‘Wow, you really weren’t kidding when you said crazy. What if they hurt Kylee?’ she replied.

My inner wolf didn’t like her challenging my order. But an Alpha did what was good for the whole of a pack, not just one, and Chelsea more than anyone, would understand. She wouldn’t want any other girls to get pregnant. ‘Then you hurt Chelsea. Just enough to get their attention.’

‘Shit,’ Sadie said.

Shit was right. It was risky but needed to be done. We couldn’t cower anymore and let them play us against each other.

‘Chelsea, I promise I wouldn’t do something if it weren’t for the good of the pack,’ I told her.

I felt her nerves run through the pack bond. She had just been taken back to the room of girls and seeing the freaky baby again had affected her. She wanted it out. Now.

‘What’s going on?’ Chelsea asked.

‘I am alone in the room now and I have a way out of the cage. I need a distraction so I can free Kylee and get us all out of here. I ordered Sadie to use you as a hostage. To hurt you to send them a message.’

At first I got nothing from her. Blank. No feelings. Then Acceptance. Pride. Trust.

‘It’s a good idea. Let’s do it,’ she said.

Something settled inside of me. These girls, though I barely knew them, were my pack now. Family. I had to get us all out of here. Using my free left hand, I pulled a few hairs from my head. Wincing, I detached the blood bag from my IV cuff, dropping it to the floor. Then I let the tubing drip blood into my open left hand and saturate the hairs there. Next, I closed the clamp, pinching the IV shut.

Making a fist with my left hand, I squeezed the blood and hair together.

I took a few deep breaths, centering myself and closing my eyes, calling on my magic. “Blood of an Alpha, I give thee. Remove all obstacles that would block my path. I am not lost, I am not hidden. Let this blood and hair be a beacon in the night! All who seek shall find me now!” I called out and opened my eyes. It didn’t rhyme but mist saturated the entire room and my skin tingled in response to the spell. I smiled and knew without a doubt that Kai and Sylvia could find me now.

I stuck my blood and hair covered hand out of the small access panel that Layla left open and began to inspect the lock. It was a keyed lock and I hadn’t even noticed the doctor locking it before, so who knew where the key was. I should have paid better attention! I yanked at it hard and produced nothing but a broken nail. The U-shaped loop that the lock was threaded through looked more fragile than the lock itself. Slowly, I began to twist hard to the left and right and saw that the loop was bending. Yes! I began to chant a spell for physical strength, and I felt the Devi rise inside of me, finally ready to end this all. “Blood and Hairs, Strength over fears. Blood and hairs, strength over fears!” Mist covered the lock.

Pain shot through the pack bond. Sadie!

‘What’s going on?’ I had been so focused on the spell casting, I hadn’t paid attention to the diversion. All of a sudden the monitor flared to life and Kylee screamed.

‘These bastards shot me!’ Sadie told me, panting.

‘Hurt Chelsea!’ I ordered. It felt wrong but it was our only hand to play.

I felt Chelsea’s pain shoot through the pack bond as my order was carried out.

Then I yanked the lock, hard. Snap! The lock popped off and I threw it to the ground with a satisfying thunk.

After opening the large cage door confining me, I reached down and began to undo the bindings holding me, just as I heard the door to my room begin to scrape open. No! Releasing the last binding holding my leg and ripping off the arm cuff, I threw myself at the person entering the room with vampire speed. It was the doctor and she had a big, thick metal syringe on her tray. I grabbed it and shoved the point in her chest. Then I spun and kicked it hard with my foot, sending it through her chest as she puffed to ash.

‘It’s a standoff. I’m bleeding pretty bad. Chelsea and Kylee are getting hurt. What do I do?’ Sadie asked weakly.

‘I’m almost to Kylee. Make them know you are serious! You will kill that thing growing inside her belly if you have to,’ I infused the power of the Alpha.

I felt Chelsea double over in pain as I banged on the door to Kylee’s room.

“Queen Layla needs you in the girls’ room!” I shouted, disguising my voice. The door opened and I pushed it back hard, smashing the vampire between the door and the wall.

I held my Alpha blood covered hand over his face. “Sleep,” I whispered, dousing him with magic mist and he crumpled. Witch perk.

The other vampire, who was controlling the torture cage, pushed a button and hundreds of needles pushed into Kylee’s skin. She was naked and lying face down. These bastards were going to die. I reached out and picked up a metal scalpel from a table of torture tools just as the vampire threw himself at me. Pivoting, I blocked his advances easily and kicked him backward, making him stumble to keep upright. He grinned and his fangs lengthened as he jumped up in the air and did a weird cartwheel thing, coming down on my shoulder and knocking the scalpel out of my hands. Ow. Shit! Enough of this human body, I needed my wolf. I tore off my shirt as the vampire looked at my chest distractedly. Then I shifted instantly to my wolf and kicked out of my pants. Lunging, I went for his throat and took him down to the ground, shaking him like a dog shakes a toy. With one quick jerk of my muzzle, I severed his head in my strong jaw. That Alpha power and strength spell had temporarily done something to me.