"There it is."
Leonel murmured, giving me the small binoculars. I took it with a frown, placing them over my eyes.
We had travelled for another day, now the cold night settling as we had reached our destination. The morning after the incident with Ryan, we had woken up tired and hungry, at first cleaning and dressing up. We had had some soup too, which had been delicious.
Me and Leonel were inseparable, glued to each other. On some occasions, we had also annoyed each other on our way here. Little swoosh with a tail to the other's face, or by bumping our head to the other. And we enjoyed every second of it. Ryan had been left behind with one of our warriors. Apparently, they would wait for us to come back, and Ryan would suffer from consequences of touching me; whatever it was. I wouldn't be surprised if Leonel decided to feed him to the dogs, but I wasn't really keen on that idea either. The guy was a jerk, but not evil.
Now, I was watching a large warehouse in the Urak's territory, in a small pothole and hidden by trees. It was made of simple stone, very plain and innocent from afar. Though I bet that it wasn't that from the inside.
It was just as large as Leonel had said, big enough to keep hundreds of people inside of it. The only question was, how many warriors would there be? We really didn't have a way to do this with stealth, so we probably had to encounter some battles. On the outside, as I studied the surroundings of the building, there was no one on guard. It was strange, though most likely they didn't think it was necessary.
No one knew about the warehouse after all— or so they thought.
"What's the plan?" I inquired, lowering down the binoculars and moving my gaze to my mate. He bit his cheek, glancing over his shoulder to the dozens of warriors behind us.
"We'll go by foot for now" he said, strapping his backpack better to his shoulder. I hummed in agreement, starting to walk ahead.
The environment before us resembled some sort of jungle, the trees high and filled with creepers. It wasn't the kind of jungle that flourished, the plants and leaves all brown and dry. It was eerie, the same way Kell's lands were. These two were definitely both the same side of a flipped coin.
"Everyone quiet— listen to every small sound." I heard one of the warriors behind us whisper-shout, Leonel's hand coming to my back at the same time. He pulled me a little closer while continuing to walk, now all silent. I had a deep frown on my face, my adrenaline pumping high even though we weren't yet even close to the hardest part of the trip.
I hoped that everything would go smoothly, and that me and Leonel would both be fine. For the sake of the growing child in me. I hadn't felt really good this morning either, throwing up yet another time. It was difficult to hide from Leonel, but luckily it happened while I was to visit 'the bathroom'. At the end of the day, I was pretty confident we would make out from here without a scratch; we were both talented and fiery. He was the Alpha who had never fallen, and I was the Head Warrior who had never unsucceeded.
And together, we were invincible.
"What would you like to do when we get home?" Leonel whispered into my ear with an enticing tone, pulling me against his side. I only chuckled, gently slapping his chest.
"To sleep and eat, idiot."
Leonel smirked to me, kissing my cheek, "If you get to be my dessert."
I raised my eyebrows to him, letting out an exasperated snort, "Well, that's fucking corny."
I got an eye roll in response, the other stroking my skin with affection, "You're too hard to please."
We teased each other, trying to get as much to the other's nerves as possible. It was our love language in a way, both of us smiling brightly, "Fuck off."
I pushed him, now rather harshly. He stumbled to the side with quiet snickering, I myself sighing to him, "You know, some day you need to stop acting like a chil— ah!"
I felt suddenly my legs leave the ground, everything around me turning just one big mess. I couldn't tell what way I was or what had happened, my hands drooping on each side of my head.
I had been swept from the ground, now hanging down from a rope that kept my leg imprisoned in a tight knot. Though it didn't seem like I was in danger, Leonel's mocking laughter was heard from the side of me. Meanwhile someone grown-up mumbled to the others, "Be careful everyone, there's boobytraps."
I lifted my head to send my flashing eyes towards my mate, my cheeks blushing from the blood that was rushing to my head, "Shut up!"
Leonel danced forwards, tapping my cheek with a croon, "Aren't you cute?"
I smacked the back of his head with my hand, Leonel instantly cringing, "Get me down!"
I hissed to him, now really irritated. I could feel the pressure and warmness intensifying in my head as all my blood travelled downwards, my blue eyes dizzily glancing the ground. My raven black hair was gracing the leaves and tiny plants, probably a spider on its way there. My guns, knives and guns were strapped to me tightly, otherwise my outfit consisted of black sweater and pants.
The grinning male right before me took a hold of the rope with his other hand, starting to jiggle me around, "Ask nicely."
I swear to God I could've slaughtered him.
"Fuck my ass, will I! Now get the fuck—" I yelled to him, grabbing a hold of his sweater at the same time. He smiled down to me, knowing exactly what kind of rage storm he had ignited, "I'm going to fucking kill you!"
I cursed, a lot.
It probably looked very comical. But I wasn't feeling comical.
"Leon!" I punched him to his stomach, not making him even flinch. He took a hold of my hand with a smile, also reaching for the other one. The man pulled me against his chest, after that starting to undo the knot while keeping a hold of me, "And don't dare to drop me."
I snapped, my face being pressed against his legs. It was unbearably embarrassing, the other warriors waiting and securing our surroundings while I would be lowered to the ground. Some of them were trying to hold their smiles, others mockingly laughing at me. The first people mentioned actually liked me somewhat, the latter not so much. And this definitely wasn't anyhow making me seem better.
At least I had the privilege to shout to the Royal, punch him and curse him.
I felt the knot on my leg loosen, soon the pressure disappearing altogether. Leonel hummed to me an 'okay' and gently turned me sideways. I pushed him away immediately, annoyedly grumbling as I got my balance back. My head felt a bit dizzy as I turned around, ready to smack the other man for the thousandth time.
Though I had no time for that, the bush next to us starting to shake vividly.
And after that, it was just pure chaos.
I didn't even realise what happened as Leonel took me by shoulders, throwing me to the ground. I was met with leaves and needles, sounds of roaring and shouting filling my ears. The ground beneath me wavered like an elephant would've been running right past us, my eyes flicking up with the speed of a lightning as I tried to get myself up from the ground.
Though I froze the second I had a vision of my surroundings, my adrenaline shotting to the skies. Our warriors were now most of them turned into their wolf form, battling against unfamiliar ones. Where our pack's fur was mostly dark brown or black, these were coloured like sand. They attacked us, outnumbering every single one of us. Some had only one in their neck while the other had three or four, blood gushing all over and matting the ground. There were screams; pain, lust. Everything.
It was a horrifying sight.
But I had no time to dwell on it, determination filling my eyes. In the forefront, I was only worried about my mate and their well-being.
And nothing was in-between me and him.
I stood up quickly, turning my head around to see over my shoulder. And there it was, the majestic and frightening beast. My mate, my darling. He was submerged under three wolves, biting and growling. One of their legs were in his mouth in an unnatural position, one of them hanging on him and the other scratching his stomach. I could smell nothing but blood.
And I was filled with nothing but rage.
Not many chose to battle in their human form as it made you so vulnerable; as if a soldier wouldn't have their armor. But with my handcrafted gun and swords, I was just a whirl of lethality if someone would even decide to step close to me. No one could beat me, I had made that promise a long time ago. And I was to keep it.
In one swing, my sword was off from my back, with two large steps that being sunk into the wolf that was on top of Leonel. It made a small squeak, visibly loosening the hold it had on the black wolf's scruff. It dropped to the ground, my attention focused to the one on the side. Though I didn't even have the time to do anything as Leonel's growling nuzzle snapped the sand coloured wolf's neck in between his teeth, a harsh crack to be heard.
It went lifeless in an instant, dropping down to the ground like a tormented plushie.
But every time one went down, another replaced them. My sword was slashed to each side of me, one or two wolves trying to jump into me. Leonel and I had each other's backs, taking care of anyone who tried to stealthily surprise us. I was having a hard time every minute of the fight, tiring out quickly.
At some point, I shifted to my gun, loud bangs filling the air. Though I had to be very careful with it so I wouldn't hit any of my own, luckily the sand coloured wolves being easy to spot. Otherwise I would be in a lot of trouble as the air was mixed with the scent of our enemies and friends. You couldn't make a difference from anyone but based on how they looked.
I was soaked in blood, wavering in my steps. My breathing came out raggedly, my forehead dripping from sweat. They just kept coming and coming, soon the same opponents circling every one of our warriors as we began to be too pressured. Some of us were already down, their bodies turning as cold as the air.
It wasn't looking good.
It was nothing but cruelty and death. And it made you question everything; where your morals were and which line was not to be crossed. But it didn't matter right now, not when the sand coloured wolves were lacking in every possible thing that made a person human. They were like wild rogues, not sparing anyone. They attacked you from behind, they made you bleed out slowly.
No quick deaths, no mercy.
It wasn't anything beautiful, or anything anyone should romanticize. It left scars, invisible ones that never really faded but with time.
But the ruff pattern was cut shortly, my body flying to the ground with a loud smack. I had a wolf over me in a second, ready to sink its teeth into my throat. My face was morphed into pain, every muscle of mine screaming for help. But I couldn't give up, no matter how tired I was. And subconsciously, I did everything to keep the wolf's sharp claws away from my stomach.
I stabbed it, punched, tried to shoot it.
Desperately.
But nothing stopped it.
The more I stared at its cold grey eyes, the more familiar the wolf got. The rage, the evil in their eyes. It slashed my chest, bit my shoulder and made me shout in pain. I was struggling so hard, and my mate behind me wasn't doing that well either.
And then it hit me, what I was fighting against.
The size of the wolf, and the demanding aura around it; it was a Royal. I bit my teeth together, shoving my sword deep into its side. But it didn't even flinch; like it wouldn't even feel pain at all. Meanwhile I was bleeding, exhausted and close to fainting. I couldn't get it off me, its weight so great that I couldn't breathe well. Who was it?
A loud bang sliced the air as I shot towards its head, the gun in my other hand unfortunately dropping to the ground. It was thrown away from me, the big wolf locking my hand under its other paw as the bullet graced its fur. It could've ended me right there if it wanted, but for some reason, it didn't. It only watched me, baring its red-coloured teeth.
It had me on the ground, no way out for me. And then it shifted.
The wolf in front of me turned into a human, my eyes enlargened and slightly frightened. I was shaking and breathing unevenly, my mate behind me busy with many other opponents. I wanted to yell for his help or check how he was doing, but I was too focused on the person ahead of me.
He had tanned skin, and brown hair with an orangish tint. The third Alpha from the market, the one with the girl slave. He was wearing a wide smirk on his lips, watching as the wheels turned in my head. The other one of his hands grabbed my left one, the sword it held clattering to the ground, "Well, well, well."
He sang, disgust evident on my face. It made sense that he would be here with his pack, as we were on his lands. But something still itched in the back of my head. Where was Kell? Because it seemed like they knew of our arrival already— so it would make even more sense for them to be here too. Or had I just not noticed him?
This man had surprised me in a way, as I didn't really know him and his scent. Kell's I'd recognise anywhere.
But the way he looked at me reeled my thoughts elsewhere, pure anger filling my eyes. He studied me, undressed me with his gaze. And I knew instantly what he thought, making me sick. That's why he didn't try to kill me in the first place; just wounding me, and keeping me imprisoned under him.
"Get the fuck off." I growled to his face, spitting a nice glob of mixed blood and saliva to his cheek. My hands did their best to escape his grip, but it was too tight; nearly crushing my wrists.
The man only grinned wider, tilting his head to me, "Have you not figured it out already— I thought you were smarter than that."
He said with a proud glint in his eyes, something that sent me off guard. What the fuck was he talking about?
"I said. To. Fuck off!"
I shouted to his face, trying to kick his legs that were also pinning me down. The panic settled into me slowly, the full picture of the situation finally starting to clear up.
He could do anything.
And I think he saw the train of my thoughts as a flash in my eyes, the grin on his face dying instantly. But it was too late for him, my mouth opening into a scream, "Leonel!"
I started to squirm and trash in the man's hold, the one now looking at me with anger. "I really wish you would've not done that" he growled lowly. There was some kind of promise behind his voice, something that made me panic even harder. And even more so, as he didn't even flinch away from me.
Anyone, and I mean anyone, would've ran for their lives right now. But this crazy wolf just grabbed my throat with his other hand, squeezing so hard that I felt like my neck would collapse. My breathing was cut off, my face growing gray. But my hand was free.
It was the only thing that sang in my head, though I couldn't make it obey. My reflexes guided my hand straight for his wrist, simply pressuring it. Nothing in it helped me, but my brains were in too much shock to actually deliver anything. And for a moment, I felt helpless.
I never thought of losing. I never allowed myself to even think about it.
Because, I never lost.
My mouth was wide open, trying to inhale even the small amount of air it could. The background was still filled with shouts and pained screams, claws and teeth clattering to each other.
Where was he?
And that was the second my eyes caught something on my right side. It was proceeding quickly, only a quick flash in my vision. And I knew exactly what it was, Leonel's black wolf trashing against the male on top of me. It didn't hesitate to snap its jaws into the man's arm, gush of Royal blood streaming down to my face. The hold on my throat loosened, a loud gasp to be heard from me.
I started instantly coughing, meanwhile the other man's weight disappearing from me. I didn't understand breathing to be a privilege until now.
"Leonel!" I hushed out, my voice cracking because of the damage my throat had been through. His black wolf jumped over the other Royal with vicious growling, sinking its teeth into him.
He tore, so maliciously that I even wondered what he was. Anyone seeing him right now couldn't but stop to stare, frozen in their place. He was a frightening sight, something that would be vividly in your mind for your whole life. You wouldn't ever want to cross him.
But I wasn't those people who watched him with terror in the eyes; I wasn't one of those that stayed afar.
I was his mate, and whatever happened, I would stick to him. I knew what a wonderful man there was, and that he held justice and warmth in his heart. He wouldn't hurt me or no one that didn't deserve it.
Even when he looked like a monster, he wasn't one.
My throat was still in pain, and I couldn't even breathe well as I forced myself up. Leonel seemed to handle himself pretty well, knocking the man in front of him unconscious. Even though how much I hated him, and wanted to see him dead; Leonel had other plans.
But the Royal would pay for his sins some day, no worries.
My eyes caught Leonel's black ones as he turned his blood-covered nuzzle towards me, relief washing over me as I saw that he was okay. He had some wounds, but nothing fatal. And they would heal in no time too. Me on the other hand, I was feeling really bad. I could barely stand, all the wounds and bites infected because my omega blood couldn't heal them as well as beta's, delta's or alpha's. But I was going to be okay too; this would be only temporary.
My eyes closed lazily, my head dizzy from the lack of air, and the injuries.
"Ezekiel!"
I heard the sweet voice shout, immediately warming my insides.
But I was already far gone, my knees buckling in the middle of the battlefield. Our groups were still disadvantaged and suffering great losses, but the tables would turn as soon as they'd known their Alpha had fallen; captured.
Fucking hell, it felt good to just rest.
Simple blackness, nothing else.
I wished it would always be this peaceful.
The Battle.