With shaky feet, Karter landed on the ground. He was watching with glossy eyes when Leo fought his way out. He watched Leo confusingly with he had sprinted aimlessly but when the two wolves slammed on the huge tree, Karter couldn't help but praise Leo for his quick thinking.
Currently, Leo was standing beside the bloodied wolf. He lower his snout to check if he was really out cold, he was. He then checked the other one and snapped his head towards Karter's direction when the Luna could a step towards him. Karter could see his anxious eyes as he glanced at the two wolves again.
Leo ran towards Karter and pushed lightly on his shoulder. Somehow, Karter knew Leo was worried about his safety, but the Luna knew that they were down. "Let's move." He whisper and lowered his face to Leo's head. "We have to get to Ivan." Karter dragged his feet away in the opposite direction from the two passed-out wolves. He wrapped his arm around Leo's neck, bending slightly since Leo's wolf reached his chest.
Karter could see Leo was hesitant but he started moving according to Karter's pace. The pain in his side was dull and numb. He was wincing with every step he was taking but the will inside his heart was greater than the pain. Karter went through the events that happened in the last hour. The stressful meeting ended, but everything in Karter wished that it was horrible, that they decided to stay there longer to avoid this reality.
They were separated from Ivan, and couldn't contact him to confirm his safety. His team was fighting for their lives, Leo handled two feral wolves by himself while still being concerned about Karter's wellbeing. So much has already happened and he still isn't aware of Ivan's situation, not even a little. This day couldn't get worse, but something in Karter's guts suspected, that it could.
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They have been walking for at least 10 minutes before Karter crumbled against a tree. Leo whined when he saw his pale face, sweat dripping from his face. His lips were dry and his gaze unsettled.
Leo shifted, his naked form kneeling in front of Karter. He still wore the worried expression as he reached for Karter's face. He lifted his face and gently asked him to keep his eyes open.
"Okay." He mumbled under his breath and reached for Karter's pant pocket.
Karter looked confusingly at his action but a surprised expression took over his face when Leo fished out a small phone.
"My phone got lost after the first crash, this is my backup. I was going to shift so I put it in your pocket before we exited the car." It made sense that he would carry an extra. What made more sense was why it was with Karter.
Karter nodded lazily and closed his eyes. "Do you think they'll pick?" Karter whispered.
"I hope so." Leo muttered as he pressed the phone to his ear. "Not picking," Leo stated after 30 seconds. There was a hint of worry in his voice but he expertly masked it. "Let's go, we can't wait." Leo carefully picked Karter up, knowing there was no way he could walk anymore.
"Stay awake, please." Leo said as he started walking fast. He lifted his nose and turned to his right.
"I'm sleepy." Karter mumbled as placed his cheek on his warm chest.
"Talk to me, Karter. You can't sleep right now." Leo concentrated on his surrounding, taking in every sound.
"What should I talk about?" Karter wondered out loud, he didn't wasn't to sleep, not without knowing that Ivan's safe.
"About.. I don't know. Anything." Leo said distractedly.
"I- I wanted to study music." Karter slurried.
"Music?" Leo asked. "What do you play?"
"Piano and Harp." Karter replied. "A little bit of guitar, flute, drum."
"Woah." Leo said with amazement in his voice. "You said wanted, you don't want to study music anymore?"
"I like being the Luna." Karter smiled, finding the slight rhythmic movement calming. "I feel so rewarded at the end of the day, I didn't even know it was something I would ever want." He revealed. It was something Karter didn't even admit to himself, the words were pouring out of his heart. "I want to do that for the rest of my life." He sighed.
"Doesn't mean you can't play as well." Leo offered with a gentle tone.
"Hmm. If I have the time for it, sure." He mumbled and relaxed his body, it was getting harder to stay awake. "Tell me about you."
"Nothing interesting, I'm afraid."
"I beg to differ. You are such a strong warrior, there must a story behind it."
"Hmm, let me think." He wondered and kept his attention trained on the noises around them. "I started developing my passion to become a warrior at the age of 4." He finally.
"Wow, that's young. What set that passion?"
"My mother probably. She was a warrior until her death. You see, she passed away in a rouge attack when I was 2. From a very young age, I was taught to believe that her death was an honor for her family, which of course it is. But her life, which I didn't get to see for myself, influenced me a lot. I love that she was a warrior and something inside me... want to complete her life purpose." Leo looked down at Karter and smiled warmly.
The information and the aura Leo was giving resulted in tears dwelling in Karter's eyes.
"I'm very proud of you." Karter said with a cracked voice. He saw Leo's eyes go wide before he schooled his expression. He didn't speak for a while and gulped a few times.
"Thank you, that means a lot." Sincerity was prominent on his face.
"You are mated?" Karter asked when he saw Leo's mate mark.
"Yes." An unconscious smile took place on his lips which Karter smiled as well. "Her name's Nyla, a Beta."
"How long?" Karter meant how long they have been mated.
"3 years." Leo answered, his smile widening by seconds.
"Do you have any kids?"
"Not yet."
Suddenly Leo looked up and narrowed his eyes in front of them. "See something?" Karter asked and looked in the same direction. Leo didn't speak but continued to look and looked like he was concentrating on listening to any potential sound of commotion. Leo's breath hitched as he abruptly stopped. Without a word, he changed his direction and started running. "What- why are you running away?" Karter squirmed, whispered, and looked back, that's when he heard the sound of growling. "Stop! Leo, stop!" He punched him on his chest when Leo didn't even pay attention to his words.
Karter panted desperately and decided to bite his shoulder aggressively. It made Leo loosen his grip on him but it was still not enough. "Please!" Karter sobbed and pushed at Leo's face.
"I can't! There are-" He gritted his teeth, a pained expression on his face.
"Stop!" He listened this time and stopped running but still had a stronghold on Karter.
"Ivan's there, isn't he?" Karter's breath hitched. Leo sneered and nodded his head. "How many?" He tried to keep his voice steady. Leo looked away and clenched his jaw.
"Fuck!" He cursed through his gritted teeth. "4." He mumbled.
"Let me go." Karter's eyes become unfocused as he started struggling again. "Let me go!" He flailed his legs and managed to fall to the ground when Leo finally gave up.
A cry escaped his mouth when the forgotten pain in his chest came back because of the impact. He let it go the second Ivan's bloodied body came to his mind, he has to go. Karter started crawling, wincing every step. Leo sighed and placed his hands on his hip. He heard it-.
Leo heard the snapping of teeth, growling, and whimpering of a particular wolf. He smelt Ivan's blood before he heard the pained whined of his pack Alpha. There were four wolves attacking him at once. Alpha Ivan didn't seem to have anyone by his side. It killed Leo to turn around but he was assigned to protect Karter. If he went in to help Ivan, what would happen if their attention went to Karter instead. He turned around to Karter to safety, maybe find his team and then go back.
Leo's gaze went to Karter who was still crawling his way to Ivan's direction. He cursed under his breath and moved towards Karter. "It's dangerous there, Karter. We can't do anything now. Run away and hide, I'll go and help." He gripped his arm and forced strength to pick him up.
Karter slapped his hand and tried to stand up. "No fucking way." Leo saw his eyes, they were both silver now.
"Karter?" Leo asked, not knowing if it was even Karter.
"Find others, I'll protect Ivan." Karter's voice was deeper, holding so much influence. He turned to face Leo with a stoic face. "Go." He order and started walking backward. Something in his voice had Leo obey every command of his.
Leo stopped breathing when Karter's bones snapped, his body arching unusually. Leo winced when Karter screamed in pain. His clothes were ripping and his body started to shift. Snow white fur sprouted from beneath his skin. His form was turning bigger and bigger and in no time, a wolf bigger than any was standing in front of Leo.
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Karter had no control over his body, but at the same time, he controlled every movement of this white wolf. The second he heard Leo saying there are 4 wolves attacking, Karter got sucked into his consciousness. He felt an overwhelming amount of hatred and protectiveness but mostly fear. The desire to protect his mate had his turn into Obelious' wolf. The feeling was the same when Killian got attacked. But this time, there was no hesitation at all, not from him or Percy. This time, he knew there is no room for uncertainty or worry for himself.
Karter's mind was fuzzy as his bones repaired, cracking and snapping loudly. A muffled scream left his mouth because of pain and the transformation from his body to Obelious's. In mid-shift, Karter seem to have full control of his mind, he knew he could make his body do whatever but... He was being influenced by something strong. He had no time to solve this mystery.
Karter looked back at Leo's naked and stunned body before he sprinted towards the direction Leo turned from. In this form, Karter could hear everything from miles away. Every voice, the slightest sound fell loudly on his ear. He could hear Ivan's painful whines, the snapping jaws of four other wolves. He could also hear his own security team, they were still fighting but only two enemies were still fighting back.
The white wolf only ran for several seconds before he reached Ivan. Nothing matters right now. Not Leo, or Andra, or Blaze, or Mercy, or Aife.
Nothing mattered after Karter laid his silver eyes on Ivan's wolf, splayed lifelessly on the ground, being crowed by 4 Alpha wolves.
Karter thought his eyes turned red when a loud roar sounded from him. He felt his brain shake, his whole body tremble with so many fucking emotions. He didn't even know what he was feeling.
A second later the roar left his sharp fangs, he leaped towards the bunch. Karter didn't feel his heavy leg thump to the ground. He didn't notice how the wolves stumbled when the ground shook. Their bloodied snouts gravitated to the ground at the sight of him. Their legs shook with fear, not letting them move an inch. All of the thirst for blood, the rouge anger to hurt Ivan, and the naked desire to follow his command vanish when the terrifying silver eyes fell on them.
Karter was tearing the wolves away from Ivan, one by one, he had all of them scattered around as he stood on Ivan's body. All of his four legs were caging him, keeping him safe under him. Karter's head lowered to check Ivan's condition.
A whine got stuck in his throat when he realized Ivan was not breathing.
His mate is lying under him. His dark was dripping in blood, his muscles were torn into oblivion.
Karter cried, he cuffed in frustration but stared at his mate in confusion.
Was it really happening? Did he really just lose his mate right now?
They were just fine hours ago. Ivan smiled at him and promised to see him again.
No... he refuses to believe it. Ivan is okay, just a little broken. Karter will use the powers of this cursed God wolf and fix him. Hatred for Obelious came naturally to him. It came easily after what his mate has been through, after what they have been through. Everything started after he got this damn wolf.
The hate transformed into strength. The worry blended into power. He collected everything and lunged towards the wolf who was twitching on the ground.
His blurred sight, clouded by malicious missed that one wolf who was out of his view. He only registered its running presence when a sharp claw slashed his left eye.
Karter's view from that eye went completely black. A sharp and stinging pain spread in his head. It was gone as soon as it came.
Karter's head was thrashed to the right, but in the time he turned it back, his vision was back and his wounds were healed. A heated glare landed on the wolf who dared to attack him. He didn't even record his next movement, he was moving before his mind knew anything.
Karter was mid-way towards the wolf who had wide eyes when another fucking body slammed into his. It didn't manage to drop Karter's body but it was enough to stop him.
Karter snapped his eyes to the newcomer but instantly turned it away when he heard someone run. In those milliseconds, he prepared his body for any type of attack but when he noticed it, two wolves were running away.
Karter jerked towards them, their wagging trembling tails were the only part in view. He stopped though, he turned back to the wolf who slammed into him. That mutt was closing the gap between him and Ivan. He was carefully stepping towards Ivan's stilled body.
Karter was on him in a second, he placed his body between them. That wolf would have to cross his deadly jaw to get to the Ivan. Karter leaped forwards when the wolf was frozen but halted after one step when he felt someone on the other side of Ivan.
A frustrated growl left his mouth and he noticed the tremor on them. Karter landed on Ivan, crowding him again under his shelter.
He looked between the two mutts, his eyes glaring at them in vengeance. But the need to protect Ivan crossed the hate by miles.
One wolf of his left started running away. Karter didn't move thing time.
If he wanted, he could get all four of them in a minute and tear their bodies even faster. But the thought of leaving his mate alone made it impossible.
He carefully looked to his left and found that the wolf attempted to run as well. Karter jumped at him which made him trip and tremble in fear. He stopped moving in fear and that's when Karter snared in satisfaction. At least he can tear apart this one.
Karter slowly, very slowly moved his legs off the ground and stalked over him. The wolf had his tail pressed over his belly, and his legs had already given up, ending him up in a pathetic position.
A throaty roar was heard from Karter, he was readying himself to attack. He put his weight on his hinge legs, preparing to leap forward and kill that mutt in the most gruesome way possible. When he had just pushed himself, he heard the faintest heartbeat. Karter could detect how it wasn't his own, or the wolf's in front of him. He stopped and trained his eyes forward, not wanting to let the crouched wolf out of his sight.
Karter narrowed his eyes and concentrated in Ivan's direction, and that was when he heard his mate's heart beating. It was faint, way too faint but it was there. Without any care, Karter turned around and crouched low over Ivan's black wolf. He pushed his snout around Ivan's neck, being very careful with the countless injuries. He heard the wolf behind him scramble away, but he could care less.
Karter whimpered at Ivan's state. His mouth was hanging open, he was barely breathing. There were numerous scratches on his face, the most prominent one on his nose. One big gash over his eyes but it didn't seem that deep. From what Karter could see, his legs were pretty much tattered and there were slashes on every part of his body.
Karter let out pathetic whines and let his tongue out to lick Ivan's wounds. He flattened it over Ivan's nose, then his eyes. Karter was in the middle of licking his thing leg when he couldn't control his emotions. He lifted his snout and let out a loud howl, sorrow filling his heart. With a shaking form, Karter bent again and continued to lick Ivan's wound.
Karter whimpered and cried, seeing his mate like that was crushing him. His mate, who is the Alpha, is someone who people put their trust in. He's someone who protects others and puts his life online for his pack. Seeing Ivan like that, seeing him crumble and injured to this point was unbelievable.
Karter continued as his heart cracked, he sat back to see if it was even working. He watched with building hope when the wounds were closing slightly, it was hard to notice but Karter manage to capture it. Being an Omega, his saliva had healing properties that were not that effective when it came to an Alpha's saliva. But being in Obelious' form, it was not surprising that the effects were much faster than an Alpha's.
He continued the work and eagerly dragged his tongue over the fur as a mother does to their pup. Karter's head snapped to his right when the footsteps of three wolves hit his ear. He hovered over Ivan and bared his teeth, reading for any attack and to protect Ivan. That was before the scent of his command reached his strong nose. Karter didn't dwell over it and went back to healing Ivan. Obelious' powers were at least of some use, but his mate wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't because of that damn paras- Karter stopped his bitter thoughts and concentrated on something more important.
A few seconds later, the three wolves came into view; it was Leo, Andra, and Aife. They were looking pretty haggard. Leo was supporting new injuries over his shoulder. After a quick glance at them, Karter went back to work on Ivan obsessively. He felt Andra's blonde wolf come near him and assess Ivan's state. A second later, an emotional growl escaped his mouth which resulted in Leo and Aife following her. She pushed Karter away with her snout, she tried, but Karter wasn't budging. He heard the snapping of bones, and Andra shifted back.
"I think that's enough, Luna." She said in a shaky voice. "It won't work anymore." She wheezed and palmed over her wound at her side. "Okay." She turned to Aife and Leo when Karter ignored her completely. "Try the phones again." She said and winched when her legs bent beside Ivan's head.
Andra flinched away when Karter let out a throaty growl and crowed her. 'Shift back, Luna.' Those were the words she wanted to speak but on second thought, she would rather have this huge ass wolf on standby if any enemy comes back.
She watched Karter fuss over Ivan and wanted to stop the Omega since the healing saliva works to some extent, the body has to heal itself from then. But she let him do whatever, she wouldn't be able to understand what was going through Karter's mind seeing his mate hurt. She didn't have a mate and even though she hears how wolves proclaim their undying love of their other halves, she wouldn't understand it.
Andra huffed and sat back. "Anything?" She asked Aife who came back from the shadow of the thick trees. She sighed when Aife shook her head. "Head back to The Concile. It's nea-" She cut herself off when Karter suddenly shifted and snapped her head towards his naked body.
"No." He darkly growled.
No one spoke, foreign shock on their faces.
"But we have to get A-"
"I said no!" Karter turned to face her and threw a full-blown glare at her.
His silver eyes were making him unfamiliar and distant. Andra never imagined she should see Karter in such state. She shut her mouth and watched Karter with wide eyes. She was lost.
"Then what?" After a minute of silence, Leo spoke.
Karter faced him, a stoic expression on his face. He blankly looked behind him and stayed quiet for a while. "How long would it take to run to our pack on foot?" He finally said.
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Andra cursed Karter in her head as she was running behind her, glaring hard at Karter's swinging white tail with so much despair. She looked at her side to Leo trotting painfully. Aife was ahead of Karter to sense any danger which was funny cause Karter could feel anything even from miles away. Andra recalled the conversation they had a few minutes ago and confirmed that she wasn't the one who approved of this idea.
"An hour! We would have to cross borders of two packs to get to ours!" Andra answered instead of Leo. "You aren't thinking of actually running on foot, right?" Andra knew that was exactly what Karter was thinking.
"Get Ivan on top of my back." Karter turned his back to them. She shut her eyes close and took a breath to collect her thoughts.
"You are aware that we can get attacked again on our way?"
"Do I look like I care, Andra?"
"I thought you would, considering your mate is on the verge of death!" She sneered and glared back at his angry face.
"What do you want me to do then? Huh? Go back to those pieces of shit who probably sent those degenerates to attack my fucking mate?!" Karter took a few steps closer as he shouted furiously. "If you want to walk willingly to your death, whatever. Right now, you are going to put Ivan on my back, protect us from any more attacks or we can all die here." He spat on the ground, leaving everyone stunned by his words.
"Maybe we should stop at the nearest pack to ask for help." Aife offered in a small voice. All of the heads turned to her which made her nervously chew on her lip but never break her stance.
"No," Karter flatly said. "The wolves that attacked Ivan smelled... They smelled like they were from this area. I don't want to take any chances." He turned to look at Ivan and stared at him intensely. "Where are Blaze, Mercy and Sam?" Karter asked.
"They- they are injured, Sam and Blaze. We barely managed to escape the rogues so we left them with Mercy in a cave nearby until we get help." Andra gloomily answered, remembering the pain she felt seeing the two barely stand because of their wounds. Mercy was only roughed up, she is responsible for taking care of them.
This only shows how important it is to take immediate actions. They can't afford to lose any of them.
Karter has been standing there, focusing on a point for at least a minute.
"Y-you can turn, right?" Leo raised his eyebrow and hesitantly seeked Karter's eyes.
"Of course." He sneered and closed his eyes.
Karter tried to remember the extreme emotions he felt when he learned Ivan was in danger. He happily excepted the burning anxiety and let it course through his veins. His mind reached to Obelious and made direct contact with his overwhelming power. Karter accepted it and begin his shifting process and concentrated on taking on that mighty form.
A second later, Karter again stood tall as a white wolf and looked down at Andra's thunderstruck face. He instantly headed towards Ivan. 'Get him up." His voice struck them, making all three of them flinch in surprise.
"Impossible..." Andra's jaw slacked in shock. "No one is supposed to mindlink outside of pack." She whispered in shock.
'And you are not supposed to waste time, hurry now.' Karter huffed and sat down on his belly so it will easier for them to raise Ivan off the ground. 'Careful.' He growled lowly.
Karter dragged his paws on the rough ground with the heavy weight of his mate on his back. The haziness he was feeling since he turned into Obelious from the first time was getting clearer. He no longer felt as if he was watching his vision from a distance. He felt as the control got stronger and his emotion became less intense. The anger though was still there, he was not a slave to it any longer.
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Yayyyy This chapter was a ride. I don't remember much of it cause I wrote it in sections for a long time. This was a late update, I know but studies are kicking my ass right now.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the story so far.
Vote and comment.
BYE Angel!