Audrey didn't see them change.
In the minute it took her to rush out of the car the wolves had already transformed to their human forms.
Three men and a lady. All of them lithe and athletically built for quickness and grace.
One stepped forward to meet Nickolas head-on.
"What are you doing?" He snarled. His long russet hair hung in a ponytail down his back.
Nickolas did not flinch despite the fact that the man looked close to snapping his head off.
"Whatever it takes, Damon."
Damon stabbed Nick's chest with a finger.
"I warned you against doing something foolish. What you've done will get you killed."
No one who looked at Damon right now would guess that he was a paediatrician at the city's hospital. Close friends with Nickolas since their childhood days, he came around most weekends for drinks and games. Audrey enjoyed his company.
"Living without her is a worse fate."
Damon shook his head in either unbelief or frustration.
"I understand, Nickolas, and I know how much you love her. But you two can't be together anymore. She's mated to the twin Alphas. Your Alphas! Get that into your head. Nothing you say or do will change that."
"You shouldn't be the one saying this. You know what I went through after…."
"Say it. Say her name. It's been nearly a decade and you still can't speak of her."
"She was my mate. And she died. You don't expect me to be comfortable afterwards."
Damon's anger deflated. It fled from his face like rushing wind. The jovial face Audrey knew returned.
He took Nick's shoulders.
"I know."
"Audrey changed me. She filled the void left behind by her."
Damon said nothing. He pulled his friend into a hug.
Audrey had never seen them like this. They played, pranked, bickered, even fought over the last pizza in the box, but nothing close to this.
He had not hidden his heartbreak at the death of his mate from her. They'd talked about it, even watched pictures and videos of their time together.
At first, Audrey had been burdened by his obvious lingering connection to his mate. With time she grew to accept it, to even enjoy the stories about their short time together.
Little by little, Nickolas had come to accept Audrey. Not as a replacement, but as a partner against the darkness her death left behind.
It broke her heart to see him go through it all over again. Death had claimed his mate. Now fate tempered with his love.
"Didn't imagine you would cause so much trouble."
Audrey started at the voice in her ears. She turned to find the female werewolf beside her. Leslie, if she remembered correctly. They'd encountered each other a couple of times.
"I don't want any of this."
"I was at your wedding, remember? The Alphas took all of us by surprise. That's where it ends. You are their mate and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Not even Nickolas."
Audrey's head fell. Somewhere deep within her she knew. Fate didn't give avenues for escape or shortcuts. Once written in stone, nothing could erase it.
Leslie leaned close so her words would reach Audrey alone.
"Nickolas is not going to stop. You should know that by now. He is willing to die for you. You would be selfish if you let him continue like this."
"I tried to stop him." Her voice sounded weak even to her own ears.
"You're not trying hard enough. Bitches like you are the reason men go to war. You know what's right but are too damn arrogant to do it."
Something beyond anger clouded her face.
"If anything happens to Nick, I would come for you. Alphas' mate or not, you'd pay for it, hollowborn."
Leslie met her gaze to cement her promise before moving towards Nickolas and Damon.
"Sorry to break this up, but we have orders to bring you back."
Nickolas pulled away to square his stance. "And if I resist?"
Damon gave him a warning stare. "You won't resist because it's us. Because we care about you. Now get back into the car. I'm driving."
Nickolas glared back at him before his eyes found Audrey. Despite the tears rolling down her cheeks, she shook her head.
The fight visibly left him as his shoulders dropped. His steps sagged as he walked towards her.
"I'm so—"
"Don't apologize." She cut him short. "You've done nothing wrong. You've done more than you should to be with me. Fate gave us no alternative."
Something flashed in his eyes. A spark of something sinister brewing in his mind. But before Audrey could ask about it, he kissed her forehead and led her back towards the car.
The tension on the ride back to the fortress stretched tauter than a coil.
Damon had decided he preferred Nickolas in the passenger seat. That left Audrey wedged in the back between Leslie and a werewolf male who said nothing and gave off nothing. It was like being stuck between a wall and a hard place.
But when the car pulled to a stop, a different kind of worry took hold of her.
She'd seen the twin alphas' in the state of raw anger. Damon and Tristan would be beyond angry right now. Nickolas had invaded their house to meet their mate. Audrey went along with him in escape. No other crime could be worse than those.
She resolved in her heart to protect Nickolas. She won't let them hurt him. They would have to go through her to get to him.
Under the pale moon of night, Deckard and Tristan stood like statues in the front yard. Breathtaking statues carved by a determined hand.
Audrey hadn't appreciated how much they looked alike until now. United in their simmering anger, they seemed larger than life.
Tristan, whom she'd come to attribute with mischief, was in no mood for teasing. Deckard, the silent storm, she couldn't predict.
Just before they got out of the car, Damon gave his friend a searching look.
"Stay behind me."
Whatever Nickolas thought of that he did not reveal. He didn't even glance at Audrey before stepping down. That was a bad sign.
Audrey's knees wobbled as she rested her weight on them. Stars sparked in her vision. Weakness struck from her core.
The silent werewolf grabbed her arm to steady her. She would've thanked him if she could speak. She would've fled if she had the strength.
For Deckard and Tristan had the intensity of their wrath pinned on her. The effect went beyond what her body could endure.
The fervor in Nickolas' long strides drew her attention. He moved with a renewed purpose that scared her. Towards the alphas.
Something glinted in his hand.
"Nick!"
He was deaf to even her cry.
Damon wasn't fast enough to stop him. Leslie dashed forward but it was already too late.
Once before Deckard and Tristan, he struck the blade of the dagger into his right palm. Blood dripped down, splaterring the dewy earth between their shoes.
His voice did not waver. His eyes did not wink from their faces as he made his demand.
"I challenge your stead as Alphas of Frostone pack."