“AMY! BEHIND YOU.” Wendy was close, but I could hear the panic in her voice because she wasn’t close enough. I spun, feeling something hit us, and we went tumbling. The impact made me lose my breath, and I felt nails scratching at my chest. The male on top of me was wheezing, and then he screamed once, and then stopped.
I fought to push the male off of me, wriggling to the side to squeeze out, but Thora was there, already swinging for my neck. But Rowan’s claws caught her first, ripping her in half, and sending her top half to the side. He caught hold of me as the body rolled free, a giant hole in his chest.
“She ripped his spine out, but she was aiming for you.”
I barely had time to register what had happened before the next attack hit. Rowan was already pushing me out of the way and meeting the three attackers. I was following when I heard someone scream. “No!” Ternen’s voice was desperate.
I whirled to find two men with their arms wrapped around Alannah and pulling her away. Ternen struggled to reach her. “Ternen!” She screamed for her mate. I felt a pit open in my stomach. Something was screaming at me to run. I looked back at my mate, who was holding his own, and I made my decision.
I ran.
I ran straight for my friends. The ones that weren’t strong enough to protect themselves and I prayed to the Moon Goddess that I wasn’t making the wrong choice.
I wove through the battles still raging around me. “Alannah, Ternen!” I screamed for the two Omegas. Ternen, met my eyes, and I could see the relief in his eyes when he saw I was coming for them. He broke free from the main body of the battle and was chasing the two that held his mate.
Why are they dragging her into the woods?Megan sounded confused.
Nix growled.I don’t even want to know. Let’s just get there.
I agreed and kept moving. I was almost out of the battle, so close to the edge, but someone grabbed my hair, yanking me off my feet. “You’re not going anywhere.” A male snarled in my face as I was falling, his fangs snapping as I hit the ground. “Running away? Pathetic.” He lifted his foot to stomp down on me, but I rolled. I heard another scream, and I knew I had to hurry.
“I don’t have time for you.” I sprang up and sliced out with my claws.
The male dodged and laughed. “I watched you eviscerate my brother. So you will have to forgive me if I don’t give a flying fuck what you have time for.” He snarled as he swiped at my face.
“Boohoo.” I shot back. “You came to my house and attacked my people. I don’t care who the fuck I killed protecting my own.” I snarled as I felt my face start to shift but I pulled back my wolves. I would only waste more time, and put myself at risk. I kept dodging his attacks, but he caught my side, and I screamed. “Stupid fucker.”
He laughed. “I may be a stupid fucker, but we outnumber you five to one. You think any of you are going to make it out of this alive?” He sliced my arm again.
I growled as I shook off the pain in my arm. “Look around, idiot. We have cut your numbers more than half.” I tossed outmy hurt arm flinging blood over the ground. “You are all dying for a cause that is already over. Garith is dead. Vince and his followers are in cells. And here you are, fighting the good fight. FOR NOTHING.” I screamed the last part and I watched him stumble.
“You’re lying.” He snarled but he took a quick look around. “There is no way Garith is dead.”
I grinned. “Oh I’m sure he’s dead. I ripped his heart out of his chest less than an hour ago.” His eyes narrowed at me. “I’m sure you can even smell his blood on me, if you ever got close enough to check.”
“You’re just fucking lying.” He screamed at me. “The brotherhood lives.”
“The brotherhood is fucking over! The council is eradicated; its power is gone. Garith and his whore daughter are lying back at Vince’s pack with their blood coating the grass. Vince and his spawn are in cells, and if I don’t go back, they will starve.” I paused as he snarled. “Oh, and your little settlement in the caves, gone. Explosives I hear.” I pushed joy onto my face, pretending like my panic about the caves never existed.
He screamed and charged at me. He slammed his fist into my face, and I heard my nose break, blood pouring from it. His eyes brightened when he saw more blood, and he dove for me. I launched myself back, flipping backwards to stay out of his reach. I kicked him with a scream, catching his chin. I landed with a stagger, the pain in my side making my eyes flicker to black for a second. I took a breath to steady myself, and I turned to face my attacker, only to see him on the ground. I hobbled over and looked down. His eyes were open, head twisted in a weird way.
You must have snapped his neck when you caught him with your foot.Nix stretched near the barrier.Good.
Megan snorted.Lucky more like it.
I felt my lip turn up, and then a soul-wrenching scream ripped through the air. The kind of scream that was more emotional pain than physical. The kind of scream that only someone who had lost everything could make. And the only thought I had was…Alannah.
I turned and sprinted for the trees. I didn’t see where they went in, and I panicked as I ran.
Calm yourself.Nix pushed forward.I’m tired, not crippled. I can still smell them.I nodded silently as I ran. I made it to the trees, and I smelled blood.To the left.
“No, no, no, no, no, no.” I wove through the trees looking for signs of my friends. The blood scent was getting stronger. I shook my head, trying to cycle through the smells, but I couldn’t. “Nix!” I called; I needed her to tell me what I was smelling. But before she even opened her mouth, I pushed through a bush and found a body.
Who is that?Megan pressed closer to the barrier trying to scent the body, but I knew who it was.
“It’s Steve.” My mind flashed to my first year of school. His cockiness, and then his apology, obviously meant nothing now. I stared down at his face, once someone I might have considered handsome if he hadn’t opened his mouth, now a mess of flesh and claw marks.
That is someone I haven’t thought about for years.Nix chuffed.But you can’t stand here and mourn a man who did this to himself. You have people to look for.
