The Alpha

Scarlet's POV

While distracted, Andromeda flings a purple light at a beam above me and the loud burst of splintering wood fills the room. "Look out!" Ethan yells as he quickly reaches out and wraps his arms around my waist as he pulls me into his hard chest. The beam comes crashing down in front of us, right where I had been standing a second before. Debris and dust fly up around it and as it settles, I spot the witch. Violet smoke begins circling the floor around Andromeda before wrapping around her and the next thing we know she has disappeared before our eyes.

Everything happened so fast that I stand there in a moment of shock. Ethan releases me and throws the heavy timber aside as he pushes his way through the mess. He is trying to chase after Lucien as I notice the hidden passage behind a bookcase. It is cracked open and Lucien is no longer cowering on the floor. While I was focused on Andromeda, he must have made his escape. Ethan shoves the bookcase away and looks into the dark tunnel. He lets out a frustrated growl that thunders around us as he sends his fist into the frame, sending fragments of wood and stone scattering. His eyes turn glossy as he uses his mind-link.

behind me startles me and I turn to see that we aren't alone. Several other members of the Crescent Moon Pack are standing there though they all have their heads bowed with their faces tinted pink. They seem to be afraid to look up at me. Ethan comes up along my side. I look over at him and see his eyebrows furrowed as he seems to notice his men's weird behavior. Then he turns to me. A low, threatening snarl rumbles through his gritted teeth as his eyes roam my body. I look down and instantly remember what I had been wearing. Suddenly I feel incredibly exposed. You can see literally everything through the sheer gown that Lucien had put me in while I was unconscious. The thought immediately makes me feel nauseous again as Ethan moves to stand in front of me, blocking me from view. "Jonah, pass me a change

out a t-shirt and sweatpants. Ethan gruffly takes the clothes and orders them to wait in the hallway before closing the door. "Hurry up and put these on. Lucien has probably already alerted his guards of our presence, so we need to leave," he says as he shoves the outfit into my hands. I hastily begin dressing as he lets out another growl, drawing my attention to him. "What did he do to you? I— I could feel him..." he continues, before drifting off as he gets choked up,

his gaze and see that it has landed on the painting I had spotted when I first woke up. His eyes travel across the other pieces and lands again when he sees one that seems to be an aerial view of the bed I had been strapped to. In it, my wrist and ankles are bound just like they had been in real life. However, in the portrait I am completely naked

my best to see what he sees. My mark, that had been mostly healed, now looks fresh again as though only a few hours old. When I look back to him, his gaze comes up to

did to me. That is one of the worst parts of all. I have no idea how long I had been unconscious. There is no way for me to know what might have transpired during that time. The more I think