Ignite | ✔

48

His immediate order didn't sit well with me and I frowned at him, watching as he snapped at the wolf who made a move in my direction.

"I'm not leaving you," I protested but he didn't spare a glance in my direction, his focus dead set on the plague of rogues looking ready to attack any minute.

"Leave," he growled louder.

"No!" I growled back before shifting to my wolf and hardening my gaze at the wolf closest to me. They thought they could come here and attack without any fightback.

Think again.

With deliberate steps, Haden positioned himself between me and the group of twelve rogues, his gaze sharp and vigilant. The air crackled with tension, the forest around us holding its breath, as if aware that the delicate balance had shifted.

The rogues eyed us hungrily, angrily, their collective energy a volatile undercurrent in the clearing. Haden's stance radiated authority, a silent proclamation that any aggression would be met with unwavering resolve.

His eyes flicked across the faces of the rogues, assessing each one, searching for signs of hostility or compliance. We were at a complete standstill. A dance of uncertainty played out in the charged atmosphere, and we both conveyed both caution and readiness.

I snapped at the one who tried to come at me but I didn't see the one that leaped over Haden and took a bite right into my neck. I cried out, the canines of the rogue sinking deep into my fur.

And then I heard him growl.

The ferocious growl erupted from Haden's chest, a loud and menacing sound that brought a new level of frost and fear. I whined in pain trying to shake the wolf of me, but he was latched on like glue. My ears perked up at the sound of clothes shredding and, in seconds, the rogue was torn away from me and his head was snapped.

His eyes, usually the calming sight of the midnight sky, now flickered with an intensity that echoed the furious, untamed spirit of his wolf. We locked eyes and once I whimpered, his gaze slowly turned to the wolves before us. They tensed at the unmistakable display of dominance, a primal understanding passing between the werewolves in the clearing.

Then Haden lunged.

Fueled by rage, he crossed the space between them in full force, his motions a bit of a blur as I tried to rise to my feet. The rogues, caught off guard by the ferocity of his assault, scrambled to react, but it was too late for them.

His first target, a rogue with a scarred face, found himself overpowered, a swift and decisive takedown leaving him incapacitated on the forest floor.

I whimpered, blood coating my white fur at the swift movement. My feet shook as I tried to stand, the burning sensation on my neck causing me to fall on my stomach in a heap.

Through my blurred vision, I watched Haden as he impressively took down rogue after rogue. He was ruthless, calculated, and lethal – a symphony of true precision and the embodiment of a predator closing in on its prey.

The man held nothing back as he continued to hit them with calculated strikes, seamlessly transitioning from one opponent to the next. I whimpered as one of the rogues bit his leg but he managed to shake him off.

Come on, Zara, get a grip.

I tried standing to my feet again, ignoring the pain shooting through my body and lifting my paws to walk closer to the fight. The adrenaline pumped through me, the pain a fleeting memory as I lunged at the one who dared to attack my mate.

He snarled viciously, circling me in an effort to find my weak spot but by the time he moved towards my neck, I already bit into his and tore him apart.