Chapter7.
1220 Words
Malakar's POV.
"I've been looking everywhere for you, Malakar."
I turn my head slightly to look at Velara as she walks into my tent. Her eyes are soft, and she's smiling, but I know why she's here, and I'm in no mood. "I wasn't hiding from you." I hope that she hears the irritation in my voice. She does, and the smile fades from her face.
"We need to talk. Avoiding me and the rest of the pack elders won't do you any good. This problem won't go away on its own."
I sigh heavily and rub my chin between my fingers. "I'm not avoiding anyone, and I don't have a problem. You and the rest of the elders do. I just have more important matters that call for my attention."
Velara sighs and shakes her head angrily. "Oh, come on, Malakar. How can you sit there and tell me that having a human mate isn't a problem? You're in denial!" "You know how dangerous this is. Not only for you and our pack, but for our entire species. You have to do what we discussed. The sooner you do it, the easier it will be on you and the sooner you'll get over it."
I push my chair back forcefully and stand up. I am now towering over Velara, but she's not fazed by me at all. She stands her ground and crosses her arms in front of her. Even at her age, she still looks fierce.
"Hope isn't a danger to us. She saved my life in case you've forgotten. And we didn't discuss anything. You and the rest of the elders gave me an order and I refused. I still do. I won't change my mind. Besides, you should know better than to ask me to reject my fated mate. You know what it'll do to me."
Her expression softens, and she drops her arms to her side. Velara closes the distance between us and touches her hand to my face. I allow myself to momentarily lean into her touch. "I know, darling. But it's not just about you. It's about your pack and their safety. As alpha, you have to think about that first."
I take her hand in mine and kiss it tenderly. "I am."
Talon enters my tent and halts in his tracks. He looks bashful. "I'm sorry, alpha. Velara. I didn't mean to intrude."
I let go of Velara's hand, and she takes a step back. "You're not intruding, Talon. We were done." She looks annoyed with my statement, but remains quiet. She might be a pack elder, but I am still her alpha. "What is it you have to say?"
Talon glances at Velara, then looks at me again. "We're ready, alpha. The moon is almost at its peak." I nod my head to excuse him. He turns and leaves the tent immediately.
"I have to go now." Velara gives me a faint smile. I start to walk out of the tent as well.
"Malakar?"
I turn to look at her again.
"Please be safe out there?"
I sigh and walk back over to her again. I give her a quick kiss on her frail cheek. "I will, mother."
Talon and the rest of the pack warriors are all waiting at the edge of our camp for me. Tonight is the full moon, and it's almost time for us to shift.
"Are you all ready to take the fight to them for a change?"
They all answer with a mixture of enthusiasm, excitement, and anticipation. We plan on going after the Doomhowlers tonight. Lucian and his pack have been attacking us relentlessly and unprovoked for months now, and the time has come to stop playing defense. They more than likely have the same plan, but I plan on getting to them before they can even leave their camp.
"Good. And with a bit of luck, the hunter that shot me will show himself again tonight, and we can deal with that problem as well."
The moon finally reaches its apex, and we all begin to shift. My wolf, Raze, is eager to be set free. He wants revenge, not only on Lucian and his pack of rebels, but on the hunter that almost killed us as well. When the shift is complete, Raze throws his head back and lets out a loud and powerful howl that splits the silence of the night and echoes across the forest sky. The rest of my warriors join in as well, and we set off into the night.
Talon comes up on my left and the two of us lead the charge towards the Doomhowlers. We reach their camp within a few moments, and as I planned, they don't expect us and aren't ready for us. We charge their pack and immediately go after their warriors. We collide in a fury of fangs and claws. Bodies fly through the air and clash in a powerful show of strength and force. Wolves from both sides sink their eager teeth into each other's flesh. Neither side shows any mercy for the other.
It doesn't take long for Raze to find his target. Lucian's wolf is standing off to the side. His eyes are locked on Raze and his body is crouched, low on the ground. He bares his sharp fangs as he growls at Raze. Raze shows no fear and no hesitation as he lunges himself at Lucian's wolf, but before he can sink his claws into him, a loud pop rings through the air and, barely a second later a gut-wrenching howl of agony follows. The fighting seizes immediately, and we all turn to stare at the wolf writhing around on the ground. Lucian's wolf turns to stare at me with confusion in his eyes. He has no idea what just happened. None of them do, but I do. It's the hunter.
Raze's attention is drawn to the sound of footsteps running away. He turns on his heels and rushes to follow them. It doesn't take long for him to catch up with the source. The hunter stops and turns to fire another shot at Raze, but Raze manages to duck out of the way and before the hunter can react again, Raze is on top of him. He slices a massive clawed paw across the air and the hunter goes down. Before Raze can finish him off, more shots are fired from every direction. Raze rushes for cover and is only narrowly missed by some of the bullets.
"s**t, Raze! There's more than one! We need to get back to the rest of the pack!"
Raze hurries back to the Doomhowlers camp, and the shots fade into the night. By the time we get back to the camp, all of the wolves have shifted back to their human form. Lucian and the rest of his pack have already taken their injured wolf away. I shift back as well.
"I told them that it's a silver bullet and that they should get it out of him as soon as possible."
"Good. Did you tell them that it's from a hunter?"
Talon shakes his head. "I wasn't sure if I should."
"Good, because we have a much bigger problem. There's more than one of them. A lot more."
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