I was high up in a tree, well hidden in the leaves and branches of the canopy as I watched the massive Alpha pacing below. His eyes were out of focus more often than not, showing that he was mindlinking his people almost steadily. I carefully chose an arrow and pulled the tiny vial of liquid out of my pack.
It was an extremely nasty poison; a mixture of extracts from several deadly plants and venom from several different species of snakes. Jisk had given it to me, and I didn't doubt its potency. This was the deadliest one he had in his arsenal.
It should be able to kill even an Alpha in less than five minutes. I dripped the thick liquid onto the arrow, coating the arrowhead and part of the shaft. I carefully nocked the arrow and drew my bow as I turned my attention to the Alpha below. I had studied his pacing earlier; he had beaten down a circle in the grass and circled it continuously.
I waited for the longer period of awareness while he thought through a complex decision. I would strike when he went to relay precise and detailed information over the mindlink. There! I loosed my arrow before instantly shifting and jumping into the hollow in the tree behind me.
I heard a roar of fury and a grunt as he yanked the arrow out. The clock was ticking; I just had to keep out of his reach now. Hopefully, it wouldn't even cross his mind to check the hollow so high up the tree. It wasn't as if a regular werewolf would be able fit in it in either form.
I spread my senses out as I tracked him; he was searching the bushes in the area as he started to stumble. My senses could just reach the town. The attackers milled uneasily, unsure of why their Alpha was suddenly so furious. I blinked as I realized that several of those who were tied up were starting to wake up. I prodded my mate bond, but it was still unresponsive. They had likely given the Enforcers a much higher dose to keep them down.
I felt the Alpha's legs give out. His presence shimmered as he was losing the battle with the toxins. He wouldn't be able to catch me at this point. I lifted my head to peek out of the opening; he was on the ground, staring towards the town while mindlinking. I climbed out of the hollow and shifted before climbing down to the bushes on the forest floor.
I stepped out of the bushes in wolf form, making sure to step on a few twigs to announce my presence. The Alpha's head turned in my direction, as he tried unsuccessfully to sit up. I tilted my head in puppy-like manner at his incredulous expression, before turning and running off into the undergrowth. I felt him shift into his wolf form and heard his furious snarl behind me, but he barely staggered a few steps before collapsing on the ground once more.
I crossed the meadow before shifting and using the forest highway to get close to town undetected. I was surprised to see that the Enforcers were awake, if groggy. About half of the pack was also awake. The high tension among the attackers was almost visible as they milled around; they knew their Alpha was in serious condition.
The attackers all froze as a tremor passed through them. For an instant, silence reigned before loud snarls and growls echoed across the town. Their Alpha had died.
Will was struggling wildly against his bonds, realizing that I was nearby via the mate bond. I had my mental shields up so he couldn't distract me.
I lowered my shields slightly. "Ever heard of a poker face? If they realize that you have a mate running around, they will use you to get to me. Then they will use me to control you."
With a deep growl, Will reluctantly ceased his struggles. "What are you doing here? Run away!"
I sent my denial down the link. "Not yet. Help is on the way, but I have to do one thing before I use all of the tricks up my sleeve to put as much distance between me and these attackers as I can. Please, if you love me, do not react to what I am about to do. Any reaction of yours might put me in more danger than anything else if they realize that you are my mate."
I felt his worry, but raised my shields before he could reply. Will could kill me later for the dangerous stunt I was about to attempt. Hopefully, I would survive; I had never had two hundred pissed-off wolves out for my blood before...