Page 93 of Fated to the Rogue

By the time we made it outside, I was slightly relieved to find that everyone was ready and waiting for me. Malin was standing in front of the emergency unit, a team of 20 specially-trained warriors. They were always ready to leave with us to aid ally packs against surprise attacks, while also being the first line of defense to protect our territory. Aside from being skilled wolves, they carried a set of weapons specifically made to neutralize werewolves - wolfsbane arrows, crossbows, and tranquilizer darts containing silver.

“There’s no time to take cars,” I observed, addressing my men. “We’ve gotta shift and run there now!”

At my command, every single one of the wolves before me promptly shifted. Mint took his position ahead of the troops to lead them, while Talon ran behind them. When I turned to Valentina again, hoping to try to convince her to stay one last time, she had already shifted into her huge black beast. All there was left for me to do was sigh in defeat as I let Dawn take over our body.

Both of our wolves caught up with the rest of our team in no time. At full speed, it took us 15 minutes to get to our destination. As soon as we crossed the border that separated ourterritories, the view before us forced us to slow down; nothing could have prepared us for what we were seeing.

It was a bloodbath. There were corpses scattered everywhere, houses had been reduced to rubble, the once fresh green grass had been painted crimson. Maybe it was too soon to tell, but there didn’t seem to be any survivors. I suspected we wouldn’t arrive in time to help, yet I surely didn’t expect to face such a heartbreaking scene.

From the corner of my she-wolf’s eyes, I caught a glimpse of Dusk. His hackles were raised in alertness and anger, as was his bushy tail. Despite the flames dancing in his bluish-purple eyes, his expression seemed somewhat void, likely reflecting Tina’s feelings. Dawn instinctively walked closer to the male in hopes her presence would comfort him. Exchanging glances, they both raised their heads towards the sky to sing a melody of grief.

“May their spirits find their way into the Kingdom of the Moon. The Mother of All shall welcome them with open arms, and they will be at peace,” my she-wolf recited inside my head.

After our moment of silence, Dawn turned to face our Gamma. “Zach, check for survivors. Take half of our men with you. Help those who can be saved…if there are any,” I instructed him, watching Talon bow his head in understanding. Then, she looked at Mint. “Malin, keep leading the rest of the troops. We’re heading north to see if we can find any of the culprits. Perhaps we can catch some still trying to flee.”

As hard as it was, we all shook off our sadness to keep moving. Nothing we did could bring back the poor souls we had lost tonight, but we could still try to make a difference to ensure there would be no more victims. As we set off on our individual missions, Dawn glanced at her mate. Dusk was now seething with rage, ready to make someone pay. The second my she-wolf touched him with her muzzle mid-run, he seemed to be brought back to a calmer state.

As we ventured further into Raven Woods territory, I noticed a few of the bodies laying around were still in wolf form. Since the Fallen didn’t transform back into their human form upon dying, as we had recently discovered, that could only mean that Nolan’s warriors must have succeeded in taking down part of their army. At least his restless efforts to gather more wolves to defend his pack hadn’t been in vain.

I couldn’t help but wonder if the situation would have been different if Raven Woods and Wind Howlers had joined forces to fight against our common enemy. However, realizing that not even the best warriors from some of the strongest packs in the country had been able to defeat them, there was a darker possibility in my mind.

“Had Nolan never ended our alliance, this could have been us.” Tina’s dreadful observation echoed in my mind.

Despite the chills running down my spine, I had to stay strong. “But it’s not us,” I recalled as Dawn looked into Dusk’s eyes. “We’re safe, and we’re here now. We just need to-” My sentence was cut short when my she-wolf came to an abrupt stop.

Ahead of us were exactly five rogues who were definitely part of the Fallen. Judging by their weirdly calm demeanor, they must have stayed behind to get rid of any evidence that could lead back to them. As expected, they were all huge; two of them were even bigger than Dusk. Their coats were of dark, dirty colors, and one of the bigger ones looked slightly familiar. Dawn was trying to sneak closer to take a better look at them when Mint’s commanding howl cut through the night, breaking my concentration.

Most of the men belonging to our emergency unit had shifted back into their human forms. They were now firing at the fleeing rogues, while my Beta and Gamma chased after them.Valentina and I only had to exchange one look before bolting towards the action.

Thanks to Dawn’s incredible speed, she easily reached our target. Without hesitation, she jumped in the air, successfully falling onto the back of the strangely familiar rogue. Her weight alone caused him to stumble and crash into the ground, while we landed a few feet in front of him. After shaking off the dust, he lifted his head to see what had hit him. He was surprised at first, but it only took a second for his bright yellow eyes to become filled with horror. It was then that I realized just who he was.

“It’s that Ryder bastard!” Dawn growled ferociously.

I found myself mimicking her. “I told you we should’ve killed him when we had the chance!”

“Don’t worry. I never make the same mistake twice.”

Rage aside, I was shocked to meet the exiled Alpha of Silent Rivers. When did he join the Fallen? Despite how badly I would like to have an answer, I knew there was no time to think.

Wasting no time, Dawn attempted to close her jaws around the former leader’s neck, but before she could get a tight grip around it, he easily shoved her away from him with his massive paws. He was definitely stronger than I remembered, which made sense, considering who his new friends were. My she-wolf had beaten him once, but would she still be able to win a battle against him now?

In an attempt to buy herself some time to figure out what to do, Dawn jumped back, keeping a safe distance from our opponent. Unfortunately, Ryder seemed to understand her intentions. Not willing to let her think, he promptly chased after her, using his sharp claws to scratch her shoulder. The sudden pain made her clench her teeth, but she was a quick thinker.

Dawn managed to take advantage of the enemy’s proximity. Reading his next move, she ducked to avoid his fangs, sinking her own teeth deep into his front paw. A second later, I heardthe sound of bones cracking. Ryder’s beast howled in agony, struggling to back away with a broken paw. It didn’t take long for him to start growling again. Instead of intimidating my she-wolf, his condition made her smirk.

The opponent’s limp would make it easier for Dawn to dodge his movements, while making it harder for him to avoid her blows. Cockily, he tried to tackle her and knock her down, but she quickly escaped him by jumping to the side. Next, she tried to snatch his hind leg, and to my surprise, she failed.

Ryder acted quicker than we both anticipated, delivering a strong kick to the underside of my she-wolf’s chin. The blow caused her to lose balance and fall over. Before she could get up, he climbed on top of her, sinking his teeth into her neck in a swift move.

As pain consumed me, I was scared that Dawn wouldn’t be able to break free. I should have known she would never give up so easily, yet her strength surprised me when she pushed through the throbbing pain to try and get him off of her. She started kicking him repeatedly, pressing her claws against his skin and causing deep lacerations. Sucking in a long breath, she struck him one last time, finally succeeding in throwing him to the side.

After that, Dawn didn’t waste another second. Although her gleaming caramel coat was drenched in her own blood, that didn’t stop her from attacking with deadly precision. One snap of her jaws broke Ryder’s neck, finishing him for once and for all.

As I watched life fade from his eyes, trying to collect my breath, I couldn’t keep a loud thought to myself. “Shit. I thought he had us.”

“You worry too much, kitten.” Dawn rolled her eyes. She turned her attention to her wounds, ready to start licking herself to stop the bleeding, when a loud whimper caught her attention.

Not too far away from where we were, Dusk had his own adversary pinned to the ground. While the rogue struggled at his paws, he tried to get an opening to land a finishing blow. In one of his attempts, the creature managed to scratch his face, distracting him for a mere second. It was enough time for the Fallen to break free. An enraged growl left Dusk’s throat, and before he started running, his eyes met Dawn’s.

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