Devoted : Enemies and Heirs (A Completed Supernatural Romance)

Part 19

Aiyana

After getting me into my dress, the Elder woman walks me down to Damien's cottage. I'm not sure why they're taking me in the opposite direction of the caves, but honestly at this point I'm too numb to care.

When we get there, Damien is pacing.

"There you are! Where have you been?"

He grips my arm tightly as he pulls me into the cottage. "Doesn't matter. You're here now. Let's get this over with. The sooner this is done, the sooner we can consummate this marriage and your dead mate will be a nothing but a long-forgotten memory."

Tears slide down my cheeks as he pulls me towards the Elder performing the ceremony. All of a sudden one of his goons runs into the room.

"Sir! Several of our perimeter guards have gone radio silent."

Damien takes a deep breath, about to give them orders when we hear it.

A blood-curdling howl.

The howl sends shivers down my spine.

Another man comes in, "There are hundreds of them sir! What do we do?"

Damien growls, punching a hole in the wall.

"Get everyone out there. I don't care if they're part of the guard or just able-bodied men. They have all sworn to protect this pack with their lives."

He turns to the Elder, "They're coming this way in the hopes that we'll be here. We're going to the cavern. We'll take the tunnels."

Damien grabs my arm again, this time pulling me harshly out of the house and towards the woods.

—————

Dakota

Some men have shifted while others remain in their human forms. As I look across the field I notice that the men who are now joining their ranks are barely men at all.

It feels like the calm before the storm, everyone waiting for the first person to make a move.

I see Garrison marching towards the front. If he's here then who is with Damien? Something isn't right.

I turn to tell Jeremy when out of nowhere, an arrow flies within an inch of my head. That's all it takes to push everyone forward.

The battle has begun.

I tighten my grip on my short-sword as I run forward.

My sword moves in a flurry, slicing through flesh and bone as if it were butter.

Blood is dripping into my eyes as I meet attack after attack.

Shit.

I'm tackled to the ground from behind and my sword flies from my hand.

Fuck.

Pain sears through my shoulder as the wolf who tackled me bites down through flesh into bone.

I cry out in pain as the wolf is knocked off of me and his teeth ripped out of my skin.

My breathing comes out jagged and harsh. I need to shift. I concentrate on shifting, my body morphing into my wolf.

I'm not given time to adjust as another wolf body-slams into mine.

Rolling my body to bite into his flesh, the copper-tang of blood fills my mouth.

Adrenaline pumps through my body as I stand back up.

The only thought clear in my head is getting to Aiyana.

As I push forward, I can only hope I'm moving in the right direction.

I dodge blades and arrows, losing count of how many men and wolves I tear through.

The sounds of battle and death ring in my ears, overpowering the pounding in my head.

I need to push forward. Aiyana needs me.

The pain in my shoulder is starting to creep back into my consciousness as I finally get a moment to focus on something other than what is directly in front of me.

I'm closer to the complex than I originally thought. Good.

My lungs burn as I charge through the last line of Damien's men to enter the fight.

When I finally make it through, I push as hard as my legs will let me to get to Damien's cottage.

I use my full body weight to break through the door, wood scattering across the floor.

I put my nose to the air, desperately trying to catch her scent.

It's fresh but not fresh enough that she is still here. I howl in pain as I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest.

I failed her once, I can't fail her again.

I pace as my thoughts race through my head. How could he have gotten past without us seeing them?

Where would he have taken her? Surely the cavern would be the first place he would think for me to look.

I try to calm my heart and my brain, willing myself to catch her scent so that I could follow it.

I close my eyes and concentrate on my love for her. The way her hair moves in the breeze. They way her smile lights up the entire world and makes my heart hurt with joy.

Please Goddess, let me find her. Let me right the wrongs done to your servants in the wake that night.

The air shifts in the cottage as I smell something new. It's her scent but there's something different about it.

"When I heard a man had pledged himself to Damien in exchange for finding the Luna, I was curious. When I saw him, I knew. When Damien returned with a beaten and broken Luna saying he had died protecting her from rogues, I had no doubt in my mind what happened. You look so much like your grandfather, Henry."

I jump at the voice, turning to see one of the Elders of the pack.

"You don't have much time. He's taken her through the tunnels to the cavern. I brought her here in the hopes that I would be able to protect her, but Damien threatened to kill her should I follow. I'm so sorry but there's something else you should know."