The Shadow Alpha

Chapter 42: Reclaimed

Chapter 42: Reclaimed

Holly

Without allowing myself another second to hesitate, I throw my head back and open my muzzle to let a howl of a battle cry. Thousands join me as they too relish in the exhilirating seconds leading up to their vengeance.

The sound created by thousands of wolves howling is unlike any I have heard before; like a rumble of thunder in each of our chests is exploding out into the trees, carrying on for miles.

All I can picture are the faces of Carmen and Garrett, and I let that image fuel the raging fire of anger inside me, just like River said to do.

If coming out of this alive means letting myself become a little bit like the Strikers—more brutal, more animal than human—then so be it. We do so in the name of peace and protecting our own from their extreme doctrine.

A shadow of red taints my vision as River and I surge through the grasses, closing our distance between ourselves and the camp.

Our howls have surely woken and alerted the Strikers by now, but it's far too late; there's too many of us that have surrounded them. The only thing they'll be able to do is scramble to try and recover, but they'll soon realize how futile it is.

As River and I near the entrance of the camp, we see the beginnings of the Strikers' retaliation approach us in the form of about a dozen wolves. No doubt they're still groggy from being woken out of a dead-sleep, but as they charge at us with the same speed and force of a freight train, you'd never know.

Don't let me lose sight of you, Holls.

These are the last words communicated through our mind-link before River and I are both confronted with the first of the attackers.

Instinct takes over as I fight off the grey she-wolf Striker that zeroes in on me. She's smaller than I am which gives me the advantage in having a longer reach, allowing me the chance to pin her tail to the ground and bite her back leg critically.

Blood pours from her wound as she howls in pain, and I feel a tug of remorse as I understand the senselessness of war; I don't want to be here, but what other choice do we have?

Ridding myself of any other thought than that of simply making it out of this alive, I deliver a fatal bite to her neck as she staggers off-balance from the earlier blow. As her body falls limp to the ground, I whine softly before I'm suddenly thrown backward by the force of another wolf.

Without a moment to recover, I feel teeth sinking into my lower leg and I whirl around to see a large amber coloured wolf, his eyes black and unforgiving as he bites down harder.

I yelp at the pain, and I feel River's focus falter from where he is one hundred meters away, fighting his own battle.

I'm fine! I say mentally to River, in the same moment whirling my body around and snapping my jaws at the front limbs of my attacker. I got this!

My tactic works, spooking him badly enough he releases his grip to scamper backward. I can already feel my body healing itself as I launch myself on top of the small amber wolf.

I rip into his neck without a moment's hesitation, seeing the wild look of pure rage in his eyes in the second before I do. The look of bloodlust, almost enjoyment...he was reveling in this battle.

I push off of him before continuing to work my way forward with the rest of Group A, my mental map of sparkling lights still illuminated in my mind. I can see Desiree, and David, and River...All the ones I love most.

Holly.

River's voice is in my head a half-beat later, and I receive his mental message as images and words pass through our mind-link connection. This is the exact thing he was warning me of earlier: I can't allow myself to be so distracted by being plugged into the pack as Luna.