Page 54 of His Arranged Plus-Size Mate

The guys didn’t know. None of them knew.

The longer we stood there, the more the air started to shift. I could feel a tingle of the dark pull, which meant the others would feel it even more. The wind blew, and you could smell it. I scrunched up my nose.

We noticed people running in the distance coming toward us. I watched as a handful of hybrids followed them. My mouth dropped when I realized they wouldn’t make it.

There was nothing we could do. There were too many of them for us to stop. The men running knew it as well.

I felt tears burn as the first hybrid snatched one of them. They yelled, trying to free themselves. I felt Gabriella grab my shoulder, hiding her eye, but I watched.

The hybrid ripped his arm off, and blood splattered everywhere. The screaming only got louder as more of the men were slashed down. Nora and Jade both screamed.

They both started moving toward the woods, but the guys grabbed them, stopping them from breaking past the barrier.

“Let go of me!” Jade screamed, throwing her arm back at the guy. “They need our help!”

I felt like my world was shattering, and there was nothing I could do but watch.

Suddenly, I watched some wolves come running, slamming into the hybrids. I knew from their size and color that it was our guys. Jade dropped to the ground, sobbing. Nora was still trying to thrash herself free. Gabriella had gone stiff against me.

They freed a couple of the guys, but they couldn’t save the one who was already dead. The sound of teeth snapping and howls filled the space. I couldn’t keep up with who was winning. They were moving too fast.

The hybrids started to turn back, and I watched as the guys turned to us. The four of them were covered in blood and scratch marks.

The space fell quiet, and I looked at Asher. Tears fell, and I wished I had spoken my mind more forcefully to him. I knew that this was a bad idea and I was partly to blame for everything that happened.

Chapter 19 - Asher

I stared into the woods, still seeing everything playing over and over in my head. We went back to the same spot Hazel had pointed out the first time. But unlike last time, they were ready. It was like they knew we were coming.

We ran for it. We were trying to save who we could. But it turned sour fast. We couldn’t keep up, couldn’t win. They had Brandon pinned, and then Westley was knocked hard into a tree. We got split off from part of the group and couldn’t catch up.

By the time we finally did, it was too late. A handful of the guys were already gone, and I felt pure rage.

It was my own doing. Hazel told me she didn’t think it was a good idea to go out, and we went out anyway. She had warned us, had a feeling something was going to happen, but we ignored it. I should have listened.

“Asher?” A hand waved in front of me, and I blinked. I turned my head toward Nick, who was still shaken up. He was still pale from last night, looking at me for guidance.

Brandon and Kaleb were talking to the family members of the men who didn’t make it. Westley and I were trying to get them together, or at least give the families something to bury.

“Is that the last one?” I asked as I looked over at the coffins. There were eight guys gone. One moment, they were here; the next, they were ripped apart.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

I felt that lump form in my throat again, the anger burning. I wanted to fix this somehow. But you couldn’t bring back the dead.

I looked across the space where Hazel sat with Gabriella. They were both trying to help, offering a hand where they could.

I heard cars pulling into the parking lot, and I knew things were going to become even more tense. The first car door swung open, and a woman came running out. She was young, and you could see the baby bump. Luke’s wife.

She sobbed as she ran toward the coffins, but there would be nothing for her to see. We didn’t need them to see their family members in such fashion.

One of the guys pointed, and she screamed, falling to her knees. She clung to her stomach, and I swallowed hard.

The second vehicle stopped, and an older woman got out. Hughes wife. They were middle-aged with three children. A grandchild for whom they just celebrated a birthday.

She walked closer, pausing every few feet. Her eyes were glued to another coffin.

More of the families pulled in. Wyatt’s sister. Liam’s mother.