Her Redeemed Destiny

• Chapter Three •

It was barely a second before her head whipped to the left. They tried to scent the forest around them but they couldn't smell anything besides the nature. They slightly marveled Reeve and her gift, yet it was even more thrilling to see the she-wolf of legend in action. She was completely different compared to the phlegmatic Reeve they knew. 

She glanced back at them with an impassive expression as Reeve but her eyes still glowed with the presence of Sekhet, and the men nodded to each other in assent. They stripped from their clothes and traded their skin for fur. Asher's wolf had a rather peculiar white stripe that started from the base of his neck and faded between his shoulder blades. 

They took off into the forest with Reeve as their guide. She ran with the agility of a warrior, the finesse of a Luna, and the deftness of a fox. Their paws weren't nearly as light as hers, and Reeve would sometimes send them annoyed glances when they made too much noise. 

Suddenly, Reeve broke pace and she seemed confused as she lifted her nose to the air. The warriors moved around the area upon their Alpha's gesture but they didn't find anything while Reeve searched the forest floor. 

They patiently waited while she worked and then she started trotting in the direction parallel to where they'd just come from minutes earlier. They followed a few feet behind her, cautious of their surroundings, and they relied on Reeve's senses to warn them of nearby danger. 

The forest was quiet--eerie even--and the urge to leave was nagging at them all. They sensed something off, their inner wolves restless, but they had a task at hand. They'd moved several yards when Reeve changed direction once again, and she headed directly towards two old ponderosa pines that had giant trunks. 

They knew something was wrong as soon as Reeve froze.

But it was too late as two wolves of brown fur jumped from the trees to the left and their target was Reeve. The warriors lurched forward in an attempt to deter the wolves but a third wolf appeared snapping its jaws to back them off, and then two more emerged. Reeve was thrown several feet away by the impact of the first wolf.

The three wolves began to circle the warriors, their rugged bodies glistened with dried blood, their eyes full of enmity as their fangs shimmered in the low light of the forest. Reeve snarled as she was forced away from the group by the first two wolves. 

'Calm, brothers,' Leon murmured through mind link, tentatively trying to figure out the situation, 'These aren't rogues, they could help us.' 

'They're going to hurt Reeve!' Asher shot back, 'We need to--' He was cut off when one of the rugged wolves snapped its teeth in his face and Asher snarled maliciously. 

Leon observed the rough looking wolves as they circled without seeming to have the desire to attack, and he came to realize that they were waiting for something. Reeve snarled again, and Leon turned his head just in time to see it play out in slow motion. 

One of the murky wolves leaped forward and buried his teeth into Reeve's shoulder as she tried to focus between the two, and his companion took the opportunity to wrap his jaws around Reeve's throat as she was thrown to the ground.

The warriors reacted in accordance, their wolves alive in their eyes as they turned and took the closest bite at the strange wolves. Leon yanked one of the wolves off his warrior as he saw Asher duck and run towards Reeve. The raw scent of blood saturated the air as the wolves fought, and Leon knew that it wasn't right. 

They shouldn't be fighting. 

He shifted, then the sound of man and beast together froze the surrounding wolves, "Enough!" His Alpha's command rang through the forest, and then he took a deep breath, "We don't mean any harm. I'm trying to find my brother." 

The three wolves watched him with dark, calculating eyes before they looked towards the wolf holding his jaws around Reeve's neck; Asher pinned in a similar position beside her by the other wolf. 

"We won't fight if you don't." Leon said, raising his hands in a surrendering gesture. 

There was a prominent pause before the wolf over top of Reeve began to shift. His bones made ghastly sounds, twisting and crunching, then Leon realized the deprivation of the strange man. His body was slightly lean with malnourishment, muscles becoming attenuated, and heavy bags hung under his eyes; but those eyes were discerning and shrewd as they stared back at Leon.

"Who are you?" The strange man asked, hoarsely, as if he hadn't used his voice in years.

"First, can you let go of my friend? Then, we can talk," Leon tried to bargain, "She's--"

"A fucking killer." The man growled, squeezing his massive hands around Reeve's neck as she glared murderously, "She's been sent here to kill us all by the Conquistador pack. We're lucky to still be breathing. Answer my question."

"Reeve is my pack member, I'm the Alpha of Aloysius Pack," Leon clenched his fists, "Now let go of her before you kill her." 

"No. She deserves to fucking die." The man snarled, his eyes glowing blue, "She killed my family." 

Leon gave a snarl of his own, his golden eyes searing and he moved into action. He was an Alpha among wolves who held no status, his power was unmatched, and it was his advantage. He was undeterred as the muddy wolves tried to stop him, swatting them aside, and then his fist landed in the man's face. 

He turned in a flash and landed a solid punch to the wolf's snout holding Asher down, and then his warriors flooded around him with hackles raised and teeth bared. Asher whined and nudged Reeve. She growled lowly as she rolled onto her stomach and then pushed herself into a sitting position, Asher angled his body between her and the strange man.

"Well, I didn't see that coming," The man laughed, holding his bleeding nose, "I thought the demon was an enemy to everyone. What, is she under your control now? Do I have to kill everyone in this clearing to get my revenge?" 

"You will not hurt anyone of my pack," Leon growled, "I answered your question, so who are you?" 

"My name is West, former Beta of Therian Pack, exiled for false treason," The man shot back, his words twisting with hostility.

"I'm looking for my brother," Leon calmly replied, "I was told of a prison camp this way. Do you know of it?" 

West laughed, a dry, rasping noise, and shook his head, "We just escaped that hell-hole. You wanna go there? You're going to get yourself slaughtered." 

"I'll do what it takes to get my brother back."

West's eccentric amusement turned into a frown as he eyed Leon with suspicion, "Does he have a name?" 

"Leroy Ferell. Know him?" 

A cloak of silence followed Leon's words as West's eyes widened, then they narrowed, and finally the uncanny man shook his head. A sly smirk played on his lips as he stared at Leon. 

Then, West chuckled. 

"Damn, I knew it wasn't coincidental that you two look alike." 

✙ ✙ ✙ ✙ ✙ ✙ 

Cliffhanger! 

What do we all think about the action in this chapter? I am terrible at writing action scenes, like holy guacamole *shakes head*

 Thoughts on West and his wolves?

Leave a comment!

(Not edited)

-- 1755 words --