Chapter 40
The loud thunder that rumbled through our room wasn't what woke me up.
It was the voice yelling in my head.
'They're here Alpha! They're close to the Southern border! ETA ten minutes! Everyone wake up!'
My eyes flew open as I flew out of bed with Callum right behind me.
"South border?" He asked panic as he pulled a t-shirt on and started grabbing his guns.
"They must have guesses we would expect them coming in from the North. Damn it, we should have known!" I said aggravated and tense as I helped him with his shoulder gun holster.
They're here. They're finally here after we have been waiting for two weeks since Doris disappeared.
A flash of lightning cracked across the sky in blinding light and I looked at Cal as I grew uneasy.
"It's going to fucking rain," I cursed.
Shit! This was their plan all along. Wait for rain. Wait for an opportunity to weaken our weapon.
Cal grabbed my arms, "It's not going to stop me, alright. I'm stronger now."
Before I could retort, he pulled me against him and pressed his lips to my own.
The emotions he was conveying through the simple exchange was too much for me.
It felt too much like a goodbye. It felt too close to having him slip away from me.
I gripped his t-shirt in my palms, "You're not leaving me."
When he released me his icy green eyes thawed only to be replaced with ones that held fire behind them. Like a blazing inferno in the depths of hell.
"And you're not leaving me, Princess. Just remember one thing okay? I love you. Remember that," he said fiercely and my heart blossomed.
"I love you too," I said through a lump in my throat.
"One last thing," he grabbed the hypersthene from the nightstand. "In case something happens to me-"
"Cal-"
"I'm not saying something will, but you'll need to fight for the pack. Keep it and use it and win this fight."
I glared at him, "I won't. You need to keep it because you're not dying and I have no pockets. I need to keep in contact with the pack."
"Everette-"
"I mean it. Keep it in your pocket Callum and use it if something happens, the pack needs you too," I held no room for argument.
Grumbling, he tossed it across the room, "If you're not taking it, then neither am I."
My heart skipped like a pebble across water as he placed one last kiss on my forehead. Taking a deep breath, we scrabbled down the staircase. Everyone was moving around us as orders were being yelled out.
I watched as Penelope gave her mate June a searing kiss before pulling away and wrapping Olly in an embrace.
The elderly were gathering up all the kids to take them to the Crypt and I noticed Thor taking charge.
My eyes went to my parents and Taelyn walking our way.
Taelyn had her archery equipment set and even coated the tips of her arrows with silver berry. I had to give her credit, she was a smart kid.
My father was whispering to my mother, "I almost lost you once Emery, I won't have that again."
"And I did you lose you!" She exclaimed before lifting her shotgun up. "I can shoot a gun so I'm coming and that's the end of it."
Sighing he said, "Fine, but don't go far from my side okay."
She smirked, "Never."
Dad turned to us and nodded, "It time Alpha."
Nodding, I watched as my parents kissed. Eww.
Turning away, I saw a member of the Brave Paw Pack and headed over with instructions.
"I want you and the forty-nine others to stay here in case they ambush us on this side," I informed him and he nodded before going over to his pack.
My aunt Tate and uncle Aiden joined us with their pack of wolves and gave me a nod in greeting. They were heading south with us.
I shifted into my wolf as Callum begrudgingly climbed onto my back and passed me a handful of silverberry. I chewed it up as the bitter taste invaded my mouth. I was planning on making this extremely useful as I felt the juice of the berries coat my canines.
Taelyn and my mom climbed onto my dad's back as we headed off towards the southern border.
I opened up my mind link to our entire pack to deliver a very important message.
'Listen up everyone,' I started. 'This is our pack. This is the Blood Moon Pack and we've existed for centuries. A bunch of rogues isn't going to take that away from us tonight or ever. So fight, not just for your lives but for your pack and our future.'
A chorus of howls echoed through the land of the pack as pride filled me.
'Now, if you see good old Doris, kill her. As Alpha, she'll be the weak link. Once she's dead, her entire rogue gang will be weakened without a leader and feel immeasurable pain. We'll have the advantage once she's dead,' I sent out.
Within no time, I was approaching the forest where our border lied. Anger was the only thing that gripped me as my pack cleared a path for me to stand in front.
I noted my Beta and Gamma in their positions right behind me with their mates. My parents, grandparents, and uncles stood within the pack as I walked through.
I took my position as Callum got off my back and stood at my side with one hand holding a gun and the other hand raised and ready to set fire to the onslaught of rogues.
The petrichor that wafted through the air signaled the approaching heavy downpour as lightning flashed through the dark indigo sky. Thunder accompanied the bolts of lightning and almost distinguished the sound of hundreds of paws pounding against the forest floor.
Doris really was something. Using the rain to weaken my mate and the thunder to disguise their noise.
The least the Moon Goddess could have done was put in a good word for me with mother nature instead of giving Doris all of the Aces.
I readied myself into my fighting stance as low growls erupted from my pack.
The first drop of rain hit my snout as the rogues slowed their roll and appeared one by one behind the trees.
There was a lot. A whole fucking lot of them.
Their 'Alpha' was nowhere to be seen.
The sinister gleam in their eyes caused my anger to flare.
With a wolf-like smirk, the attacked head-on.
~ Callum's POV ~
The comforting heat of fire flowed through my veins as I raised my palm up and smirked at the rogues rushing our way.
Just like a magic trick, I lit the first row of rogues on fire.
Their howls of pain echoed through the forest as the tried to distinguish the flames. But it was no use, I controlled where the fire goes and I sure as shit wasn't going to let them survive.
I concentrated on keeping the flames high, but like a tsunami wave, more of them poured over their burning pack mates as they rushed towards us.
Thick branches extended from the trees around us and swatted the rogues into the air and impaled others. Grandma really was a badass just like her granddaughter.
Everette, everyone else and I began running towards the sea of rogues as we all crashed together into a blood bath that was only going to end one way or the other.
A sprinkling of water droplets began coating my clothing as I raised my gun and shot a rogue that was heading straight towards me.
With one hand on my gun, I used the other to set rogues ablaze who were gaining on my pack.
As five rogues headed towards me, I flicked my wrist at them and created a ring of fire to keep them trapped before extending the fire up and towards them.
The scent of burning flesh was thick in the air and I felt sick to my stomach, but I had to remember,
It was either them or my mate.
And I would protect Everette until my last breath.
A growl came from behind me and as I spun around, a white wolf jumped out and tackled the rogue that was about to chew me up.
Of course, it was Ev.
She took care of the rogue as I kept her covered by shooting at the other rogues gaining on her.
As she got back up, she went into attack mode and I began moving further into the rogue side while burning my way through.
The rain's slow drizzle began picking up as I felt the icy water droplets sink in my hair and soak my clothing.
I noticed the bullets and arrows flying over my head as I zoomed through the rogues.
I didn't get hit my any and I thanked the Moon Goddess the hunters and Taelyn had good aim.
Pointing directly at a rogue that was headed for Max, I shot a silver bullet into its' side.
Before I could do much more, I felt canines sink into my arm I held my gun in. The weapon fell to the ground as I stared at the big rogue.
I bit the pain back as the fire flared in me and I set the rogue in flames. His jaw unhinged as began growling in pain and dropped to the ground.
The cut wasn't that deep but it fuck did it hurt.
Brushing water out of my eyes, I tried to keep my vision clear as I searched for my gun but it was useless as all the werewolves kept running around.
Cracking my knuckles, I held both palms up and lit every rogue in my way on fire.
The heavy rainfall was on their side though as the fire died down on them.
Relentlessly, I kept trying to light them on fire.
The forest, however, was earning the brunt of it.
The flames licked up some of the trees and I tried to keep it under control while trying to keep the rogues at bay.
My clothes were plastered to my body from being soaked in the rain and if it wasn't for my firepower, I would be freezing.
Throughout the ordeal, I keep feeling lost. The emptiness of when a pack member died.
I noticed a few rogues clawing at the cluster of oak trees some of the hunters were on and immediately ran to them. As I summoned the fire, I noticed Anne, Everette's grandmother, approaching the wolves as roots shot out from the ground and wrapped around them like vines.
The roots snaked around their bodies in a vice grip and ended their lives on sight.
A smirk appeared on my face as I turned towards Anne but as if in slow motion, a rogue jumped out from behind a tree and grabbed her by the neck.
Horror gripped me as I shot my fire at the rogue.
But it was done.
I was too late.
The rogue bit into her neck and ended her life.
A howl of pain roared through the chaos and I knew it was Carson, Anne's mate.
I didn't spare the rogue as I approached him and kept the fire low on his fur.
He drooped to the ground and tried to snuff the flames out but I kept at it and made sure he felt the pain.
When he was no more than ashes, I started searching for Everette.
But she was lost in the crowd of wolves.
'They're attacking the West border!' A mind link shouted.
Shit.
I watched as the number of rogues coming from the South decreased, but there was still a lot of them.
Max's wolf ran up to me from through the fight and lowered, 'Hop-on, we need your firepower there.'
I didn't climb on just yet as my eyes searched for Ev before mind linking her.
'Ev the-'
'Go. I'll be right behind you!' came her response.
Leaving her here was the last thing on my agenda but the rogues stopped coming in this way so hopefully, they'll be fine.
Max and I charged towards the West but on our way was like walking through an apocalypse.
The rogues managed to get into the pack and mass destruction ensued.
And Max and I just so happened to be the two that walked into the middle of the fifty or so rogues.
'How good is that fire of yours buddy?' Max asked as he slowed to a stop.
I clenched my jaw as I watched the rogues tearing through shops and destroying everything in their path.
I climbed off Max's back as the rogues all turned to us and bared their canines.
'I guess we'll find out now,' I responded.
And the fire raged within me. It burned through my veins like the seven circles of hell.
'Step back,' I said to him as I lowered my hand to the ground.
The rogues growled at my action and pounced towards us.
But like fireworks on the fourth of July, I released all the pent up anger and energy within me.
Waves of flames washed across the street before me and consumed the rogues and everything else in fire.
The earth beneath my feet rumbled.
'Callum, what the fuck did you do bro?' Max yelled in my head in panic.
The paved road cracked around the rogues and the fell in. I watched as bubbling molten lava filled the pit and engulfed the rogues.
Looks like lava was officially apart of my fire magic.
The lava didn't escape the hole in the ground, but the fire did manage to spread out towards the buildings.
The raindrops were creating loud sizzles after hitting the lava and if we weren't in the middle of a war, I would have been fascinated.
Getting back onto Max, we made our way around the lava pit and headed back to battle.
'You could have done that this whole time and you didn't?' He asked.
'I didn't know I could've.'
He gave me a wolf chuckle, 'Well when this is over I'm canceling my wedding with Charolotte and marrying you lava boy.'
'I don't know if to be flattered or disturbed. I also don't know who'll kill you first, Charlotte, Everette or me...' I mused before deciding on an answer.
'Definitely Charlotte,' We both answered simultaneously.
The rain was still coming down on us as Max's paws splashed mud around.
As we neared the area the rogues were coming in from, they were all moving North.
I unleashed my fire onto the ones we came close to before we began chasing after the others.
'Where the hell are they going?' I asked Max.
He seemed confused himself as he tried to keep up with their fast pace.
'The packhouse?' He guessed.
They were moving too damn fast and I lost visual on them to set them on fire, but I kept sending streaks of fire in the direction they were headed.
As we neared the packhouse, I caught sight of them again and unleashed my anger.
Unfortunately, a part of the packhouse began burning, but before I could control the flames, it started to spread and Max took a sharp right.
'The Crypt,' I said in realization.
There are only two things down there.
More rogues and children.
'Hurry up Max, we need to get them before they get underground.'
'On it,' He picked up his pace.
~ Everette's POV ~
The pain of my losing my grandma sent an ice-cold shock to my system as I continued ripping into rogues.
They were strong and fast.
No doubt due to the steroids they were taking.
I felt teeth sink into my hind leg.
Turning around to bite his head off, I stopped when an arrow flew down and pierced the rogue's skull.
Kicking away the rogue, I turned back and leaped onto the back of another rogue.
A rogue that was too small.
Biting his front paw, I subdued him but didn't kill him. He tried to fight me off but I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and hauled him behind some trees where the hunters would tranquilize the child.
It was about the fourth child I came across and each time my anger spiked at Doris and her inhumane leadership.
We were close to finishing off the rogues here and there was enough of us to take care of them so I started heading West where another set of rogues were coming in.
'Everette!' My father's voice mind linked me. 'You're mother! Where's your mother?'
'Isn't she with you?' I questioned as my eyes started scanning the battlefield.
'She was was b-but she disappeared. I can't reach her. I can't feel her. Ev we need to find her- We need-'
'Relax dad, you need to relax and fight. Trying combing through the battlefield, she couldn't have gone far. I'm heading West, I'll look for her.'
But my stomach was in knots.
I tried reaching her through mind link, but dad was right. Her presence wasn't there.
I kept my eyes peeled as I searched for her on my way out of the bloodshed.
There was no sign of her and I couldn't place a scent in the mixture of so many wolves around.
Uneasiness started creeping in as I ran through the town and saw the destruction and the fire. The buildings were in ruins and there was a large hole in the ground filled with lava.
Did Callum do this?
The fear of not having him near me consumed me with the uneasiness of not knowing where my mother's location was.
As I neared West, I noticed all the dead wolves.
The fifty wolves of the Brave Paw pack were dead.
I heard branched snapping as five rogues appeared. One was in human form.
"Don't kill us," She started with a smile. "Not unless you want your mother to die."
A/N
Chapter Update: Friday/Saturday
Song: Zayde Wolf - Save Tonight
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I hoped you enjoyed the chapter 😭
Read on wolfies, 🐺
-Shania. 🐾