Sold To The Billionaire Alpha
Chapter 56

Orchid

I blinked, stunned. I turned around slowly, whilst keeping the corner of my eyes trained on a dumbfounded Jaack. Ellie was walking towards us slowly. The way she moved was distinctly different to how I remembered her. I looked at her feet and saw that her stilettos were gone. She was barefoot. Her eyes were coal black. Her features seemed sharper, more angular than before and they were growing less human by the second. Jaack laughed humourlessly.

“Number twelve and thirteen are not so lucky,” said Jaack, shaking his head.

“I’m feeling lucky,” said Ellie or perhaps her “sister.”

“Ellie?” I asked.

“Not quite, almost,” said Ellie’s alter-ego with a sly smile.

Clearly, this self was much more aware. I watched her nails lengthen into talons as fur crept up her hands and arms. Her face morphed as did her body. I could hear her bones cracking out then back into place, forming a new shape. Jaack ran for the gun. I beat him to it and threw it with all my might far away. Shooting him was too easy, too merciful. He didn’t deserve it. Ellie’s she-wolf crouched. I could tell Jaack was debating on whether to run or fight in the split-second that Ellie prepared to pounce.

“Let’s talk about this, girls,” said Jaack, his voice hoarse.

“You’ve talked enough,” I said coldly as Ellie snarled, snapping her jaws. “Us girls are tired of talking to you!”

“Don’t worry, Jaack. Us boys are ready to talk to you, man to man,” said a voice I’d know anywhere.

I had not even heard him approaching us. He was a master of stealth as always. Orion walked right up to me and wrapped me in his arms, lifting me off my feet as he held me. Without a second thought, my lips were on his. We kissed each other hungrily as he hoisted me up so that I could wrap my legs around his waist. We parted and just gazed at each other, both in disbelief.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” I said, my tear-streaked cheeks welcoming tears of joy this time.

Orion wiped my tears away with his thumbs. His body was warm and rock-hard as always. He flashed me his dazzling grin. His handsome face made my heart do somersaults especially he smiled like that.

“I can’t believe I found you! I was so scared,” admitted Orion. “I thought I’d lost you,” murmured Orion, pressing his forehead to mine and brushing his nose against mine while he caressed my cheek. “Please, don’t ever scare me like that again,” he whispered.

A pang of guilt hit me. I knew I should not have gone for that walk in the park with all the craziness that had been going on. I nodded. Orion’s fingers gently trailed over the swollen bruised area on my temple where I had been hit with the rock.

“How did this happen?” He asked, horrified.

His eyes trailed over my body, looking for other injuries. He found the dried b***d splatter on my calf where the gunshot wound had been.

“What happened to you?” He asked.

I was hesitant.

“Orchid,” he prompted, giving me a gentle shake with his hands grasping my shoulders.

He had just set me down on my feet carefully and he was circling me like a hawk.

“We need to get you to the pack doctors,” he said decisively.

“I’m fine,” I insisted.

“You have a head injury and even though that calf wound is healed it must have been pretty significant to bleed like that,” he said, tracing where the dried b***d ran down my calf to my ankle and heel.

“Ok, sure, I’ll let the pack doctors have a look,” I agreed. “Let’s get out of here!” I said eagerly.

There was a group of people waiting patiently behind Orion. They had come in the jeeps with him. I only recognised one of them.

“Talus!” I squealed, flinging myself at him.

He laughed but caught me in a big bear hug.

“The paternity test…you were right. The negative result was false,” said Talus.

“Magnus also got them to rush the new one,” said Orion. “We just got the preliminary result over the phone on the way here,” he said with a knowing smile.

“I’m your daughter?” I said, looking up at Talus.

He opened his arms for me and I rushed into them.

“Yes, you’re my daughter,” he murmured against my hair. “Officially,” he added, kissing the top of my head.

I looked at the group of people watching me with curious expressions. Some of them greatly resembled Talus. Was this my family?

I looked at the jeeps parked in a row behind them. They had come from a different direction than the one I had been going in.

“I was going that way,” I said, pointing straight ahead. “Was that the right way? The way back to you?” I asked Orion.

“No, Baby,” murmured Orion.

He pointed to the opposite direction to where I had been heading. I had been going the right way in the first place before the human Ellie personality had turned me around.

“No wonder it felt like you were taking forever to get here. I was moving further and further away from you, putting more distance between us, going the wrong way,” I lamented.

Orion cupped my cheeks.

“Shh,” he cooed. “It’s okay now. I’ve got you. Everything’s okay now, Baby,” he said sweetly, pulling me back into his arms where I belonged.

Orion kissed the top of my head gently followed by my forehead and the tip of my nose.

“Let’s get out of here,” I murmured into his jacket.

I was looking forward to meeting the people I assumed were relatives but I needed to be away from Jaack first. He was still on the ground, scooting back a little from the large group of wolves while a snarling Ellie in her she-wolf form was keeping a close watch on him. He slowly got to his feet, dusting off his pants.

“I’m afraid you won’t be getting out of here anytime soon or ever really,” laughed Jaack.

Ellie growled lowly at him.

“What makes you say that, boy?” Asked a man who seemed close in age to Talus and resembled him greatly.

That must be his big brother, Timbre. It seemed like they were on speaking terms again.

“My friends are here too,” said Jaack simply, nodding towards the horizon where a group of people were marching towards us.

I sighed. Orion immediately put me behind him.

“I can fight!” I assured him.

“You’re injured,” he said dismissively.

I sighed exasperatedly. I knew that had nothing to do with it. He wouldn’t have let me help even if I had not been injured. There seemed to be over one hundred people in bullet-proof vests armed with guns that were undoubtedly loaded with silver bullets. The vast majority of them were young and middle-aged men. There were a few women scattered throughout the crowd.

A huge werewolf stepped forward. He too looked like Timbre and Talus but he was young, probably Orion’s age and looked to be about seven feet tall. His ash brown hair was long and wild and he was ruggedly handsome. He had surprisingly gentle-looking blue eyes.

“I’m going to give you all one chance to back down!” He thundered in his Alpha voice.

So he was the current alpha of Berryndale then.

“This is your nephew,” I said to Talus.

“Thaddeus,” said Talus, nodding and beaming with pride.

I smiled, happy to see him reconnecting with his family even in these terrible circumstances. I glanced behind us. The wolves had brought a little over fifty warriors. The hunters outnumbered us two to one but I wasn’t worried. Those were very good odds considering the mob I had managed earlier. I half-wished Orion could have seen me. I looked up at him but his eyes were on the armed crowd who did not seem keen on taking Thaddeus’ plea bargain.

“Who is your leader?” Boomed Orion in his own Alpha voice.

Jaack cackled madly where he stood, swaying slightly on the spot near to us.

“This? You?” Said a dark-haired, grey-eyed werewolf with olive skin.

He carried himself like an Alpha too though he was more classically handsome than the others with their rugged good looks. He seemed quite refined and considerably well-dressed for a kidnap rescue operation. Who was he?

“That is Alpha Maze,” said Orion in my ear as if he had read my thoughts. “He and Thaddeus share a Luna, Friday,” explained Orion, nodding in the direction of a young beautiful woman with golden skin, large brown eyes and waist-length dark hair that fell in waves.

She was flanked by her two alphas and nearby stood a girl and guy who both resembled her.

“Are those her siblings?” I asked, showing the two to Orion.

“Yes, half-siblings. Raelynn and Fang,” said Orion.

“The pleasure is all mine!” Exclaimed Jaack, staggering towards Maze who looked like he would snap Jaack in half if Jaack didn’t get worse for wear self away from Maze’s immaculate blazer. “Jaack Howward,” hiccoughed Jaack.

I narrowed my eyes at him. He had been much sharper than this mere minutes ago.

“Wait, did you just say Thaddeus and Maze share a Luna?” I whispered, wondering if I had heard wrong.

“Yeah, she’s fated to both of them. It’s rare but it happens. It’s more common with multiples,” said Orion.

“Like those twins over there,” I said.

“Yes, those are Thaddeus’ little brothers. They’re also your first cousins. Timothy and Titus. Theoretically they would most likely share a mate as identical twins,” explained Orion under his breath as Thaddeus encouraged the hunters to back down so we could all go home in peace. Bisa met my eyes as I looked behind me. I grinned and so did she. She was clutching the arm of the wizard Fox. Hmm.

Perseus was near to them but with no Rose in sight. I figured he would leave her at home where she was safer.

“They’re saying that because they’re outnumbered!” Bellowed Jaack, never missing an opportunity to be a pest.

I searched the faces of the people gathered several yards away. They were not the same suburbanites from last night. I could see the sun peeking out from under the horizon behind them. Dawn was approaching but it was still dark. Jaack continued to stagger about strangely. Why was he acting like that? Like a drunken fool? He had been acting crazy before but now it seemed like he was putting on an act for some reason? I realised what he was distracting us from with his odd behaviour just a moment too late!

He had been stumbling and staggering about so that he could reach the gun on the floor without looking like he was purposefully heading for it. He was going to shoot at close range. Everyone else on our side was focused on the army of hunters. He meant to shoot Ellie in her she-wolf form. I rushed forwards! He would not hurt any of us anymore. He turned the gun on me instead with a knowing smirk on his face as though he had been hoping he could draw me out. I heard the gun fire. The sound was louder than ever. It all happened so quickly. Before I knew it, both Orion and Talus had jumped in front of me, trying to shield me. I did not think they could outrun a speeding bullet. I waited for the explosive pain that came with being shot. I had felt it earlier. The pain did not come. They had moved faster than a speeding silver bullet, Jaack’s last silver bullet apparently. He had certainly made it count. I looked at Orion in horror, my hands running along his chest and torso. The ringing in my ears from being within such a close range to the gunshot was fading.

“Are you hurt?” I cried, grabbing Orion by the shoulders.

“No, are you?” He asked desperately, his eyes scanning me.

I shook my head. I turned to Talus.

“Are you…” I began, pausing mid-sentence when I saw b***d on his shirt from the gunshot wound. The silver bullet had caught him right in his chest. Jaack had shot my birth father, right after I finally found out that I was really his daughter. My body did feel an explosive pain but it was not from a gunshot, it was from my bones breaking as my wolf came roaring to the forefront.