Claimed by My Mafia Alpha King

Chapter 209: Chapter 209

Irina’s POV

"Rescue the Alpha!"

The chant didn’t stop with Andrei and Roman. It ripped through the freezing valley.

The surviving warriors raised their heads. The ones who had been paralyzed by grief and fear just moments ago suddenly looked up. Their glowing eyes pierced through the thick, bloody mist. The heavy despair in the air shifted. The suffocating silence shattered into a million pieces.

A warrior with a torn uniform hoisted his blood-stained rifle into the air. "Rescue the Alpha!" he screamed.

"Rescue the Alpha!" another voice joined in.

Then another. And another.

The chant swelled. It echoed off the jagged mountains. It became a deafening, terrifying roar. It vibrated deep in my chest and warmed my freezing blood. These men were broken. They were bleeding, exhausted, and pushed to the absolute edge. But they were not defeated.

They were werewolves. They were the most fearsome predators in the world, and they were ready to die for their King.

My heart pounded frantically against my ribs. I felt a fierce, wild pride bloom inside my chest. For the first time, I didn’t feel like a weak, fragile human girl standing among monsters. I was their Luna.

"Let’s move!" Roman roared. He turned and pointed toward the jagged descent into the shadows. "Leave no one behind! We tear this mountain apart until we find him!"

The wolves howled. It was a raw, guttural sound that shook the snow from the dead pine trees.

We charged.

Roman and Andrei took the lead. I stayed right between them. A wave of massive, angry warriors spilled down the hillside behind us. We poured over the crest of the hill like a relentless avalanche of muscle, fur, and steel.

The descent was a nightmare. The ground was incredibly steep and slick. Half-frozen mud mixed with fresh snow, making every single step treacherous. Jagged rocks and dead pine roots tore at our boots.

But nobody slowed down.

I sprinted as fast as I could. The icy wind whipped my hair into my eyes. It stung my pale cheeks like tiny, frozen knives. My boots slipped and slid in the slush, but I forced my legs to keep moving. I kept my eyes locked on Roman’s broad back. I just followed his path.

We plunged into the thick forest. The shadows swallowed us instantly. The dense canopy blocked out the moonlight, leaving us in a dark, terrifying maze. The air was thick with the scent of pine, wet earth, and the lingering, foul stench of our enemies.

My breath came in ragged, desperate gasps. The freezing air burned my throat with every inhale. I wasn’t a werewolf. I didn’t have their endless stamina or their supernatural strength. I was a human. I was running on pure adrenaline, blind panic, and desperation.

*Nicholas.*

His name echoed in my mind with every painful step. *Hold on. Please, just hold on.*

My chest tightened. The mate bond still felt empty and silent. It was a terrifying void that threatened to swallow me whole. I needed to feel him again. I needed his arrogant smirk, his rough hands, his deep voice growling my name in the dark. I would trade my own life just to feel his warmth right now.

My legs started to feel like heavy lead. My thighs burned. Every breath felt like I was inhaling crushed glass.

*Don’t stop,* I told myself. *You can’t stop.*

But my human body was reaching its absolute limit. We had been running at a breakneck pace down a treacherous mountain in the freezing cold. I was tired, bruised, and emotionally drained.

My boot caught on a thick tree root hidden under the snow.

I gasped as the ground vanished from beneath me. My ankle twisted sharply. I pitched forward, throwing my bare hands out to brace for the harsh impact of the rocky dirt.

Before I could hit the ground, a massive hand shot out.

Roman caught me by the upper arm. His grip was like a steel vise. He hauled me upright in a split second, easily absorbing my forward momentum. He didn’t even break his stride.

"Irina!" Roman yelled over the crunching snow. He pulled me close to his side. His dark eyes scanned my face frantically. "Are you okay? Did you twist it?"

He looked ready to scoop me up and carry me over his shoulder. He looked terrified that he had let his Luna fall. He looked like he was ready to punish himself for my clumsy human mistake.

My lungs heaved. I couldn’t speak. I just sucked in a huge, painful breath of icy air and tried to steady my racing heart.

I looked down at my ankle. It throbbed fiercely. A hot spike of pain shot up my calf. But it wasn’t broken. It couldn’t be broken. I didn’t have time for a broken bone. I didn’t have time to be weak. I refused to let pain slow me down.

I gritted my teeth so hard my jaw ached. I looked back up at Roman.

I shook my head violently. *No.* I was fine. I wasn’t going to be the reason we stopped. I wasn’t going to be the dead weight that got my mate killed.

"I’m fine!" I forced the words out. My voice was ragged and breathless. "Don’t stop! Keep moving!"

Roman hesitated for a tiny fraction of a second. His thick brow furrowed. But he saw the burning fire in my eyes. He saw that I was deadly serious. He knew I would fight him if he tried to pick me up.

He gave a curt nod. He didn’t let go of my arm. He used his massive strength to help pull me forward, keeping me steady over the rough terrain so I wouldn’t trip again.

"Stay close!" Andrei shouted from my other side. He had his heavy gun raised to his shoulder. He swept the dark trees for any movement, his eyes glowing bright yellow. "We’re getting close. I can smell fresh blood."

My heart skipped a beat. Fresh blood.

Was it the enemy’s? Or was it Nicholas’s?

The thought made me sick to my stomach. I pushed the rising panic down. I forced my burning legs to move faster. We tore through a thick patch of thorny bushes. The sharp branches tore at my clothes and scratched my arms, but I didn’t care. The tiny stings meant nothing. Nothing mattered except finding my Alpha.

We broke through the dense tree line.

The forest suddenly opened up into a wide, rocky ravine. The mist hung heavy and low over the ground here. It curled around massive boulders like pale ghosts dancing in the dark.

The smell of blood was stronger now. It was overwhelming. It mixed with the foul, metallic scent of the mercenaries.

The warriors fanned out behind us. Their weapons were raised and ready. They moved like silent shadows, lethal and totally focused. The loud crunching of our boots in the snow was the only sound in the eerie silence.

I strained my eyes. I peered deep into the thick fog. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird trying to escape a cage.

*Where are you?*

Suddenly, a warrior up ahead skidded to a halt. He raised his hand, curling his fingers into a sharp fist. The entire formation froze instantly. Nobody breathed.

The warrior pointed down into the deep, misty basin of the ravine. He leaned forward, his eyes cutting through the dark fog.

He turned back toward us. His chest heaved. His face was pale with adrenaline and shock.

"I see them! They’re over there!"