Chapter 310 Into the River
Author
Alpha Dominic was running on pure adrenaline.
His whole body felt like it had been hit by a truck. His wrists were raw and bloody from tearing through the ropes. His wolf was still locked down by the wolfsbane, but his human body was fighting anyway.
He had made it out through a broken window in the basement. Then a maintenance door. Then he was outside. Free.
But he didn’t know where he was. Just water. Boats. An old dock.
Earlier, when Jack brought him food, Alpha Dominic had heard it. A foghorn from the river. And the basement smelled like fish and wet concrete.
He had been near the water the whole time.
He found an old truck near the dock. Hotwired it. Sped down the back road toward the highway.
Jack caught up fast on his motorcycle. The back road was empty. No cars. No witnesses.
He pulled out his pistol and fired.
The first bullet blew out the rear tire. Alpha Dominic ’s truck swerved. He fought the wheel, but the truck was already spinning. Heading straight for the bridge guardrail.
Jack smiled. He fired again. And again. Bullets punched through glass and metal.
The truck smashed through the railing. Hung in the air for half a second. Then dropped into the dark water below.
Jack watched it disappear under the surface. Bubbles. Then nothing.
He revved the bike and turned toward the marina. Alpha Dominic was finished.
Nobody could survive that crash. Not even an Alpha King.
--
Meanwhile, Yardley kicked down the door of a remote cabin.
The door flew off its hinges. Wood splintered. Yardley’s wolf was already half-out, claws extended, ready to tear someone apart.
Inside was just an old man. In bed. Scared out of his mind.
"What the hell—" the old man started.
Yardley scanned the room. Empty. One room. No basement. No Alpha Dominic .
He growled and walked back outside. "Target location is a bust."
His phone rang immediately.
"Did you find him?" Elara’s voice was breaking apart.
"Not yet."
Elara sat in Nancy’s passenger seat, her brain working overtime.
She replayed the phone call from earlier. That brief moment when Alpha Dominic had woken up and called her.
He had said something about a seafood restaurant. About their first date.
But their first date was at Moonlight Restaurant. And that wasn’t a seafood place. It was a steakhouse.
She sat up straight.
"What if he wasn’t in the mountains at all?" she said, her voice sudden. Sharp. "Are there any marinas near Highway 16?"
On the other end of the line, Yardley went silent. Then his voice came back, low and urgent. "Stay put. I’m checking something."
He knew exactly what she meant.
There was an old shipping dock near Blackwood River. Abandoned for years. Perfect place to hide someone. No witnesses. Easy water access.
He was already running toward his truck.
Yardley’s team got to the marina fifteen minutes later.
His headlights swept across the bridge. The broken railing. The skid marks. His stomach dropped.
He jumped out of the truck and ran to the edge. The water was dark. Still. No sign of anything.
"Base, we have shell casings and skid marks," he said into the radio. His voice was steady, but his hands were shaking. "There’s a vehicle in the river."
A pause. Then he forced the words out.
"Get the dive team here right now."
--
Meanwhile, Elara and Nancy were racing toward the marina in the back of a SUV.
One of Alpha Hunter’s security drivers was behind the wheel, pushing the speed limit on the morning highway.
Elara sat pressed against the window, staring out at the road. Nancy sat beside her, tense.
"How much further?" Elara asked.
The driver glanced in the rearview mirror. "Maybe ten minutes, Luna."
Elara’s hand rested on her belly. The pups were quiet. Too quiet. Like they knew their father was in danger.
"He’s going to be okay," Nancy said. But her voice sounded hollow even to herself.
Elara didn’t answer.
Then Nancy’s phone buzzed. A text from Yardley.
She glanced down at the screen. Her stomach dropped.
The message was short:
[Bring Elara to Mercy General Hospital. We found Dominic. He’s hurt. Don’t tell her details yet. Just get her there.]
Nancy’s hands started shaking.
Elara looked at her. "What’s wrong?"
Nancy stared at the phone. Her throat felt tight. "We need to get to the hospital."
Elara’s face went white. "That was about Dominic, wasn’t it?"
Her voice cracked. "They found him?"
Nancy nodded. She couldn’t speak.
Elara closed her eyes. Her hands pressed against her belly. The pups kicked once. Hard.
"Drive faster," she told the driver. Her voice was barely a whisper.
The driver nodded and pressed the gas pedal to the floor.
The morning traffic blurred past them as they raced toward the hospital.