My heart drops into my stomach at the sheer amount of rogues pouring out of the trees and barreling towards us, but we prepared for this. As practiced part of each group draws back as we push forward so that there aren't warriors stuck in the back unable to reach the frontline.
"Stay behind me!" I yell at Jasper seconds before the first wave of rogues meets us head on. Quentin ducks down throwing a rogue over his shoulder letting a warrior behind us deal with him. Ducking I slam my fist into the kidney of the rogue that just tried to punch me in the face, and shove another behind me. I feel the familiar gust of wind next to my ear of a near miss hit to my head, but by the time I turn around Quentin has already disposed of the problem.
Kicking one in the gut I'm pushed back by another right away sending my flying. I land on
my back causing a round or snarls from our pack. Jasper snatches me by the arm yanking me back up just in time because two more rogues go right for me.
It's clear that they are targeting the higher ranked wolves hoping to cause discord and confusion if they were to succeed. A second tactic they aren't attempting to hide is the fact they are jostling the crowd around creating gaps in our defense, but at the same time not trying to get through, only to separate us.
"Stay close. They are trying to break us up." I mind link our pack to tighten our line.
Looking over the sea of rogues I spot Ivan near the back with his arms across his chest touting a smug look as if he isn't cowardly hiding behind an admission of betrayal. He lied over and over again to our face that he had nothing to do with any rogue attack, and even now I'm sure he would look us in the eye and lie as we fight off the rogues that are attack at his command.
"Your right!" I shout at Quentin causing me to get nailed in the side. Hissing out I hold my ground blocking the second punch aimed for my temple this time, which leaves the rogue open. I kick him in the stomach, and he stumbles back falling onto a rogue that Jasper was fighting off.
"Silver!" Whipping back around my eyes lock onto exactly what Quentin was mind linking everyone about. He holds the rogue by the throat with one hand while clutching the rogues wrist with his other. The scrawny rogue has a shiner sliver knife curled in his hand so tightly his knuckles are turning white. In any other situation I might be able to see why he pulled such a dirty move considering the size difference compared to Quentin, but this isn't a random fight for survival in the woods. Plus if you needed to use a weapon shift and you have your teeth and claws equally as dangerous as deadly.
Dodging a tackle attempt I jump onto the rogues back distracting him long enough for Quentin to snatch the knife out of his hand and slip it into his back pocket. I suck in a sharp breath squeezing my eyes shut for the split second it takes me to end the rogues life. Each snap of the neck is more painful than any physical injury I could endure because this is the shit that'll keep me up at night. Their eyes will stare me down in the darkness of my dreams while my brain crafts a similar twisted fate for those I hold closest to, and yet who am I to complain when each of these rogues I'm sure have loved ones that'll morn their loss just as much as I would my family.
I jump down landing next to Quentin, who takes my wrist in his and spins me around so our backs are pressed together. Not even a split second later I'm fighting off another rogue who's relentlessly trying to swipe my legs out from under me. With my back to Quentin's I can still see Jasper which is a relief because as important as it is to not get distracted I can't help myself from glancing over to him. Shaking my head I zero in on this rogue's vulnerability and attack.
An ache starts blooming in my chest with each passing second, yet I haven't gotten hit there. Tears prickle my eyes blurring my vision before they slide down my cheeks, and a suffocating sense of despair washes over me. Letting out a ragged breathe I kick out nailing a different rogue in the stomach knocking the air out of her.
"You're okay. You're feeling their absence one by one. Push through it as best as you can. You aren't alone." Quentin's voice invading my thoughts is a warm welcome until I processed his words. Now I sort of wish he hadn't said anything, and let me continue to believe I was just injured internally. Knowing Quentin is also feeling what I am isn't helping me cope, but it's helping me push forward.
Two rogues lunge towards me at the same time, but this is a extremely basic defense strategy. It's one of the first lessons you learn, so why are these rogues going for the obvious kill? I remember during our attack they were much more skilled than this, but than again not all of these rogues were apart of that.
Howls, Snarls, and growls fill the air signaling that rogues and warriors have started to shift. They weren't supposed to until it was absolutely necessary, so it isn't a good sign especially considering the new wave of rogues that just joined the fight.
I look over to see Jasper struggling with a unnervingly large rogue. He dodges a punch aimed for the side of his head but it was a distraction from the real punch which nails him right in the nose knocking him to the ground. Without thinking I take a step forward only to be thrown a good ten feet landing on the hard ground.
"Fuck!" I hiss clutching my left arm while rolling onto my right side to push myself back up. Oliver helps me stand back up while two warriors cover us.
"This is going to hurt like a bitch." His eyes are frantic as he gently takes my arm into his hands and pops my shoulder back into its socket. "You good?" He looks me over for any other injuries, but I brush him off.
"I'm fine." I clench my jaw because my shoulder is still extremely sore, but we don't have time to discuss my feelings. I thank Oliver one more time before racing back to where Quentin and Jasper were. Jasper is back on his feet but his left eye is already starting to swell shut.
A familiar howl shatters my focus turning my blood to ice. His agonizing howl turns into a blood curdling scream that tears my heart in two. Whirling around I push my way towards his call of need.
"No!" I cry sprinting towards the horrifying nightmare taking place in front of me. Carl is on his knees clutching where is right arm used to be. Standing in front of him is Eric's wolf proudly showing off his prize. "Don't!" My throat burns from how loud I'm screaming trying anything to stop Eric. Footsteps thump loudly behind me but I don't stop running just hoping it's Quentin.
"Carl!" His warm brown eyes snap to me for a second, and the desperation and fear swirling in them will haunt me forever. He tries to stand back up but the blood pouring from his wound is too excessive, and he slumps back onto his knees.
"Eric!" Quentin bellows from behind me, but Eric don't spare us a glance as he shifts back taking a knife from one of his warriors. Pushing myself to run faster I plead with the Moon Goddess to do something. Carl closes his eyes for a second, and a single tear slides down his cheek.
Every single cell in my body goes numb watching Carl's lifeless body fall to grass at Eric's feet. The bloody knife still dripping in his hand as he finally turns watching me fall apart. Arms encircle my waist pulling me back, but I don't have it in me to fight back. My best friend who has been my protector, confidant, and the brother I never had since the day I kicked his ass was just slaughtered in front of me. Eric ripped his arm off and slit his throat.
A piece of me has died that will always be void without him. I'll never see his goofy grin that never fails to brighten my day, or hear his contagious giggle when someone cracks a joke. He's just gone. Never met his mate. Eric took him away from me without a care in the world.
Shoving Quentin's hands off me I shift tearing off towards Eric. Many rogues attempt to sink their teeth into me, but I just throw them off my eyes never leaving my target. Quentin's blonde wolf runs up beside me as I zero in on Eric who shifts back into his wolf form as I near.
His wolf is large even for an Alpha, but with fury coursing through my veins I don't think much could stop me right now. One of Eric's right hand men jump in front of me but Quentin rams into his side knocking him out of the way. Eric crouches low baring his teeth before lunging for my neck. No one must have told him not to go for the obvious kill.
Rolling out of the way he lands a few feet behind me, but I turn sinking my teeth into his shoulder ripping at the fur and flesh. He snarls snapping his jaw at my legs and side until a different wolf knocks me off of him. My stomach burns as their nails slice down my abdomen staining my fur deep crimson. I use my hind legs to buck them off of me so I can stand back up, but with my first step my knees buckle. Eric sees this and the sick fuckers eyes light up with delight.
Quentin is busy with a few of our warriors keeping the rest of Eric's men at bay. Limping forward I snarl at Eric lowering my head as I circle him slowly. My shoulder still aches, and blood is still trickling from my belly staining the grass beneath my feet. I yelp as my foot gives out, and I collapse watching Eric step in front of me. He almost snickers as I snap my jaw near his feet staying far enough away from me, but he knows he has the advantage right now. Bracing myself I tuck my legs under me as he leaps forward going for the kill just as I wanted.
I push myself up shooting forward so quickly he doesn't even have time to process what happened because I've already bitten a huge chunk of his neck out and spit it on the ground in front of his limp body. Shifting back to my human form I kneel next to him so I can watch as his evil soul leaves his body, and I know he can't hurt anyone else.
"I hope whatever awaits you on the other side is filled with the most sick and twisted punishments the Moon Goddess can come up with it. The best part is I'll make sure there isn't a single remnant of your existence left, so not a single person utters your name again." His breaths turn ragged as he starts choking on his own blood. Rain drops fall into the pool of blood surrounding his snout as he takes his last breath and a weight feels as it's been lifted off my shoulders, but the gaping hole in my chest still throbs with loss.
Shifting back to my wolf form I don't hesitate taking on one of Eric's warriors that are scrambling to figure out what to do now. Quentin's is being circled by three of them each one taking turns to swipe, bite, and lunge at him. I sneak up behind the one right as he goes for a surprise attack and end him on the spot. Quentin's visibly relaxes as I run the length of my body against his side to let him know I'm okay. He trusted me to deal with Eric by myself, and I'll be forever grateful for him not stepping in when I exaggerated my injuries.
The amount of rogues don't seem to be dwindling as rain starts pelting down onto us. Ivan's still rooted to his spot behind a wall of his most loyal warriors who all watch on as we are slowly being torn down with each life we are forced to take in order to survive.
"Take care of them for us." Della's drowsy words are full of misery. I frantically push my way to where their pack was stationed when this began, but everybody's been jostled around so much that it's a mix of every pack fighting together to defeat the rogues.
"Where are you?" I shake with fear when there is no response from her. "Aidan!" I try to mind link him knowing they will be together, but still don't hear a response.
I'm suddenly knocked off my feet and roll a few times before pain pierces my right hip where a rogue is bitting down with such force I worry it may break a bone. Howling I hope someone will help me get this jackass off of me before they do some actual damage, and I still need to find Della and Aidan.
A black wolf jumps over the crowd landing on the rogue and tearing it off of me. My hip has quite a bit of puncture woulds that are ozzing blood, but I have bigger issues at hand.
"Have you seen Della or Aidan?" Jasper's muzzle is coated in blood with a few cuts and bite marks littering different section of his body. I'm beyond proud of him right now, and I wish we had a moment to spare so I can tell him that but we just don't.
"No. Are they hurt?" His eyes dart around us searching for them just as I did, but it's impossible to see over everyone, and the rain isn't helping. The sun is obstructed by the storm clouds casting an ominous shadow onto the field.
"I don't know." My own voice betrays me by cracking at the end of my sentence. My heart won't stop pounding in my chest and I feel more lightheaded with each passing second that I don't know their condition. They can't die.
Quentin's fighting a small rogue right next to us who is proving that even a small wolves can withstand fighting against a large Alphas. I step out of the way of a rogue that rushes me with its jaw open ready to bite at anything it can latch on to. Jasper helps a warrior from a different pack deal with a particular vicious rogue while I finish off my rogue.
A pain blooms in my front right leg even though nothing happened to it. I snap my head up as realization hit me. Quentin is limping around the small rogue who has shifted to its human form, and is holding a wicked looking knife in his hand. I run over taking the rogue in my mouth and launching him across the field.
"Shift back." I say once I've shifted back to my human form to inspect Quentin's wound. I wouldn't be so worried about it, but unlike the wounds I've sustained his is gushing out an alarming amount of blood
"I'm fine." He contradicts his own statement as he sways on his feet nearly falling over. His right arm has a gnarly stab wound, and I'm pretty sure I can see part of his bone. He need medical attention soon or this could get really bad.
"Quentin needs a medic now!" I pick up the knife the rogue dropped, and sling his arm over my shoulder hauling toward the back where I pray the medics are still stationed.
"We are ready for you." I almost cry out in relief hearing them respond. I didn't expect today to be good in any way, shape, or form, but every second it feels like someone is ripping a piece of me away. The rain has turned the ground into a thick mud coating everyone from head to toe weighing us all down.
Looking up at Quentin I panic as his eyes begin to droop because I can't carry him myself if he passes out, and we aren't to the back yet. Fortunately we make it through where a doctor ushers us to a area to lay him down so they can examine clean up his wound.
"I love you." I brush his hair away and kiss his forehead. He nods squeezing my hand once before his eyes close and his breathing evens out. His injury isn't severe enough to the point where I'm worried he won't make it, so I turn around shifting and work my way back into the sea of fighting.
I need to find Della and Aidan, check on Jasper, and make sure Ivan doesn't run. I'm terrified that I'm not getting a response from Della nor Aidan, but the pain I'm feeling from losing Carl hasn't amplified. Will it amplify if goddess forbid I lose someone else? I won't be able to live with myself if I lose anyone else.
For the next few minutes I help others take on rogues and council members that have now joined in. Most of the council members are older which makes it easier to deal with them, and some of the rogues are starting to lose moment and becoming sloppier with their tactics.
Fur is matted down with blood and mud while we all push through the pain of our various wounds. There is no longer anyone standing around on the other side. Everyone that showed up is mashed together in battle, and I can only hope Ivan is in here somewhere. If not I will hunt him down.
Jasper appears next to me as I struggle to gain the upper hand with a skillful council member. It doesn't take us long to defeat him and moving on to help other who are getting weaker and are more injured. Watching the way the rogues are fighting compared to the council members there is a striking difference. It's as if the rogue are starting to give up which is such a contrast to their previous behavior.
By now my shoulder is throbbing again and my hip is starting to go numb, but I'm not done yet. With Jasper on my tail I search the crowd for Ivan. We are finally gaining the upper hand, and you can feel the electrifying excitement from the warriors and leaders. We just need to push through a little longer and we could end this once and for all.
Jasper moves to help a younger warrior who is clearly hurt. I flag down one of our warriors to help guide her to the medic area while Jasper disposes of the issue. Turning around I feel the burning sensation of a silver knife being run down the expanse of my back.
First I feel the sizzle of my skin reacting to the silver, and then the warmth pooling of the blood spilling out. If I hadn't shifted in my human form to help that girl the knife wouldn't have gone as deep.
Ivan stands there with holding the knife with a bloody sinister smile. He's got some cuts and bruising but no serious injuries that I can see. Unfortunately for him that won't last long. Stepping forward I start to circle him deciding if I'm going to be the one to kill him I want to be in my human form so I can make him suffer.
"None of this had to happen, but you are such a sick son of a bitch that you didn't care if the blood of hundreds if not thousands of wolves would be on your hands." I sneer, and he just cackles twirling the knife in his fingers.
"You should have died the day of your attack." He shakes his head with a disappointed look in his eyes empty eyes. His lack of remorse is chilling, but not surprising. We are surrounded by the consequences of our actions today, and he acts like he isn't worried about the lives he ended.
"I'm not going to sit and argue with you. Just tell me why you did all this?" I raise my arms motioning towards the lifeless bodies of rogues and warriors who all had their life ripped away from them too soon. I will spend the rest of my life regretting every single decision that led up to today, but what's left of Ivan life I'm sure he's plotting different ways to torture us some more.
"Wouldn't you like to know." I stop circling him looking over his shoulder to where my dads are stepping out from the crowd, most of who are finished fighting and are now watching this scene unfold. They both look fairly banged up, but they are standing and breathing so I know they are going to be okay. Jasper stands next to him with his fist clenched at his sides glaring at Ivan.
"You lost." I laugh humorlessly, which only pisses him off. He snaps swiping at me with the knife but if easily dodge him and kick his kidney from behind. He stumbles but doesn't fall. I use his moment of weakness to my advantage kicking in the back of his legs forcing him to his knees. He breaks his fall with his hand, but it causing him to drop his knife. "And now all these people get to watch you die." I snatch up his knife for the mud.
"Tessa!" Fletcher yells but it's too late Ivan stabs in me in the leg with a different knife he must have had hidden and twist the blade. Bitting back the urge to scream out in pain, I grab his hair pull his head back at an awkward angle. I look up to my dads, who both nod at the same time giving me go ahead.
With one slice I end Ivan and his reign full of corruption, terror, and death. Letting go of his hair he falls forward landing face first in the mud spending the last seconds of his life choking on his own blood alone. Dropping the knife next to me I limp forward each step causing my leg to bleed more and more.
I wrap an arm around each of my dads squeezing as hard as I can thanking the Moon Goddess for sparing them. Next I pull Jasper in a tight embrace until my legs give out under me. I've lost too much blood and my eyes are feeling heavier by the second. My dads rush over lifting me up and running me back to the medics.
I almost cry out when they usher me into the same tent Quentin is still in. He looks better, but I can tell they sedated him to keep him from going back out there and injuring himself further. His eyes connect with mine and a large smile spreads across his face, but it's gone just as quick as if came once he sees I'm not going so great.
My dads lay me down onto the cot next to Quentin's as a doctor and two nurses start hooking up and IV and assessing my stab and bite marks. With my right arm I reach out slipping my hand into Quentin's giving it a tight squeeze letting him know I'm going to be fine before my eyes roll back and everything goes black.
***************
Song: Casualty by Hidden Citizens and Tash
Let's all just take a minute to recover from that. I didn't plan on this chapter to be as long as it was, but I'm glad with how it came out. If reading the Carl part was hard don't worry because it was just as hard for me to write it. I hope his death doesn't overshadow what an amazing character he was. I would love to hear what each of your favorite Carl moments were! It's insane to me that there are only two chapters plus the epilogue left in this book. It feels like only a month has passed and yet a year at the same time. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and if you did don't forget to vote and comment! Stay safe, stay home, and stay healthy! Until next time.
~Stella Gordon