Ch. 621..630
Chapter 0621
I have updated chapter 3-148 or 620 depending on the version of the book you have. GN does have to push the update through and Singapore time is opposite of us. I wish I could respond to the comments here on GoodNovel, but that is not a feature that is easily accessible for authors on the desktop.
This chapter is a little over 1500 words on my end so I believe it will become 2 when it updates. As I get closer to the end of the book, I am going back to clarify things for continuity. If you catch something...And I know you will, this story is over 550k words when it was originally supposed to be like 80k TOTAL LOL. Please let me know on my Face. Book page under my author name. I get and check those messages, and respond, more regularly.
I am also going to put my version of the chapter title (3-148, 3-149, etc.) in the text. This is more for me than anything, but if you don’t see it, that just means the chapter is a continuation...so not ALL of the cliffhangers are my design ;)
Thank you all so much for following for so long. I published the Prologue for this book on April 4th 2023. We have been at this for a year now and it has been a real journey to say the least. I appreciate each and every one of you!!
Chapter 0622
Everyone is fighting a rogue wolf or two and it is chaos. These wolves are possessed like when Jena and I broke out of captivity. They have no care for their personal well being, they have no mind of their own. I don’t want to hurt them. Deep down I know this is just another form of abuse and manipulation, but I also can’t help the people I care about if I let them live. They are here to do one thing, kill all of us, or I guess all of them and take me captive.
Lil meets up with Jena and I and it’s like old times running missions for the Elite Warriors. We fall back into familiar habits and training. We attack head on, not letting anyone get in between us. This triangle formation has probably saved us more times than anything. All sides are covered while we continue in a forward motion while taking out as many rogues as we can. Sierra catches up to us as we approach the section of land that connects our peninsula to the mainland. All the fighting seems to be behind us and a sense of dread drapes over me slowly like thick slime. I want to turn around and run back to my pack members, but my wolf presses us forward. We need to finish this and I can’t act like a scared little girl. I need to be the Alpha I was chosen to be.
”Bitty, where the fck are you? I can’t see you and your pull is faint. What happened?”*
”We’re on the other side of the fighting, crossing onto the mainland. I can feel the magic coming just past our borders. Jena, Sierra and Lil are with me. Keep working through the rogues. We have this.”
”The fck you do, get your ass back here, Smalls.”*
”Dakota, watch your tone. I am not a helpless little girl. Mate or not, I am a warrior who will protect my pack. I am not alone, I have my team with me. The same team that I have been working with for years. You do your job and I will do mine.”
”Tiny, I can barely feel you and it hurts. What is going on?”
”You shouldn’t be in pain. I’m not leaving or being taken. Handle those fcking rogues and come after us. This is going to be unpleasant.”*
I can feel the magic surrounding a grove of trees. The closer we get the more I can see the shimmer of a mirage surrounding them.
”What are you looking at Midge?” Lil asks so only the four of us can have this conversation. They, no doubt, heard my fight with my mates, who were too panicked to have a private conversation.
”Can’t you see the shimmer on the trees? That has to be where the Rogue King and Adrielle or both are hiding.”
”Whoa, slow your tits Alpha. We are not running in there blind.” Lil’s wolf jumps in front of me. “We have to get some kind of feel for this place first. Your mates are already going to skin us alive for letting you come out here without them and I am sure Mateo and Sam have expressed similar sentiments.”
”Sam may have mentioned taking a page out of Mike’s book and wants to chain me up when we get back.” We all laugh at Sierra, because I wouldn’t put it past Sam to try or Sierra to enjoy it.
”Can you guys see it though? That’s my biggest question right now. If I’m the only one who can see the magic, then maybe I’m the only one who can get past it.”
”You can stop that train right now. You may be able to put your mates in their places, but that hot Alpha girl routine will not work here. You go in with us or not at all, got it.”
”What I was saying, asshole, is that we need to figure out if you can go in with me. I don’t have a death wish, Lillian. Can. You. See. The. Magic?”
”I feel cold, like something is off, but I don’t see anything. What am I looking for?” Lil asks.
***”I see the haze on the trees, but I don’t feel anything.” Sierra’s wolf looks at us.
***”The sound has changed.” Jena steps next to me. “Like when I am here next to you, the only thing I can hear is us. But, back here,” She trots about fifteen feet behind me. “I can hear all of you and the warrior’s conversations too. I just don’t know if that is a Midge thing, a Rogue King proximity thing or a spell on the area thing.”***
”Who knows, but we can’t wait for the guys. We need to check this out. Now.”
”Well, you sure as shit aren’t going first, just in case that magic is designed to trap you.” Lil steps forward ahead of me and every fiber of my being wants to pull her back by her tail and jump in front, but I know she’s right, someone else has to test it although the thought that she might get hurt or worse from it makes me want to throw up.
I nod at her and Jena steps in front of me.
”What are you doing?” I can’t keep the snark out of my voice.
”If it’s a trap she shouldn’t be in there alone and it shouldn’t be you. You need to be out here working on how to get us the fck back out. I will go in with Lil, if we can pass back through to you, then you and Sierra can follow. If it closes behind you Sierra can still call for backup.”*
”I don’t hate this plan.” I say begrudgingly. I chose them as my found family when I needed one and now they are my permanent family and my team, I have to trust their judgment now just like every other mission we have ever been on.
Lil steps through first muttering a continuous stream of profanities so I can tell if I can still hear her link on the other side. No problems so far. I nod at Jena, who moves to the edge of the trees where Lil disappeared. She steps forward and once two paws are past the treeline, she also disappears. I give them a minute to gauge their surroundings and report back.
While we wait, I turn to Sierra. ”When are you gonna make your announcement? Does Sam know?”
”Announce what? What are you talking about?”
I just look at her waiting for her to come clean. She doesn’t usually keep secrets. But the longer my wolf and I look at her the more we realize she has no idea.
”Sierra, when was your heat?” My wolf sits on her butt. The other two are muttering to each other on the other side of the magic, I tune them out this is important, especially if we go in there and get captured. She just looks at me for a second and then her wolf’s eyes go wide. 🧊
Chapter 0623
”Last week, but how did you know that I had it?”
”Your scent has changed. I noticed earlier, but I thought maybe it was just being around everyone and all the hormone stuff going on with me finding my mates, but I can still smell the difference now.”
”What are you saying Skylar?” She slowly sinks down on her haunches next to me.
”That I have a suspicion and you need to be careful in here and not give them a reason to harm you unnecessarily or use you and my niece or nephew as bait. The other girls didn’t say anything and I assume Sam hasn’t either, meaning it’s really early and I can tell because I’m your Alpha or because my sense of smell has always been more intense. It shouldn’t be a problem in there, but all this is new for me too. I just didn’t want you to go in there and not know, just in case someone we come across has the same senses as me.” She leans into me, tucking her furry head under my wolf’s chin, which only works in this form since we are closer to the same size. “We should tell the girls too.”
”No! They’ll just worry more, and I am kind of freaking out enough for everyone right now.”
***”That’s kind of the point. We are all important and necessary, not just me. You are currently carrying our future. We can’t have secrets, that will only give them ammunition to use against us. Let’s go get this over with so we have a future to be in.”***
”Are you two coming or not?” Lil finally gets through to me.
”Yep, we have an amendment to the plan.”
”What are you talking about? I’m kind of done with twists to the plan.” Jena grumbles.
”We have an additional passenger. It’s a new development and we are all sworn to secrecy.”
”Midge, enough with the riddles. Spit it out and get over here, I can smell at least ten wolves, meaning they run a patrol or hangout here for some reason. We need to find cover.”
”Sierra’s pregnant. Don’t let anything happen to her and don’t let anyone else know about it, including the guys. I think I am the only one who can smell it, but that doesn’t mean the Rogue King or Adrielle won’t know. And they will both use it against us if they find out.”
I finish as we step through one at a time. I know they would make a half-assed effort to make her stay behind to protect her, but she is a warrior and carrying a child isn’t a good enough reason to stop what we are doing right now. We won’t have a home to raise our kids in if we don’t stop these two psychopaths. And she is safer with us than trying to make it back to the guys, who will be distracted at her coming back without us, causing more problems.
Their wolves both jump at Sierra, rubbing up against her and congratulating her. Zero fear or hesitations. This is what makes this group of women the best. Just because we are women isn’t going to stop us from doing what we need to do to protect our pack, including being on the front lines. We move about twenty feet into the cover of the trees, getting out of sight the best we can.
”I can’t tell that anything’s different, so that’s good at least. We can hope it’s just you and your freak sense of smell.” Jena laughs at me. But I give her a stern look. She should have had her heat by now. I wonder if she might be expecting too, but I notice my sense of smell is off here now that we have moved away from the border. I can’t smell Sierra’s scent at all anymore, or the others.
”Magic’s being used against us right now, that’s for sure. Stay close.”
They are all on high alert now and we walk forward. The grove is still a grove. I wasn’t sure what I expected walking through the veil of magic, a castle or creepy looking house at the very least, but it is still just the forest that we saw from the other side. Tight clusters of trees making small natural pathways through the trees. Looking around there are several paths, all leading toward the same point. I assume the center is what we will find if we follow.
Chapter 0624
Naturally, we veer off the beaten path parallel to what looks like the most used path and stalk through the brambles and bushes as close to the ground as possible.
”Alright, now you’re just showing off. Do we all get the camouflage thing or is that just you and your mates?” Jena mumbles at me.
”I have no idea. I can’t even tell that we are turning it on and off. I can see you all, can you see me? What does it actually look like?”
”When you move you kind of shimmer, but if you stay really still, your fur blends in completely. I can still feel you though, I know exactly where you are, but I can’t smell anyone. I assume that’s how you know magic is being used against us.” Lil follows up.
”All of you try holding still, let’s see if you have the camo too, or maybe I can share it somehow.”
They all crouch low, not moving a muscle except for their eyes constantly checking our surroundings. I can still see them like always, but it’s something we need to test with someone who is not me. I think about sharing the ability too, but I get nothing. I have no idea what my abilities allow me to do and not do out of the norm. It seems like some things are based on the situation and purely instinct. For some reason this magic affects my sense of smell like everyone else though. I don’t understand that, but I pack it in the ‘figure out when we aren’t about to die’ part of my mind.
”I can still see you, but that doesn’t mean it’s not working. Let’s keep going.”
The trees begin to thin out as we creep along, making almost no noise. This was one of the most intense trainings we did. Being silent in our movements was sometimes the difference in life or death. We finally find an edge to the forest and what I see makes even my wolf’s jaw hit the ground.
It’s a compound. Not just any make-shift, temporary set up of tents, but a whole set of buildings. Where the hell did all of this come from and how did none of us know? Nikolas and Osiston have been running their own version of patrols trying to find the Rogue King and he really has been right under our nose the whole time. Is he that much smarter than we are? Or is this just several generations of planning coming to light? This is insane and we have a big problem.
The wolves we have been fighting are disposable, because he has at least a thousand more to follow up with. I wonder if they are all under a spell like the one Mike had been using at his camp or if there is something more here.
I link the guys and fill them in on what we found. It took a solid ten minutes and a full Royal Alpha command to get them to shut up long enough to listen after I told them we found the hideout. We took turns giving them all the details we could from our vantage point.
”What about that boyfriend of yours, Little One? Is he there? Do you think he would help you from the inside if you found him?”
I think Nikloas has a soft spot for Robbie after he brought Gentry back to us. My mates have no such emotion towards him, especially after that little jibe from Nik. Asshole. I’m already in enough trouble for taking off. I can only imagine what their possessive asses are going to do when we get back.
Chapter 0625
***"I will try to find him, but he can't be our whole plan. There is too much going on here. From where we are it's a whole ecosystem. We need to get an idea of what kind of supplies they have and how long they can outlast us. I think they were hoping for a better showing from Brecc and his goons, but we still don't know if they are all working together or not. Brecc is just a greedy asshole, he may be on his own plan."***
***"Bitty, Babe. You need to keep this link open and let us know what you are seeing and what you are doing at all times. We can be there in minutes if needed."***
***"I will keep the link open, we always do, but you all cannot come running until we ask for back up. And before anyone protests look at Osiston and Nikolas. They can vouch for us. This is how we do this. We are on a mission like any other mission right now, this is what we do, this is my team, it's exactly what we have trained for. I can guarantee that Wyatt and Nathaniel are doing their jobs like any other mission. Go find them and they can help you wrap your minds around us being out here working and probably give you four different visuals too."*** This is as calm as I can be for them. I don't want to fight or start a fight, but they can't just come running after us and leave the rest of our warriors stranded, especially if the plan was to get me here and separated. They are targets, all of them, but my mates specifically.
I leave the conversation there. We need intel, not discussions. I know that Nik and Osiston will handle them now that everyone has been called out. As promised I don't shut down their link, but I do shut out their comments, wish is mostly just grumbling and groaning about safety and mate trust and other bullsh*t.
***"So far, only three big buildings that we can see from here. There is still no scent that we can track. We need to decide if we should test if being inside the treeline changes that."*** Lil starts our observations ***"Still tracking about four hundred on the ground, but they don't seem to be in any active state, just going about general business." Jena adds on.
***"We need to figure out what each building is for. One for sleeping, one for eating and probably some type of office and one for supplies, but we need to be sure since they are heavy on the magic use too."*** I add.
***"Since their wolves are disposable, we can probably assume there isn't much in the way of a healing space. Maybe we can use that against them. Find a way to attack the masses here and they won't be able to recover."*** Sierra continues our verbal note taking.
We continue to stay in the treeline and move toward where the majority of the wolves are. I find it odd that they are all in wolf form here. There is not a single human form around. The rest of the girls agree with
me.
***"These buildings give nothing away. They are all big metal rectangles. No windows, flat roofs, no garage doors that we can see, so they might not have any vehicles here either."*** Jena says as we continue to belly crawl forward.
Once we get close enough we can
see what they are doing a little better. They are walking around, but in more of a patrol fashion than what we thought. The buildings make a U' shape with two parallel and one closing off an end. They are at the open end moving around what can only be another
fire-pit-magic-link-control thing. F*ck my life. I don't want to deal with another one of these. I brought the girls attention to what I was seeing.
It's like they are just pacing around it aimlessly. No rhyme or reason. I just don't understand. We move closer. I can't sense any magic from here, but I can smell the wolves now L was right, the scent masking was just around the border in the trees. Thick enough to make them feel safe, they just weren't counting on us to be nosey and follow through with our search.
***"Stay here, I want to see how close I can get and we are not testing your camouflage abilities with this many opponents. Don't argue."*** I hiss at Lil, she knows I am right and wants to protest because I'm sure everything in her big Gamma heart is telling her to go before me. It's not happening.
Before she, or anyone else, can say anything, I start crawling forward more slowly than I have ever moved
in my life. I know the camo only works when I am still. Or, at least, that's when we have noticed it
working the best. I get about twenty feet from the outside line of wolves. They are pacing in a circle around a platform that is three shallow steps above the ground. It's almost like they are in prayer or meditation. There is a small gap and I take my chance to scurry through towards the center and then plant myself at the bottom step and take a deep breath.
There is a light gray wolf laying on the platform facing the fire. His head is moving up and down and in circles. It doesn't seem to be a pattern, but there is a rhythm to the movement. His eyes are closed and he seems to be the only one solely focused on the fire. Based on his size, this must be the Rogue King or someone high up on the leader rung.
He's not as big as my guys but about the same size as my brother with muscles he clearly uses. His fur has a matted quality to it, not unkempt, but like he lives outside, in this form most of the time.
"So good of you to finally join us. I was hoping you would make your way home sooner rather than later."
Where the hell did that voice come from? It wasn't the wolf at the platform, he hasn't moved a muscle.
"You are just as beautiful as my son described, I can't wait to congratulate him on a fine choice in a mate." I stay put, I can hear the voice like I would hear anyone in their human form, but there are no humans here. "Oh, I'm sorry. Let me introduce myself. My name is Vincent, I am Micheals' father and the true Alpha King."
Chapter 0626
I am trying not to move. I don't know if this guy actually can see me or if he can just smell my scent. I thought I could mask it, but I have never put any conscious thought into it until now. Something my wolf and I agree was stupid on our part. The big gray wolf on the platform still hasn't moved or opened its eyes. I don't think he's the one speaking, but looking around as much as I can without turning my head, there isn't anyone else here either. What the hell is going on?
"I haven't heard from my son in a while, I hope he is treating you well as his chosen mate."
Huh? This guy is crazy. And how does he not know that Mike is dead? I blasted a hole in his ass for threatening my family. All wolves can feel when a direct family member passes back to the Moon Goddess. "Come out, child. There is no need to hide from me." His voice is silky and smooth. Something enticing threatens to pull you in if you don't know he's the worst type of psychopath around. I kind of understand why he has so many followers. Just the rumbling deep tenor makes you want to listen. "We are family now and will be so much more soon."
Now we are officially at creeper level, but I have to do something, he knows I'm here, I think. I stand slowly, my guard up completely. I can feel my fur tingle with electricity. Magic is crackling along it with some kind of protection I don't understand, but appreciate all the same.
***"Can you guys hear him? Tell me I'm not crazy." I call out to my team and I know everyone else can hear too. "I can't see him though, what is going on?"***
***"Skylar, give your wolf control of your eyes, you can share your vision with us. It shouldn't impede yours at all."*** Gentry directs in her gentle tone.
***"Oh, shit! Do you know how many times we could have used this on other missions? This is going to be so helpful in the future."*** Lil exclaims.
***"F*ck off!! There had better not be a repeat of this f*cking situation."*** Cameron growls. He's not usually the one to shut down ideas of my abilities so quickly. That's usually Dakota and my brother, but all three of my mates are radiating the same aggressive emotion right now.
I feel like Lil, Jena and Sierra are the only ones who see my abilities for their possibilities, like I do, instead of the dangerous positions it might possibly put me in.
***"Knock it off! All of you. Help me look for something, anything to let me know who's talking to me. I'm going to start moving around, they are clearly expecting me. And he doesn't know Mike is dead, what's up with that. He thinks Mike has mated with me." My mate's growls turn into a roar in my head. "STOP! Or I will block you! He can tell I'm mated, but not who I am mated to. Gentry, what's going on? Osiston and Nikolas muzzle my mates if they become a danger or just a bigger pain in the ass."
"***
***"I'm not sure dear girl, but it probably has to do with how far he has gone down the path of dark magic. There are abilities he has gained, but clearly he has lost or given some up in the process.' ***"I'm going to shift, he knows I'm here so I don't have the element of surprise anyway. Can you still see through my eyes if I do?"***
"***
***"We will find out, remember everything you do is experimental from this point forward. Your magic will be tested, your faith in the Moon Goddess will be tested and your mates are already being tested and at their breaking point. Choose what you do and say carefully and with complete intention. If you don't know what to say, say nothing at all."*** I think that is the most direct advice I have been given since I started using magic.
I shift and send a silent thank you for Dakota insisting I put on his shirt. I don't want to give Vincent any ideas.
"You asked me to show myself, but I
can't see you. I believe courtesy dictates that you show yourself as well." I called out. I can feel my girls fanning behind me but staying just beyond the treeline. I hope their
scents are masked as well. Wol. ne
seem to have a nonverbal
agreement to stay silent. I don't
know if his magic allows him to hear my thoughts or the mindlinks attached to me. That must mean that they can see through my eyes though, since no one is asking any questions.
"You are right dear girl. What kind of father-in-law would I be if you didn't have the opportunity to know me? You will understand who the
superior portion of the Royal bloodline is." Vincent comes from somewhere in the center of the pacing wolves. I see him out of the corner of my eye and whip to my right. I don't want him in any kind of blind spot. He's too big to miss, but there was no way he was standing there when I crawled over.
I am frozen as he saunters, at least I think that's what he is trying to accomplish, towards me. I just stand and stare at this cartoonish looking, arrogant asshole. He is huge, way bigger than my guys, with long, stringy hair the same midnight black shade as Mike's and the same hazel eyes. Those are the only family traits though. Vincent's shoulders have got to be as wide as I am tall, but his waist is tiny, like him and I probably could wear the Same belt tiny. It gives him a top heavy look. The muscles in his shoulders and chest are puffed up like balloons and he has no neck. I think this would be the equivalent of a human getting plastic surgery and taking it too far. The problem is I don't know if those muscles are for show or can actually function, and the only way to find
out is to piss him off enough to fight
me, and no one in my current
mindlink group is going to
appreciate that.
He stops in front of me, breaking me from my wild thoughts. "My you are a little thing aren't you? We will have to do something about that so you can bear strong Royal pups."
The look on my face must tell him how I really feel about that idea since he just smiles showing off perfectly straight white teeth.
"Such a well trained female, you don't speak much, that is always a plus. Micheal did say you were very intelligent. It looks like your father brought you up very obediently. That will be helpful when we start working through your Royal attributes."
Seriously! How many times can one person say 'royal' in a conversation? I decide to test the waters and see how far I can push him.
"There actually hasn't been anything to say. You haven't asked me a question that needs an answer. I am just here to figure out what you want and why you are attacking my pack." I shrug like he is barely worth my notice. I need to keep him talking anyway.
Chapter 0627
"If your Alpha would have followed through with our deal, then there would be no need to go to such measures, but as it stands, he wanted to keep you all to himself. The prophecy was not wrong, you are powerful, I can feel it. Alpha Lucas is lucky to have sired such a powerful female Alpha."
Oh, sh*t he believes the literal version of that prophecy. Adrielle never told him I was mated to the twins, making me their daughter through the mating. I wonder if she knew I was destined for three mates? Or will she be just as confused? Either way, this dude has a rude awakening coming.
***"Keep him talking Little One. He clearly doesn't have all the information. Maybe we can use this against him. We need to know where Adrielle is. She's going to be our bigger problem I think."*** Osiston coaches me.
"I think you might be a little off when it comes to the prophecy. Alpha Lucas didn't 'sire' me. I am the Beta's daughter." I say with all the disgust the sentiment requires. "And I sure as hell won't be mating with your weak ass son. He was not worth the energy."
He completely ignored my insult. "You are already mated, I can smell it and feel the power you only gain after mating. There's no other way for you to have gotten so strong." Even in my human form I can feel my fur bristle under my skin. He thinks because I am a female I can't be strong or powerful. "Micheal! Show yourself and handle your mate!" He shouts out to the trees. I can hear my girls chuckle over the mindlink.
"He's not here. You are right, I am mated to an Alpha, three to be exact. And I am no Luna, which is probably why you are so confused."
"There is no way Micheal would have allowed you to be mated to anyone else. No Alpha shares what is his. He would have killed anyone who so much as looked at you."
***"I actually would have liked to see him try that. I believe the last time a guy tried to tell Midge what to do, because she was a girl and didn't 'know better,' lost the function of his hand for the day."*** Now Wyatt decides to chime in? What the hell? Vincent is starting to get agitated. He's not outwardly showing it, but his body's scent has changed and I can taste the tang of uncertainty in the air between us.
I open my mouth to say something smartass, but a loud scuffle in the trees behind me and the 'ompf' sounds coming from my friends lets me know they have been found. I will not turn my back on Vincent though, my friends all let me know they are alright. We came up with a code of sounds a long time ago. Being female warriors, these men need to feel superior and by giving them that false sense of security we have won many fights.
"Well, without your Alpha mate to protect you at least you didn't come alone. Although I don't understand why you continue to do things the hard way. Male warriors would have been far superior and necessary for your protection. Micheal should have seen to that. You are too important to have been harmed by these disgusting rogues. His lip curls like the wolves pacing monotonously around us have the worst scent. "You are the Rogue King, how can you call them disgusting?"
He roars, showing emotion for the first time. He catches the slip and schools his face quickly, but it's there, and now I know how to really piss him off.
"That stupid name my cousin gave me. I am the Alpha King, the rightful heir to the throne he sits on. He and his father stole it and have been destroying this kingdom slowly for generations." His fists clench and unclench at his sides.
I can still hear the scuffling behind me, my girls are putting up small fights to try and wear down their captors. I just hope they aren't using too much energy, we have a fight coming.
"I believe enslaving all of these wolves to fight for you is what's destroying this kingdom."
"Subjects should bow down to their superiors. My son and I will rule this Kingdom and make it the greatest it's even been. When he fills your belly with pups our lineage will continue with greatness." My mates lose it in my head and give me an instant migraine.
***"Will you three shut up!!!! The f*cker's dead, morons, and, if you'll remember, he couldn't sire shit even when he was alive."*** Jena has never willingly mentioned the time she spent with Mike or what he did to her. It did the trick
"Well, I have it on good authority,
that he tried to mate and 'sire' pups
and he didn't get the job done on more than one occasion. He did not live up to your expectations. Your inferion genetics weren't meant to be passed on even if he were still breathing." The wolves around us stop moving. No one turns to look at me, but the tension in the air is suffocating.
"What did you just say to me? How dare you insult your King. I don't care if you are destined to be the next Luna Queen, you will be taught to speak to your superiors with respect.” He steps
sme agnet
and this time the massive gray wolf on the platform gets up and flanks his right side. His eyes are just as soulless as the rest of the wolves here. I wonder if they are even alive at all or just puppets, zombies to do his bidding.
"You are not my king and I know the future Luna Queen, it's not me. And unless you have another son to pass on your genetics, you are the last of your line. Your weak, arrogant, untrained son was no match for me. I destroyed him in a matter of seconds."
"You lie, little tramp! I will show you what devious little sl*ts get for punishment." He lunges at me and I jump and roll away before he can touch me.
I can hear the frey's sound increase around me. Everyone is locked in battle with someone. These wolves are coming from everywhere, but Vincent only has eyes for me and they are perfectly fine leaving us to our own fight. I leave my team to handle them for now.
Vincent isn't as fast as me, I don't know if it is his bulky size or lack of training, but his weight is a problem. Even with solid punches and kicks, not much seems to be affecting him. He can't seem to get a hold of me either though. I'm just going to have to wear him down and hope I can figure out how to take this ficker out. My wolf wants to lend me her strength, but I won't let her. We will need her strength and speed to take him out. I don't want to burn us both out too early. This is going to be a long fight. This is one of those times I wish I had all the gear the guys got me, this would be a perfect time to have the extra weapons.
Chapter 0628
I hear a whimper to my left, it's Lil and she doesn't whimper. I risk a look, she'll tell me she's fine even with a bone completely in the wrong direction. ***"LIL! Talk to me."***
That was all it took for Vincent to get a good left hook in and send me flying across the open space and into the side of one of the large buildings. Motherf*cker! That sucked. It's been a long time since someone got the drop on me like that and knocked the wind out. I have been a little preoccupied and clearly I'm being reminded that even mates are not a good enough reason to skip training. This vantage point does give me the chance to scan the area though as Vincent has to wade through the groups of wolves surrounding and fighting my teammates.
***"Why don't you talk to us Alpha. How was that toss?"*** Sassy b*tch.
***"Such an asshole, Jena. Everyone still good? Kill these fuckers, I don't know if any of them are alive enough to save even if we kill Vincent."***
***"Ooooh! You rebel, calling him by his name not his title. You should do that out loud and see how hard he tries to hit you then."***
***"Lillian! Stop giving her stupid ideas!" Oliver shouts through the link. "Bitty, you good? My whole face hurts."***
***"Yeah, I'm fine, he got a lucky shot after Lil got hit. He's got them possessed, I don't think we can save them. They are still fighting even when logic and injury shouldn't let them. Send them back to the Goddess."*** I screech as I dodge a punch from Vincent. He hits the side of the building and doesn't even flinch. "We need to draw Vincent out of this protective circle. I don't know if he's stronger here, but we aren't getting anywhere. Any ideas?"***
***"We are coming to you Tiny. Don't argue, the fight here has basically died out since you went to them."***
***"Almost clear on our end, Alphas."*** One of our warriors calls out.
No argument from me. I don't know how I can beat him on my own. I can hear the scuffling around me, but my focus is solely on the puffed up man in front of me.
***"I wonder if his wolf is just as jacked up as he is? He's clearly using magic to enhance his size. Can you get him to shift?" My wolf asks me. "He's not using magic either. I don't think he can. Maybe send something small his way and see if he will counter."***
At this point I will try anything. Dodging his fists isn't getting me anywhere and she's right, he hasn't done much but try to hit me. Either he can't or he thinks very highly of his fighting skills and is 'trying not to hurt me.' I keep rolling and dodging, moving around the platform, trying to keep track of my team who is doing a fantastic job of taking out the wolves here. There are still so many, but the numbers are quickly going down. I just need to hold out a little longer and I will have help.
I tell my wolf to start summoning my magic, while I focus on not dying. I will take anything that is willing to step forward right now. Fire, earth, water, wind anything. I breathe out as I dip forward while Vincent tries to grab me. I'm so glad he can't actually close his arms. His muscles have been my saving grace. Proll through his legs and take a deep breath in and then let it out. As I let the breath go a fierce wind whips up around us and takes out the legs of all the wolves in my line of sight. Jena breaks one's neck with her massive jaw, while Sierra stops
another one from jumping on her
back.
I move to intercept another as my whole head is ripped back by my ponytail and I land hard on my ass. “Oh, sh*t! What the f*ck?" I groan looking at the swollen face above me.
The closer I get to him the more he looks bloated, not muscular. "I want my son you little b*tch, where is he?"
"I told you, I took him out." I grunt trying to loosen his grip. "He threatened my family and pissed me off in general."
"I want his body!" He growls close to my ear, a little of his spit hitting my face.
"Why, so you can bring him back to life like the rest of these zombies? Well. You can't have it." I twist and try to stand, he rips me onto my back again. I stare into his eyes and smile my best innocent smile. "We burned his worthless, sorry excuse for a wolf. I sent him to the Goddess for judgment. Let's see what she thinks about your sorry excuse for a son and your constant attack on her females."
"Aaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!" He roars at me. I can see his skin ripple. I almost have him. "NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!" He raises his fist, it is aimed for my face, but his grip in my hair won't let me move. I refuse to close my eyes, he won't see me cower at all.
"ABSOLUTELY F*CKING NOT!!" Lil comes out of nowhere, shifting midair and blasts into his side. The force and surprise cause him to loosen his grip on my hair enough for me to move and I can feel the surge of power in my arm right before I blast him with a fireball.
He doesn't go down easy, but I get a small break. He comes back full of pure rage and his claws are out, but still in his human form. He swipes at me again and again, sometimes making contact, other hits missing wildly. He's out of control and a complete danger to anyone in the vicinity.
"Shift you f*cker." I mumble under my breath ducking under another hit and making contact with his ribs with my own fist. His body jerks, like his wolf wants to come out, but still nothing.
***"What if he can't anymore? He's not using magic and he's not using his wolf. The two things he prizes most in this world and he's using neither."*** Sierra calls out to me.
***"Baby, where are you? We've crossed onto the mainland."***
***"You are going to have to trust your instincts and follow your pull to me, we're a little busy."*** I groan at Oliver. I think Sierra's right, but that doesn't make him less formidable. His pouches and kicks are still painful and too many will be lethal. And his focus is one hundred percent on me.
Chapter 0629
I am now scraped up and bruised, at least on the inside. The outside of my body is doing exactly what it is supposed to do for an Alpha, but that doesn't stop the pain I feel throbbing in my muscles and joints from this seemingly never ending fight.
"I will have you. Your fight is futile. I can't believe the Goddess was stupid enough to place so much power in the hands of such a small and weak little girl. None of the other females in our family could handle their powers either. You have no idea what you possess and no one to teach you how to use it."
"Umph." I roll and dodge yet another kick, he's starting to slow down. "Were you planning on teaching me? This is an odd way to show me you want me around. Your son at least pretended to be a friend before he tried to r*pe me. He got what was coming to him and so will you."
"I will have you and your power." He swings at me and misses my face, but grabs my wrist and hauls me up off the ground by one arm.
"Your son never had me, you never will. You were not good enough for the Goddess to bestow gifts upon. You are the one who is nothing, who is worthless. Where is your witch when you need her? She's not here to lend you her magic, since you have none of your own. Your wolf is clearly too weak to come out and join us." I look him right in the eye and I can see the moment he snaps. His mind goes feral.
RRRRROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!
He throws me and starts thrashing around. He's not near anyone I care about so I take the chance to take an inventory of where my friends are and how many wolves are left. Too many in my personal opinion. I step over to help the girls get rid of these wolves. They aren't strong and like all the rest that we have gone against, they aren't really fighting us that hard, they just outnumber us a hundred to one.
***"BITTY!"***
***"TINY!"***
***"SMALLS!"***
My mates all shout over the mindlink as they burst through the tree line followed by my brother and Sam and then Wyatt, Nathaniel, Osiston and Nikolas.
***"Finish off these rogues. We have an Alpha King to take care of. Don't argue. Jena and I need this closure. Can you all deal with that? You are here and we will let you know if we need you, I promise."*** They each rub up against me as the rest of my friends' mates do the same. Wyatt and Nathaniel mimic us by rubbing up on Lil. Assholes. They take the focus of the rogue wolves while we approach the Rogue King still thrashing and tearing up anything in his way.
***"Time to see if we can do magic in your form."*** I tell my wolf and she is giddy at the idea. I like the thought of being in the passenger seat of the fight and focusing completely on the magic.
I send a fireball toward his chest as we shift. It hits him square in the chest, leaving a black mark, but he doesn't so much as stumble.
***"He can be wounded, but clearly it doesn't do much. I just wish I understood the magic better."***
***"Don't overthink it, Little One. You do understand the magic. You understand it enough to work with it, not fight it. You respect what magic can do and what it cannot. You understand it is to be worked with, not commanded."*** Osiston is always in teaching mode.
I let my wolf take over completely and concentrate, drowning out everything around me. I trust my team and my family to do everything to keep us and each other safe. "I don't want to take a life, but I don't see any other way to subdue or control Vincent. I don't know what to do I say in my own mind hoping the magic is listening and feeling a little foolish at the same time. "How do we stop him if he can't be killed? Are we supposed to? Does the Moon
Goddess even want him?"
Oh damn, I never thought of that. What if he's here because he did something in the realm of the Moon Goddess? Maybe she can't contain him either and wolves are dying or whatever is nonexisting for them.
***"No worries, Little One. As soon
as you are done with him, I will have him contained for a very long time. His poor wolf is trapped and has been that way for several of your decades. Vincent had him locked
away to keep him from resisting et
Vincent was corrupted by the dark witch. She wants to combine her magic with that of a wolf's. Our magics are not meant for what she intends. Her Goddess will take care of her, but you are right your biggest threat is before you." I hear a grunt from my wolf but I fight to not break focus. "Your magic is Chaos, it comes from within, bringing order to the unordered without the
formalities of traditional
incantations."***
***"I think you just called me crazy, difficult and unpredictable inside a compliment and teaching lesson."***
***"The point is, don't think, just feel and do. There is no book for the things you can do. It's why you were chosen. You will find the best and right ways to take care of our kind. You will bear this responsibility with all the care and respect it deserves."***
***"But, you want him dead right? I just want to make that very clear, so I don't get in trouble later and get shot in the ass with a lightning bolt or something."
***"It is your decision to make. Will you, can you, spare his life knowing the things he's done to our kind, to you and your family."***
***"Thank you for being clear, I appreciate it." She laughs at my sarcasm. "What about Sierra and Jena? Am I right?"***
***"I'll make you a deal. Come out of this with all your pack members and team intact and I will answer that question."***
"***
***"SKYLAR!"***
****What?!"*** I yell back at Jena.
****Shoot this asshole again. What the hell were you humming about?"***
***"That is so a later conversation, with a lot of drinks. I have an idea. I think I can put a barrier on all of you so you can attack but he can't harm you and make you strong enough to do real damage. Care to try?"***
***"You started that with 'I think.' Being your guinea pig tends to get things blown up. I'm in!"*** Lil laughs dancing out of Vincent's reach, while Jena and Sierra both punch him on either side.
**** Jena, Sierra?"***
***"If it makes this sh*t stop then yes! We're in."***
I reach in again this time looking for
the colored magic. I just feel for what I want,watching ans little wisps float off my wolf like smoke over water and towards my friends. Black and orange vapor wraps and surrounds them. This time I don't feel any drain or weakness though. The magic understands Lam trying to eradicate a common enemy. I feel the tingles in my wolf's fur again, MAybe I was giving myself
protection magic without even meaning to earlier.
Chapter 0630
***"I'm getting Halloween vibes right now, Midge. What's with the orange and black smoke?"*** Lil asks.
***"At this point I am going to trust the magic that's helping us out and I will sit down and have it explain all the nuances to us later. I think I remember from the color clearing though that orange gave strength and a bunch of stuff like that and black was definitely protection."***
***"I will take both and thank the magic for me. We should name your magic since we seem to think of it as another sentient part of you." Jena laughs. "It's like you have another person in there with you and your wolf. We can't just keep saying 'it' when we mention it."***
I never thought of that, but she's right. I have started talking about my magic like I talk about my wolf.
***"Do you have a suggestion?"*** I ask, this time dodging a rogue wolf coming at me. This one easily went down with a broken neck. They shouldn't be this easy to take out. Especially with the numbers they have.
***"STEVE!"*** Lil shouts at us.
***"Why 'Steve?' Where the hell did that come from?"*** Jena asks as her wolf takes another chunk out of Vincent's arm. At this point he is just going to bleed to death fighting us.
***"Well, apparently Steve likes his name cause Skylar is on fire, literally."*** Sierra laughs at me.
***"OH SH*T! Go run a few of these random f*ckers over. You are seriously a fireball!"*** Lil shouts at me.
With the four of us in our wolf form the odds are so much better in our favor. I can feel the spike of adrenaline coursing through our veins. This is like old times, Working off each other's strengths and using every moment of opportunity to drive a damaging blow to the most vulnerable spot. He still hasn't shifted, we are tearing into his skin with our teeth and claws and he won't or can't shift. I'm not going to feel bad about it though. He chose to be this petty, greedy person instead and now he's paying the price.
We are moving too fast with the magic protecting us. He is trying to keep up, but can't focus on all four of us at the same time and it is making him outwardly frustrated. I feel like I have endless energy and he is just getting weaker and weaker with each blow. There are still plenty of sounds around us. I wonder if reinforcements came in. Everything is moving so fast and yet so slow all at the same time. I don't dare look even though every fiber of my being wants me to force my wolf's eyes just enough for me to see my mates are alright. I can feel them, I know they are fine, but I can at least sympathize with their being angry earlier. I hate this feeling. The pull to constantly check on them is very overwhelming and irritating. I can feel them, I don't need to be stuck to their asses twenty four seven. I need to add that to the list of things the Moon Goddess and I talk about.
We continue biting and slashing and finally get him to his knees. Sierra has one arm, Lil the other in their mouths, he's too weak to fight us anymore. I don't believe for a second he's given up though. He's gone to so much trouble to get here, I don't think stopping is an option. We are all panting and covered in dirt from rolling around and being thrown around. Even without shifting he has been able to withstand the four of us and the rest of his wolves have been keeping our guys busy.
Jena stalks towards him, death is the only look in her eyes. She didn't get to kill Mike. I regret taking that closure from her. My reaction to Mike was uncontrolled and he should have suffered far worse than he did and she should have had a hand in his final moments. But she will take this life for all her suffering. Before me, she was the one Vincent and Mike had chosen to carry on their bloodline. They killed her family because she's an Alpha female and took her from her home, then abused and r*ped her repeatedly. Causing the kind of trauma my brother will be helping her heal from for the rest of their lives. Her wolf opens its jaw wide to take in his whole massive neck.
The entire area rumbles and quakes. Static in the air crackles.
***"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING BITTY?!?!"***
***"It's not me. Be careful, the ground is starting to open up in places."*** I yell to everyone.
Green flames fly past my head and straight at Jena, but barely miss causing her to drop down to her belly. This time I do look around, but see nothing. Where the hell did that come from?
Another round of green flames
come our way It's a witch, that
much I know. Would Adrielle let us
I
get this far in harming her so-called mate? Now wolves descend from everywhere. I can't tell if they are coming from the warehouses themselves or just around them, but they are massive, enhanced like Vincent. They have red eyes and are
foaming at the mouth like they are
rabid.
I remember later, thinking this is really going to suck as I am knocked flying from the side and I lose consciousness for just a moment.
My wolf stands up and shakes her
fur. I can still feel the tingle of the protection magic working. ***"We need to remember that the protection magic does not work against a resulting concussion."*** groan to my wolf. I take stock of our surroundings. Jena is protecting Lil and Sierra, but a wolf is dangerously close and crouches to jump on Sierra's back while she is still restraining Vincent. I don't think just react and a blast of dirt tosses him to the side. My wolf digs her paws into the ground and we can both feel the vibrations of the earth pulsing around us. I tap into that feeling and just let the magic fly.
Spikes of dirt shoot up impaling wolves around my friends. I notice the only wolves that go down and stay down are the ones I hit in the ribcage area.
***"Either rip their heads off or pierce their heart and lungs."*** I shout instructions to anyone who will listen.
We pull from the fire and send flames in all directions. I'm not worried about hitting any of my pack members, my magic knows who to protect and who to attack. I can't send them much farther than about ten o fifteen feet from me, so I can't just stand here and take everyone out. I'm going to have to work for it a little bit.
Vincent managed to get away from my friends as these back-up wolves started to focus on them. I can see him slinking away into the shadows of one of the buildings. But, we can't follow, a wall of the same green flame has risen around all the buildings and I won't risk any of us trying to find out if we can make it through.
We keep fighting these red -eyed wolves until someone shouts ***"SMOKE!"*** Over the mindlink. I turn to see a plume of thick black smoke rising from our home.