AVA
I made a point of not seeing any of the twins for the rest of that day. One way or another, they would learn to shut doors behind them like civilised people.
I still hadn’t spoken to them by the time I got to the training grounds for what had become my regularly scheduled run with Alex. Not many people could keep up with Artemis, and I needed to run with someone who stood a chance.
“Morning, Alex,” I called out when I saw him.
“Morning, Ava,” he smirked. “Have you spoken to my sons?”
“Not since yesterday. Nor the Alpha’s sons.”
He laughed so hard he nearly cried.
“Oh Ava, you really are my favourite. Shall we run?”
“Let’s do it.”
We both shifted, and after Kieran and Artemis’ usual display of respect, we ran straight into the woods. We’d been running for an hour by the time I noticed something was… wrong.
“Alex,” I called through the link. “Can you feel that?”
“Feel what?”
“We’re being watched.”
“Fuck. Okay carry on like normal whilst we try to work this out.”
“We’re too far out for backup, assuming this is our rogue friends again, we’re on our own.”
It was at that moment I heard rustling through the trees. The twins. “Why the fuck are the twins here?” I hissed through the mindlink. Alex turned to see them and growled, before running towards them and starting to ferry them back towards the training ground.
When I turned back, I was surrounded by fifteen rogues. Apparently they were using scent blocker because I could hardly smell them.
I snarled, diving straight for the rogue closest to me and ripping his throat out. Before I could take out the second, a series of sharp, stabbing pains danced up my side. I swore at the stinging. Wolfsbane.
“Ava!” Noah shouted from behind me. “Fuck, they got her!”
“Alex, I’m fine, get them out of here. It’s only wolfsbane.”
I saw him shift back, kicking the twins’ backsides to get them to move on.
In the meantime, I’d taken out another five rogues, and had another three darts in my side for good measure.
Whilst Alex was getting the boys to safety, I’d taken out thirteen of them permanently, and knocked the other two out. I’d even managed to shift back, get dressed and pull all fourteen darts out of my side.
“Jackon, I need backup,” I called through the link, giving him my approximate location. “Rogues, thirteen KIA, two unconscious to be interrogated later.”
“Fuck! Ava, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Jacob. I just can’t move fifteen rogues on my own without it taking hours.”
He laughed. “Is Alex with you?”
“He was getting his kids and yours out of here, he hasn’t made it back yet. There aren’t any other rogues here anywhere, just me and a pile of bodies.” I laughed, but it hardly hid my stress. “I would have linked for help sooner but I was a little preoccupied.”
“As long as you’re okay, Ava.” I heard Jacob’s howl off in the distance as he started heading my way, and the howls of the warriors with him. I shifted to run a perimeter, howling back when I did.
“Perimeter is secure, Jacob. You’re all good to get in and get out. I’m going to poke around and see if they left anything behind.”
“Ava, don’t go on your own!” His voice deepened; I was talking to Lloyd now.
“I’ve got this, Lloyd! I am more than capable of looking after this.”
“Artemis, do NOT go on your own.” I felt the flow of his command, but that was just it. A flow.
“Apparently you can’t command me anymore, Jacob. I’m going to check out their camp. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”
I slammed the link shut, following the scent of rogues towards the river. I crouched down, crawling forward on my belly, making sure Artemis was hiding her scent. I swore in my head when I saw the camp.
“Shit, Artemis,” I whispered to her. “We can’t take this lot alone. That fifteen must have been a scouting group.”
“I agree. We need to head back.”
I turned and snuck back out of the undergrowth along the river, and as soon as I was back in open forest, I sprinted back towards the training grounds, my body a blur through the trees.
“Jacob, Alex. Pack house, now.”
I didn’t give them a chance to respond before slamming the link shut; I just trusted that they would trust me.
By the time they reached Jacob’s office, I’d drawn a map of our territory on his whiteboard, and was marking out key locations related to the rogues.
“Ava… what happened?”
“Well I found the camp,” I growled. “I’m not even going to attempt to take them on my own.”
Their faces dropped. For me to admit that, it must have been bad.
“How many?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say about fifty?”
“Fuck,” Jacob swore.
“Where did you find them?” Alex asked.
I motioned across the whiteboard, explaining their locations, what I found, and where that all is in relation to the places we’ve been ambushed so far. Once I’d finished my explanation, I sunk back into one of the armchairs, letting out a sigh.
“They’ve categorically proven they’re after me. The fourteen darts that ended up in my side proved that much. Which means, somehow, they know the legend of the Alpha Queen, they’ve put two and two together, and they know what my wolf looks like.”
“Ava… you need to…” Alex started, before I cut him off.
“Don’t you dare say that I need to sit this out, Alex. If they know enough to be here attempting to pump me full of wolfsbane, they know about my pack. It is my life that is on the line here. I’m the target, everyone else is unfortunately collateral damage to the rogues. You two wouldn’t hide if you were in my position, so don’t expect me to hide either.”
“But…”
“No buts, Alex.” My aura flowed out with that statement, a ripple through the room that had Alex bowing his head.
“Sorry, Alpha.”
I just nodded, before turning to leave the room. “I’m getting lunch then I’ll be in the gym, we’ll talk about this later.”
I burst through the door, and walked straight into the twins.
“Ava…” Callum wrapped his arms around me, his hands cupping my face. “Are you okay? Did you go to the hospital?”
“I’m fine, Callum. No, I didn’t go to the hospital.”
“You got shot with wolfsbane, Ava! You need to go to the hospital!”
“I can promise you I don’t, Callum.”
“No, you’re coming with us,” his hand wrapped around my arm, and he attempted to pull me behind him, but I stood firm.
“I wouldn’t, if I were you, Callum.”
“Ava, please just go to the hospital,” Noah begged.
I sighed, rolling my eyes, before turning back around and opening Jacob’s door.
“Jacob, have you got a wolfsbane test kit in here?”
He nodded, throwing one across the room to me.
The boys all stood in the doorway, not quite sure what they were watching. I pricked my finger, let a couple drops of blood fall onto the test strip, and let the test kit do its thing.
Five minutes later, we had a result. I gave the test to Callum, before moving around the four of them and walking away.