Dmitri’s POV
The air was thick with fog every breath I took filled forming a light mist the chill biting into my skin, but the cold was the least of my concerns. I stood on the ridge, overlooking the valley below where the first signs of dawn were just beginning to touch the sky.
I knew what was coming, and so did everyone else, so the tension in the air was palpable. I and Louis stood watching as warriors prepared for the fight of their lives. The rustle of leaves, and the low murmur of voices filled the air. Were we truly ready for war- this was a war we could not afford to lose.
Warriors from every pack in the Werewolf Kingdom were gathered, preparing for the inevitable battle, it had taken everything Kate and I had to pull them together to fight as one, negotiations, rallying and meetings-each one bringing us a step closer to this moment. And now, after all the political maneuvering and the reluctant alliances, we were here. At the brink of war
I was well versed in warfare but the problem was this wasn’t a battle for just my pack no. It was a fight for the future of the entire Werewolf Kingdom-a fight for survival against a threat none of us fully understood.
This Ancient Werewolf was real, a name from the distant past, but real all the same and he was coming to take everything we had built, everything we held dear even if we ha to destroy it to get it.
I flexed my hands, feeling the pull of my wolf beneath my skin. It wanted out. It wanted to fight, to tear through our enemies and claim victory. But I had to keep it in check-for now. The time to unleash it would come soon enough.
“Dimitri?” Kate’s voice called out, the soft sound behind me made me turn pulling me from my thoughts.
Kate stood there, her body framed by the growing light, even now, in the midst of all this, she took my breath away, my heart swelled as she approached me looking every bit like a warrior queen ready to her hair tied back, her eyes clear and determined, no fear in her gaze, her presence was a source of strength, and I knew I couldn’t face this without her.
“They’re ready,” she said quietly, her voice steady but laced with tension.
I nodded, my body stiffening with tension
“As ready as they’ll ever be.”
“Are you ready?” she asked, her voice steady taking my hand in hers.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied, meeting her gaze.
“How are you holding up?”
Kate smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“I’ve been thinking about the Moon Goddess’s vision. About the choices I have to make. It feels like everything is resting on what I do next, that feels like too much of a burden”
She was right. It was too much of a burden for one person to carry. The Moon Goddess had warned her, but I wished it didn’t have to matter.
“Whatever happens, we face it together,” I said, stepping closer to her. I took her hands in mine, squeezing them gently.
“No matter the cost. You are my mate and I will never leave you”
Kate nodded, her jaw tight, I leaned into her and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
A loud howl echoed across the forest cutting through the quiet, the ground beneath us rumbled slightly, and the wind shifted, carrying with it a scent that made my wolf’s hackles rise.
They were coming.
Kate’s head snapped toward the valley , her eyes narrowing as her senses likely picking up the same thing. She didn’t need to say a word. I could see it in the way her body tensed, and her fingers flexed at her sides.
The enemy was close.
” Let’s go down” I muttered releasing Kate’s hands, she nodded and followed me down to where thousands of men and women stood ready to fight these were warriors beta’s and alpha’s who didn’t want to see their packs laid waste.
The pack leaders-Alphas from every corner of the kingdom-stood at the front. Alpha Denzel of the Lockway Pack was among them, he had been one of the last to join our cause, I had not even been sure he would but now, he was one of our strongest allies.
Kate had worked magic there and I was always proud of her for that.
Turning to face the gathering crowd of warriors. My eyes scanned over the faces of those who had pledged their loyalty to us, to the Blood Moon Pack, and to the Werewolf Kingdom. Some were seasoned fighters, hardened by years of battle. Others were younger, fresh-faced and eager to prove themselves. But they all shared one thing-a fire burning inside them to fight until their last breath and avenge those that had been too weak to fight.
I stepped forward, Kate at my right side and Louis on my left, a sense of relief fell over me, i feel complete, my Man is back, My best friend is back. The murmurs of the crowd fell silent all eyes on us now.
I raised my voice, addressing the pack.
“The time has come!”
“We stand at the edge of a war, the Ancient Werewolf seeks to tear us apart, to enslave us he has told us that much by the pack he slaughtered. ”
” But we will not let that happen.”
A roar erupted from the crowd, the sound sending a surge of determination through me
“Today, we fight not just for ourselves, but for every pack, for every family in the Werewolf Kingdom”
” And we tell, Lycoan or whoever he’s called. This is the last time he kills us in our homes and in our beds ”
Another cheer rose from the warriors, their resolve hardening in the face of the battle to come.
I glanced at Kate, and she gave me a small nod her expression mostly unreadable, tension radiating from her.
” We take the fight to them, we can do this” I said and she hummed
” Something is not right”
Before I could say anything else, a scout came running up to us, breathless and wide-eyed.
“Alpha Dimitri, they’ve infiltrate the pack, they attacked the clinic, ”
Wh- What, The words hit me like a punch to the gut, that was not supposed to have happened at all, that was a low blow, Alpha Denzel rushed to me,
” What the hell is going on, guards have been killed, ” he huffed.
The Ancient wolf had infiltrated the pack with some of his warriors by using magic.
They had killed our Doctors and Nurses, so no one will attend to injured warriors.
” He’s not playing right” Kate muttered, she was right but I couldn’t say that now
“Ready the defenses,” I ordered.
” We need to retreat” Alpha Denzel said and I hissed
” We attack now, if we retreat we’ll always be on the defensive” I muttered , he looked to, Kate and she sighed
” You know he’s right ” she mumbled
With that, I shifted. My bones cracked, my muscles expanded, and in seconds, I was on all fours, my wolf ready to tear through anything in its path. Kate shifted beside me, her sleek form radiating power, we hurried down the path, leading the charge together.
The forest blurred around me as we sprinted toward the enemy, the warriors of the Blood Moon Pack and the allied packs following close behind.
My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins as the scent of the enemy grew stronger with every step.
And then we saw them.
A mass of wolves and unknown creatures, twisted and deformed by what was likely dark magic, filled the clearing ahead.
The Ancient Werewolf’s forces charged out of the trees like an unstoppable breeze their eyes glowing with an unnatural light.
They moved faster than any wolves I had ever seen, their forms twisted a snarl ripped from my throat as I rushed into the flurry of limbs and teeth.
With a loud roar, I leapt into the fray, my teeth sinking into the nearest enemy. The taste of blood black and sour filled my mouth as I tore through flesh and bone, my claws slashing through the chaos around me.
” Kill Kill kill” Drey chanted, like a little boy with his favorite toys so I let him take control.
Beside me, Kate was a whirlwind of destruction all on her own, her movements swift and deadly making the worry I had felt disappear a little
The field was a blur of snarls, blood, and chaos. Wolves clashed with wolves, bodies crashing together in a brutally with screams and groans of pain echoing over the field.
I lost track of how many enemies I killed, my only focus on protecting my pack, on keeping Kate safe and in my sight
But it wasn’t enough.
No matter how many I killed, more kept coming and they were relentless, their numbers didn’t seem like they would end. The Ancient Werewolf had brought an army with him-an army of creatures that had no fear, no hesitation.
” Dimitri, Dimitri can you hear me” a voice echoes around me, I stumbled, on my paws as one of the creatures bit into my laps, I roared, shifting to my human form and snapping the beast neck, it snapped like twig blood pouring over my skin.
A scream tore through the air, and I turned just in time to see one of our warriors fall, his body limp and lifeless as the enemy tore him apart.
Another scream followed, and then another. We were losing ground, the enemy forces overwhelming us with their sheer numbers.
” It’s me Kate” her voice came again,
It was Kate and she was using our mating bond
” I can hear you” I sent back even as I fought harder, it felt like we were being swallowed whole by the darkness.
” We’re not going to win this, Lycaon isn’t here, this was him baiting us ” she muttered, a deafening howl cut through the chaos.
Alpha Denzel.
He and his warriors surged forward, cutting through the enemy line
” We can’t end it here now, ” I sent back snapping another neck, I shifted back to my wolf form, Drey taking over a familiar feel of power surged through me. Drey roared with the force of the shift, and threw us into the fray.
” We need to stop push them to the tree line but then we retreat I will not all plus loose more men for a fight we can not win today” she hissed and I huffed slashing the last neck.
I shifted to human form
” Push them to the tree line and fall back” i roared, I saw Kate’s wolf form rush by me as she went to the west, and I followed her, I saw it before she did, a dark black bolt of lightning running towards her
” Katee” I roared jumping to her, it happened in the blink of an eye, my arms wrapped around her, and I twisted to my side, I felt something brush the side of my chest felt a sting before we even landed to the bloody grass and mud,
” Are you ok” I panted and she looked to me nodding, I rose to my feet searching for where that had come from and then, through the chaos, I saw him.
The Ancient Werewolf.
He stood on the edge of the battlefield, watching the carnage unfold with a cruel smirk on his face. His eyes locked onto mine, and in that moment, I felt the full force of his power.
He could have ended this a long time ago, he was baiting us.
The pack clinic which is supposed to be a healing place, is now filled with bodies of our warriors and our Doctors and Nurses.
My heart sank as I see them laying in their own pull of blood, Dead.
I had never expected this can ever happen.
We loss a lost of men, Louis voice came from behind me coming to stand by my side.
We need to get New Doctors and Nurses but right now some of our warriors with attending to the wounded warriors.