I notice warriors fighting off more that have broken through the borders when Max howls loudly. But it’s too late. If I had the pack link, maybe I would have been warned in time. Not being a pack member is a real disadvantage right now. I turn to see a black and white wolf lunge at me, his teeth sinking into the side of my face near my eyes, his teeth tearing away fur and flesh, making Layal yelp.
Her vision going dark on that side as her eye swells shut instantly. The wolf then sinks his teeth into the back of her neck. Thinking quickly, she drops on her back, rolling. His canines snapping dangerously close to our face again. Getting up, we slipped slightly as the dirt had now turned to mud from the blood pouring out of us.
Layla wobbles on her paws before regaining herself just as he lunges again, tearing into our flank. Suddenly Max jumps over me before tackling the wolf, ripping it to pieces. Callie comes over, nudging us.
“You’re going to need to shift Layla, you won’t be able to hold out much longer” I tell her as we stagger.
Layla stands up on shaky legs before shaking out her fur. Blood and fur spraying everywhere as Max and Callie move backwards towards me, their eyes on the streets. The warriors fighting around the park also pushed back as more rogues came into the park.
We take position in a circle. There were nine rogues and five of us. The warrior next to us stares worriedly when Layla’s steps falter, looking past us as he sees Callie injured before moving in front. Natural order kicking in. Male werewolves always have it drummed into them to protect the she-wolves. It irks Layla that she doesn’t want to be seen as a damsel in distress.
The wolves circled around us, baring their teeth with hunched shoulders when the white wolf stepped forward and I realised he must be in charge as he nodded, and they all lunged simultaneously. Callie and I get knocked back to the middle as the warriors block the two wolves from attacking us when we get attacked from the side.
I get knocked out of the circle as I am hit by a brown wolf with white patches. Using our back legs, we kick him off and he hits a tree. Not wasting any time, we bite into his stomach, ripping his intestines out. Blood coating our already saturated fur. Hearing an agonised cry we turn just in time to see a she-wolf barrelling towards us, the wolf we just killed must have been her mate as she abandoned the fight she was in to attack us.
She lunges forward and we sidestep but not quick enough as she scratches into our already injured flank. Layla whines and is getting weaker from the blood loss. We don’t heal like normal wolves and it was starting to take a toll on her.
Layla lunged back, managing to rip off a chunk of fur, but she was faster as she tackled us, biting into my shoulder and forcing us on our back. Layla scratches her face before I suddenly feel it. Layla is forced to shift as she weakens, leaving me trapped under the she-wolf. I put my arms under her neck, just keeping her jaw away as she snaps her teeth at my face. When she can’t get through that way, she tears into my arm making me drop it, making me scream as I feel her canines sink into my soft skin.
Manoeuvring quickly, I wrap my arms around her neck, pulling her against me but keeping her teeth away as I squeeze, strangling her. She struggles against me and I wrap my legs around her torso, squeezing with every bit of strength I have left. Her back claws digging into my thighs as she scratches through my flesh, trying to get loose. I scream at the pain but refuse to let go, knowing if I do, I am dead.
“Damien is close, I can feel him getting closer, hang on” Layla says as I try with all my might to not let go. Just when I think I can’t hold on anymore. I see muscled tattooed arms come into my line of vision, his hands grabbing the wolf's head before he twists, jerking her head to the side and I hear a crack. She goes limp against me and I roll her off slumping on the ground trying to catch my breath.
Damien then turns around running to help his warriors. I watch as a wolf lunges toward him and I expect him to shift but instead he just pivots before grabbing its throat and squeezing its legs hanging in the air, when I hear the sickening crack before he drops it. Stepping over its limp body when another attacks. It is over quickly, and I slump back down on the ground when I realise he is okay.
Turning my head, I see Callie in human form and Max in wolf form. Callie is injured and Max is licking her wounds trying to seal them. She will be okay with her wolf healing her fast. Me on the other hand, not so much as I lay bleeding out on the ground, too weak to even move. I can feel blood pooling around me, and my body feels slack and jelly like.
I stare up at the clear sky, the stench of dead rogues in the air, Layla has gone quiet and I am too weak to even try to find her. Suddenly a shadow falls on me and I see Damien bend down, his arm going behind me knee’s and the other under my back near my shoulders. He lifts me against his chest and tingles spread over my skin, easing the pain but not enough to take it all away.
I feel myself slipping as weightlessness consumes me, and I feel my head roll back as I go limp in his arms.
“Why isn’t she healing?” I hear someone say.
“Because she can’t” he growls angrily, and I feel him run. The sickening sensation of my eyes rolling into the back of my head and I slip away, giving in as I see nothing but darkness.
Chapter 23
Damien’s POV
I knew she was awake, felt it, Darian told her to remain inside the Packhouse. Knowing instantly she disobeyed the order when I heard Layla whine loudly in my head, injured. Darian turns running toward the Pack house, trying to get to her as Layla slowly slips out of reach.
I know my men can handle those that are left, and I need to get to my mate.
I urge Darian to run faster, his paws hitting the ground with hard thuds as he pushes himself harder. Running through the town I come to a halt at the park, I growl angrily and shift back when I notice the pack warrior’s that are meant to be protecting the eastern border are amongst the fray.
“How the fuck did they get this far in the territory” I snap through the mind link but only receive deafening silence.
“I will deal with you later” I growl while running, searching for Lily. I couldn’t see her anywhere when I heard Max's voice ring loudly in my head.
“Near the swings I can’t get to her'' turning and running in that direction, I don’t see Layla and I know she is gravely injured, when I find a she-wolf mauling Lily who is trapped under the wolf in human form, her arms locked around its neck as she tries holding on to strangling it. Blood pooling underneath her pale body.
Making it to her, I grab the wolfs head before she can react snapping her head to the side before going limp on top of her, Lily shoves her off and I don’t have a chance to help when I hear the mangled scream of Callie as she too is forced to shift. Max howled as he tried getting to his mate. The grey wolf on Callie notices me and drops her before running at me but I am prepared as I sidestep my hand wrapping around its throat as I snap its neck before dropping it at my feet.
Tatum, one of my warriors, has a black wolf on his back and I quickly grab it by the ears, twisting its head all the way around to his back as it lets out a strangled noise before dying.
There are two more Pack warriors running in to help, and I know they can take down the last wolf as I turn my back on them and run to Lily’s side.
Her eyes glaze over and lose focus as she tries to remain conscious. Scooping her up. I run.