The Wolf Within (Purgatory #1)(49)
Author: Cynthia Eden

What the hell?

But he wasn’t about to lose focus then. “Next,” Duncan said, and it was a demand.

Only no one else stepped up. Their gazes were on the moaning Charles, and then, one by one, the men lowered their heads.

“Alpha.” Clear. A growl from them all.

Duncan stood before them, body tense and ready for battle. “Why aren’t the guards attacking?” His voice was low, designed to carry only to the paranormals near him.

One man, a werewolf Duncan had never seen before, glanced up quickly at the guards, then his gaze darted to Duncan. The werewolf looked young, barely over twenty, and his face was so pale. “They like to watch us fight each other.”

What?

“When we kill each other,” the young werewolf continued, “that’s one less prisoner for them.”

The werewolves were backing away from Duncan. Slinking away. No more challenges? This was too f**king easy.

Only the pale werewolf was lingering. “You’re gonna be dead soon,” he said as he swallowed. He licked his lips. “You…you don’t want to challenge for alpha.”

Challenge for it? Hadn’t he just damn well won the title? The competition had been slim.

But the werewolf crept closer even as Charles crawled away. “They weren’t saying you were alpha…they were saying…s-saying they’d let the alpha take you out.”

Oh, really? “So where the hell is he?”

“He…he sliced open the last new werewolf and went with the guards to the infirmary. They…they let him do whatever he wants. He said…” The werewolf glanced over his shoulder. “He smelled something sweet in the air and w-wanted a bite.”

The thunder of Duncan’s heartbeat echoed in his ears.

Something sweet.

There was only one sweet thing in Purgatory. And he’d left her in the infirmary.

“The last werewolf,” Duncan forced himself to speak. “Did you get his name?”

A fast shake of the guy’s head. “He went down too fast. Alpha…the alpha knew him. Said h-he’d finish him this time.”

Fuck, f**k, f**k.

Duncan spun away and ran back for the silver doors that had sealed behind him. He shoved his fist against those doors. “Let me out!” He had to get back to the infirmary. Back to Holly.

She’d said that she would leave. Be gone. Please, be gone.

The door began to dent beneath his hammering fists. Guards shouted for him to stop. Oh, now they were getting involved? Screw that.

The escape was supposed to go down at any time. They were cutting it to the wire. The alpha was gone. Duncan was betting that his trip out of general population had been perfectly timed so the fellow could work on the escape. Like there’d be an escape without the alpha’s permission.

Don’t be near Holly. Don’t. Be.

And he was in the wrong damn place. If he’d just stayed with her for a few more minutes…

The plan was screwed.

He kept pounding with his fists. Started to carve up that metal with his claws.

“Stand down!” A shout from above. Duncan guessed they’d just realized the silver wasn’t working to control him. “Stand down, or we will fire!”

Let them. He had to get out of there, and if it took some silver bullets to the back in order to get the job done, he was ready for the pain.

Holly was in the infirmary. He suspected that Connor was there, too. He sliced open the last new werewolf. If he needed to bleed in order to get his ass taken there, so f**king be it.

He slammed his fists into the door again.

And the silver bullets slammed into his back.

***

“You bitch!” But the words were said with admiration. Admiration? The werewolf with Duncan’s eyes stumbled back and yanked the scalpel out of his shoulder. He’d been too close for her to hit his heart.

Next time.

The doors swung open behind him, and guards came in. Gray uniformed, armed guards. “Help me!” Holly cried out. “The prisoners are—”

They were dragging someone in behind them. A man with blond hair. His green prison jumper was soaked with blood.

He moaned, the sound heavy with pain.

Connor?

“Leave him,” the werewolf—he shouldn’t have Duncan’s eyes—snapped to the guards.

They dropped Connor and turned for the door.

“Stop!” Holly shouted at them. “Help me!”

But they kept going.

And the big werewolf laughed as his men grabbed Connor’s body and tossed him onto the nearest gurney.

“Helping you isn’t on the agenda for tonight,” the werewolf told her. “Those men…they know they need to get someplace safe and hunker down if they want to survive the night.”

She jumped back. Grabbed another scalpel. She held it in front of her. “Who are you?”

He tilted his head. “Isn’t it obvious?” He lifted his hands. “I’m the alpha, and I’m gonna be clawing you wide open.” His gaze drifted to Connor. “Just like I did to my sorry excuse for a son.”

Son. She’d already known that. Her fingers clenched around her weapon.

“The monsters are breaking out tonight, and I’m leading them to freedom.”

His men laughed behind him. They were blocking the door. Locking her in.

“I just needed an excuse to be brought here. Attack the new werewolf, get him so injured he had to be brought to the infirmary…and, of course, the guards were only too eager to do my bidding.”

“You attacked your own son?”

“Not like it’s the first time.” Anger tightened his face. “Fool thinks he has what it takes to be alpha. Only Con never had the killer instinct.”

“Y-you do.”

He leapt toward her. Shoved aside the table she’d stupidly hoped would be some kind of protection. “Yeah, I do.” His gaze fell to the scalpel. “Where you gonna shove that one?”

“I was thinking in your heart.”

He smiled. “Let’s see how that works for you.”

She would have to be fast. Because she knew he was planning to sink his claws into her this time. If he took her head, then—

The infirmary doors swung open.

“I told you to stay the f**k out!” The big werewolf bellowed as he swung around.

Only this time, the guards were different. Not the quick-to-obey men before. Men who’d been working with the werewolves.

These guys looked shocked to see the werewolves in the infirmary, and they immediately drew their weapons.