The Archer And Her Wolf

Chapter 36 Thea

I wasn't expecting this, this feeling I had when leaving the packhouse. It felt like I was leaving behind a piece of myself at Valor Moon. It only makes sense. Those people, that pack, they restarted my heart and now I was leaving it behind to become Crimson again.

I stepped out of the transport room and towards Effie's office. My squad was already there in the briefing room. They greeted me as I entered.

"What's going on?" I asked, sitting at the head of the table.

"I believe you're familiar with a Grim Reading from the Green Mountain pack in Canada?" Effie asked and I nodded,

"Yes. I met him and several others at Sal's pack." I said, my face scrunching up in question.

"Good work with that, by the way. Queenie was chosen as the next Alpha." Effie informed me.

"She was my choice." I said, nodding thoughtfully.

"Anyway. Grim sent word to Sal who sent word to me. His brother's pack is under attack by rogues. They're sneaking in at night, stealing children and killing their parents." Effie explained.

"Damn rogues." Sapphire snarled.

"We'll handle it." I said sternly, standing up and nodding my head towards the door.

"Good work." Effie said, "And Good luck."

The squad followed me out the door and towards the portal room just as we've done a hundred times before. This time, though, something unnamable was twisting inside my stomach and churning my inside.

"You okay, Crim?" Black asked, nudging my shoulders.

"Course." I fixed my face and shot Black a smug smile. He shook his head at me and we all stepped through the portal together.

It wasn't much of a rogue group, honestly. Easy enough to track down and surround. Grim's brother, the Alpha of the pack, sent a group of warriors with us once we found the rogues' hideout. They were inside a large cave, no more than fifty of them, with the children they stole locked away in a giant cage.

Gray, Sapphire, and Rose surrounded the cave, taking sniper positions, while Black, Violet, Greenie, and myself prepared to storm the cave with Green Mountain's warriors.

"You all will focus on getting out your children. We'll take care of the rogues." I said to the wolves who snorted, howled, and nodded their big furry heads in response, "Onwards." I gave the command and our army advanced.

Green Mountain's wolves snarled rabidly at the rogues, taking them all by surprise. Myself and the other Archers took aim, and began firing on the rogues as they started to shift. As the rogues began to draw closer, Black, Violet, Greenie, and myself readied ourselves for some hand to hand combat while Sapphire and Gray continued their assault from above.

I dropped my bow and it disappeared before it hit the ground. I exchanged it for my dueling swords, pulling them from the criss crossed sheaths on my back. I sliced my way through the rogues, one at a time, bringing down as many as I could. A child cried out and I was distracted for a moment, just one moment. And that's all it took.

The swords were knocked out of my hands and skipped across the ground, echoing off the cave floor. Two wolves lunged at me. One was hit with a blue arrow, but it wasn't enough to stop him. The wolves landed on top of me, toppling my body to the ground. I felt claws slice through my leather, the sound of fabric tearing as my cloak fluttered away in the breeze. They snarled and snapped at me, their foul breath blowing in my face. I grabbed the one closest to me and held it back just far enough to keep its teeth from my neck.