Asher
I think I’ve completely lost it seeing Zoe step onto the battlefield. It’s reckless, stupid even, but should I be surprised?
She’s always doing stupid things-like the way she casually mentions her boyfriend at breakfast, knowing it would set me off.
Kaidos, my wolf, doesn’t seem to care that we’re in the middle of a life-or-death battle. The moment Ally approaches, he’s completely distracted.
He purrs and howls in the air like a pup looking for attention from his mate. I feel my fury building, especially when Kaidos refuses to let me take control and shift back into my human form.
Zoe has no idea what she’s doing, no understanding of wolves or the battlefield she’s just walked into.
But when I see the look in her eyes, I know she’s trying to tell me something important. It frustrates me that she doesn’t recognize me, doesn’t know it’s me standing here as the black wolf she’s touching so freely.
Jealousy stirs in me. I try to push the feeling away, but Kaidos’s smug voice echoes in my mind.
“Stop lying to yourself,” he taunts. “You don’t want her touching anyone else, not even me.”
I grit my teeth and force myself to shift, wresting control from Kaidos.
My bones snap and reshape as I stand tall in my human form, completely naked.
She immediately covers her face when she sees me but I don’t care about that right now. My anger boils over.
“What the hell are you doing here, Zoe?” My voice is sharp, furious, as I grab her arm. “I can’t imagine you, a human, dying in my pack!” The words tumble out, seething with anger.
Her face flushes even deeper at my words, just as it did earlier at the dining hall. I know she didn’t like me calling her a human then, but I meant it. She hasn’t shifted, and I refuse to lose her.
She hesitates, with a shaky voice “I’m here to warn you,”
Just as she speaks, my senses pick up movement behind her. My gaze darts to a rogue creeping closer holding a silver blade. My blood turns cold.
I can’t lose her. Not her. Not my mate, even if she stubbornly refuses to acknowledge it. I have lost her before but I don’t plan on letting her go now.
She slowly turns her head, following my gaze, and her eyes widen in horror as she spots the rogue coming towards us.
Everything in me screams to protect her. I want to snap the rogue’s neck with just a thought, to rip him apart before he gets too close.
Kaidos, growls in my mind, ready to take control. But before I can act, Zoe does the unthinkable.
She lunges forward.
The rogue’s silver blade pierces her side, and time seems to stop.
“No!” My voice is like a guttural cry that echoes through the battlefield.
The rogue barely has time to react before I unleash my fury. His neck snaps with a single command of my mind, his body crumpling lifelessly to the ground.
Zoe’s body goes limp in my arms, blood seeping from the wound. I clutch her tightly.
“Stay with me,” I whisper, my voice breaking, as I cradle her fragile frame. “You’re not leaving me, Ally.”
Ally’s breathing is shallow, her blood seeps through my fingers, the metallic scent stinging my nose and making my wolf, Kaidos, howl in despair.
I press my hand over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. The silver blade has done more damage than I want to admit. Her skin is pale, and her eyes flutter, struggling to stay open.
“Ally,” I say, with a trembling voice. “Why the hell would you do that? Why would you put yourself in danger like this?”
She looks up at me, her lips trembling as she tries to speak. “I… I couldn’t let them hurt you.” Her voice is weak.
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. She risked her life-for me.
“You’re so reckless,” I mutter, my tone softening despite the storm raging.
Kaido growls in agreement, pushing me to act. I know I need to get her to safety, but time is slipping away. I glance around, searching for help, but the battlefield is still chaos with growls and howls.
Kaidos, paces ready to unleash fury, but my focus shifts briefly to Ally.
She’s holding her ground, but the pain is evident in her pale face. She doesn’t have her wolf, yet there’s something about her now-an aura that wasn’t there before.
It’s powerful, commanding, and impossible to ignore. Only someone with strength could sense it, and it leaves me questioning. When did she grow into this?
But now isn’t the time to dwell on questions. The battle demands my attention.
Through the mindlink, I command Liam. “Take care of Zoe. Make sure she’s safe.”
I turn to glance at her one last time, I see her smile through the pain. Something in me snaps. Agony surges through my chest with a storm of fury.
I gently lower her to the ground, my hands trembling with rage. With a deep growl, I let the rage consume me, and Kaidos takes over. My bones crack and shift as I transform into my wolf.
Kaidos roars, a deafening sound that shakes the very earth. I lunge forward.
Each movement is precise, fueled by anger and the need to protect. My wolf’s power surges with an intensity I’ve never felt before.
My eyes blaze, glowing with an unrelenting fire, and as my powerful aura is unleashed, it ripples across the battlefield like a tidal wave.
The rogues falter. One by one, they collapse, their bodies crumpling as the force of my presence is snuffing life out of them.
But I didn’t stop, Kaidos are thirsty for blood. I leap at the remaining rogues, tearing them with claws and fangs. Blood splatters on the ground as growls and screams fill the air.
They try to retreat, scrambling back toward the forest, but it’s too late. Kaidos doesn’t allow mercy. I chase them down, ensuring none escape.
When the last rogue falls, lifeless at my feet, I stand as my black fur is matted with blood but Kaidos is far from satisfied.
The pack’s border is safe again, but the thought of how close the rogues came gnaws at me. But I forced Kaidos to retreat. I need to get back to Ally.
As I shift back into my human form, I rush back to the pack, one of the guards quickly tosses me a pair of shorts, and I pull them on without hesitation.
“Get the wounded wolves to the pack hospital!” I bark out orders with authority. But my focus isn’t on the injured-it’s on Ally.
I left her. My chest tightens with dread, my heart pounding. What if another rogue had found her? I had been stupid, so blinded by rage and the need to kill that I left her vulnerable.
“We should’ve stayed until we saw Liam take her,” Kaidos growls in my head, “we can’t lose her again.”
I clench my jaw, ignoring the guilt I push forward. The thought of her being hurt because I let my emotions get the better of me is unbearable.
When I reached the pack hospital, I burst through the doors, “Where is she? Where is Zoe?”
Liam stands nearby, his posture tense. His eyes meet mine, and there’s a flash of concern in them.
“You seem to care an awful lot about her, Asher,” he says, his voice sharp with irritation. “She’s fine. Go look for your Luna instead.”
My blood boils at his words. My fists clench at my sides, and Kaido snarls in my mind. “What the hell did he just say?”
I take a cold, calculated step toward him, my gaze burning with fury. “What are you implying, Liam?” My tone is low and dangerous.