ELIAS
After the mindlink with Atlas, I scooped a limp Aria from the ground, about to leave when I heard a low growl behind me.
"Where do you think you're taking the girl to?"
I picked up five scents from different directions—in front of me, at my side, and above me. Shit. I was surrounded. How was I not able to tell sooner?
"I asked you a question!" The voice snarled.
I kept my eyes trained ahead, looking at the twisted branches of trees. "What do you want with her?" I questioned, my voice steady as I thought of an escape route out of the mess I was currently in.
"How does it concern you? She's ours to take and not yours." He said.
The corner of my eyes twitched, while my arms tightened around Aria's body. "She's under my care. So, she's my concern."
"Your concern?" He guffawed, and the sound pissed me off. "You're just a low-ranked mutt. Have you forgotten she's a participant in this game? So, she's not your concern because you're nobody. Definitely not an Alpha!"
