Chapter 12
Ijolt awake as someone bangs on the door. My hand fists the cool sheets where Jayden was last night and my stomach churns with disappointment.
“He’s gone.” I sigh.
It’s not a surprise. He told me he would be gone before I woke up, but it doesn’t make it any easier to take.
I dress quickly and fling the door open to find Raven leaning against the wall with a smirk on her face. The smirk slowly drops as she takes in my expression.
“Jayden left already, didn’t he?” she asks.
“Yeah.” I sigh. “He has a different part to play, I guess.”
“Randall wants to have that meeting of his over breakfast.” Raven pushes off the wall.
“That’s a good idea because the faster we get this all over with, the faster we get back to the academy.” I loop my arm through hers.
“We will get back in time, B. I know we will. You worry too much. We are certified badasses and we can take this on.” Raven’s shoulder bumps into mine.
We walk down the hall to the sitting room we were led to before and find two wolves waiting for us. “We were sent to escort you to the private dining room.”
“Thank you,” I say and follow them.
The dining room is packed with our friends and the alpha Randall. I take my seat and focus on the alpha.
“You said there was a problem you think we might be able to help you with?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says, passing me a platter of eggs. “The only thing I can think of is this is related to your situation with the Greek Gods.”
“What’s happening to make you think that? We are headed to help Hephaestus.” I scoop eggs onto my plate and pass the tray to Raven.
“That explains the vehicles no longer working,” Randall says. “There’s been several earthquakes in the region of Dotsero Mountain. It could cause a volcanic eruption in the area.”
“That’s not a Hephaestus issue. He’s the god of volcanoes but not the earth shaker. That’s Poseidon.” I shake my head.
“There has to be another reason for the earthquakes. We can still check it out, though. There could be any number of big bad monsters causing the ground to shake.” Raven hands me a plate of bacon.
“Agreed. If the monster is destabilizing the volcano by being there, that becomes a huge problem.” I pop a piece of bacon in my mouth.
“Thank you. Greyson said you have a request as well,” Randall asks.
“Yes, there’s a war coming to our academy gates and our friends could use some reinforcements. Tristan and Grant are already on their way there with assistance but there will be hordes of monsters attacking our friends.”
“We will always be there for our allies in their time of need, but I fear I don’t have many I can send at the moment. We are under attack from the rogues daily.” Randall runs a hand down his tired face.
“Any that you can send could mean the difference between life and death for our families.” I glance at Kira and Raven.
“Your mate left to go back there?” He points to the mark on my neck when I frown at him.
“Yes, he has to lead them into battle as we won’t be back in time for the start of it.” I stab my fork into the eggs on my plate with a little more force than necessary.
“I’ll send as many as I can spare but things are heating up here with the rogue problem. We believe they have taken over the neutral territory of Utah which is extremely close to us and why we are getting the brunt of the attacks.”
“I’m sorry. I feel responsible for this problem considering he became what he is fighting off a Greek monster. We tried to locate him and contain the problem, but he eluded everyone.” My knuckles turn white I’m gripping my fork so tight.
“Pretty sure you’re borrowing problems, young one,” Randall says. “You’ve saved the world how many times? You don’t need to save the wolves too.”
“What did Jayden say to you?” I ask.
Randall laughs. “Was I that obvious? Your mate just told me not to let you help with our rogue problem, that it’s not your fate to go into that battle with the world on your shoulders.”
“That’s what I’ve been told but it doesn’t make me want to help any less.”
“I think Jayden knows that, which is why he spoke to me about it.” Randall grins. “You need to rest once this is all over. Let yourself be happy for a while and leave the wolf problems with the wolves.”
“We’ll see when the time comes.”
Raven leans forward in her seat. “Let’s see about your volcano problem and leave the rest of this business for later. Just know that we are the same—if an ally needs help, we are there to help.”
“You have been a friend to the wolves repeatedly.” Randall nods. “Honestly, I wish I could help more with the coming battle, but we are spread thin as it is.”
“No problem. We will take any assistance, especially since your issues are because of us and what we are dealing with.” I push away from the table and stand.
We trudge out to our SUV and pile in, allowing Randall to drive since he knows the way we’re going.
“What was that?” Raven points out her window a half hour into our trip.
“Do you have wolves following us?” Greyson asks.
“No, those wolves aren’t mine.” Randall squints out the windshield. “They’re rogues.”
“What are they doing?” I reach for my charm and press the lightning bolt.
“They’re toying with us. We’re going to be attacked.” Randall scans the forest around us.
“We need to get out of the SUV. It’s the only vehicle running and we can’t replace it if they attack us inside and claw the tires or something.”
“You want to meet a pack of rogues head-on?” Randall glances at me in the rearview.
“They are going to attack us either way. I would like to have a way to Montana after they do,” I say, raising a brow at him.
“Fine. You kids are absolutely insane, but I don’t doubt you can take on a pack of rogue shifters.” Randall pulls the SUV off to the side of the dirt road.
I shove the door open and hop out of the back seat with my whip held at my side crackling with electricity. Raven is at my side with twin blades at the ready in her hands.
“What are we doing, B? They are people. Are we incapacitating or going for the throat?”
“They have massive claws and teeth. Don’t hold back if they go for the kill. Protect yourselves at all costs.” I roll my shoulders back and plant my feet.
“Got it. Let’s move away from the SUV.” Raven points to the trees.
“Draven and Kira, watch the vehicle. If any wolves try to mess with it, handle them.” I point at Draven and Kira.
“You got it,” Kira says.
We move through the trees as carefully as possible, trying not to make a sound. Wolves howl and snarl behind us, herding us where they want us.
“This is an ambush. You know that, right?” Greyson says.
“They think they are the ones doing the ambushing.” I smirk. “They have no idea who they are messing with.”
“They’re in for a rude awakening for sure.” Raven bumps her shoulder against mine.
“There are at least ten wolves out here,” Randall says. “There’s only four of us.”
“We’ve beat those odds against monsters much scarier than a pack of wolves.” Lightning crackles blue and white along the whip.
A twig snaps and a wolf crouches, snarling at us not ten feet away. The gray beast growls as we all form a circle back-to-back.
“Look, babe. It’s a little puppy,” Raven says.
“Let’s not taunt the snarling rogues, yeah?” Greyson shakes his head.
“But they are so small and cute. Why don’t you show them your wolf, baby?” Raven says with a flirty smile.
The wolf in front of me leaps at me. I duck and crack my whip at the wolf, pulling back the electricity so that it will stun the fucker, not actually kill him. He yelps and changes direction to snap at Greyson.
“You have no idea what you’re dealing with. Cut your losses and get out of here before something happens you won’t come back from,” Greyson growls.
Three more wolves step out of the trees, snarling and snapping at us.
“I don’t think they’re going to listen to reason. They think they are big and bad, but they aren’t the top of the food chain here.” My whip cracks against a fallen branch and it burns black.
Smoke curls up from the branch as three wolves leap at me from all sides at the same time. I pull the sword Claud made for me and smash the hilt into the nearest wolf’s ribs.
“Beth,” Raven shouts but she has several wolves on her as well.
Twigs and leaves crunch beneath me as I roll away from another wolf’s open jaws. A scream bubbles out as claws rake down my back. I throw my elbow back into the snout of the wolf attacking me, knocking it sideways with a whimper.
“He has my blood, Raven,” I scream.
We can’t allow another rogue to become gods touched.
It will destroy everything. I flick my whip around the wolf’s neck and my magic pulses at full force into the wolf.
The sound it makes before going limp and turning back into a naked man is halfway between a keening and a wail.
It will haunt me for the rest of my immortal life.
Releasing the dead shifter from my whip, I scramble away. “Stop.”
I back away from the shifters still battling Raven and Greyson, my hands shaking and pain lancing across my back. My magic flares beneath my skin and crackles brighter along my whip and sword.
“Greyson,” I shout through gritted teeth. “You need to end this. I’m gonna lose control.”
“Shit,” Raven says, turning her wide-eyed gaze on me. “Babe, shift and show them what they’re dealing with. We really don’t want Beth losing control and destroying all these shifters.”
Greyson’s gaze lands on me backed against the tree, shaking with the force of my magic crackling on every area of exposed skin before shredding through his clothes and landing on four paws as a snarling, howling wolf taller than me.
The rogues whimper and back away with their tails between their legs as Greyson stalks toward them. All except for one lone wolf who shifts back to human. I avert my gaze as the man ducks behind a tree and pulls something on to cover himself.
“Who are you?” The man points an accusatory finger at Greyson’s wolf.
“Does it matter?” Raven asks. “He’s bigger and stronger than all of you.”