I stepped through the doorway, my mates, Blue and Fred, flanking me, and my friend, Chris, by my side. Scarlet was the last to walk in through the door, with her right palm pressing on her wound. Together, we faced the chaos going on in the throne room. There were cries as bodies piled on the floor, the ground slippery from the blood on it. I stood shocked still as I watched the scene, unable to do anything at the moment. I didn’t know what I expected to see, but it wasn’t this. Never this. At least not this gruesome.
I had never seen such a sight before. The blood and the screams tore at my heart, causing me to take some steps back. Had it not been for Scarlett standing behind me, I would have run for the door, scared by the crowd and the chaos. I would have ran to safety, away from the pungent smell of the air, and the blood gushing from the wounds on the fallen men.
“What the hell is going on?” I whispered, my voice barely audible above the screams and ruckus.
Blue growled low in his throat, his eyes flashing with anger as Fred let out a fierce roar, his claws extending. Unlike me, Chris didn’t seem fazed. The way her unwavering stare focused on those fighting, ready to take on the attackers, I knew she wasn’t as scared as I was. The beautiful woman I had always thought was too soft seemed to have transformed. I could barely recognize her. She looked like one of those Amazon female warriors.
“Get back, Bunny!” Blue yelled, his voice echoing through the room. “We’ve got this!”
They tried to get me to move back, so they would attack the men who seemed to have noticed our presence, but I stood tall, my pregnant belly prominent, as I shielded our wounded ally, Scarlett, behind me. Seeing how resilient they looked strengthened me, making me realize this was happening. I wasn’t human anymore. Though I had yet to use my powers – if I even had them – I knew I had to stand my ground if I wanted to save the people like I had boasted.
My mates exchanged a glance, their eyes locking onto me with a silent promise to protect me.
“Bella, please,” Fred’s voice whispered in my mind through our mate bond. “We can’t focus if we’re worried about you.”
“I can handle myself,” I shot back, my mind tone firm. “Just keep them off us.”
I knew they wanted to care for me like they had always done and like they promised to do, but I couldn’t let them keep treating me like I was fragile. I vowed to help them return to their kingdom, and I would do that. Even though I feared how this fight would turn out, I had a deep conviction that this wouldn’t take much time.
“Bunny -”
“I have made up my mind about this. You can’t stop me from helping. However, I promise not to get in your way. I will stay back and take care of any who comes our way while protecting Scarlett. She needs me to keep her safe while she recovers.”
My mates wanted to argue. To tell me, I needed to stay back while they took care of what needed to be taken care of. But they acquiesced to avoid arguments. Nodding, they turned to focus on the people still killing themselves, fighting.
The battle erupted around us. Blue and Fred attacked in perfect sync, their movements a blur as they took down our enemies. Chris danced around them, the sword she picked from the floor, slicing through the air.
I fought as much as I could, my werewolf strength and agility allowing me to hold my own. But my mates were always there, shielding me, protecting me. They knew I was pregnant, and they would stop at nothing to keep me safe.
Scarlet moaned behind me causing me to turn, to check on her. ” Hold on!” I gritted my teeth, fighting off a snarling werewolf who tried to get past me, to her. My mates were fierce, but I knew they had to be careful. One misstep could mean disaster. With the man taken care of, I turned to check on Scarlett.
“Bella, watch out!” Chris yelled as a werewolf lunged at me.
Before he could touch me, Blue took him down with a swipe of his claws, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’ve got you,” he whispered in my mind.
Fred dispatched a vampire with a swift kick, his gaze flicking to Scarlet. “We need to get her out of here now.
I nodded, fighting off another attacker. “Chris, can you-”
“I’ve got Bella,” Chris said, scooping up our wounded friend. “Go!”
With a fierce cry, Blue and Fred fought off the last of the attackers, their chests heaving with exhaustion. Chris stood guard, the sword she got from one of the attackers still raised. I let out a breath, my heart pounding, as Scarlett moaned again.
We had won the battle, but at what cost? Our throne room was in shambles, and our people were wounded. And I knew this was far from over.
“We need to get out of here,” Blue said, his eyes scanning the room. “Regroup and plan our next move.”
I nodded, my mind racing. We had to protect our people, our home. And our unborn child. From the way Scarlett made the battle sound, I could tell we still had more to do. However, we needed to get her out of her. The bleeding wasn’t stopping despite how fast her body was moving to repair her flesh.
“Where do we take her?” My voice was urgent, laced with concern for Scarlett, who was looking paler by the second, almost like she was about to give up the ghost. I’d never even been as scared as I was at the moment, watching her, not knowing what to do.
“Come with me,” Blue said, heading out of the throne room. I followed behind, with Fred keeping watch while Chris carried a barely unconscious Scarlett.