“Malik, where are you?” I ask through the link when it is suddenly overwhelmed by Andrei’s voice.
“Rogues!” He bellows through the link.
“Malik!” I scream.
“Get home, Sage, now!” He screams, and Sierra takes the position to dart away, but the grass directly behind us makes noise.
We are so close to the border and the grass is so overgrown that we still have a good ten-minute run to the training grounds.
“Sage, where are you? Are you safe?” Andrei asks.
“The clearing. I don’t think I am alone out here,” I tell him as Sierra’s eyes scan the area.
Sierra’s fur hackles up, like in a sense when you know you are being cornered and watched. I can hear fighting in the forest, yet every noise has us turning, and I feel like there is more than one rogue in this grass.
When a warm gust of wind flattens the grass, I see the reflection of two sets of eyes looking back at us, hunched low to the ground. Just a brief moment after, I hear savage growls just as teeth sink into our side.
Sierra whimpers, trying to get the wolf off as it perches on our back. Its teeth rip into our side when the other two jump us, teeth and claws tearing us to pieces.
We never stood a chance.
“Sierra, get us out!” I scream as she tries to defend herself, but no matter how we move, teeth and claws sink in, ripping off chunks of flesh and fur. Sierra whimpers, but we are pinned underneath three wolves hell-bent on killing us.
“Shift back,” I scream, feeling her trying to hold off, but a smaller body is harder to target.
I can hear Andrei screaming, but I can’t pay attention or even reply. I hear Malik and the warriors screaming when I feel Sierra’s back leg snap, her ribs break, and she is given no choice but to shift to heal quicker.
I scream as I feel teeth sink into my thigh and then my shoulder. Pain, all I feel is pain, but one has to back off because three are now getting in each other’s way. I kick one in the head, only for him to bite my foot, flinging me like I weigh nothing.
My pulse is beating in my ears and head as I smack the ground, clawing at the dirt. All that training is for nothing. I am no match against one, let alone three. We should have been paying better attention to our surroundings.
Claws sink into my back before I feel its breath on my neck. Another is ripping at my broken leg, and I close my eyes, waiting for it to snap my neck. As its weight crushes my broken ribs, my breathing becomes wheezing. Sierra is screaming at me to get up. My thoughts are wandering to Jonah and Andrei. My leg feels nearly torn off just below the knee when I let out a breath.
I resign myself to death, but the weight is gone suddenly. I hear fighting, and the horrendous sounds of flesh tearing and shrieking cries. All I can focus on is the gurgling and gasping noises other than the pain. Using my hands I try to crawl away, but even my upper body strength is gone. I hear grass rustling all around me, and so much fighting I am worried someone will eventually fall on me.
When I feel fur brush me, I tense, but I feel tingles and a wet tongue on my leg instead of teeth. I can still hear rustling, but no more fighting.
“You’re okay, love,” Andrei says, while Donnie uses his nose to roll me over. I scream when only part of my leg moves with me.
“Hold her leg,” I hear a voice boom through the link.
“Hate me later,” Andrei says when Malik suddenly shifts next to me. He kneels next to me and grabs my ankle.
“Sorry, Luna,” he says, trying not to look at my naked body.
“Do it?” Andrei snaps at him.
My scream rings out through the night as Malik forces my leg back into position. Donnie’s tongue works frantically over my injuries, trying to heal them.
“Hold her skin together,” Andrei tells him, and Malik’s eyes dart to mine, but I can’t care less right now about being naked in front of him. I know I am bleeding to death.
“Please don’t hate me,” he says, following Andrei’s instructions. Donnie growls at him when he hesitates about touching me. Dazed, I can’t even feel the pain anymore. I just want to sleep.
My DNA tries to heal Donnie and me, but time slows. I notice my muted surroundings as I stare at the sky, the breeze makes the grass sway.
“You can go check the others,” Andrei says, shifting back.
“They are fine. It looks like they just went after.”
“Don’t fucking say it,” Andrei snaps at Malik.
I can’t figure out what they are talking about. Right now, I can’t care less either. I just want to check on Jonah.
“They should never have got across the borders and we can’t cover every access point. We move them tomorrow, after Dominic leaves. We are stronger with numbers. We will figure out where to put them,” Andrei says.
“This is retaliation, Andrei. We can’t afford another war right now,” Malik says.
“Yes, but I won’t lose any more of my people. Tomorrow, be ready. We are bringing them home,” Andrei tells him. I try to remember what day it was. Tomorrow is Tuesday. Malik runs off, and Andrei grips my face.
“Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to go for a run? I would have come home and taken you?” He asks. Andrei helps me sit up, and I see the enormous, jagged scar along my shin to my knee.
Another one, I swear I am eighty percent scar tissue.
“It looks bad now, it will heal neater,” Andrei says, and I hiss as he tries to grab me. My body is drenched in blood. Looking at Andrei’s, so is he. Though judging by the stench, at least it isn’t his.
“Argh,” I cry out as he puts pressure on my ribs.
“Shit, ok, we wait, or I’ll try to heal you more,” he says, but I know he was forced to shift back after Donnie tried to heal the worst parts of me.