“Put the gun down.”

Clari glowered as Lyon stepped closer. Her hand slashed towards him; the barrel of the gun pointed towards his head. Her eyes heated so much that it made him pause. Richard’s hand slid around my bicep and he tried to pull me back.

“Stay the fuck away. I don’t care what’s going on, give me Lys and we will leave,” She snarled, and my mind flashed to when Dean did the same and the wild thought that she was a werewolf too flittered through my mind.

Fingers numb at the idea, my breath slipped from my lungs and I didn’t fight Richard as he pulled me away from the rail to safety.

“You’re out numbered,” Dean snapped, his fists balling at his sides. The others stood behind him, save for the men from original room. The other Alpha’s. The fanned around him, each with their legs planted, knees slightly bent as if they were itching to launch themselves at her. Eyes glittered in the natural light and even from my far back view I could see some of them shimmered unnaturally.

“Yet I have the gun, ass-wipe. You have no say. I know she is here; I know she came to you. I’m the bitch that found your location, now give her to me!”

The gun was once again pointed towards him and screams reached me as a shot ran out. Debris sparkled around his feet as she shot the tiles between his legs. Dean didn’t flinch as the sound echoed around the room. One scream rang out louder than the rest.

“CLARI THE FUCK?!”

Her eyes whipped up to the stairs as I jerked away from Richard and darted to the steps. I lunged down them and launched across the floor. Her eyes followed me but her hands were still stubbornly on the gun, waving it at any who got closer to her.

I slipped, however, on the tiles and Deans arm latched itself around my waist as I almost crashed into him. He spun me behind him, but I darted beneath his arm to stand before him. Holding my hands out wide, I gawked at the woman before me.

“What are you doing?!”

“Me?!” She screamed, thankfully pointing the gun away from me. Instead, it was now levelled at the dark curly haired Alpha, Richard informed me was called Misha. His lips curled in distaste at the gun.

“Put the gun down.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?! The last I heard from you was a short phone call where it ended with something breaking and you screaming! I thought you were dying! And you’re telling ME to put the gun down?! Fuck you, I wont!”

“Clarissa Devereux, look at me,” I spoke softly, watching her eyes dart frantically around the room. A shadow crossed the open doorway behind her, and I narrowed my eyes. Stepping forward, I shrugged Dean’s hand from my shoulder and eased closer. Whoever was thinking of sneaking up on her was a fool.

“I thought you were dead!” She screamed; her voice trembled along with the grip of her gun. “You vanished! The kids vanished! The cops wouldn’t help! I thought-I thought-!”

“I’m ok,” I whispered, sliding closer. Her gun was still pointed, and she snapped it towards me. I stilled as the barrel faced me, but my body tensed further with a hand gripped my arm. “Back off, Dean.”

“She’s not stable,” He snarled as another shadow danced behind her back.

“Neither am I, remember,” I hissed back jerked away. Stumbling towards her, I threw caution away and lunged.

We collided together just as a hand latched onto her hair. Clari wailed as we collapsed to the floor. My fingers tangled with hers causing the gun to clatter away. It skidded across the floor before being snatched up. My other hand gripped onto the wrist of whoever gripped her hair.

We crashed in an awkward heap. Clari was pinned beneath me. Her hand fisted in mine as my knee pressed onto her thigh. She was sprawled on the floor, her upper back crushed between me and the stranger that gripped her hair and throat. She gurgled out a breath as my nails bit into the newcomer’s wrist.

I barely had time to process their features as my hand released Clari’s and my fingers curled into a fist.

“Don’t fucking touch her, mutt!” I snarled, my arm jerking out. My fist collided with their face. Wide eyes, shimmering gold gapped at me as their skin fluttered around my hand as it connected with bone. Her head jerked to the side, her grip loosening and I quickly shoved her away as she fell back.

Twisting my body, I pulled Clari into my arms, my legs curled around her waist as she pressed into my body. Her arms snaked around my neck hugging me close. She shuddered, her body shivering and then she sobbed.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” I whispered, hugging her closer as around us everyone stared.

“You bitch-,” the newcomer snapped. She spun to her knees but paused when I met her gaze. Her light hair tumbled around her face and the reddening mark on her cheek clashed against the creaminess of her skin.

“Never touch what is mine again,” I interrupted, glowering back.

“Samantha, back off,” Lyon advised as he appeared behind her and hauled her to her feet. She snarled, that strange rumbling within her throat, lips rippling upwards to bare her teeth at me.

“Oh, fuck off,” I sighed, exasperated as I gently rocked Clari side to side.

“Well…” Jared mused into the descending silence. “This was certainly entertaining.”

Time passed and Clari clung to me but eventually it was Richard and Melinda who calmed the situation and guided Clari and I to a separate room. We sat together on the couch and she gripped my hand. Her other hand fluttered around my face, to the marks before dancing over my body.

“What happened to you?”

“Nothing important.”

She glowered at my response, her gaze darting to Richard who watched us from the opposite couch. My eyes levelled with his before glancing back to her. She had placed herself on the couch so she could watch the entrance, windows and the others. I bit down on my lip; this girl had seen too many crime shows to be safe.

“You’re lying to me,” She grumbled, and I winced. Again those stupid shows made her too perceptive to things. “What are they doing to you?”

“Clari it’s not-.”

“Where are the boys?” She cut off and removed her hands from me. Standing she paced back and forth before me. “Where are my babies, Lyssa? Why are you chilling out here? Does he have them? Is that what this is? He’s holding them against you?!”

“What?!” I yelped lurching to my feet to jump in her way. “No! I am not chilling out here! We are working to find them!”

“Without the police?! Proper help? Oh, come on! What bullshit has he been feeding you?!”

“You have no idea! So shut the fuck up!”

Her lips parted and I could see the whites of her beautiful eyes as she gawked at me. Hands flexing at her sides, Clari inhaled deeply and forced her body to turn away from me. She tensed and I eased a step back casting a look to Richard, wondering if she was going to twist into a beast like them.

“How can you not care that they are missing? You are in this fucked up place, you’re cut and hurt but you won’t tell me, your sister, anything?!”

Her words lashed at my heart, they whipped the fragile muscle and scarred it. My lips twisted and I exhaled. My fingers pressed to my sides, biting into my body through my top. “Clari, how can you say that I don’t care?”

“That’s what it looks like!”

“The cops can’t help! No one but these people can!”

“I can!”

“How?! Clari you have no idea what is going on or where they are! No one does!”

“But I tracked the bastards email! Can your fucked-up buddies do that much?!” She whirled on me, throwing a scathing look to Richard who’d jolted to her feet. I thought it was at her words, but his eyes swivelled to the door that was flung up and in marched Dean.

“Tell me where they are.”

Fuck.