THE ALPHA S QUEEN

Alpha Casper footsteps thundered down the cave.

The wolf within him fought for freedom; his only coherent thought, protect the pack.

His vision blurred as the wolf fought for control over his body. The wolf saw only the immediate threat; the man saw the consequences of each course of action. And right now, he needed to make sure that his immediate family was out of harm's way.

He needed to reach Evelyn, his son, and daughter.

Needed to reach them, needed to warn them, needed to save them.

He pushed his legs to run faster.

The mountain shook as the canons beat against it.

He had to get them out of the mountain; that was his first priority.

The growls of wolves echoed through the chambers, bouncing through the walls, driving home the fact that Casper's family was in danger.

The park was being attacked, and the members were rising to action.

Hopefully, he could get everyone evacuated before there was too much loss.

He skidded around the corner into his bedchambers to find it empty.

"Evelyn!" he cried.

He ran into the adjoining room that his children shared, but his son bed was rumpled and empty, and so was his daughter cradle.

He called out his mate's name again, his fear slowly rising each second he couldn't locate his family.

"Casper!" his mate's voice reached his ears.

She was close, but not in their chambers.

He ran further down the hall to find his mate, their five-year-old son, their newborn daughter, and his sister Morgana and her mate, Xavier. The group was in the process of fleeing the mountain, and they looked as relieved to see him as he was to see them.

The wolf within him calmed at the sight of his family.

The beast relented its battle for freedom for the moment.

His family paused in their race toward the exit to greet him.

"Casper," Evelyn's voice was full of relief.

"What's happening?"

Casper folded her into his arms, his son between their knees and their daughter cradled between their bodies.

He buried his nose in her red hair, inhaling her scent, letting it fill him with reassurance.

He would get her and their children to safety.

He had to.

"The humans, they snuck up on us while we were all sleeping," he said into her hair.

"They have cannons and archers and silvers. We need to get out of here." Casper lifted his head to address Morgana and Xavier as well.

"How?" Xavier asked.

His question was not a challenge, but a pledge of loyalty.

He would follow his Alpha's guidance, no matter what it took.

Casper met his eye in acknowledgement.

"Follow me, I have an idea," he stated and took off down the hall.

As he took off running, he grabbed his son, who was trembling in fear.

They needed to move fast and while his son was faster than human boys, he would never have been able to keep up with the adults.

"Daddy," His son whimpered as Casper ran deeper into the mountain.

The boy little head was tucked into the crook of his father's neck, bouncing with each step.

Casper clutched him tighter, his strong arms keeping a steel grip on his offspring.

A deafening crash sounded above them, causing the boy to jump and bury himself further into Casper's s chest with a small cry.