In the Alpha's Bed (Stealing the Alpha Book 3) by Kate Rudolph Page B

in the dining room of EC's. Maya had given the non-fighters their orders. The lions who would be staying behind were already outside, patrolling the streets and picking off the few vampires that dared to attack.
    It was dead silent. No one spoke, no one fidgeted in their seat. They all simply waited for Luke to say the word.
    "Things have gone crazy over the past few weeks," he said. A few of his lions leaned forward, coming to attention. "And tonight is the consequence. There is a coven of witches out there who thinks that they have the right to come in and take this territory from us. Are we going to let that happen?"
    As one voice, the lions replied, "No!"
    "You are the warriors of this pack," Luke's voice grew louder and his heartbeat sped up, adrenaline pumping through him. "It is you who will protect our weak, our innocent. And you will protect all of those people in this town who do not know that they need protection. If any one of you has doubts in this moment, let them go. We are mighty, and we are right. We cannot lose."
    The pack cheered, surging to their feet, ready for the battle ahead.
    "We know where they are, and our witch says that the magic they're preforming means they cannot dedicate a lot of protective magic to defend themselves against us. Their sentries will not have wards, and we will show no mercy."
    His words took a moment to sink in; these lions had never fought witches before. But he didn't see fear in the eyes of his pack members. He saw excitement.
    "YOU KNOW YOUR PART!" Luke brought it home, yelling now. "SO ON TO BATTLE!"
    The shapeshifters along with Krista and Bob poured out of the restaurant, splitting off in half a dozen directions. With Cassie's help, they knew where the witches were. And coming at them in every direction would be the only way to distract them.
    Forty shapeshifters ran after the coven. Luke knew the name, knew the family, and knew the history of every single one of them. Whoever he lost tonight would pierce his heart.
    But he could not focus on that now.
    He ran with Maya, Krista, and Bob. Mel had gone off with Brynne. Those two had taken no others with them, their first goal to find Sinclair and confirm that the bridge was passable. It was the fastest way to the witches and the fastest way to the expressway. If the bridge was out, they'd still be able to face the coven, but they would need to relay the information back to town to ensure that they could get out through the back roads. Jonas and Killian would lead their own teams of lions behind Mel and Brynne.
    Luke wasn't headed for the bridge. He and his contingent took to the woods, headed downhill. They moved slowly. Krista and Bob weren't shifters, they couldn't move as quickly as lions. Cassie, despite the bond with Bob, was still slow. So they moved at an even slower than human pace.
    They made it to the river as the darkness started to stretch under the trees. Dusk approached.
    "We need--" Maya cut herself off when Luke shot her a look. He knew they needed to move faster. But there was nothing to be done.
    He looked up to the sky. It was still overcast, but not threateningly dark. Sunset made the shadows in the forest long before the sun hit the horizon. He also looked out for flares in the sky.
    There were none.
    Good.
    It was Mel's sign that the bridge was impassable or booby trapped. She and Brynne must have reached the bridge by now. So whatever the witches had done to cause that explosion, it hadn't taken out the road.
    An unfamiliar scent tickled at his nose and the air felt thick. Luke held up a hand, stopping his group. He pointed at Krista and mouthed, "Witch?"
    She closed her eyes and loosened her shoulders. The air swirled around her, rustling her shirt. After a moment, she opened her eyes back up, they glowed golden for a moment before settling back to their normal color. She nodded.
    They'd discussed this in their plan. The path they took was bound to be well guarded. It was the only forest trail that