The Alphas Wonder Land Phoenix Mountain Book 9

With Sawyer gone for a few more days, I decided to try and get some more work done on this piece.

I was just finishing up my fifth Greek mythology book when a sound hit my ear.

It was low, dark and it hit my chest like rumbling thunder.

I roll my head to the door of my lab as my jaw falls and my face heats.

I get up and slowly walk to the door.

The growling echoed through the halls.

My eyes well and my body shakes as four large wolves come around the corner.

I swallow and their glowing eyes see me. Their lips turn to a snarl and they lick their lips.

The one in front lets out a massive howl, shattering the glass of my lab.

I cover my ears and scream, dodging the falling glass.

“NO!” I scream and turn. I run fast and the massive wolf paws skid on the marble floor.

“HELP ME!!” I cry out as the wolves skid around the corner behind me.

I hit the stairwell and was about to go up, when I heard boots on the stairs.

I stop dead. My face soaked and filled with fear.

Rex takes slow steps down. His angry eyes find mine.

I step back. “Please. Don’t do this.” I cry.

“We have to Damica. We've been prisoners for long enough.” He says as he takes more steps down.

“I can’t. I can’t help you.” I sob.

I look behind me and two wolves have their large heads in the door I ran through.

He slowly nods. “The Shaman says you can.”

I shake my head. “I can’t. Please.” I whisper.

I back down to the floor I came from. The wolves behind me growl. I look at them and up at Rex. “No. Not again.”

I turn and run down the stairs to the sub basements.

Crying, I enter the dark halls. The heating and electrical banks made the place stifling hot. I’ve barely entered, but I’m already boiling over with fear. The heat is almost unbearable. I’m already soaked in sweat as I run through the halls.

Down here is a literal maze. If I can confuse them enough, I can double back and escape.

I try to stop panicking and think as I run. The wolves are right behind me.

I open a service door and run through the room to its second entrance. On the way through, I grab a monkey wrench off a work bench. If they take me, I’m not going without causing some serious injury.

My bare feet slam the concrete floor as I run. I hear the pants, snarls and paws behind me.

“Keep running. Keep running.” I pant as I hit a set of metal stairs that go further into the basements. I practically fall down them to the next level. It’s storage down here. Old exhibits.

I grab onto a wooden crate and tip it over. It smashes behind me. I grab another one and another. Trying my best to slow them down.

“Damica! You can’t run from us!” I hear Rex say.

Once I get to the end of the storage row. I push on the last shelf with everything I have. Knocking priceless artifacts off it onto the floor.

The shelf blocks the way.

I run down the aisle, passing row after row. There’s stairs that go up at the other end. I need those.

I hear a loud crash. I stop and look behind me as the shelf flies out of the way. The wolf heads enter the aisle I’m in. I scream and run.

Just a few more feet. I see the stairs.

I was just about to get to them when a large crate flew into my path and shattered in front of me. I screamed and skidded to a stop.

Rex jumped over the wreckage.

I held onto the wrench. My fingers wringing its handle as my feet took steps backwards.

I hitched an angry breath. “Don’t come near me.” I grit.

“We need your blood, Dam.” He says in that tone that once gave me comfort.

I shake my head. “It won’t help you. Please. Just leave me alone.”

“I didn’t wait 25 years to leave you alone. We told you we’d come back and here we are.” He holds his hands out as he closes the gap.

“It didn’t work, Rex. It won’t work now.” I say low.

“YES, IT WILL!” He growls loud.

It makes me jump and cling to the wrench even more.

He tilts his head forward. The wolves are at my back, snarling and snapping their teeth. His dark eyes glow gold as they stare into mine. “If I have to take it by force, I will Dam. You know I don’t take no for an answer.”

I’m shaking uncontrollably as my head whips between Rex and the wolves.

He gets closes the gap more and holds out his hand. “Come with us.” He says low and dark.

I look at him with fear, anger and tears in my eyes. “No.” I grit and swing the wrench as hard as I can. The connects with his jaw. His head shoved to the side because of it.

I watch as he slowly turns his head back to me. His jaw ticks. His face now bloody from the deep cut I just made. My eyes watch his skin stitches back together and he wipes the blood off his cheek.

His lips turn to a snarl. “You’re going to have to do better than that.” He reaches for me, grabs my arm and I scream.

Then I hear an angry growl. Both me and Rex look to his wolves. One flies out of the row and hits the wall across from it in the aisle. Another gets pulled into the row. The others go on the attack. Shelves fall.

Rex lets go of me and shifts. He runs to the row opening and is jumped by a fire red wolf.

I hide behind a shelf at the end of the aisle and watch the two wolves fight. The red wolf tears at Rex. The others come and try to pull him off, but he turns on them and fights them back.

Rex gets up and runs into the row.

The room explodes in growls. Shelves fall and artifacts break as the six wolves fight in the basement of the museum.

My jaw drops as a tall shelf with rocks and pottery fall. The shelf crashes to the floor. The sounds stop.

I watch the area. There’s no sounds of movement. I step out from my hiding spot and was about to go look when the red wolf came running out of the row.

My face went to full panic as he ran toward me.

“Stay away from me!!” I yell and swing my wrench. I connect with his head and the wolf hits the floor.

I’m determined to kill him. I lift the wrench again and bring it down. He throws up his paw and it lands on the wrench. The room gets really windy. I watch in horror as the wolf paw changes to a mans hand.

“Damica. It’s me.”

I stare into deep blue eyes. “Sawyer? You…You’re a...” My eyes widen.

He furrows his brow. “No time.” He says in a panic.

He gets up and grabs my hand. “The stairs. Quickly.”

We climb over the wood pieces of the crate.

As we hit the stairs, the sounds of the shelves being thrown come from where Sawyer left Rex.

I pull myself up the stairs and we run through the utility basement.

“Faster.” He growls. He’s right behind me.

I hear the growls and barks coming up fast behind us.

We hit the stairwell and stop. We look at the door.

The paws thunder on the floor. We can feel it in our feet. Sawyer looks at me and I look at him. “Climb.” He snarls.

We climb the stairs as fast as we can. My legs feel like they’re going to fall off. My chest burns, but I have to keep running.

The wolves hit the stairwell and they’re right on our buts.

I look behind me.

“Just run! Don’t look back!” He yells.

We get to the main floor and shove through the door. It’s now a full on sprint to the main lobby and the front door.

“Faster, Damica!” Sawyer barks.

The wolves behind us, skid into the displays as they try to find traction on the marble floor.

I’m running by Sawyers side. My mind is racing. This wasn’t supposed to be real. None of this was supposed to be real. Now, Sawyer?

We get to the front door and I try to key in my code.

The wolves are coming in fast.

“Hurry up!” He grits.

“I’m trying!” I yell.

I finally get it and we push through the door.

We run down the steps and hear the sound of breaking glass.

Shards fly past us.

We hear screaming.

On the steps, we stop and turn.

Two of the wolves are on the ground. They’re now men. They’re acting like they’re being burned, but no fire is around them.

My eyes widen as I see their skin start to boil and then they’re bodies rip apart and explode into black ash.

I yelp and jump. My face full of complete shock. I look at Sawyer.

“That’s different.” He mutters.

My eyes turn back to the doors where Rex and two of his men stand. His evil glare stares us down.

I look at Sawyer and he's delivering the same evil glare. “Let’s go.” He growls without taking his eyes off Rex.

We turn and walk into the parking lot. “My trucks over there.” He points.

I grab his arm. “You’re a shifter?”

He shrugs it off. “We don’t have time. I need to get you somewhere safe.” He continues to walk.

“No, Sawyer. Answer me!” I demand.

He turns. “I said we don’t have time. There is some next level shit going down and I need to fucking think! Now, get your ass in my truck!” He points to the black SUV.

My mouth is small and I stare into his eyes. I swallow and nod.

His angry face looks me over. “I’ll explain everything. I promise. I just…I need to get you safe.”

“Ok.” I squeak.

We get in the truck and drive off.

I’m shaking like a leaf as Sawyer drives through Washington traffic.

He’s naked and looks extremely angry.

“I have to figure this out.” He says as he looks out the windshield. “I need a plan.”

I side eye him. I try to see the wolf under his skin, but all I see is him. The man I thought I could care about. Now, he’s part of my nightmares.

He side eyes me. He looks down. “Shit. Sorry.” He reaches back and pulls out a coat, throwing it into his lap.

I look at my shaking hands and wring them. I try to calm my heart, but I can’t seem to.

I side eye him again. Is he real? Did I see what I did? What does this mean? Have I gone completely insane now? Am I turning my crazy onto Sawyer? If he is, in fact, real, what do I do with it? How am I supposed to feel about this?

His eyes catch mine. “What?”

“Are you real?” I whisper.

He looks away and his eyes close for a second. “Yes, Damica. I am.”

I look away.

He pulls up to a stop light.

I look at him and back out the window. I look at the door.

In a second, I unlock and open the door. I jump out and run for my life.

“DAMICA!”

I’m crying again as I run through the park. My feet hit the grass and I run with everything I have left.

“DAMICA! STOP!”

“NO! STAY AWAY!” I cry out.

My chest heaves with fear and confusion.

“DAMICA!” He’s right behind me and I’m tackled into the grass.

“NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! LET ME GO!” I scream as I fight him off me.

“I CAN’T! BABY, STOP!” He grabs my arms as he holds me.

“Let me go.” I cry in his arms.

“Dami, I can’t. I can’t do that.” He says softly.

“Please.” I beg.

“Trust me. Please. Just trust me.” He holds my head to his chest. “Just trust me.” He whispers.

All I can do is cry as my brain cracks into a million pieces.