Chapter 48: 48: All’s Fair
My hands immediately reached into my satchel, clutching onto the hilt of the silver dagger I smuggled along.
Drat. I knew it.
It was a fair game, and totally something I had expected from Violet, but it didn’t make it any less annoying. I had hoped that Violet would leave me be, especially since I wanted to be in her life just about as much as she wanted me to be in it― not at all.
I would’ve been more than happy to stay far, far away from Shadowclaw if she had granted me safe passage out of there, but I suppose it wouldn’t be easy for her to lie her way through it if the Alphas pursued the matter.
The corner of my lips twitched.
All’s fair in love and war, I suppose.
The men moved forward, each one of them bearing the brand of the rogues on their forearms. They had wicked, sleazy smiles on their lips, showcasing their yellowed teeth and marred faces. I stepped back cautiously.
"Luna Violet paid you to let me leave," I slowly said. "Hold up your end of the bargain."
"Oh, no, little missy," the man said. "Your Luna said that if we helped you leave the borders of your pack, you would be gifted to us for free. So I am simply collecting my payment."
"You can collect her then," I said. "I don’t remember signing myself up as the bounty."
"You should’ve thought of that before you followed me out of the pack!"
He pounced forward as soon as that was said, and I immediately whipped the knife out. The man’s eyes widened, and he swerved right at the last second before the blade could stab him through the chest. However, he still wasn’t fast enough, and the knife still managed to nick him.
Blood began to flow, and he grimaced as he held a hand to his wound. When he looked down and realized that the cut wasn’t healing as quickly as he thought it would, he looked up, enraged.
"Silver," he hissed, eyeing the knife with vehemence. "Get her!"
The men at the back growled, their bones cracking as they shifted into their wolves in an instant. I didn’t stay to watch the transformation. As soon as they surged forward, I turned on my heels and ran as quickly as I could.
Their howls echoed from behind me, and I panted heavily as I pushed through the forest. The trees practically blurred past me as I ran, their branches and the thorns from some shrubs leaving cuts and welts in my skin, but I didn’t care.
These injuries were superficial as compared to what they would do to me if I got caught.
However, my human legs were no match for a wolf’s sprint. They caught up to me quickly, and I turned around just in time to see the first wolf pounce in my direction.
I yelped, swerving out of the way at the last second. He missed, but because of that, I lost my balance and toppled to the floor. A hiss tore through my lips as my palm slid against a rock on the forest floor.
Fresh blood immediately spilled from the wound. The pain was instantaneous. A sharp sting tore through my hand, and I grimaced at the pain.
However, there was no time to handle the wound.
Once the first wolf was out of the way, another jumped forward. Instinctively, I stuck out a leg and kicked it square in the snout when it got close. I had half-expected my leg to be bitten off, but the kick held more power than I thought.
My heel made contact with the wolf’s face, causing it to fly off course completely. Its back slammed into a trunk nearby, leaving several of us shocked at my sudden display of strength. Even some of its fellow comrades paused, turning to look at the wolf that had been kicked away.
Unfortunately, they didn’t stay stunned for long. Their attention was back on me within seconds, and I barely had the time to crawl up to my own two feet before they inched closer. This time, they were a lot more cautious, snarling and growling as they approached me as a group.
"Stay back!" I yelled, swiping at the air with my silver blade. "I’ll stab you if you come any closer!"
The wolves made a sound that mimicked that of a human’s chortle, as though they were laughing at my pathetic words. They howled, and all at once, plunged forward.
At the same time, I gritted my teeth, prepared to plunge my silver blade into the chest of whichever wolf came closest to me first.
Yet, there wasn’t a need for that.
A shadow was suddenly cast over me, blocking out the moonlight that shone overhead. I closed my eyes in surprise, opening them only a second later to see a humongous black wolf was now in front of me, its tail almost in my face.
It stood in front of me, snapping and growling at the wolves that dared come nearer.
My breath was caught in my throat, and I struggled to breathe due to my shock. One big breath in, and my surprise only grew. This scent was familiar― too familiar.
The moment I recognized it, my eyes widened.
"Soren?" I gasped, my voice barely even audible.
But how?
Soren was supposed to be back in Shadowclaw, probably tangled in the sheets with Violet right now. Even though we were in a forest right outside of Shadowclaw territory, there was no need for him to be here. On top of that, there was no way he would know I was here, especially not when Violet would make sure they would never find me, dead or alive.
Most importantly, Soren had made it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with me after that night between us. He would never come save me, even if he knew.
The wolf’s tail flicked as though it had heard me, but it didn’t turn back to glance at me. Instead, its eyes were focused on the rogues, watching their every move.
The rogues were the first to break the stalemate. They attacked, pouncing towards the black wolf all at once.
