I wanted to scream after Jesse, to find him and get answers to all of the questions I had. But he was out of my sight before I had time to process anything, and he still didn't have a scent that I could follow. I wondered how that was possible — I should ask Dad. I should actually have gone to tell him what had happened a while ago, but I had taken a minute to gather my thoughts first.
Now, I stood up and checked my surroundings to make sure that no one had snuck up on me while I wasn't paying attention. There weren't any hints of a scent nearby, so I let my guard drop the tiniest bit — although not a lot, after seeing what Jesse could do. I began the walk back to the pack house, slowly at first, and then faster, until I was practically running. I passed a few people on the way there, and some of them gave me curious looks, as if I were an alien.
When I got inside, Aiden was pacing in the hallway. He must have sensed my presence because his head snapped up and he quickly closed the distance between us to crush me in a tight hug. I let him hold me, knowing his wolf needed it for some reason or other. And I had to admit, it was kind of comforting after what had just happened with Jesse.
After a moment, I pulled away. Aiden searched my face as if to check for injuries. "Where were you?" He burst out. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I reassured. "I went to the pond to think for a while — sorry I didn't tell you. I just need to talk to my dad… maybe you should actually come too."
"What? Why?" He asked, following me up the first flight of stairs. "What's going on?"
"You'll see in a minute," I replied, sparing a glance over my shoulder. Aiden looked unsure. "It's really important."
"Okay," he agreed. "As long as it's not another dead pack member. I don't think I could handle that anymore, even though I didn't know anyone who's died."
"It's not," I said, attempting a small smile. "But it could save some lives."
I knocked on Dad's door with two sharp raps. There was a pause from the other end before a voice that was unmistakably Mom's called for us to come in. I turned the handle and stepped inside, Aiden right behind me. Dad was sitting in his usual chair and Mom was perched on the edge of the desk.
"Hey Mom, Dad," I greeted, and then my eyes fell on Dan, who sat uncomfortably in the chair in front of the desk. "Dan."
I felt Aiden stiffen from behind me, but thankfully he didn't let out any threatening noises. Instead he inclined his head towards my parents and blatantly ignored Dan, which was an obvious sign of disrespect seeing as he was the Beta. Aiden still ranked higher than him if you thought about it, but because he was a visitor to the pack, he was expected to show respect to all of the high-ranking wolves.
"Perri, Aiden, what a nice surprise!" Mom said, trying her best to be enthusiastic. "What can we do for you?"
"Um, we have some information that might be important in regards to the rogues," I said grandly. Dad's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he stood up.
"Of course," he said. "Dan, go and fetch a pair of extra chairs for Perri and her mate and bring them back here so that they can tell us whatever it is."
Dan stood up with a scrape of his chair and left the room, with a heavier step than usual, might I add. He didn't like taking orders that meant he had to do something nice for Aiden. I really didn't want them to hate each other, but I also couldn't force them to get along, especially when Dan wouldn't even talk to me anymore.
When he came back, he was holding two chairs. One was wooden and the other was made of a light plastic that looked as if it would break at any second. I wanted to laugh— that chair was obviously meant for Aiden. Dan was so childish sometimes.
Dad frowned when he saw the chair. "Dan, bring us another wooden chair. For the moment, Perri, you and Aiden can sit in the two sturdy chairs we have right here." He shot a pointed look at Dan.
Aiden was smirking when he sat down on the chair where Dan had previously been. I took the other seat and intertwined my right hand with his left. Dad leaned forward expectantly. "So what do you have to tell us? I just saw you not long ago, surely you could have told me then."
I took a deep breath before saying about how I went to think things over and how Jesse called out to me from the woods. I made sure that everyone was still listening and then launched into Jesse's story of how he met Rick in the orphanage, how they ended up hating each other, how Aiden became friends with Rick, and now how Jesse and Sera were being forced into working with the rogues.
"They're planning on coming for us on Saturday," I finished. "Oh, and Jesse was somehow hiding his scent. That's another advantage they have."
I looked to my right to see Aiden's reaction to this. His face was as white as a sheet, and he was shaking his head back and forth as if to say, no, this can't be real. He had already known that Rick was really lying all along, but now he had to process the fact that he had been friends with Rick whilst he was threatening Aiden's friends. He probably thought that there could have been something he could do to stop it, even though there wasn't. Who knows, if he'd tried to do something he could have ended up dead himself.
And now, Sera and Jesse were stuck in their apartment alone with guards posted outside to make sure that they couldn't leave in order to tell us something. I wondered what was happening to Jesse right now. After all, he had knocked some of them out in order to escape. He should have brought Sera with him and stayed away for good, but maybe he thought it was too dangerous for her.
I looked at Dad, and he was frowning deeply. He was probably thinking that we should send a team over to the apartments to “rescue” Sera and Jesse, but that wouldn't work because we didn't know how many people they would have there, and we couldn't move our whole team of warriors there because then who would defend the pack? It was best to just stay here and let them come to us.
"Well," he said after a while. "Are you sure your source is reliable?"
"Pretty sure," I said, and Aiden nodded his head from beside me. As far as I knew, Jesse was the person Aiden had trusted most in the group apart from Mark. He was more sensible than Rian and Lisa put together.
"Okay," Dad said, as if he'd already known. "The best thing we can do is wait. We can meet them at the pack borders on Saturday. That way they can't get too close to the women and children unless they defeat us."
"That reminds me," I said, brightening. "I'm helping in the fight, no arguments."
Dad nodded in acceptance because he knew that I was a good fighter — not to be conceited or anything — but Aiden growled. "No, you won't."
I rolled my eyes, "Yes I will, and you can't stop me."
"What if I'm too busy worrying about you that I get distracted during a fight and die?" He asked, trying to play the guilt card. But it didn't work on me.
"Well…" I drawled. "In that case, maybe you should be the one not fighting."
He glared at me for a solid minute before reluctantly nodding. "Alright, but don't expect me to not make sure you're okay at all times."
I sighed, but mustered up a smile at having gotten my way. "Of course."
~•~•~•~
Saturday came all too fast.
Over sixty of us were standing in a straight line at the pack borders. The women who had chosen not to fight, the children and the elderly had been safely herded into the basement with five guards protecting them. Unfortunately that was all we could spare.
In a way, I was kind of looking forward to this fight. We were well prepared and had a great chance of winning. After that, I could just be with Aiden and not worry about any more rogues. It was that prospect that made me so determined to win this. I hoped the rest of my pack members and friends felt the same.
I could see a line of wolves running towards us at full speed, but there were no scents coming off them. I didn't let that deter me as I readied my stance. When I started to hear the ripping and shredding of clothes I gave in and shifted into my silvery wolf.
The rogues didn't waste any time in attacking once they realized that they didn't have the element of surprise anymore. The growls from both sides were becoming deafening. No one tried to make last-minute amends with either side and a large wolf that was obviously Rick leapt for one of our fighters a second after they “arrived”.
And with that, all hell broke loose.
Wolf jumped for wolf, and I was soon met with an enemy of my own to fight. He was slightly smaller than me, a male, and a light blondish color. His teeth were bared as he growled at me, but instead of being afraid I felt a rush of adrenaline. I could do this.
The wolf lunged straight for my throat, but I moved aside and got a nick at his hind leg. His growls only got louder as he spun around and jumped for me once again. I dodged, but I knew that I'd have to go for the kill before someone came to help him finish me off. The next time he lunged, I met him head-on and used my claws to swipe at his face. He whimpered as blood poured from a gash in his cheek.
He leapt forward, and this time he succeeded in drawing blood from my side with his teeth. It hurt, and I knew I'd have to get medical assistance after this was over, but I had to keep fighting. I had to beat him.
I was surprised at how good of a fighter he was. My pack members would have a hard time defeating them, but I knew that we were strong. I hoped it would be enough.
Before my opponent could go for me again, I jumped forward with my jaws wide open, taking him by surprise. This caused him to stiffen for a moment and gave me time to sink my teeth deep into his throat, killing him instantly. He fell to the ground and his wolf used his last ounce of energy to shift into his naked human form. I averted my eyes from the mangled body and moved away.
I knew I would feel remorse for actually killing someone later, but right now I only felt triumph and slight relief. One down, god-knows-how-many-more to go.
I checked my surroundings to see what else was going on. Aiden was fighting two at once and seemed to be winning. Mark and Rian were doubling up against three more wolves but I could see Lisa fighting a larger wolf on her own. She seemed to be struggling.
I bounded over as quickly as I could and when the enemy wolf had his back turned I jumped on him and bit his neck. It wouldn't kill him yet but he dropped to the ground. He would die from blood loss soon. Right now he didn't have the energy to continue his fight, so Lisa dipped her head at me gratefully before scampering off to help someone else.
I joined up with Logan, Lisa's friend from the pack, as he fought two wolves. Every time he injured one of them, the other one ended up going for him and he had to retreat so as to defend himself properly. I helped him take them out quickly enough, and then we parted ways.
Before I could get too far though, a wolf who looked suspiciously like Piercing blocked my way with a low growl and a crazy look in his eye. He didn't waste any time in leaping for me and I barely had a second to dodge his attack.
He managed to sink his teeth into my leg. I tried to shake him off but he held on tight. My leg was surely broken by now and it was pouring blood, not to mention hurting like hell. I managed to break free but I couldn't fight that well with only three legs. The wolf circled me like a predator would his prey. I guess that was sort of true for this situation. I knew I was probably going to die this time around and there was nothing I could do about it. At least I would have died in battle.
As the wolf got ready to spring, I shut my eyes. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing the fear that was surely reflected in them.
When I didn't feel anything, I cautiously opened my eyes. Aiden's wolf was standing over a dead human body and he was literally ripping it apart. I limped over to him and whimpered, making him look up in surprise.
Relief flooded through his expression and he jumped off the dead person. I figured he must have thought I was dead because my leg was pouring blood and I had my eyes closed. I licked his nose in gratification. The look in his eyes was enough to know that he was happy I was alive but he needed to go back into battle.
He bounded off and then stopped in his tracks. I looked too. A group of my pack members were standing together with Mark, Rian and Lisa. I felt relief at the fact that they were alive but then worry when I didn't see my dad's proud Alpha wolf standing at the front of the group. Maybe he went to check on Mom in the pack house when he realized that we had evidently won.
But not all of the enemy rogues were dead. Rick and three other wolves stood facing my pack. It didn't look like they were ready to accept the fact that they had lost and were as good as dead. I assumed they would rather die fighting than die submitting to us.
‘He's mine,’ Aiden growled through the mind link. Many of the pack fighters nodded or made noises of recognition. I was shocked. I had never heard of a rogue wolf being able to mind link an entire pack without being equally close to each member, and Aiden hadn't even been with us for long. I would have to ask him what happened later.
Mark, Rian, and another fighter who I didn't recognize moved forward to take on Rick's three lackeys. I stepped back to join my pack members as Aiden stalked up to Rick with a murderous growl. I would have liked to help with the fighting but I couldn't with my leg and side. At least if Aiden grew unable to continue his battle with Rick someone else could take over. There was next to no chance of Aiden dying. Rick would surely get tired at some point and we could take him out with sheer numbers.
Aiden and Rick began to circle each other threateningly. Everyone was watching with bated breath to see who would win this. Mark had already defeated his opponent and was now helping Rian with his.
Rick attacked Aiden first, going straight for his throat. Aiden quickly moved to the side but dove forward to get Rick's legs. Rick jumped back and then forward, swinging his paw through the air at Aiden's face.
It was like a never ending dance; one of them would jump forward and the other would leap back and then start a counterattack. I was just waiting for the moment when one of them would actually injure the other. That would be when things got serious.
I didn't have long to wait as Rick made the first cut — Aiden now had a scratch on his nose. It wasn't much, but it was enough to anger him and hopefully give him more drive. He lunged for Rick again, and this time his claw scraped a thin line down Rick's chest.
I sucked in a breath just as one of the pack members ran off, presumably to check on his mate. While Aiden and Rick resumed their fight, I took a moment to look at the destruction around me.
Blood stained the grass beside countless bodies that lay dead on the ground. Hopefully someone had called a pack doctor to come and search for living people that had a chance of survival if they got help right away. Rogues and pack members alike, a lot of people had died today. We still had most of our warriors, but I spotted at least fifteen of us lying with eyes wide open and no movement left in them. Others were groaning in pain.
Mark, Rian and the other pack member had finished their fights and three more dead bodies now lay on the grass. Rian had a bloody shoulder, but other than that they were all okay. It was a wonder that they'd gotten this far without sustaining more injuries, but I had seen them training and they were all great fighters. That had obviously helped them today.
I turned back to Aiden's fight. Rick had a tear in his ear which looked painful, but Aiden looked the same as he had before. Rick leapt forward again and nipped at Aiden's ankles. Aiden wasn't quick enough to retreat and the bite drew blood, but not much.
I knew that Aiden wouldn't die but I was really worried. I hated him getting injured at all and I prayed to the Moon Goddess that this would be over soon with Aiden as the winner.
It seemed like my prayers were answered a minute later when Aiden sprang forward and his paws hit Rick's chest, successfully toppling him over. Aiden hovered above him with bared teeth and deep growls rumbling out from his throat.
Rick was now in a position where he was helpless and would be forced to submit. However, he just returned Aiden's growl, although it was quieter. Aiden didn't waste any more time as he dipped his head down and bit deep into Rick's throat. Rick let out a strangled grunt before he went limp and his body turned back to human form.
A dead silence settled over everyone. The rogues were dead, but we were all thinking of the fallen from our pack. Lisa moved over to me, as though she wanted the comfort of a friend right now. Aiden got off Rick's body and walked over too. He rested his shaggy head on my shoulder.
After a moment, someone shifted back into their human form. When we had arrived here this morning, Dad had made sure we brought enough clothes for everyone to change into afterwards. Dad. Where was he?
People started to follow the first guy's lead and shifted back. Some were unable to because of injuries, but soon another pack member arrived with a flood of women carrying medical supplies and two pack doctors. They started bustling around, placing several people on stretchers and handing blankets to anyone who needed them. Several pairs of mates were reunited, and it was truly beautiful to see the relief in their eyes as they saw that their other half was alive.
But others were sobbing heavily at the bodies of others. Mates generally found it impossible to live without each other, and a few people were committing suicide right before our eyes. But there was nothing we could do to stop it. Those people would never be truly happy if they lived on without their mates. They would only be existing and not living, unless they hadn't yet been marked by their mate. Maybe then they could find it in them to try and move on. Wolves couldn't cry, but if they could there would be tears pouring down my face right now.
Then an anguished cry made me look up. It came from someone leaning over another person's body. It shouldn't have scared me at all, but the person who was now screaming and crying looked like Mom.
And that could only mean one thing.
‘Perri…’ Aiden said both warningly and sympathetically.
I ignored him and moved away, limping as fast as I could to where my mom was lying. There were tears pouring down her face and she kept muttering, "No, no, no."
Aiden tried to stop me from getting any closer but I had to see for myself. I pushed past him and when I had confirmed my suspicions, my heart stopped in my chest. No.
Lying there in human form, with a long gash on the side of his head and another in the middle of his chest, covered in dark red sticky blood and looking fierce even in death, was my dad.
~•~•~•~
Finally!!
You don't even want to know how long I've been waiting to write this chapter… anyways the story is nearly over& I was wondering if anyone wanted a sequel? It won't be Perri's story but it'll be a sort of spin off thingy? Comment if you want one!
LEAVE LOTS OF FEEDBACK THANKS ILY