Page 117 of Fated to the Rogue

Either way, she ran. We were both unwilling to stand by while we witnessed the murder of our mate. Tears already threatened to stream down Dawn’s cheeks as we were hit with the realization that there was nothing we could do.

But just then, a slim wolf, who looked awfully familiar despite me being sure I had never seen him, came to my mate’s rescue.

The light gray rescuer clinged to the Fallen’s thigh, hanging from it and not letting go. It was enough to startle the enemy, causing him to drop Dusk to the ground. He didn’t seem to be in pain though. With a scoff, he directed a pitiful look to the smaller wolf, who was definitely not a warrior. Dawn never ceased her movement as I studied the pack member closely. Only when I saw the fearless determination in his light brown eyes did I understand who he was.

Vincent.

“What are you hoping to accomplish, little fly?” I heard the Fallen’s voice again, even though he was clearly talking to my mate’s adoptive father. “I usually don’t waste time with the likes of you. I’d much rather slay Alphas. But since you dared get in my way…”

It all happened too fast. Dawn was still a short distance away when the Fallen shook his body, easily getting rid of the Omega. He didn’t even wait for the old man’s body to hit the ground. Meeting him mid-air, the soulless leader closed his jaws around Vincent’s neck. I wasn’t prepared for the brutal scene I was about to witness.

One second was all it took for our enemy to end the old man’s life, separating his head from the rest of his body with barely any effort. The torn up carcass hit the ground with a thud, and I froze when my eyes met Vincent’s lifeless ones. My heart stopped. I could feel bile rising up Dawn’s throat, but before she could throw up, Dusk’s pain-filled howl caught her attention - and the Fallen’s.

“Tina! Snap out of it!” I tried to reach into her head, but if she was receiving my message, she wasn’t showing any signs of it. “I know you’re in pain, but if you let grief consume you, Vincent’s sacrifice will have been in vain! You have to fight!”

Nothing. No matter what I said, Dusk just stood there, eyes wide. He was petrified, probably overwhelmed by his human’s sorrow. He was always so efficient at protecting Tina, but this time, he didn’t even notice as the enemy sprinted in his direction.

Dawn and I didn’t think twice before jumping between the Fallen and her mate. She growled loudly as she went for the creature’s jugular, succeeding in grabbing a hold of him. However, it wasn’t as easy to rip his throat out as it was with other rogues. A strangled laughter rose from his chest, an insult to our attempt to injure him. Using his paws, he yanked her off of him, pressing a single paw against her chest to keep her in place.

“It’s a shame you can’t make me bleed out, bitch!”

Dawn only had time to widen her eyes as he closed his jaws around her neck in a quick movement. His grip was so strongthat it started blocking our airways. I heard her whimper for the first time as an excruciating pain took over. Despite that, she still tried to get out of the enemy’s grip, but her vision started getting blurry. We were suffocating. The last thing I saw before we blacked out was Dusk’s worried look, as he seemed to snap out of his trance.

“I told you if someone had to die, it would be me,” I whispered in my mate’s head, embracing the darkness that consumed me.

39 | Light

Valentina

What had gotten into me?

Dusk had always been so strong and imposing. Sometimes, I wondered if he was invincible. But my heart shattered into a thousand tiny pieces as I witnessed Vincent’s wolf, Lark, being brutally murdered. Even my powerful beast couldn’t shelter me from the pain. The heart-wrenching sensation of our bond being broken made me sink deeper into the darkness. The Omega who had been the only father figure in my life... gone. And why? Why was he even on the battlefield? Vincent wasn’t a warrior.

I froze in time as my mind went blank. I couldn’t see anything, I couldn’t hear anything. A light tingle in my head let me know that Zephyr was trying to communicate with me, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. For a moment, I lost track of where I was, taken to dwell in a world of raw grief.

Then, an awful sound pulled me back to my tragic reality - the sound of my mate’s cries. I found Dawn caught between the original Fallen’s teeth. She coughed as he tightened his grasp around her neck, rivers of blood streaming down her fur through the large puncture wounds. Zephyr’s last words were crystalclear as I watched his counterpart direct one last glance at us before slipping out of consciousness.

Was I about to witness the death of my fated partner, too?

Dusk’s knees grew weak, threatening to fail him at any second. He was feeding on my negative emotions, paralyzed by them. I shook my head; I had to be strong. I had to push through. With a deep breath, I cleared my mind, shoving all my feelings aside. My wolf instantly seemed to come back to himself, and the only thing he could feel was blinding rage. There was no way in hell we’d let our mates go down without giving it our all.

We were the Darkbringer, and we would gladly show the bastard why that was our fated title.

The dirty creature was about to snap Dawn’s neck when Dusk shot forward. The opponent was bigger than us, but with Dawn and Zephyr's life at stake, we were determined to fight twice as hard. My black wolf landed a clean strike, the taste of blood invading his mouth as he latched onto the enemy’s hind leg. He pulled on it with all the strength he could muster, hoping to make the fucker lose stability. When he stumbled down, he opened his mouth to let out a shocked gasp, thus releasing our mate from his grasp.

Desperate to check on Dawn’s state, my wolf let his guard down for a brief moment, which soon proved to be his worst mistake. Not being able to use our vision switch left us at a big disadvantage; we couldn’t read the Fallen’s intentions. In a quick movement, he turned around to grab Dusk by his tail, tugging at it so fast that it threw him to the ground.

My counterpart tried to get back up, but it was already too late. With our belly pressing against the grass, the soulless creature climbed on top of us, adjusting his paws over our legs to secure us in place. My wolf struggled to break free, but it only made the situation worse. The next second, the enemy dug hishoned claws into Dusk’s skin, forcing him to release a howl of agony.

I thought the original Fallen would end us then and there. Instead, I was surprised to hear him in my mind yet again.

“I did a little research on you.” In the beginning, his filthy, croaky voice sent shivers down my spine. Now, all it did was make Dusk growl louder. “Valentina Quill, the heir of Diamond Stream Pack. The little pup whose parents I helped kill.” His laughter only added to my anger.

Dusk roared fiercely, trying his best to ignore the pain. However, before he could try anything, the enemy moved one of his paws to the top of his head, mercilessly pressing it to the ground. It hurt, but not enough to subdue our rage. This scum! He had slain hundreds of wolves, murdered my adoptive father, attempted to kill my mate, and took part in my parents’ execution. How dare he speak so proudly about it!

“You know, when Rhys offered to be my lab rat, I couldn’t care less what he’d do with the power,” he continued, barely making an effort to keep my wolf still. “But when he shared his plans to take over your pathetic pack, I sympathized with him. All of you born-Alphas are simply the Goddess’ favorites. How can a deity have preferences among their children? Outrageous!” He growled so loud, it sounded like thunder.

I didn’t give a shit about what he was saying. While he wasted time with his monologue, Dusk and I searched for an opening, for any way we could turn the situation around. I started to notice that, the more involved he got in his long-winded monologue about taking over the world, the less pressure he exerted over us. He was getting sloppy. All we needed to do was wait for the right time.

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