Stolen and Forgiven (Branded Packs #1)(19)

“Just don’t let me screw up. Okay?”

He leaned down and kissed her softly, surprising them both. “I won’t. Now let’s go. We can’t be late, and I don’t want us to be the last ones there. Remember. Blend.”

He gripped her hand and followed Soren out of the house. They made their way to the center of the compound, their senses on alert. Holden felt his wolf growl, but he remained silent. As they walked, others came out of their small homes and joined their party, flanking Ariel, shielding her from outsiders. If he hadn’t been watching it, he would have missed it. They’d done it so subtlety, that it looked perfectly normal. But he knew his wolves; this was deliberate. He didn’t know if they were protecting her for themselves or for Ariel’s sake, but either way, he loved his Pack right then.

She would be their Alpha along with him. It wasn’t an easy task, but if they got through this, then they would be one step closer to Ariel taking her place at his side.

They gathered with the others in the center of the compound, the tension rising with every passing minute. The place wasn’t that big so it wasn’t as if anyone had to walk far to get anywhere. However, the guards and SAU liked to demonstrate their power by taunting the Pack with a casual urgency in their movements that kept him on edge.

There was a reason Holden had gone for a run the night he found Ariel. Being Alpha was almost too much for any one person. Ariel being by his side almost soothed him even with the added complications and secrecy. He couldn’t explain it, but maybe one day, he’d ask another true mated couple to see if it was the result of the mating or was it Ariel herself who helped him breathe again? She should have been a wreck after what happened, yet she kept it together, holding her head high as she rolled her shoulders back.

He’d never been so f*cking proud.

He scented the humans before he could see them. The others around him shifted from foot to foot, the anxiety mounting. Ariel put her hand on his back in order for him to keep his hands free. Smart girl. The guards knew he was Alpha, even if at first they’d tried to deny any from of hierarchy when it came to animals. After all, they made Holden brand his Pack because of the position he held. They kept a watchful eye on him whenever they entered the compound and would notice a woman by his side. He just hoped they didn’t recognize her. The SAU, though organized, held too many cards too close to the chest. He’d noticed over time that not all arms of their organization talked to one another. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary if not everyone knew what she looked like. If they did…well he was f*cked.

They all were.

“We’ve heard there’s a dead human on your grounds,” a member of the SAU announced with no preamble. “We will be searching the dwellings and the forested area for her remains. Once we find the body, there will be repercussions. You know the law. You kill one human; we kill ten shifters. It’s only right, after all. You’re lucky we don’t exterminate the lot of you animals.”

Holden ground his teeth together. As far as he was aware, none of his people had ever killed a human. They’d fought for their lives after the Verona Virus and before they were collared, but that had been during what was essentially a war and long before the laws that now held them captive were passed.

He didn’t answer their taunts, didn’t tell them he had nothing to hide. After all, that was a lie. He could hear Ariel’s breath coming in pants even though he knew she tried to calm herself. As it was, his hands were fisted at his sides, and he could sense the aggression of the others around him. Being told they were nothing, that they had no rights and deserved death and not being able to do anything about it was the worst from of impotence. He couldn’t protect his mate, couldn’t protect his people…he could do nothing but take the verbal lashing while the humans searched their homes, as if they meant nothing to them.

Soren leaned closer, brushing his shoulder against his. Holden calmed down fractionally. His best friend, his Beta, was there. At least that was something. If it weren’t for the children held in their mother’s and father’s arms, and the submissives who couldn’t fight because their wolves craved nurture instead, they might have had a chance. But the bullets in the guards’ guns tore through flesh and bone, taking out life in swift and too casual measures.

Protecting his people wouldn’t come from teeth and claws.

It would come from words and secret alliances that, if they were to come out in the open, would kill them all.

However, he couldn’t think about that. He could only think about the men in front of him, taunting him with their power, and the woman behind him, the one who could destroy his fragile hold on control.

One of the guards moved forward, his gaze on Holden. The man held his gun to his chest, his finger near the trigger but not on it.

“Is there something you want to say, Alpha?” The man sneered the title, but Holden didn’t care about that as much as he should. This peon wasn’t Pack, but an extension of hatred that didn’t have a true cause. Fear led them and their actions. Holden wouldn’t allow that to be the same of his people.

He tilted his head, looking more wolf than man. A clear taunt, but with so many witnesses, it would be hard pressed for the guard to do anything about it. Sure, he could try to beat the shit out of Holden—again—but that would only lead to more tension.

“Did you hear me? I asked you a question.” The young guard looked as if he hadn’t been born during the Verona Virus. So f*cking young and so little brains.