Ashlyn
A loud howl jerked me from my sleep, leaving me looking around in confused alarm. I looked to the stairs quickly as punding footsteps descended into the basement. Seymour was running over to me, eyes bright with a focused intensity, cheeks colored as he dropped beside me and scrambled to shove a key into the lock holding my arms in place.
"Hey- Seymour, what's going on?" I asked nervously, shifting about and his tongue poked out in concentration.
"Your pack!" He hissed. "They're here! Everyone's distracted, they're all outside fighting," he explained quickly. My heart soared with relief and a tired but excited smile split my face.
"Thank you, thank you, now hurry up so we can get out of-" I stopped short when I saw one of Seymour's snarling pack members appear at the bottom of the stairs. "Seymour-!" I shrieked as the woman lunged, tackling him across the dirty floor as Seymour yelped.
"Oh, Seymour, Seymour, Seymour," she clicked her tongue, clawed fingers digging into his neck as she held him to the floor and he kicked, clawing at her arm. "We knew you were pathetic, but a traitor? You surprise me," she deadpanned and Seymour jerked as her claws broke skin.
"Stop it- Stop! Leave him alone!" I shouted, jerking on the chain still trapping one of arms. I looked around frantically, hair whipping my face and I zeroed in on the key, knocked across the floor. Pulling against the chain, I leaned over as I grabbed for the key, inches from my fingertips, a bone waved in a starving dog's face. The woman sneered down at Seymour as he choked, twitching and scrambling frantically. I glanced over at him in alarm then back to the key, grunting as my wrist strained and the joint nearly pulled apart, gasping when my fingers landed on the key and I pulled it back to me. My fingers trembled and I forced them to steady as I pushed it into the lock and my arm fell to my side. When I looked at Seymour again, he was barely struggling now and I stumbled to my feet, incisors sliding out further as I slammed into the woman, knocking her away from Seymour.
She growled and scrambled to grab me, jerking as I sat back on my knees and tangled one hand in her hair as the other grabbed her shoulder. With a jerk of her hair, her head was forced to the side and a scream echoed off the dusty walls as my teeth pierced her neck. I knew I hit an artery as blood spurted into my mouth and down my chin, dripping onto my shirt as I drank her blood down greedily. She was squirming weakly when I tore a chunk from her neck and was still by the time she hit the floor. My legs shook less as I slowly stood, blood dripping from where it was smeared on my chin onto the floor with a soft plat, plat, plat. I slowly walked over to where Seymour was laying catching his breath, wiping the blood off my hand before offering it to him. He stared up at me for a long moment and I was worried he hated me now until he grasped my hand and stood unsteadily.
"Thank you... I thought she was going to kill me," he rasped, rubbing where small droplets of blood beaded.
"Me too..." I mumbled, looking down at my stained shirt. We both looked up as the snarling and barking from outside grew louder and more intense then looked to each other, nodding before jogging up the stairs. The house was empty; abandoned for the fight raging outside. Seymour pushed through the door and I stumbled after him, eyes widening at the scene playing before us. Wolves snarled and lunged, tearing into each other and slamming one another into the dirt. I knew which were my pack, could smell them and sense it in my chest. Seymour grabbed my arm, looking at me with his jaw set.
"Go, help your pack, I'll find you after," he said before jumping off the porch and landing in the grass as a dusty brown wolf with a dark face before taking off into the scuffling horde. I watched him go anxiously before my attention was caught by a frantic whining and I leaped off the porch, ducking and weaving my way through the fighting wolves. One of my pack was trapped beneath a wolf of the enemy pack, kicking and shaking in an attempt to throw them off his back but the wolf was grounded by his grip on his scruff. A growl was the only warning the wolf had before he was being plowed off, jaws snapping at my hands as I grabbed at him. He let out a startled bark as I gripped his upper and lower jaw in my hands then went limp as I jerked his head with a snap. I clambered off and looked at towards my packmate, watching as he shook dirt and sticks from his coat before meeting my eyes, surprise in that familiar gaze. A golden brown wolf, coat like a toasted marshmallow, ran up to the wolf, sniffing at him and licking his muzzle and ear delicately and that's when it dawned on me.
"Hey Phillip, hey Gasten," I smiled slightly as Gasten looked at me, clearly startled. His eyes fell to my shirt and widened in concern. "Don't worry, s' not mine," I waved. Phillip stepped closer and licked my cheek and I smiled tearfully. "I'm fine," I whispered and leaned into him, brought to tears by the comfort and familiarity I'd been deprived of for days. "It's not over yet, we have to help," I said stepping away after a moment. He nodded and ran back into the fray, Gasten running after him after licking my cheek with a wag of his tail. I took a steadying breath, feeling better even after just a moment of being reunited with my pack.
A snarl caught my attention and my head snapped to the side as a wolf barreled towards me and I dropped, letting it lunge over me before pushing myself up and catching it around the middle then threw it into the dirt. I was on the wolf in a second, grabbing its muzzle and forcing its head back before ducking in and biting into its throat, clamping down till my teeth closed around a ring of cartilage and ripped back, a crack sounding loudly followed by a length of trachea hanging between my teeth. I spat it out and pushed myself up, huffing as I wiped my mouth. I growled when I saw one of my own being cornered and raced to their side, diving onto one of the wolves backs and tightening my arms around its neck, not worried about another tearing me off as my pack member dove between us, covering me as I wrestled this wolf to the dirt. Huffing and puffing once the wolves were taken out, I and my pack member looked at each other with a nod.
A howl rung out then, freezing everyone in place with the sheer intensity of it. Soon another howl rung out followed by another and another till it sounded like an orchestra. I looked around in confusion, not knowing if this was good or bad. The wolves singing into the sky were my pack so I took that as a good sign and slowly weaved my way through the still or howling wolves to where the first had rung out. There, over the bloodied body of Fisher, stood a black wolf with his head thrown back, singing proudly. It was a victory song; we had won. Nearby stood another black wolf, maw wet and fur clumped with the blood of the dead Beta, Elijah, sprawled under him. He dropped his head from the victorious howl, ocean blue eyes meeting mine and the air was punched from my lungs, body starting to tremble.
"Kyle..." I choked and my trembling legs gave out, falling to my knees and he bolted towards me, tongue lapping away my tears as he skidded to a stop before me. I closed my eyes with a soft sob and fell into him, the soft fur under my fingers turning into smooth skin then his arms were around me, holding me tight.
"Shh, it's okay, I'm here now, I'm here," he whispered into my ear as he stroked my tangled hair. My temple throbbed with how hard I cried, chest swelling with relief and love because he was here, he came.
"Kyle..." I whimpered, too tired and needy for him right now to care how pathetic I sounded. "God, I'm so happy to see you right now, I- I missed you so much, I didn't know if I would see you again-" I rambled, sniffling and clinging to him tightly as he kissed me softly and pressed his forehead to mine.
"I know, Baby, I missed you too, I was so worried..." I felt tears drip onto my cheeks, Kyle sniffling softly as he held onto me like he was never going to let me go again. I slouched into him, limbs feeling heavy and sore now that the fight had left my body. I looked up tiredly as someone growled loudly and sat up straight when I heard Seymour yelp, walking forward quickly with his tail tucked as Blake nipped at his heels. Kyle looked at him and snarled, teeth bared as he pulled me to him tighter. "Another one, huh? Why didn't you take off like the rest of your pack? Do you have a death wish?" He growled and Seymour's ears pinned back.
"Kyle, no, he's good, he's my friend. He helped me," I explained quickly as I grabbed his arm. Kyle glared at Seymour a moment longer before relaxing.
"Thank you for helping my mate," he nodded once.
"Can he come with us? He doesn't have anywhere else to go, and he deserves a real pack," I asked softly, drawing Kyle's attention back to me. He nodded and kissed my head gently, standing up and carefully pulling me up with him. Morgan nodded at me warmly and I smiled slightly. "Thank you..." I whispered gratefully. Looking around revealed the rest of our pack gathered around us, some clawed up and bleeding, others wearing the blood of their enemy as victors. That's when it occurred to me; they were all in their wolf forms. I looked at Kyle, curiously, wondering why he was the only one to shift back and got my answer quickly.
"Oh my god, why are you naked?!" I yelped like I'd been burned and covered my eyes quickly, cheeks burning. Kyle laughed and bumped his forehead against mine gently.
"Our clothes don't just shift with us, we have to take them off so they don't tear. Our clothes are back in the cars, I brought you clean ones too. Speaking of, we need to get back. It's time you go home," Kyle stated and I gasped, suddenly frantic.
"Is my family alright? They must have been losing their minds- did this pack show up?! Fisher, he threatened to go to my family-" I was panicking, only silenced when Kyle cupped my face gently in his hands.
"Ashlyn. They are fine, we've been with them for days, no one came to the house," he promised softly, holding my gaze with his and I felt a gentle calm grow in my chest and spread through me, making my eyes close and breath slow. "Everything is alright, you'll see soon. Come on," my mate encouraged softly before he was a large, black wolf once again. I slowly climbed on his back after his nudging and persisting, leaning forward as I gripped his scruff as gently as I could without falling off. He took off at a brisk trot into the woods and I laid forward along his back completely, resting my cheek against his soft fur. Our pack jogged along beside us, barking and yapping to me as if welcoming me home and I couldn't help but smile, reaching out to scratch behind Jet's ear as he ran over with a happy bark. I closed my eyes and relaxed as I listened to Kyle's breathing, feeling his body underneath mine.
Eventually, the trees thinned and the foilage grew more sparse and the pack slowed, trotting out onto a shoulder in a road lined with cars. Kyle turned his head to nudge my leg and I slipped off his back, wrapping my arms around his neck to nuzzle his cheek. I was glad to be with him again, to be with my pack, familiar and safe. Kyle rumbled low in his chest and licked my cheek softly before padding over to one of the cars and I closed my eyes quickly as he shifted, listening to the door pop open and clothes rustle before his fingers touched my cheek.
"Go ahead and change," he urged, handing me a change of clothes that smelled so strongly of him I squeezed them to my chest with a nod. He looked at his pack and raised his lip with a warning growl and the males turned quickly while the females walked over to the cars, taking the opportunity to change as well. I'd gotten as far as easing my bloodied and torn shirt off before a half dressed Kaltain was throwing her arms around me wearing a delighted smile.
"Oh dear, we were so worried! I'm so glad you're back," she beamed, giving me a soft squeeze that had me wincing with a soft hiss. She pulled away quickly, a concerned frown tugging at the corners of her lips while Kyle appeared at her side instantly.
"Hey what's wrong?" He asked softly, cupping my cheek to tilt my head up. My lip quivered uncontrollably and I sniffed as I looked away.
"My ribs..." I whispered and his fingers brushed down my arm then settled on my hip as he looked down and Kaltain gasped at the blotchy bruising discoloring the front of my ribcage and creeping around the curve of my side slightly. Kyle's rage rolled off him in waves as an angry growl rose in his chest.
"Who did this to you..." He asked looking up into my eyes, irises glowing dangerously.
"The Beta, Elijah..." I whispered wrapping my arms around my chest. He brought his hands back up to my face, holding me tenderly as he pressed kisses to my face.
"He will never hurt you again, never," he whispered. I pressed my cheek into his hand, sighing shakily.
"Okay..." I nodded and he let me go so I could finish changing out of my ruined clothes but lingered close. After the females of the pack finished changing, they turned away to give the males privacy but held their clothes behind their backs for them. I looked up when I felt a hand on my shoulder and was met with Morgan's kind eyes and soft smile.
"How are you?" He inquired gently and I breathed a shuttering breath.
"My nose hurts like hell, I'm pretty sure I have a couple broken ribs, and I'm probably never going to be able to sleep again but... I'm alive," I shrugged with a small smile.
"And that's what matters most. We're all glad to have you back," Morgan, my mate's father and Alpha, nodded and put his arm around my shoulders in a careful hug.
"Thank you," I smiled more easily. There was a nervous clear of the throat and I looked over my shoulder, chuckling slightly to see Seymour standing there sheepishly covering his crotch with his hands.
"C-can I borrow some clothes...?" He asked. Blake laughed loudly and grabbed an extra change of clothes out of the back of one of the cars, clapping Seymour on the shoulder as he offered him the clothes.
"Here kid," he grinned and I turned back around as Seymour smiled and went to take the clothes. Not a second later Jet was running up to me, smiling brightly, then Gasten and Phillip, then Rowan soon joined by Blake. They each welcomed me back, giving me a gentle hug or squeeze of the shoulder followed by a kind smile. I smiled tearfully, overwhelmed and overjoyed; I'd missed them all more than I realized. I laughed wetly as Kyle got all huffy and shouldered his way to my side, arm wrapping around me as his lip twitched in annoyance.
"Let's start heading back, let Kyle have a moment with his mate before we return her to her family. Seymour you are welcome to ride with us or someone else," Morgan said turning his attention to Seymour who froze up, shooting me a nervous look. I gave him an assuring nod.
"He can ride with me an' dad, that cool?" Jet asked slinging his arm around Seymour's shoulders and giving him a friendly smile. Seymour blinked at him in surprise before giving a small nod. As everyone separated to climb into different cars, I grabbed Jet's arm and pulled him over.
"Take it easy on him, his pack wasn't... The nicest to him," I explained. Jet smiled and nodded.
"Aye don't worry, I'll make him feel right at home," he promised before jumping into the car. Kyle gently urged me to get into the car with his father and Kaltain in the front. Before I could settle into my seat, Kyle carefully pulled me onto his lap, my back to the door. I didn't protest, just simply laid my head on his shoulder and curled up against him. I think I fell asleep on the drive back to my grandparents, the whole ride a blur of Kyle's comforting scent and warmth of his body against mine.
I lifted my head as tires crunched over gravel and teared up as I saw my family standing in front of the house like they were about to leave. Their heads turned towards the cars as they all parked in the gravel lot and I trembled as I sat up, crawling across the seat to open the door and slip out, Kyle coming around the car to my side, hand on my back stabilizing me as we walked towards the house.
"Ashlyn!" My mother was running towards me, tears on her cheeks as my father followed close behind. I sobbed and ran to her, burying my face in her chest as she wrapped me up in her arms.
"Mama..." I whimpered shakily, sniffling as I clung to her and my father's arms joined her's, wrapping us up and holding us close.
"Ashlyn, what happened, where did you go?" My father asked brushing my hair out of my face as my mother let go enough for me to look up at them. My chest throbbed, missing them so much it hurt.
"I- I got lost, I went off the trail and lost my way," I lied but they bought it completely.
"Oh Sweetheart... Are you hurt, you're all scraped up," my mother fretted.
"I'm- I'm okay, I fell and hurt my ribs and my nose but I'll be okay," I promised, nuzzling my face into my mother's shoulder and letting her and dad fuss over me. The minute they let go of me, my uncles and aunts were wrapping me up in hugs and peppering me with kisses. My little cousins came running out of the house, calling and crying my name as they threw their arms around my waist and I crouched to snuggle them close. Once I stood up again and looked up, Kimberly was standing there, tears in her eyes. Our arms wound their way around eachother and we stood there for a long minute, crying quietly.
"Thank you, thank you..." I looked up to see my mother hugging Morgan gratefully and him patting her back comfortingly. My father grasped his hand and pulled him into a hug next. Kyle stood back watching us, smiling softly when we locked eyes and I smiled back. Everything was going to be okay now.
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Lookie here, a fresh out the oven chapter! (told ya I would get it out soon, I am a woman of my word) Thank you everyone for your patience with me on this chapter, I know I took forever. Only one short chapter left, probably a little epilogue, and this book will be finished, but the story is not over! I have plans for a second book and I'm excited to continue the story of our favorite vampire and werewolf as they grow and navigate their relationship together.
Thank you, see you in the next chapter,
Wolf Girl out~! ✌️🐺