Free Werewolf Academy Book 5: Lost by Cheree Alsop

Vic’s sparse hair moved with the werewolf’s breath.
    “I-I’ll unlock them,” Vic stuttered. “L-let me free them for you.”
    He fumbled for the keys. Alex paced next to Vic as the man carefully worked his way to the girl he had backhanded. A trickle of blood showed from the corner of her mouth.
    Vic dropped the keys and froze. Alex stepped back the tiniest bit so he could pick them up again.
    Vic was ready for the movement. He grabbed the keys and turned as he picked them up, swiping them at Alex’s eyes. He lunged back and Vic rushed him. Alex stumbled on a blanket and fell. Vic landed on top of him, crushing him against the floor of the truck.
    Alex struggled as Vic grabbed the blankets and tried to tie up his legs. Alex snapped at the gang member’s hands and managed to get his front paws clear. He rolled to the right. Vic landed on top of him again with such force that Alex’s head rebounded off the metal floor. The man knelt on his throat, suffocating the werewolf with his weight.
    Alex’s heart skipped a beat, then another. He knew he shouldn’t have gone back into the parking garage without giving his body a chance to recover from the last fight. He couldn’t get free. He struggled to suck in a breath, but his airway was cut off. Black showed at the edges of his vision. His heart skipped another beat.
    Something slammed into the side of Vic’s head. The man fell forward off of Alex. Alex looked behind him to see one of the girls holding the keys and Vic’s crowbar.
    “Come on,” she said to the others. “Let’s get out of here.”
    Alex leaped down from the truck. His joints ached at the jar of landing on the cement. He waited for the four girls to climb down. They eyed him uncertainly. Alex gave a quiet snort and waved his tail, hoping they would trust him.
    Commotion sounded from deeper in the garage. Alex trotted slowly toward the exit. He paused after a few steps when he realized the girls weren’t following him.
    “I think he’s waiting for us,” the blonde girl who had been hit said.
    “What makes you think we can trust him?”
    She shrugged, her eyes wide as she held the crowbar tighter. “He fought Vic. Right now, that’s enough for me.”
    “What’s going on over there?”
    Alex’s heart slowed at the sound of a trigger being cocked. The girls scattered behind him. Alex charged at the man who appeared around the corner. The man’s eyes widened and he stumbled backwards, squeezing the trigger as he did so. The bullet drove into the ceiling.
    Alex latched onto the man’s arm and ground down, forcing him to drop the gun as his bones were crushed. To his surprise, the blonde girl followed, picking up the gun as soon as it hit the ground. She aimed it at the man.
    He writhed on the floor in pain, holding his bleeding arm and cursing without looking at her.
    “Come on, Abby, let’s go,” one of the other girls urged.
    Alex ghosted beside them as they ran up the ramp toward the exit. Shouts caught his ear from below. He heard Vic’s angry voice followed by Cruz’s. Footsteps thundered after them. The girls ran, but they wouldn’t be fast enough. More footsteps came down from above. They would be cornered like the police officers.
    The girls slowed when they saw that they were trapped. Abby waved her gun, aiming first at Cruz’s group from below, then at the others who came up behind them. Alex snarled as he placed himself between them and Cruz’s men.
    “Now, now, lower your gun,” Cruz said. “You can’t kill us all.”
    “I can kill you,” Abby said, her eyes bright with fear as she aimed the gun at Cruz’s chest. Her fingers shook and the gun wavered even though she fought to hold it steady.
    “You’re just going to end up hurting yourself,” Cruz said in a cajoling tone. “Just give me the gun and we’ll pretend this never happened.”
    He took a step forward. Alex took a step forward as well. Cruz paused at the vehemence in his angry growl.
    “We got off on