Page 107 of The CEO Alpha’s Substitute Mate

I hear laughter. My head whips up, and Isabella is pointing the gun at me. “I’m sorry, Callum. You should have chosen me.”

“Silas is gone,” I remind her. “I’m the only alpha left.”

“Then I’ll put another one on the seat.” She tilts her head with a smile. “I just have to be the luna. I don’t care who sits beside me. But you—It’s never going to be you.”

I hear footsteps, and rogues burst in from every direction. Her smile widens as she whispers, “I plan for everything. I would have made such a good luna.”

And then she shoots.

Before I can react, something moves from my left, and a small body throws itself in front of me. Ariela is there with the rope still hanging off one wrist. Her mouth opens, and no sound comes out of it. There’s a hole in her sweater over the left side of her chest. She looks down at it, then up at me, and her face is almost apologetic.

The smell of her blood is the most horrific scent.

Her knees crumple, and I watch my fated mate go down, a silver bullet in her heart, one that she just took for me.

Chapter 21

Ariela

I never thought dying would hurt so much.

My mouth is open, and I’m struggling to draw in air to breathe, but it won’t come. Underneath every pull, there’s a bubbling sound. It’s coming from inside me, and I want it to stop.

Callum’s face swims into view over mine. He’s saying my name. My heart is working too hard, shoving blood out of the hole faster than it should, and there’s a wetness spreading under my back. His hands are shaking on my chest, pressing down hard, and I don’t have the air to scream.

Has he ever worn that expression before? He looks scared.

I want to reach out with my hand and touch his face, to tell him I’m sorry, that it isn’t his fault, but I can’t move. Take care of Luca. I try to beg him, to force the words out, but nothing comes out of me except that bubbling.

Something slams into him, and my blurred vision shows something furry tackling him. He falls sideways with me against his chest, and even falling, he twists so that I land on top of him instead of the tile. Glass breaks. Footsteps pound across the floor. I can hear snarling and howling around me, and then Callum’s presence is gone. I can’t turn my head to follow him. I can barely breathe. My heart feels strange, as if it’s struggling to beat, but it’s faltering. Then something hot and heavy climbs onto my chest.

It’s Luca. He’s shaking so hard I can feel it through my ribs. His nose pushes in under my jaw, and he starts whimpering. The sound doesn’t stop. His whole weight is on the wound. It hurts more than being shot did. I soundlessly whisper his name. I don’t want to leave you, baby. You have to be good. You have to grow up well.

I want to comfort him, tell him all these things, but once again, I can’t speak.

Then I feel hot, rancid breath near me, and Luca stiffens on my chest and starts growling. I don’t know who it is, but as my breath rattles in my chest, I muster my final strength and murmur, “C-Callum.”

It’s a soft whisper, but I hear a howling sound as if in response and then whoever was near us disappears. A large wolf is standing on top of us protectively. There are more howls from the distance and the sound of glass breaking.

Has help arrived?

I hear a familiar voice. “You can’t save her.”

Isabella.

“It doesn’t matter what you do. She is beyond a healer’s touch.”

My vision is darkening now. But my heart—My heart is still struggling to pump as if something is forcing it to stay just a little bit longer.

She’s saying something else, but I can’t hear. There’s too much blood. I can’t think. A short scream, a crunching sound.

“Ariela.”

Around us, I can hear the sound of death, but his voice is gentle, almost broken. Callum’s thumb moves over the split on my cheekbone, and the tremor in his fingers travels right through my skin. He’s being careful of a cut that doesn’t matter now. I love him so much I can’t stand it. My mouth opens, and a rattle comes out instead of his name.

I know I’m going. There’s no light and no tunnel in it. The ceiling draws farther off. Sound drops away, and Luca’s whimpering softens at the edges. Callum’s face keeps sliding further away from me. I’m so tired.

“No.” His hand tightens at the back of my head. “You’re not leaving me. You can be angry about this later.”