Permission to love - The Rogue Pack

Chapter 14

The tight-knit group of soldiers responded instantaneously to the command. They had been frozen by fear, but that one word allowed them to break the spell they had been under. They scattered, like birds startled by a sudden movement, their movements uncoordinated, their direction uncertain. The only pattern in their mad rush directed by their desire to escape the threat. Their eyes were wide with the uncertainty of the situation

As they fled, they became easy targets. Their fear and lack of clear instructions making them vulnerable. The prisoners took the opportunity to creep out from behind the truck where they had been hiding, and formed a hatred-fuelled barrier, preventing the soldiers from escaping- 

The soldiers responded instinctively, backing away from the attack, fear clear on their faces. One of them courageously made an advance, presumably thinking that the eight prisoners were less scary than the enraged Alpha behind him, but he was immediately killed, his throat sliced open by the wolf closest to him. In response to the ferocity fuelled by anger, the soldiers backed away further, but as they did, they remembered Sam's presence behind them and stilled, creating a wall between Sam and the prisoners, with Aiden still sitting slumped at its centre. 

Ewan Kemp stayed calm in the centre, his plan could still work. He just needed a little more leverage...

When the soldiers had dispersed, Sam had stayed frozen on the spot, still staring intently at her target, the tall soldier she had identified as the leader. Now she watched in horror as he pulled out his gun, pointing it at Aiden's head. She didn't dare move, she couldn't cover the distance separating them in the time it would take the soldier to pull the trigger.

If it had been anyone else, she would have felt comfortable with that sacrifice. Content to sacrifice one life to save the eight prisoners. But this was Aiden. Could she bring herself to lose Aiden? If it meant saving the purple-eyed wolf? Would it feel worth it?

'It'll make me the monster I believe myself to be. If  I sacrifice my mate, if I let them pull that trigger, without a flicker of hesitation, I'll be a monster. Even if I'm doing it for the greater good, I can't keep using that as an excuse, I'll still have caused his death. How could I live with myself for that? But then maybe refusing to sacrifice him is the selfish act of a monster.'

Endless thoughts and questions swam through Sam's mind, she couldn't block the flow, couldn't turn off the doubt and despair. Her eyes were locked with Ewan's, yet she almost couldn't see him, all she could focus on was the turmoil of emotions within her mind.

Click.

She felt rather than heard the sound of the slide being pulled back. It seemed to jar her thoughts, not emptying her mind but freezing it in place. Yet it allowed her to focus on Ewan's eyes. She could see them now, could see his cold grey irises staring back at her. 

The room seemed to standstill, everyone froze, and you could have heard a pin drop in the deathly silence that followed that sound.

Sam's eyes were wide, an expression of terror set in her face. Her eyes remained locked on Ewan's, desperation visible on her face. Yet there was also an underlying threat there, a tenseness that indicated to the soldier that should he make a move he would pay for it with his life...

He had her right where he wanted her.

A slow smirk spread on his face, a glint of enjoyment in his eyes. He'd taken the job at the DIR because of his hatred for wolves, and he took pleasure in torturing the animals. This was no different. Yet he wasn't an idiot, he wasn't planning on risking a head-on attack from the world's most ferocious she-wolf. He had to be manipulative.

Suddenly he jerked his arm, his face twitching slightly as he did, the smirk still lightly playing on his lips as the shot rang out.

Sam felt as if her heart had stopped and she sprang forward, ready to rip Ewan's head off with her teeth. But then she heard the scream.

The pain from the shot had caused Aiden to wake from his unconscious slumber, and he was groaning in pain as he cradled his knee, blood pouring between his fingers. 

In a split second, Sam changed her course, unable to tear herself away from her injured mate. The rest of the room disappeared into the background, everything except Aiden's face became a blur that she paid no attention to. Her hands cupped his face, relief spreading through her veins as she saw the life in his eyes.

It was only when hands gripped her, metal shackles falling onto her wrists did her brain catch on to what had just happened. She had fallen right into the trap. Had the guard killed her mate, he would be dead now. He'd played her emotions, played her so easily. 

She could feel more hands on her, trapping her in place. Suddenly she saw hands descending towards Aiden, and she screamed through their mind link as she frantically swatted the hands back.

"Get up!!!" In response, his eyes flickered slightly but he made no move to stand. Sam pushed all her energy into their mind link, hoping that somehow she could give him the force to stand. If he didn't, neither of them would escape.

"GET. UP." Sam pulled against her restraints, hurriedly using her hands to help him stand. She tried to move as much as possible, making it difficult for her retrainers to keep hold of her. Finally, he was standing.

Somewhere outside of her attention, she heard an engine start-up.

Gripping Aiden's arms, she pulled against the retraints holding her back, trying to get him to the group of prisoners, so that they could protect him.

But they were gone. The space where they had been standing was empty. Another wave of worry washed over Sam until she noticed the faces peering at her from the van. It seemed they had clambered into the large truck that had been loaded, and started the engine. Only the purple-eyed wolf remained outside the van, their hand reaching out for Sam. 

Frantically, Sam tried to drag herself towards them. But she knew she wouldn't make it. She couldn't fight whilst holding Aiden up, and she couldn't save Aiden if she didn't fight. But if she let go of him, they would grab him, and then he'd be captured.

There was only one thing she could do, and as much as she hated the idea, as much as she could feel her body curling away from the thought, she knew what she had to do. 

With a rush of energy, she pushed Aiden forward, towards the purple-eyed wolf's outstretched hand, then immediately turned on her restrainers. She clawed and scratched, twisted and turned, ripped at every piece of skin that came into her eyesight. The chains that had been attached to her hands and ankles held her back, and she could feel the strength of the men holding her back, yet still, she fought. A blow shattered across the back of her legs, and she felt herself collapse onto the floor. The other guards swarmed around her, desperate to help their bleeding colleagues, pushing her to the floor, standing on her outstretched arms and legs, crushing her fingers under their boots. 

But when she finally managed to lift her head, snarling through her extended canines, Aiden, the purple-eyed wolf, and the van had gone. They were safe. 

But she was back in hell.