Marked By Destiny: Claimed By Three Alpha Brothers-Chapter 182: Protect my daughter

Deep within the forest, a wolf sprinted between the towering trees, its paws thudding against the damp earth. Suddenly, a gunshot rang, flinching the tiny wild animals. The bullet tore into a tree trunk, splintering the bark, close enough that the wolf felt the sting of wood fragments brush past its fur.

A second shot rang out. This time, the silver bullet found its mark, piercing the wolf’s front leg. He yelped and stumbled, tumbling helplessly down a steep slope. Luckily, the bullet had just passed through his leg, else the wolf would have died on spot.

Ths wolf was quick to shift back into his human form. In appearance, he looked in his fifties. His arm was injured and blood had soaked his sleeve. A jagged scar stretched from the corner of his mouth to his left eye, making his grimace all the more fearsome.

With trembling hands, he tore a strip from his shirt and bound it tightly around his wounded arm, hissing as the fabric pressed against the bleeding flesh. From above, muffled voices carried through the trees which were of the hunters, still searching for him.

The man forced himself to his feet. He had to keep going. Somewhere ahead, hidden in the depths of the forest, he needed to find shelter, a place to survive the night.

At last, his search ended when he stumbled upon a small, empty cave hidden among the rocks. He dragged himself inside and slumped against the damp stone wall with his ragged breath. With shaking fingers, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He winced as he pressed the screen and dialed a number.

"Renzo," he rasped when the call connected. "Where are you?"

"Grayson?" came the urgent reply. "I’m at the border, just as you ordered. But where are you? Your signal vanished."

Grayson clenched his teeth, sweat dripping down his scarred face as the pain surged in his arm. "I’m stuck in a forest. I don’t even know where. By some luck, there’s still a signal. Listen to me carefully, Renzo. Aaron is hunting my daughter. Protect her at all costs. I heard she’s with the Calandrino brothers."

"I will," Renzo vowed quickly. "But send me your location so I can—"

"No!" Grayson snapped even as weakness dragged at him. "This forest is crawling with hunters. Don’t come for me. Do what I told you, protect my daughter. Promise me, Renzo."

"Of course, Grayson. But at least send me your location," Renzo pleaded. "Please. I’ll send help for you."

Grayson exhaled heavily, his strength waning. With a faint hum of acknowledgment, he ended the call. His eyes dropped to the dim screen, the battery of his phone was low. With trembling fingers, he quickly sent his location before letting the phone slip to his side.

His other hand fumbled inside his pocket until he found what he needed, a syringe. Prepared for nights like this, he had brought the antidote for silver poisoning.

Gritting his teeth, he jabbed the needle into his vein and pressed the plunger. A burn spread through his body, chasing away the searing pain. Relief would come soon, though exhaustion pressed heavier on his limbs.

He tossed the syringe aside and glanced at his phone again. A message from Renzo blinked across the screen.

Renzo: "How am I supposed to protect Leia? She doesn’t even know you, or me."

Grayson’s brow furrowed as he read the words, his breath ragged. His vision blurred, but he tapped out a reply.

Grayson: "Think of something. Anything. She must trust you."

His eyelids turned heavy as the effect of the drug started kicking in. He closed them and fell asleep at the very moment.

When he finally stirred awake, he realized that many hours had slipped by. The pain had dulled, but not gone fully. The good thing was that the poison was no longer in his system.

Reaching for his phone, he squinted at the screen. A message from Renzo glowed back at him.

Pushing himself to his feet, he began moving in the direction Renzo had instructed.

"I’m coming to you, Leia. This time nothing can stop me from meeting you," Grayson mumbled under his breath.

~~~~

The next morning, Lucien returned from his run, wiping sweat from his brow, only to find Ronan already in the living room. His hair was damp, freshly washed, and a steaming mug of coffee rested in his hand.

"When did you get back?" Lucien asked.

"Around two," Ronan replied, lifting the mug to his lips. After a slow sip, he lowered it, his expression darkening. "My suspicion was right. The accident was no accident, it was intentional."

Lucien’s jaw tightened. "Are the hunters behind it?"

"That I couldn’t confirm," Ronan admitted. "The man Leia and Rhea brought to the hospital, a lowly omega, drowning in debt, he confessed. Someone paid him to stage the crash right outside Rhea’s house. It wasn’t hard to break him down. But here’s the strange part, the one who paid him is missing. Still..." Ronan leaned forward. "He’s here, Lucien. Somewhere in our pack."

Lucien’s hands curled into fists. The thought of betrayal within their own walls churned his stomach. Without hesitation, he made his decision, Leia had to be brought back before danger found her again.

"You can’t bring her back," Ronan said firmly.

"Why not? Should we just sit here and wait for the hunters to strike again?" Lucien snapped, lowering himself heavily onto the couch.

Ronan met his gaze steadily. "Why do you think that man didn’t try to harm Leia last night?"

Lucien frowned. "Why?"

"Because a Sentinel was posted nearby," Ronan explained, his tone grim. "That’s the only reason she’s safe right now. But the hunters... They’ve changed their tactics." He set the mug down, leaning forward. "I’ve discovered something disturbing. They’ve developed a drug, one that gives them wolf-like traits. The scent, the aura. Just enough to confuse us. It makes it harder, sometimes nearly impossible, to tell them apart from our own kind."

Lucien’s eyes widened at the revelation. If hunters could cloak themselves in wolf-like traits, then Leia’s danger was far greater than he had imagined.

"Then we should bring her back here quickly," he urged.

"No," Ronan countered, his voice steady. "I’ve already made a plan."

"Tell me," Lucien demanded.

"I’ve stationed our most trusted wolves, all betas, around Rhea’s house," Ronan explained. "And since you’ve marked Leia, if she falls into danger, we can teleport to her instantly. What we need now is not to hide her away, but to draw the hunter out, and catch him before he strikes again."

Lucien’s expression tightened, his worry etched plainly across his face.

Sensing it, Ronan added gently, "I understand your fear. But I don’t want Leia to feel like she’s a burden to us. She’s lived most of her life free, without any of us interfering. If we cage her now, she’ll feel trapped. And that will only push her further away. I mean, she won’t tell it us anymore, but her actions will tell it us with time. That’s why this time we will let her do what she wants while making sure we save her."

Lucien’s lips curved into a faint smile; Ronan’s reasoning had struck something within him. "I’ve made another decision," he said quietly. "I’m going to free Delia."

Ronan nearly dropped his mug. "What? Why? Don’t tell me you’re starting to trust her!" he exclaimed.

Lucien shook his head. "She made an unbreakable vow with me. She’s filled with regret for what she did. I can see it. But that doesn’t mean I trust her completely." His gaze hardened, though his tone softened as he continued. "What I saw was in Leia’s eyes. She wants Delia to live, though she hides it from us. She’s afraid that her wish could bring disaster if spoken aloud. I’ll do this for her. For Leia."

He leaned back, smiling. "This is the first time I’ve ever placed trust in a witch."

"Yeah... you’re changing too," Ronan muttered, a hint of wonder in his voice. "Because of Leia. I’ve become oddly calm, even talkative, and that’s thanks to her as well. How did these changes even happen to us?"

Both brothers chuckled in joy.

"That’s what love does," Lucien said with a faint smile. His gaze drifted around the room. "Is Kieran still not awake?"

"Not yet," Ronan replied. "And as for Grandma, she’s gone out to the garden for a stroll."

"Yes, I met her earlier," Lucien murmured with concern. "Kieran is more upset about her than any of us."

Ronan exhaled heavily, his voice low. "And nothing can be done about it. That’s the saddest part."

"I’ll go and freshen up," Lucien said, rising from the couch before heading upstairs.

Inside the washroom, he removed off his running clothes and stepped into the shower. The cold water struck his skin, cascading down his tense muscles. He tilted his head back, closing his eyes.

So many things were unraveling at once. He closed his eyes and let his mind shut for a while.