48 - Burnt By The Past
ZARA
"You,"
I turned to face the man, someone I hadn't seen in what seemed like ages, watching as he emerged from the shadows. I tensed, my instincts on high alert as my eyes followed every move he made.
"Me," was his response, a bold smirk on his lips and a devilishly playful gleam in his eyes.
Drake.
My eyes narrowed, scanning him warily as memories of our last encounter, where he had kidnapped me, resurfaced.
"The last time we met, you kidnapped me," I growled, my tone filled with distrust.
Drake merely offered a shrug to complement his cryptic smile. "Sometimes, certain things have to be done in a certain way to ensure a reunion with your brother."
"My brother had nothing to do with it," I growled, "you told me that you were helping me escape – something I never said I wanted."
He waved his hand dismissively. "Reunion, escape, what's the difference really?"
I scoffed and his smirk widened.
If I learned anything from that encounter, it was to never let my guard down. Such a simple meeting in a diner turned into nothing but chaos for me. For Haden.
"How do you even know Luca?" I questioned. His mischievous grin widened, revealing nothing. "If you're not here to talk, then leave me the hell alone. I wanted peace after..."
"After your little joyride to the stars? Then again, can you even call it that when he was the one doing all the riding? I must say blondie, you've got a set of lungs on you, quite the screamer," he added, managing to dodge the fist I threw at him.
"You should run before Haden comes and kills you," I cautioned, my eyes narrowing.
He chuckled dismissively. "I'm not worried about Haden right now."
My curiosity piqued, and I pressed for more information. "What did you do?"
"Me?" he feigned concern, "nothing at all. It's the rogues he has to worry about. See, he's got himself into a little death match right as we speak, maybe if you go now you can catch him,"
A surge of realization hit me, and my eyes widened. Without further hesitation, I turned on my heels and sprinted back to where I had left Haden.
Bounding through the forest, the pulse of anxiety quickening my steps, I retraced my path back to the spot where I had left Haden. An unsettling feeling of fear coursed through me, pushing me further in the labyrinth of trees surrounding us.
I tried using the mind-link but my panic was getting in the way of logic; I really needed to get this mind-link thing down.
As I approached, the sounds of the forest gave way to the distant rumble of Haden's voice. Drake's cryptic revelation about a rogue attack echoed in my mind, and I wasn't sure what to expect.
What my eyes landed on was far worse than what I could've possibly imagined.
Emerging from the foliage, I found Haden still near the waterfall, his attention drawn to the dozen of wolves circling him. The raw feelings from our earlier argument lingered, but the urgency of the situation demanded immediate attention.
"Haden!" I called out, my voice cutting through the barks and growls.
His eyes flicked to me, registering a mix of surprise and curiosity. "Zara, leave now."
His immediate order didn't sit well with me and I frowned at him, watching as he snapped at the wolf who made a move in my direction.
"I'm not leaving you," I protested but he didn't spare a glance in my direction, his focus dead set on the plague of rogues looking ready to attack any minute.
"Leave," he growled louder.
"No!" I growled back before shifting to my wolf and hardening my gaze at the wolf closest to me. They thought they could come here and attack without any fightback.
Think again.
With deliberate steps, Haden positioned himself between me and the group of twelve rogues, his gaze sharp and vigilant. The air crackled with tension, the forest around us holding its breath, as if aware that the delicate balance had shifted.
The rogues eyed us hungrily, angrily, their collective energy a volatile undercurrent in the clearing. Haden's stance radiated authority, a silent proclamation that any aggression would be met with unwavering resolve.
His eyes flicked across the faces of the rogues, assessing each one, searching for signs of hostility or compliance. We were at a complete standstill. A dance of uncertainty played out in the charged atmosphere, and we both conveyed both caution and readiness.
I snapped at the one who tried to come at me but I didn't see the one that leaped over Haden and took a bite right into my neck. I cried out, the canines of the rogue sinking deep into my fur.
And then I heard him growl.
The ferocious growl erupted from Haden's chest, a loud and menacing sound that brought a new level of frost and fear. I whined in pain trying to shake the wolf of me, but he was latched on like glue. My ears perked up at the sound of clothes shredding and, in seconds, the rogue was torn away from me and his head was snapped.
His eyes, usually the calming sight of the midnight sky, now flickered with an intensity that echoed the furious, untamed spirit of his wolf. We locked eyes and once I whimpered, his gaze slowly turned to the wolves before us. They tensed at the unmistakable display of dominance, a primal understanding passing between the werewolves in the clearing.
Then Haden lunged.
Fueled by rage, he crossed the space between them in full force, his motions a bit of a blur as I tried to rise to my feet. The rogues, caught off guard by the ferocity of his assault, scrambled to react, but it was too late for them.
His first target, a rogue with a scarred face, found himself overpowered, a swift and decisive takedown leaving him incapacitated on the forest floor.
I whimpered, blood coating my white fur at the swift movement. My feet shook as I tried to stand, the burning sensation on my neck causing me to fall on my stomach in a heap.
Through my blurred vision, I watched Haden as he impressively took down rogue after rogue. He was ruthless, calculated, and lethal – a symphony of true precision and the embodiment of a predator closing in on its prey.
The man held nothing back as he continued to hit them with calculated strikes, seamlessly transitioning from one opponent to the next. I whimpered as one of the rogues bit his leg but he managed to shake him off.
Come on, Zara, get a grip.
I tried standing to my feet again, ignoring the pain shooting through my body and lifting my paws to walk closer to the fight. The adrenaline pumped through me, the pain a fleeting memory as I lunged at the one who dared to attack my mate.
He snarled viciously, circling me in an effort to find my weak spot but by the time he moved towards my neck, I already bit into his and tore him apart.
There was a different fire beneath our paws as we fought, and one by one, the rogues met Death with a smiling face. Amidst the chaos, I found my place in the dance of battle, my instincts blending seamlessly with the rhythm established by Haden.
By the time it was time to celebrate, a new wave of rogues sprinted down the hill and went straight for Haden. I cried out as they swamped him, and my distraction caused another rogue to nip at my paws.
How the fuck were we to get out of all this?
A growl the sound of thunder came beneath the rogues and Haden managed to throw them all off him. The rogues, desperate and disoriented, attempted to retaliate, but their efforts proved futile against the coordinated strength of an Alpha.
I snarled at the ones coming towards me, clawing and snapping at them with no mercy. This was war. Working through the chaos was a surefire way of ending this and ending it now.
Once the last rogue was bleeding out, I glanced towards Haden and saw him still fighting off four wolves. I leaped to join him but he growled at me and stood between me and the last of them.
Standing this close to him, I could see patches of fur missing from his coat and blood tainting his sea of black. Still, he snarled warningly at the rogues before him, an effort to protect me from their unpredictable wrath.
As soon as one made a move forward, he growled and lunged at them, taking no prisoners, leaving no rage unchecked. It was a terrifying sight, watching him tear them limb from limb until there was nothing left.
Until there was only one standing.
The rogue shifted, smiling snarkily as he fell to his knees before Haden. "You're a fool... if you think you... can beat the Rogue King," he said breathlessly.
Shifting, Haden gripped him by the throat and I took a step forward as I watched him stare coldly at the man.
"You're all fools for thinking you could ever defeat me," he growled, "to think you could harm what's mine without me ripping you to shreds, making you completely unrecognizable. You think you could hurt what's mine! How fucking pathetic."
"He will come for you," the man continued to smile, glancing in my direction and I held my stance, giving him a snarl of my own, "he will come for you all and you will meet your end sooner than you think. The Rogue King is coming, precious Alpha, and you will all be conquered."
Like a madman, he began to cackle and blood spurred from his lips. Haden snarled and tore his head clean off his shoulders, tossing his body to one side and his head to the next.
A tense silence settled over the clearing and I watched Haden's shoulders rise and fall as his breathing faltered. The message had been delivered — the Rogue King was coming and this was only a taste of what was in store.
The forest, once a battleground, now bore witness to the victory of unity over discord. Haden surveyed the scene with a stern gaze before he spun to look at me. I shifted and walked over to him, grabbing his face with both my hands. His hands found my neck and I winced.
"What the hell were you thinking?" he growled at me, tilting my head as he inspected the damage done to my neck.
"You're bleeding everywhere and that's your first thought?!" I growled back at him. "What if I had left and things got way worse?"
"A second longer and he would have ripped your head off! Do you have... do you..." he started shouting but his body started swaying.
"Woah, Haden!" I exclaimed.
"No, I'm fine, I..." he tried to protest but trailed off as his knees gave out. I caught him in my arms but we both fell to the ground, my body already weak from the attack earlier.
"Haden," I called out to him but his eyes started closing, "Haden!"
Panicking, I tried to wake him up, slapping his arms and face.
"Haden, please,"
Desperation fueled my attempts to wake him, but no matter what I did, nothing worked. We were miles away from the pack house, and I had no way of contacting...
Wait a second.
The mind-link.
"Oh no no no, how do I..." I trailed off, feeling a beat of sweat on my forehead. "I've never mindlinked anyone besides Haden. How the fuck was I supposed to call for help?"
Dragging his body to the trunk of the nearest tree, I felt the anxiety clawing at my throat as I limped about.
"Damn it, how do I do this!" I cried out, "Sure, you taught me the theory but how am I going to actually do this!"
This level of panic wasn't me, but I felt the mate bond slipping away which meant that he was... slipping away. He needed to go to the infirmary before he lost any more blood.
"Okay, Zara, just breathe," I mumbled to myself, dragging the brakes on my pacing. I took two deep breaths, three, before I tried to remember what Haden said that I should do.
Open your mind and lean into the connection of the pack. Try to extend your mind and let the pack do the rest.
Cursing, I ran a hand through my blonde hair and crouched down in front of Haden.
"What does that even?" I whined, gripping his hand and intertwining our fingers.
Just try it, my wolf insisted desperate to try anything to save our mate.
Cursing again, I opened my mind and searched for any sign of this pack bond. It was like I was screaming into a black void, hoping that someone was on the other side. I screamed out a plea that the Alpha was in distress and we needed immediate help.
Anyone! Please, can somebody help us, I cried out in my mind.
Luna? Conner's voice rang in my mind and I thanked the Moon Goddess that someone finally heard me.
Oh my God, Conner! Thank the fucking heavens! We were attacked out by the waterfall, I immediately explained.
What? Are you okay, what happened? He launched questions at me, where's Haden?
He's unconscious, Conner, I cried as I tightened my hold on his hand, I don't know what to –
Don't worry, we're on our way, stay there and keep an eye out, Conner ordered and I immediately felt a sense of relief.
Minutes later, the woods echoed with the arrival of wolves from the pack, a united force determined to shield us from further harm. They encircled us, their protective stance acting as a shield to prevent any further damage.
I felt the weight lifting off my shoulders, making them sag as I leaned into Haden's unconscious form, my vision blurring as I saw Conner slowly walking towards us before I gave into the darkness.
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Drake's back and he's causing trouble! 🙄
Hey everyone :) Thank you all for reading this far into the book
Thanks to you, we're at 80k reads and I may or may not have done a little happy dance every time it went up by thousands 💃🏽
You are all making this writing process super easy - just because of how much love you've been showing to this book
So what did you think of this chapter?
Seems like the war is coming sooner rather than later, are Haden and Zara ready for it? The packs?
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