30. Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Dean
T his was madness. This was war on a level we’d never experienced before, and everything that was happening was completely outside of our control.
We were no use here. The little magic tricks we’d learned so far were nothing compared to what our mate could do.
As proud as I was of her right now, it was hard not to see the glaring deficiency I now felt inside. I had to get stronger, and I needed to do it now.
As I followed Maddox through the trees, I glimpsed a pocket of soldiers watching and waiting. It was impossible to miss the gleam of their golden armour or the eerie blue glow that shone out from the shadows of their helms.
At first, I’d thought Alyssa had done the impossible, that she’d cut through the forces coming towards us and we finally stood a chance. But now, with this mad dash through the trees, I could see the full extent of the forces we faced, and I was kicking myself for ever leaving her side.
The soldiers Alyssa had pulled up into the trees were nothing but a fraction of what we faced. A small group meant to test our ranks and identify our weaknesses. Fuck, we’d been trained the same way Damon had. We should have known this was what he’d do. It was what I’d fucking do, after all.
I hoped to god that Maddox knew what he was doing because getting back to Alyssa was going to be a whole hell of a lot harder than it had been to slip through the gap in the enemy’s ranks. Which led to a whole other question. Had we slipped through, or had we been lured away from our most important piece on the field, with the one thing we wanted the most?
There was no time to think. No time to even consider turning back. Because as soon as the thought touched my mind, they were on us. Three of The Endless emerged through the trees where I could have sworn there had been no one before and we were virtually surrounded.
Tank’s bear put on a burst of speed, striding past Maddox and smashing into the first soldier that tried to step into our path.
What had we done? Alyssa was back there alone, with none of her mates to protect her. What the fuck had we done?
The wolf was fully in agreement and we came to a sudden stop, our paws sliding through the soft forest floor as we skidded. Ryder and Maddox either had exactly the same thought or they were at least focused enough on all of us that they stopped, refusing to leave me behind.
And then I saw him.
Damon stepped through the trees directly in front of me. His gaze locked with mine as he smiled. He looked so much like the man I knew. So much so that I couldn’t possibly believe that he’d bring The Endless here to face us. The Damon I knew would have done anything to protect his brothers. He’d never stand by a man like Arik.
I wanted it to be him. I wanted to save him like he’d done for me all those years ago. Most days I could still smell the blood as it stuck to my skin, shining brightly in the morning sun. My hands had never felt clean since that day. The day Damon sat next to me on their doorstep and told me he’d fix it all. That I didn’t have to be alone anymore. The day he, Maddox, and Ryder became the only family I’d ever needed.
Until now.
And without a single doubt in my mind, I turned away. Leaving my brothers behind. Because all that mattered was her, and if Damon had lured us away from her, then we’d made the biggest mistake of our lives by letting it happen.
I made the impossible choice I never thought I’d ever be able to face.
It would always be her.