POV: Alpha Dorian Graves
Blood dripped from my mouth as I pulled myself up from the ground. My ribs screamed in pain. Elias had beaten me badly, but I wasn't finished. Not by a long shot.
"Get up," I growled to myself. "Alphas don't stay down."
The forest around me was quiet now. Elias and Amara were long gone, running toward the Blood Moon pack house, leaving me behind like yesterday's trash.
My wolf howled inside me, angry and hurt. We had failed to take Amara—the one person who might help me bring back my mate. But loss wasn't the end. It was just a reason to try harder.
I spat blood and checked my bruises. Three broken ribs, a twisted shoulder, and cuts everywhere. Nothing that wouldn't heal.
"You look terrible," a voice said from the dark.
I spun around, ignoring the pain, claws extending automatically. "Show yourself!"
A tall man stepped into the moonlight. His face looked a lot like Elias's, but older, harder. I knew who he was without being told.
