My body screamed at me to stop moving and find relief for my stinging wounds. We had been wondering through the wilderness for what seemed like ages. Looking out on the scenery around us it didn't appear as though there was an end to it. We were surrounded-no, more like drowning in a sea of trees. Silver and I kept ourselves posted at the back of the pack. For myself it was because I couldn't get my bad leg to move me at consistent speed without causing me trouble. For Silver I imagined it was his need to make sure he could keep his watchful eyes on everyone in his pack.
Lennicks was still posted at the head of the group, guiding us through the strange labyrinth. Ever so often he would glance back over his shoulder at everyone to make sure we were all still there. Though I felt his eyes were focused on one particular member more than the others but I kept my mouth shut about it.
I gritted my teeth against the pain in my leg when my foot caught on a fallen branch that had me tripping up. Libra cast a quick look over her shoulder to me, her eyes zeroing in on my leg. I placed my hand over the wound and shot her with a reassuring smile not wanting to draw unnecessary attention my way from the others. She pursed her lips but turned away. It was barely a scratch and out of everyone Marshall was the one everyone should be concerned over.
Marshall was squeezed between Bunny and Valerie who were helping him along. I couldn't see his face but from the tension in his back I knew he was struggling. I had no idea what was wrong with him but assumed some of his rips must be broken by the way he took shallow breaths. I felt guilt swell up in my chest like geyser ready to burst. Silver brushed himself against me and I let my hand brush against his soft fur. The brief connection eased the darkness that was trying to seep back into my mind.
"How much further is this place? Are you sure you know where your going?" Leo broke the silence that had developed over the past couple of hours. Lennicks ears flattened against his head and he threw a look in Leo's direction along with a growl before speeding up his steps. Leo crossed his arms over his naked chest and glared daggers into the back of Lennicks head.
"I would also like to know how much further-" Bunny speaks up sounding a bit strained, "Perhaps we can rest for a moment?"
Silver let out a low whine beside me and I chanced a brief look at him. I could tell he wanted help his pack but he also knew as I did that resting wasn't an option. We had to put as much distance between us and the Monarch as fast as possible. The only way of guaranteeing everyone safety was for us to get ourselves to the rebels.
"Everybody stop!" I yelled. The group faltered in there steps and cast wary looks in my direction. Lennicks let out a growl of irritation but I ignored him, "I think it would be best if we put Marshall on Silvers back-"
Marshall turned himself toward me, "I'm fine-"
"No, you're not! Now stop acting like an idiot. I can't go on much longer like this Marshall and neither can you. You are practically killing yourself-" Bunny's voice breaks a bit at the end and I can tell that all her worry for her mates well being has brought her to the breaking point. Marshall stared down at her silently before he heaved a sigh, "Okay, okay..."
Bunny lets out a tiny sob of relief before burrowing herself into Marshall's side. I watch him wince but he held back any other display of how much pain he's in. I walked towards them with Silver following beside me, "I hope you don't mind me offering you up like this." His ears wiggled back and forth, which I take that as I sign that he didn't mind.
It takes us a couple minutes but we finally get Marshall situated on Silvers back. I can see the look of relief in Marshall's face as he eases himself forward and gets a firm grip of fur. I give Silver a pat on the shoulder, "Alright, now that we've taken care of that... let's get this show back on the road!"
Lennicks turned away from us, flicking his tail in annoyance before he started moving again. Leo released a small groan but is the first to follow, the rest of us picking up pace behind them. The silence envelopes us once again which doesn't bother me much-in fact I welcome the silence after all the excitement over the past couple of days.
It's only when I hear the sound of a twig snapping in the distance that the silence becomes unsettling.I turn my face towards the sound and halt my movements. I wait for a minute but I can't sense anything out of the ordinary. It was probably a deer or something, I think to myself to calm the paranoia. I begin moving again but in the back of my mind my instincts are screaming at me that something is off.
There was another snapping twig, followed by the sound of rustling leaves on the ground. My wolf surged toward the surface instantly alert. My eyes traced the trees around us as the hair on the back of my neck rose on end, telling me that someone was watching us.
"What was that?" Leo questioned with a tense voice.
"Probably a deer-" Libra suggested trying to calm down her brothers obvious panic. I noticed the way Silver and Lennicks ear twitched, trying to follow the sounds.
I caught a rush of a shadow out of the corner of my eye and I turned my face quickly to find nothing but empty space. I picked up my pace as did everyone else, knowing that we weren't in the best condition to be caught up in another entanglement with the enemy.
A low rumble echoed through the trees, "That doesn't sound like a Deer to me-" Leo whispered to his sister.
A wolf stepped out of the tree line in front of us, its head hung low and his fur bristled up as it stared down Lennicks. Lennicks let out a low warning growl. His growl was drowned out when a choir of growls echoed in the trees around us. My eyes narrowed as I watched wolf after wolf step into view, completely boxing us in.
"Deer my ass!" Leo growled softly as he moved closer to his sister.
The wolves surrounded us, snarling and pawing at the ground as if waiting for the signal to sink their teeth in. I pulled my lip back in a snarl of my own taking up a protective stance near Silver and Marshall. Lennicks was growling low in his throat as he turned in a slow circle taking in the fact that we were completely surrounded. I felt my skin prickle with awareness when the formation around us broke apart and a large man stepped into view, a pair of shorts hung low on his waist.
He was clearly a wolf of authority but he wasn't an alpha, that much I was certain of. His dark eyes skimmed over our group, faltering for a moment when they landed on Libra. He recovered himself quickly with a shake of his head, "You are trespassing on Rebel territory pure bloods. I suggest you turn back the way you came. I'll even give you a head start before I let my men hunt you down." The tone of his voice was unyielding and dominant. The wolves behind him let out snarls filled with blood lust and the hunger for the hunt.
My body tensed beside Silver and I shot a glance in Lennicks direction waiting for him to say or do something. Lennicks ears pressed back against his head before He shifted back into his human form. I noted the look of uncertainty in his eyes, clearly he had not been expecting this welcoming committee.
"Ah, so the snake has returned. It's been longer than a week -" The man spoke with a twinge of amusement.
"I understand that but-"
"No buts-The alpha told you the conditions of your agreement. It was a limited time offer and you failed to deliver on time." He barked over Lennicks not allowing him time to explain himself. I could tell that these men just wanted a reason to kill the pure bloods-their hatred for them clouded their reason. I gritted my teeth in frustration, "I demand to speak with your alpha!"
The man's attention cut to me and his eyes narrowed, "And who are you that you feel you can demand things from me?"
"This is Orion Black's successor. You know the one I told you I would bring you-" Lennicks spoke for me. His voice carrying an air of smugness to it. The man's eyes widened as his gaze trailed over me, "She don't look like much...Are you sure this is his successor?" His earlier hostility had been lost and now he stood in disbelief.
"Yes, she definitely is." Lennicks replies
"SHE can speak for herself-" I snap in Lennicks direction, "And SHE will gladly show you how much SHE is like her father if you don't tell your men to stand down. I don't respond kindly to being threatened." I say with a pointed glare cast toward the man in charge. He lifts his hand and the wolves behind him relax but I can still see the glares cast in our direction.
"I apologize. This was all just protocol for us..." The man bows his head toward me in a submissive pose briefly before lifting his face, "I'm Koda-one of Alpha Kale's Beta's."
"Listen Koda, my friends and I have been through a lot recently as you can probably tell. I'm not really in the mood to deal with pack politics or the he said she said of some ridiculous agreement you made with the idiot over there..." I toss my head in Lennicks direction, "What I want is for you to escort us to your alpha safely without any trouble from your pack mates, Do you think that is something you can handle?"
Leo coughed a small laugh at my condescending tone which received him a glare from both Lennicks and Koda. I rolled my eyes and waited for a response. Koda turned his gaze back to me eyeing me for a moment, "It would be a pleasure to escort you and your friends to my alpha. Hopefully we can clear up any misunderstandings-"
"Yes, hopefully." Lennicks mumbled under his breath.
Koda and his men escorted through the woods, though it felt much more like we were prisoners of war considering our current condition. I did notice that the wolves around us moved as unit. It was clear that they had extensive training as warriors and had they been released to hunt us as Koda had threatened I'm sure they would have torn us to pieces. When we got closer to the mountain base the wolves began to break off in different directions.
I let my eyes take in the fortress of a mountain and the opening that stretched before us. In the opening stood a tall man with a large scar that stretched down the left side of his face and dipped down onto his neck. It made him exude a threatening atmosphere and I could tell by the way he stood that this was the alpha. The man who had supposedly defected with my father and had built a rebel army. He stood as though he was the gate keeper to hell, it wasn't hard to imagine him leading an army of wolves.
Koda stopped in his approach, "Wait here-" he commands us before he moves towards his alpha with steady steps. I watched at the two of them exchanged words before the alpha's eyes snapped back to our group. The roamed over every single one of us as if in slight surprise as he cataloged us. The two of them approached us.
"This is Alpha Kale-" Koda introduced him to us, though mainly focusing his gaze on me.
"Alpha-" I lowered my head slightly in acknowledgement of his position, "I heard we might have some things to discuss."
He tilts his head to the side as he examined me, "You are Orion's daughter. There's no way to deny that, you have his eyes." I feel my chest tighten at his assessment but I keep my face expressionless. He lets his gaze wander from me to the rest of the group.
Kale's lips pursed, "It looks like you all ran into some trouble..." His eyes fell to Marshall who was still laid out on Silver's back. Bunny took a small protective step towards Marshall anxious over the alpha's proximity to her already wounded mate. Kale's intense gaze snapped her and his eyes widened as if he was seeing a ghost, "Thalia?"
Bunny's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Bunny." She corrected him, "Thalia was my mother's name-Did you know my mother?" She questions softly. I looked between the two of them as if trying to connect the dots in my own mind. The more I looked at the two of them the more I saw the similarities. Kale cleared his throat, "Uh-yes-I knew her..."
"Intimately, from the looks of it..." Lennicks mumbled under his breath which earned him a fierce growl from Kale.
Kale quickly schooled his outburst, "You and your friends may enter but the pure bloods may not."
"We all may enter or we will all turn around and head back the way we came." I correct. Kale stared me down looking much more imposing then he had before which I thought would be difficult. I wasn't about to be intimidated, "You're the one that wanted me to come here, not the other way around. So if you want me to remain here then you will let us all in. All of these people have proven themselves trustworthy, even that idiot-" I motion to Lennicks, "I swear on my fathers grave."
There was a long moment of silence that fell between us before he nodded his head, "Fine-you all may enter but I reserve the right to kill that one--" He points to Lennicks, "If he betrays us..."
"Deal." I say without hesitation.
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Song: The Mission (M is for Milla Mix)--Puscifer
A/N: Blah. I know, I know--this chapter was probably boring but it was necessary for the story to progress and for you to witness more character interaction and group dynamics. Blah, blah, blah. I am still happy with the way it turned out.
I did hint at a lot of things in this chapter--I don't know if you caught them... :P