The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 109

Tristan

"How much time do we have?" I asked Orion, my voice cutting through the air, sharper than I meant it to be, but I couldn't hold back the edge, not with Athena's faint heartbeat pulsing in my mind.

Orion's jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle twitch, his eyes dark and focused, like he was staring straight into a nightmare. “Not much,” he said, and his tone was grim in a way that made my chest tight.

My wolf snarled inside me, clawing at my chest, urging me to move, to run, to tear through anything standing between me and Athena.

Every second we stood here was a second closer to losing her.

And I can't lose her to Daxon, not when he had murdered Jess.

I pushed her thoughts behind for now. Not now.

When I get to my Ath, then I'll do whatever was on my mind.

I was already halfway to the door, my boots slamming against the floor, when Derek stepped in front of me, blocking my path. His eyes were hard, unyielding, and his stance said he wasn't moving.

"You can't just leave," Derek said, his voice steady but firm, like he was trying to anchor me to reason. "They've set a trap, Tristan. I saw it coming. They know you'll come for her. Both of you." He said pointing between I and Orion

" If we rush in blind, we'll be walking straight into their hands."

I clenched my fists so hard my claws cut into my palms and drew blood. "I don't care," I growled, and the sound came from deep in my chest. "Athena needs me now."

"I know," Derek said evenly, but I could see the tension in his shoulders and the way his hands were balled into fists at his sides.

"But you're no good to her dead. We go with reinforcements." He turned towards Orion.

"Orion" Orion places his hands in face.

"He's right T. We can't go in like that."

I wanted to argue with both of them, but before I could, Derek added, "I have a way to get us there faster. My jet is ready, fueled, and waiting. But we have to get to the airstrip first."

I didn't respond, I just turned on my heel and stalked outside, my anger so hot it felt like it was burning through my skin.

Orion was right behind me, his own fury a tangible force, like a storm cloud pressing against my back.

I could feel it, his rage mixing with mine, a shared fire that made the air around us crackle.

He wasn't just angry, he was terrified, and that scared me more than anything, because Orion didn't scare easily.

I grabbed one of my commanders who stood by the side - shaking with fear - by the collar and hauled him close.

"Gather the best men. I'll call them and tell them where to meet us. If Marcus escapes while I'm gone..."

I leaned in closer, letting my Alpha aura flood the air until the he flinched and his knees buckled. "If he escapes, all of you will regret it for the rest of your lives."

He nodded quickly and ran off to carry out my orders.

I didn't wait to watch him go. I mindlink with my Gemma, Jace, as I moved toward the bikes parked outside. “You're coming with us,” I commanded him, my voice leaving no room for questions. “Move.”

Behind me, I could hear Orion on the phone, and his voice was sharp as he barked orders, mobilizing every fighter he had.

Derek was already on his bike, speaking into his earpiece, arranging for the landing team to meet us the moment we touched down.

Within minutes, the four of us were mounted on our bikes and the engines roared to life, vibrating under us like caged animals ready to run.

We took off together, tearing down the dark road toward Derek's airstrip and leaving nothing but dust and the smell of burning rubber behind us.

The wind burned my face but I barely felt it because through the bond, I could feel Athena and she was faint but there.

Her heartbeat was uneven and frantic, calling out to me across whatever distance separated us. I gripped the handlebars tighter and pushed the throttle harder, and my bike leaped forward like it understood my desperation.

Beside me, Orion was hunched low over his bike and I could feel his rage like a physical presence in the air around us. It mixed with mine until the very atmosphere seemed to crackle with the force of our combined fury.

Derek led us through winding roads at breakneck speed and his bike took corners that should have been impossible without slowing down. My trusted commander followed close behind, his face set in grim determination.

I would get to her and nothing would stop me. No matter what waited for us, no matter what trap they had set, I would tear through anything that stood between me and my mate.

The airstrip came into view sooner than I expected and when we reached Derek's private landing area, I skidded to a stop and ripped off my helmet.

What I saw waiting for us near the jet made my blood run cold and my wolf surge forward with renewed rage.

"What the hell..." I breathed, and my voice came out strangled.

There were more people than I had expected, way more than Derek had mentioned.

At least twenty men in dark clothing stood around the jet, and they weren't Derek's usual crew.

These men looked like soldiers, like killers, and they were armed to the teeth with weapons I recognized as military grade.

"Who are they?" I demanded, turning to Derek with my eyes blazing.

Derek's expression was stone cold as he pulled off his own helmet. "Backup," he said simply. "The kind of backup we're going to need if we want to bring Athena home alive."

Orion had gotten off his bike too and I could feel his suspicion mixing with his anger as he studied the armed men. "You didn't mention an army," he said to Derek, and his voice carried a warning.

"Because I knew you'd argue about it," Derek replied without flinching. "Look, you can feel her, right? Both of you can feel that she's in trouble. Real trouble. The kind that requires more than just the four of us charging in like heroes."

One of the armed men stepped forward and I recognized him immediately. It was Jackson, one of Derek's most trusted operatives, someone I'd worked with before on assigning riders.

"Alpha Derek. Alpha Orion. Alpha Tristan" Jackson said with a respectful nod to us three. "We're ready to move on your commands."

I looked from Jackson to Derek and back again, and my mind was racing.

Part of me wanted to reject the help, wanted to handle this with just my inner circle, but the rational part of my brain knew Derek was right.

If this was a trap, if Daxon had prepared for us, then we needed every advantage we could get.

I could see some one driving towards us, which I realize were Orion's Beta and Gamma.

I was the only one that didn't come with people and it made me feel sad.

"How many?" I asked Derek.

"Twenty-two of my best," Derek answered. "All of them have worked operations like this before. All of them are expendable if it means bringing your mate home safe."

The word expendable hit me wrong and my wolf snarled. "No one is expendable," I growled. "But I'll take the help."

Because I had no other option.

Orion moved closer to me and when he spoke, his voice was low enough that only I could hear. "Something's wrong, Tristan. I can feel it getting worse. Whatever's happening to Athena, it's escalating."

He was right and I could feel it too through our bond. The connection was getting stronger but also more chaotic, like Athena was losing control of whatever power she was accessing.

"How long to get there?" I asked Derek.

"Two hours in the air, maybe less if we push it," Derek replied. That was too much. "But Tristan, you need to prepare yourself for what we might find when we get there." He said making me turn to him.

"What do you mean?"

Derek's expression was grim as he gestured toward his men. "I've been tracking Daxon for months now, ever since he first showed up on our radar.

But I had no idea he was related to you. He's not just some Alpha wolf looking for revenge. He's organized, he's funded, and he's got resources that suggest he's working with someone bigger than himself."

My blood chilled. "What kind of resources?"

"The kind that let him set up operations in international waters," Derek said. "The kind that let him disappear for months at a time and then resurface with new technology, new weapons, new allies."

Jackson stepped forward again. "Alpha, we've identified at least three vessels in the area where your mate's signal is strongest. One appears to be a modified cargo ship, heavily armed. The other two look like escort boats."

"How heavily armed?" Orion asked, and I could hear the deadly calm in his voice that meant he was already planning how to kill everyone involved.

"Heavy enough that a frontal assault would be suicide," Jackson answered honestly. "But we've got a plan that should get us on board without triggering their defenses."

Derek nodded toward the jet. "We'll brief you fully once we're in the air, but right now we need to move. Every minute we delay is another minute Athena is in their hands."

I looked at the jet, then at the armed men, then at Orion and my commander.

The smart play was to take Derek's help, use his resources, and approach this like the military operation it had become.

But every instinct I had was screaming at me to shift into my wolf form and run straight toward wherever Athena was being held, consequences be damned.

"Tristan," Orion said quietly, and his hand landed on my shoulder. "We do this right, or we don't do it at all. She needs us alive and functional, not dead and useless."

He was right, just like Derek had been right, but it went against every fiber of my being to slow down and plan when my mate was suffering.

"Fine," I said through gritted teeth. "But if this goes wrong, if his plan gets her killed..."

"It won't," Derek said with absolute certainty. "Because failure isn't an option. Not for any of us."

Jackson gestured toward the jet. "Alpha, we're ready to board when you are."

I took one last look around the airstrip, at the assembled men who were about to risk their lives for my mate, at Derek who had dropped everything to help me, at Orion whose rage was still burning hot enough to make the air shimmer around him.

"Let's go bring her home," I said.

We moved toward the jet as a unit and I could feel the tension in every man present.

This wasn't just a rescue mission anymore, it was war, and we all knew that some of us might not be coming back.

But as we boarded Derek's jet and the engines roared to life, only one thing mattered to me.

Athena was out there, she was in danger, and nothing in heaven or hell was going to stop me from getting to her.

The jet lifted off into the night sky and through the small window, I watched the lights of the city disappear below us. Somewhere ahead of us, across miles of dark ocean, my mate was waiting.

I was coming for her, and God help anyone who tried to stop me.