The clearing was a cacophony of snarls, growls, and shouted commands. Each second dragged on as if time itself had stretched to test our resolve. Blood soaked into the earth beneath us, and the air smelled of sweat, silver, and raw fury.
I fought to steady my breath, crouching low and gripping my silver dagger tightly. Around me, my packmates moved with deadly precision. Logan’s presence was magnetic, his barked orders cutting through the chaos like a blade. He fought like a true alpha-relentless and commanding.
“Focus, Audrey!” Evan snapped, slicing through another rogue that tried to blindside him. His silver-tipped baton cracked against the rogue’s ribs, sending it yelping into the shadows.
He was right; my attention was darting in too many directions, and that hesitation could cost lives.
“Got it!” I called back, ducking beneath a wild claw swipe. A rogue loomed in front of me-a young woman, her feral eyes betraying both fear and rage. She lunged. I sidestepped, slamming the hilt of my dagger into her ribs before kicking her to the ground.
“Stay down!” I hissed, though I doubted she would. None of the rogues stayed down unless they were unconscious or worse.
In the corner of my eye, I saw Logan squaring off against the scar-faced leader again. This time, Logan was fully shifted-a massive wolf with a silver-gray coat and eyes that burned with an alpha’s command. He was relentless, snapping at the rogue leader and driving him back with every calculated move.
But the rogue wasn’t just a brute; he was crafty. His movements were unpredictable, feints and misdirection designed to draw Logan out of position. He lunged low, aiming for Logan’s legs, and for a horrifying moment, it looked like he might succeed.
Then Mal appeared, golden fur streaked with blood-not all of it hers. She tackled the scarred rogue from the side, her growl a furious roar that echoed through the clearing.
“Logan, move!” she barked, her voice guttural even in wolf form. Logan didn’t need to be told twice; he shifted back, the transformation seamless as he regained his human form.
For a heartbeat, the scarred rogue hesitated, thrown off by the sudden shift. It was all Mal needed. With one powerful swipe of her claws, she tore through his defenses, sending him crashing to the ground.
Logan was at her side immediately, his breathing ragged but his focus unbroken. “Mal, control!” he ordered sharply.
Mal’s chest heaved, her golden eyes blazing with a dangerous light. For a terrifying moment, it looked like she might ignore him. Her claws twitched, hovering over the scarred rogue’s throat.
“Mal!” Logan’s tone cut through the haze.
Her gaze flickered to him, then to me. Slowly, reluctantly, she stepped back, her body trembling as she forced herself to calm. Logan nodded, his expression approving but strained.
The scarred rogue growled weakly, clutching his injured side. “You think… you’ve won?” he rasped, his voice guttural and broken. “You’re playing right into our hands.”
Logan crouched beside him, his eyes like steel. “You’ve been sniffing around our territory, picking off the weak, endangering our pack. If this is your idea of a game, it’s over. Tell your kind we won’t hesitate to end anyone who threatens our home.”
The rogue bared his teeth in a bloodied grin. “You’ve made yourself a target, alpha. This isn’t over.”
“Maybe not,” Logan said coolly. “But neither are we.”
With a swift, decisive motion, he struck the rogue across the temple, knocking him unconscious.
The remaining rogues, seeing their leader subdued, scattered into the woods, their retreat disorganized and frantic. Some of our packmates started after them, but Logan barked, “Let them go!”
The pack froze, glancing at one another in confusion. A few fighters, still energized by the battle, shifted uneasily. Liam, his knuckles bruised and blood smeared across his cheek, hesitated mid-step.
“Let them go?” Liam questioned, his voice sharp, disbelief etched into every syllable. “They’ll regroup! You know they will, Logan!”
Logan’s glare cut through the clearing, silencing Liam instantly. “We’ve made our point. We came here to defend our home-not to hunt them down like rabid dogs. Leave them with this defeat. They’ll think twice before coming back.”
The resolve in his tone brooked no argument, but it wasn’t enough to extinguish the tension in the air. Logan’s chest rose and fell as he scanned the clearing, his sharp eyes lingering on each packmate to ensure the command was clear.
Slowly, grudgingly, the fighters relaxed, their postures losing the predatory edge. Liam clicked his tongue in irritation but nodded, sheathing his silver-edged blade.
As the group fell into their assigned duties-gathering the wounded, assessing supplies, and forming a temporary perimeter-Logan stepped away from the fray. I watched him closely, noticing the slight limp he’d tried to hide as he moved toward a small rise overlooking the clearing.
Mal approached me, her usually cocky smirk absent. “You okay?” she asked, her voice low but steady.
I nodded, wiping the sweat from my brow. “Nothing that won’t heal. You?”
She shrugged, brushing dried blood from her arm. “I’m fine. But that leader…” Her golden eyes darkened, flickering with unease. “He wasn’t bluffing, Audrey. This isn’t just about territory. They’re planning something bigger.”
“Do you think Logan knows?” I asked, my gaze flickering to where he stood alone, silhouetted against the faint light of the moon.
Mal folded her arms. “If he doesn’t, he will soon. You saw how they fought-coordinated, organized. That’s not how rogues work. They’re unhinged loners, not soldiers.”
Her words settled heavy in my chest. I opened my mouth to respond but stopped when Logan turned and made his way back toward us.
He walked straight to Mal, his jaw tight. “How’s everyone?”
“We’ll live,” Mal said evenly, gesturing to the clearing where Evan and Liam were securing the unconscious scar-faced rogue. “No major injuries, a few cuts and bruises. But the rest scattered, and fast. It’s weird.”
Logan narrowed his eyes. “Weird how?”
“They didn’t hesitate. They bolted the second you put their leader down, like that was their plan all along.”
I stepped closer, heart pounding as I added, “And their leader’s words-‘You’ve made yourself a target.’ Doesn’t that sound like something bigger is coming?”
Logan crossed his arms, the slight twitch in his jaw betraying his thoughts. “It does,” he admitted, his voice low. “But we can’t assume anything yet. For now, we treat it as what it looks like-a retreat. Tomorrow, we’ll plan our next steps.”
His answer didn’t sit well with Mal-or me.
“So, what? We let them regroup and come back stronger?” she challenged, fire sparking in her gaze.
Logan’s gaze softened, just enough to remind us why he was alpha. “We stick together, Mal. That’s how we stay stronger. If they come back, we’ll be ready.”
Her jaw clenched, but she said nothing, falling silent as Logan turned to address the rest of the pack.
“Leave the clearing clean,” he ordered. “We’re heading back to the den as soon as we’ve collected everyone.”
The tension eased slightly as the group fell into motion, but unease lingered in the air. I caught Logan’s eye as he walked past, his expression unreadable. Something weighed on him, and I had the sinking feeling it was more than just tonight’s battle.
The trip back was heavy with exhaustion. Even the forest, usually alive with subtle sounds of night, seemed unnaturally quiet, as if it, too, sensed the shifting tide.
Logan led the way in silence, his shoulders squared despite his obvious fatigue. I walked near the middle of the group, flanked by Evan and Mal. She kept throwing glances back at the rogues’ territory, her golden eyes narrowing each time as though expecting an ambush.
“You okay, Mal?” Evan asked eventually. His voice was calm, as usual, but there was an edge to his question.
She nodded stiffly. “Yeah. Just… something about all of this doesn’t sit right.”