"What about everyone else?" I asked for the second time.
I still wasn't convinced that sneaking me out was a good idea. I couldn't understand why we weren't bringing the others along with us either.
"You don't think they will notice four missing Alphas and their mates?" Christian sarcastically replied.
I rolled my eyes, "Did you happen to notice the intelligence of some of those wolves? They weren't exactly Einsteins up there."
"Ari," Fiona interrupted again before my temper flared, "Don't feel guilty because you are leaving us behind. We will be fine here."
She knew exactly how I was feeling inside. It wasn't fair for Dante to take me out of here while they stayed in the old, musty basement. But I understood. It was safer for them down here. With a war being inevitable, we needed them to stay alive and well. The hunters would inadvertently keep them that way.
"It will be okay, Arianna," Bruce agreed.
Dante reached out and stroked my cheek soothingly. My nerves calmed down when I pushed my face into his warm hand. Heat flowed from the center of his hand through my body before he pulled away.
"You two need to get going before they notice he has been gone for too long," Daniel warned us.
"We will only have a few minutes to move once I get you free. The hunters won't be able to hear the noise but the other wolf shifters will surely be woken up," Dante whispered in my ear.
I nodded my head to let him know to proceed. His hands worked quickly and he broke the chains pinning me to the wall. The metal clinked onto the ground when he dropped the broken bindings.
"Good luck," a few of the Alphas called out.
Dante swept his arm under my knees so he could carry me up the stairs. I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck.
It was hard to concentrate when every time I inhaled his scent dominated my senses. But I forced myself to push the hormones to the back of my mind. A distraction would be the difference between life and death in this building. My senses needed to be focused on all the hunters and shifters in the place.
"Steady your heart and keep quiet," he whispered.
His lips softly brushed across mine when he stopped in front of the basement door.
"Wait."
He abruptly stopped. The hand that wasn't holding me against his chest paused on the door handle. I tightened my arms around his neck and hastily pressed my lips against his. Warmth erupted in the pit of my stomach from the simple touch. It was a feeling that I didn't think I would ever get used to.
After a couple of seconds I reluctantly pulled away. I placed my forehead against his as I remembered what we were supposed to be doing.
"What was that for?" he asked.
The stairwell was dark but I knew he was grinning.
"I needed reassurance before we stepped out there."
"Reassurance?"
"That you were really here and you weren't going anywhere."
"Ari, I am taking you out of this place. When this is all over, I am locking you in our bedroom and we are never leaving. Ever."
I stifled a laugh, "That's good to know, Alpha Dante."
"First things first though. Let's get you out of here."
He pushed the door open slowly so the old piece of wood wouldn't make any noise.
The first two hallways were pitch black and empty. Neither of us could hear breathing or heartbeats of hunters or shifters.
"Shit," Dante swore under his breath.
"What is the matter?" I whispered.
"I can't remember which door we came through."
He placed me on the ground and we stood in front of three different hallways. I had never been here before but Dante seemed to actually know his way around with this small exception.
"Should we split up?"
"No," he immediately spoke.
"Are you sure you don't remember which way to go?"
Dante shook his head then nervously ran his hand over his head. He took a deep breath before closing his eyes to think it over.
"It's not the one on the right. That leads deeper into the building."
"So which one is it?"
"I'm not sure."
"I think it's the middle one," a sharp voice echoed down one of the hallways.
The moment the voice spoke Dante swiftly placed his body in front of mine for protection.
"No, I think it's the left one," another voice echoed down a different hallway.
I pushed my body into his back to reassure myself. My heart thrashed wildly against my ribcage in fear. The hair on my arms stood up when I felt hot, sticky breath on the back of my neck. A sharp blade pressed into my back.
My hand slowly reached forward to grip Dante's hand as I tried to alert him of my situation. But the hallway was plunged into darkness and Dante was no longer in front of me.
"Dante?"
"Don't move," the man finally spoke, "or my blade will pierce your spine and you will never walk again."
I stiffened at his threat. I began to squirm but he pushed the blade further against my back. The tip started to break the skin.
'Dante, where are you?' I called out to him in a panic.
'Ari?' someone else called back.
"Don't even think about answering your mind link," the attacker growled before shoving me down the middle hallway.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Shut up!"
He opened the door to our left and pushed me into a room. I stumbled over my feet before regaining my balance.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"I found her trying to escape."
"How?"
"I'm not sure. I found her wandering the hallways."
"Arianna."
"What?"
"Tsk tsk, where are your manners young lady?"
I scoffed, "You don't deserve any manners from me, Johnny."
"How did you escape?"
"Like I would tell you."
He nodded his head to the man who took me to the room. He brought down the hilt of his blade into my shoulder. Blunt pain seared in my back but I refused to show them any weakness.
"I am going to ask you one more time. How did you escape?"
"And I am going to tell you one last time, I am not going to tell you."
"Take her back to the basement."
A deep voice rumbled with laughter, "Over our dead bodies."
As if appearing out of thin air, I was suddenly flanked by Teague, Cooper, and Logan. So many questions swarmed my mind. How the hell did they get in here? Where was Dante? What was going on? But now wasn't the time for twenty questions.
"That can easily be arranged."
Logan grabbed my wrist and pulled me to his side. Cooper and Teague stared down Johnny. There were only a few hunters inside the room with us. It was nothing too hard for the two muscular wolf shifters to handle.
'Are you hurt?'
'I am fine, Logan. Where is Dante?'
'He is gone already. He lost you in the hallways but he found us outside and sent us in to get you. He wanted to come back to find you but I forced him to start going to the first territory. We will meet up with him there.'
'What about the other Alphas?'
'We don't have time, Ari. We will come back for them another day, I promise.'
"Rick, why don't you show these shifters here just how much training we have been doing in their absence," Johnny smirked, motioning to my captor.
"Teague."
"It would be my pleasure Alpha female," Teague smiled with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
He cracked his knuckles threateningly and stepped up to the hunter.
'We don't have time for this Ari.'
'I know but we need to distract them long enough to get away Logan.'
'Arianna, get out of here. Cooper, Logan, and I can handle the hunters. Bobby and Kevin are waiting for you at the entrance. They will take you to Dante.'
'They are what?'
I could almost feel the grin on Logan's face from his happiness at my anger towards Dante. What was he thinking bringing two younger wolves along? How could he even think that was a good idea for Bobby and Kevin to be anywhere near these dangerous men?
'They are fine, Ari,' Cooper reassured me, 'Once you get outside you will know where to find them. Once the hunters are distracted, you run.'
Teague didn't wait another moment for me to argue. He crouched low and charged at Rick. Cooper quickly pushed a shift into his wolf and jumped past me at two hunters that were eagerly looking at me.
Logan had been guarding me but the minute Johnny made a move for me he lunged at him. It was no secret to any of them the hatred that burned inside of me for the hunter or his weird homicidal rage against me.
His eyesight hadn't left me the moment I entered the room. But now his main focus shifted to Logan. I wanted to stay to watch over the men I loved dearly but I knew I wouldn't get a better chance to escape than I would at this time.
Once I was sure Johnny was no longer watching my movements, I quickly slipped back out the door. It didn't take me very long to find the exit. I was lucky not to run into any more of the enemy.
'Kevin? Bobby?'
'We are by the trees. We will come over and meet you.'
'No, stay where you are and I will come to you. Are you shifted?'
'Yes.'
'Good, stay that way. I am not going to stop. As soon as you see me start running and don't look back no matter what.'
'But Alpha Dante told us-'
'I don't care what he told you. I am telling you now that under no circumstances are you to look behind you. Do you understand?'
'Yes Arianna.'
I sniffed the around me for their scent. I instantly found them in the trees to the left of the building. I stripped down and focused on pushing my body through a hasty shift.
My paws crunched against the cold snow as I bounded for the forest ahead of me. Voice started shouting from the building behind me. I glanced to the side to make sure the boys were following me.
Two small wolves were nipping at my flank. I was thankful they listened to me for once and weren't looking back at the large group of hunters chasing us. We were much faster than them. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that we could make it to the next territory.
I was more worried about the three men and the family I left behind with the hunters in the old abandoned building. All I could do was throw a silent prayer up to the heavens that my father was watching over my family.
'Move faster, Ari!' Teague shouted.
A knife sailed through the air and narrowly missed my head. The blade sank deep into the bark of the nearby tree. The assailant must have been strong to make that kind of impact.
'Boys, keep moving faster!' I desperately ordered as another knife flew by us.
Teague and the others finally caught up with us. He flanked my left side while Cooper and Logan watched the back. The boys weren't in danger any longer with them by their sides.
After ten minutes of continuous running we finally lost the hunters. The boys were out of breath and complaining about the exercise. But I wasn't going to allow them to rest until my mate was in the same room as me once again.
'Where are we going?'
'Daniel's territory is first,' Cooper answered.
'We should be going to Christian's.'
'Why?'
'I want to check on his mate.'
'So he really has found her?'
'Yes and she has been hiding in his pack house for weeks now. I need to make sure she is safe. His will be the next.'
"Ari!"
Dante breathed a sigh of relief when we finally came into sight of the Dark Hills pack house. His hand brushed against my fur and he pulled me tightly against his chest. I whimpered at his touch and nuzzled my head against his arms.
"I am so sorry I left you. When we got lost in the hallway I had no idea where you went. The others wouldn't let me go back in to find you."
'It's okay Dante. I am here now and everyone is safe.'
"Are you sure you forgive me?"
'There's nothing to forgive.'
"Let's go inside. Carla is waiting for us. She left last night so she could talk to her pack for us. I thought it would make things go faster and smoother if she was here. I am sure she will have something for everyone to change into."
'Lead the way.'