moment as if waiting for me to spontaneously combust.

“What?” I snapped, even though I knew exactly why they were looking at me like that.

Remus just shook his head, and Maverick raised a brow before turning back to Iris, his expression turning grim. “Victor Whithall is the current leader of the Raven Brothers in the American south,” he explained, “and thus the most powerful alpha among them.”

Iris scowled. “So he’s just a raging d**k, is that it?”

Maverick snorted. “Well, yes,” he said, chuckling darkly. “I can’t imagine he’d be anything else with that much testosterone. But you were in the High Priority room as the last of the line, yes? He probably saw you as a very valuable prize.”

My wolf snarled and snapped again. “Iris is a person, not a f*****g trophy,” I hissed, clenching my fingers.

“I know,” Maverick replied calmly, eyeing me again. “Remember who we’re dealing with, though, Eli. Victor doesn’t see anyone else as worth his time, much less equal to him — and that includes other shifters. He sees people as a benefit or a bane and nothing else.”

“Disgusting,” Iris spat, her nose wrinkled and l!p curled up. “What a waste of oxygen.”

“That one is mine,” I said, claiming him before anyone else could. “I don’t care who the rest of you decide to target. Victor Whithall is mine.”

Remus looked like he might argue for a moment, and I bristled, preparing for a fight. It didn’t matter to me that the man was in charge of the Raven Brothers. It wouldn’t have mattered if he was the lowest of the low on the totem pole, either. This wasn’t about rank or prestige. This was about the man who attempted to force himself on Iris, regardless of her own wants and needs. I couldn’t abide him walking free on this earth as long as I drew breath.

“As you wish,” Remus said after studying me a moment longer. I let out a relieved breath. Remus turned his attention back to Maverick. “Explain the last two, and we’ll decide how to split up the others.”

Maverick watched me a moment longer before he nodded, eyes falling back to his printout. “Of course,” he agreed. I barely heard him speaking — I was already plotting out exactly how I’d catch Victor and what I would do.

“I’m coming with you,” Iris said below her breath.

“What?” Maybe I had misheard her over the sound of my intensifying fury.

Iris bared her teeth. “I’m coming with you to kill the bastard,” she said, her gaze meeting mine. My b***d ran cold the moment I saw the fierce, determined intensity behind her hazel eyes.

There isn’t going to be any talking her out of this one. Sh!t.