Chapter Thirty #2
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 out my 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.
My wolf was right. No reason to cry over someone who condemned himself to death when he chose to move against my family, my mate. “Some people never learn.” I shook my head, and then I started running again. “I don’t know where I’m going.”
Keep running straight. I think I hear something up ahead.
Nix nodded forward as I ran. I heard whimpers long before I was close enough to do anything.
I pressed myself to run fast, but Nix pulled me back.
Go slow. Don’t get yourself killed. I slowed down, and the scent of blood grew thick again.
The whimpering I heard grew louder as I pushed past a bush.
Oh, goddess, no. Nix’s voice had me slowing.
What is it? I whispered in my mind. I crept closer to the whimpers, and I heard a deep chuckle.
“Come on, be good.” A dark voice called out, and the whimpering turned to sobs.
It’s, it’s… Nix threw her head back and let out a mourning call.
It was Megan’s scream that had me freezing. STOP!
What?
If you push through that bush, you are as good as dead. I can feel it. Megan shook her head. Circle the clearing to the right. But move silently. Any sound will draw his attention.
I can’t keep going slow, you two. I need to save Ternen and Alannah.
I know, but just do as I said and we can. Megan looked to Nix, who was still calling to the moon. But I was on the move. I slowed further, picking my foot placement perfectly to make zero noise.
“Now.” I heard jingling, like metal hitting metal.
Can you cast magic in your mind? Nix finally turned back to me. Her voice was full of sorrow but urgent.
I don’t know. Why?
Just try Amy. We need to move quickly. Deaden the sound. Hurry!
I focused on my magic, and the words. I whispered them in my mind, and I felt the spell snap into place. There.
Run. Now Amy. Straight into the clearing.
I listened to my wolf and ran through the bushes. I stumbled through and had one second to see the scene in front of me before I screamed and dove with my claws fully extended.
The male rogue had his pants undone, kneeling on top of Alannah, fighting her clothes.
He had one second to register what was happening, and another to run.
He pushed up and screamed like his life was over as my claws ripped through his ribs.
The snap of bone ricocheted around the bubble I had created as blood flew.
His mouth coughed up blood, and he looked at me with surprise. “You. You found us.” He coughed more blood as the light faded from his eyes. I tossed his body to the side before I looked down at him. I noticed two wounds, the one I did on his chest and one lower…on his groin.
I heard a choking sound, and I turned to see Alannah sobbing, clutching at a rather sad-looking appendage.
I dropped into a crouch at her side and grabbed it from her hand.
“Hey.” I tossed it behind us. “Hey, I got you.” The wracking sobs overtook her body.
“I found you.” I grabbed her hands. Then, I leaned against her stomach.
I heard the sweet song of strong, healthy heartbeats. “Your pups are safe.”
I pulled back as she continued to sob. She wouldn’t look at me. I tried to turn her head, but she kept turning away. Finally, I turned and looked, and my heart shattered.
She refused to look away from Ternen, and his lifeless eyes stared back at her.
I blew out a deep breath. “I’m so sorry, Alannah.” I straightened her clothes as much as I could and then I bent down and picked her up. I turned away from the bodies and started back to the cabin. As soon as I stepped out of the clearing, Alannah started to fight.
“Put me down.” She kneed me in my side as she fought, and I dropped to the ground.
“Fuck.” She ripped herself out of my arms and ran over to Ternen. “Alannah…” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “He’s gone.”
She dropped and laid her head on his chest. “I know.” She started to cry as she tugged his blood-stained fingers around her side. “I know.” She closed her eyes for a second. “But I can’t live without him.” She shook her head as she cried. “He was my everything.”
I walked over, my heart in my throat as I watched her mourn the life she no longer had. “I know. But everyone is still in danger at the cabin, and we can’t stay out here.” I dropped down beside them. “You have a pups…his pups to take care of.”
She shuddered. “I can’t leave him here. I can’t leave, walk away and leave him to be eaten in the dark by animals.
” She looked at me with eyes full of sorrow.
“Please don’t ask that of me.” She pulled his arm tighter.
“I just want to feel his arms around me again.” Tears poured from her eyes.
“I want to turn back time to this morning. When I woke up in his arms and he got up to make me breakfast.” Her hand drifted to her stomach.
“He was so happy about our pups.” She hiccupped.
“Can you do that?” She turned to me. “Can your magic turn back time?”
I shook my head slowly. “I am powerful…but I am not a god. I can’t bring anyone back from the dead.
” She sobbed again. A broken sound that was sprinkled with her hiccups.
Her pain was so raw it shot me right back to my death and the pain I felt then.
I pressed my hand on top of hers on her stomach.
“I know this hurts. This kind of loss rips out your heart and tosses the pieces to the wind. You don’t see the other side of the cavern that was once filled with all the love you two had.
But I need you to think of Ternen, and your pups.
” I felt the babies kick at our hands. “Your pups want to live. And Ternen fought tooth and nail and gave up his life so that you three would live.” She screamed up at the sky.
“You are allowed to feel hollow. You are allowed to feel angry. But you are not allowed to give up.” She turned and snarled at me.
I just smiled down at her. “You can hate me too if that helps. But he would want you to get up and survive.”
She glared at me as her tears fell down her temples into her hair. “I won’t leave him.”
I sighed, but I understood. I stood up and dusted off my knees. Then, I held out a hand. “Can you walk?”
She glared up at me before turning to her mate. “I hate that you left me and our babies. I love you so much.”
“He fought for you. For your pups. So you could live.” I crouched again. “We won’t leave him, but I need you to walk.”
She sobbed once more before she leaned in and kissed Ternen’s mouth for the last time. “I love you to the moon and back.” She finally pulled away and grabbed my hand. “We won’t leave him?”
I pulled her up onto her feet and steadied her. Then I pulled her into my arms and gave her another moment to collect herself. “We won’t.” She pulled away and nodded once.
I crouched again and gathered Ternen into my arms. His eyes were still open, still empty, and that had me coughing to cover the sob that tried to break free.
Before I stood, I closed his eyes, and I softly whispered to him.
“You did such a good job protecting them. I promise I’ve got you from here.
” Then I pushed up, my side screaming from the extra weight.
The silver in our blood is messing with our healing, but I will take the pain. Nix offered, but I stopped her.
“Don’t.” The hollow feeling in my chest was almost unbearable.
Amy…why? Megan shook her head. It’s a long way back, and you are hurt.
I looked at my friend, the one I promised to protect, and I shook my head. I deserve the pain. I wasn’t fast enough to stop this from happening, and now she is going to have to go through everything alone.
It’s not your fault. My wolves tried, but I just shook my head.
I said no. Then I turned and started back to the cabin.