Forbidden Lovers

Why?

Panic gripped Evelyn inside, although she tried not showing it on her face. Somehow, she believed that letting them know she was absolutely terrified as they slowly came out of the woods, with some predatory looks in their faces, would only make it worse.

Instinctively, she raised her hand, expecting magic to flow out of her body but instead... nothing happened. Bloody Robert and his collar, she thought.

"What do you want? Stay away from me!" She shouted, making a few steps back as they only came closer. Grabbing a wooden stick she found on the ground, she pointed it to them, which was pathetic to begin with. Something told her, by their expressions only, they were well aware she couldn't use her magic powers.

The dark grey one, who happened the be the biggest in size, howled, almost as if he wanted to let someone know they were there in front of her, and then launched himself on her. Evelyn shut her eyes so tight they almost hurt, but somehow the attack never came. Instead, when she opened her eyes, she saw the magnificent black one sink his teeth deep inside the grey wolf's neck, throwing him away. Growling at the others, and Evelyn noticed the way they all made a few steps back. He was one, yet somehow they seemed to all be fearing him.

Beautiful black eyes gazed at her, stepping in front of her protectively.

Had the grey wolf howled on purpose for Arthmael to hear?

"Arthmael," she whispered. "You came."

He made a noise on the back of his throat, his eyes warming up for a split second as he looked at her, as if he wanted to tell her he'd never let anyone hurt her.

And actually, he wouldn't. Over his dead body he'd let them hurt her, whatever they wanted... whoever they were. They were rogues, Arthmael knew this much; they weren't members of his pack, but how they had passed their pack's territories this easily was still unknown. What they wanted was unknown too. However, somehow, he had a sneaky feeling they weren't here for his mate, they were here for him. Still it didn't mean he wouldn't protect her because he would.

"Be careful," Evelyn said to him, her voice scared, full of worry. "Please Arthmael, be careful."

The wolves started attacking him one at a time, but at the beginning he took them down easily. They were smaller in size, obviously weaker and less trained. Arthmael wasn't known as the best warrior in the whole Wolves Kingdom for nothing.

However, they were slowly outnumbering him. He was growing weaker, his muscles and fresh wounds hurting everywhere as blood started dripping on the ground. Not only blood of the dead wolf bodies but blood of his own too.

Evelyn's heart sink, she couldn't help but scream every time one of them attacked her mate. Tears flowed down her face easily. She felt useless.

She was useless.

Once, only once he needed her and she could do nothing to help him. She could only stay at the back and pray with all her being he could survive this.

And Arthmael had always been there for her. Heck, he had risked getting caught for her, had risked his family and titles and position, everything he had achieved in his life just to be with her; he was risking his life now and she could do nothing.

Furiously, Evelyn tried tearing the collar apart, getting it off her neck to the point it bruised her pale delicate skin, yet she couldn't remove it. Whatever spell Robert had gotten some witch to put on that golden metal, it had made too strong.

"GET OFF HIM!" She screamed to one of the wolves that had somehow gotten in Arthmael's back, trying to sink his teeth in his neck and end him for good. Grabbing the wooden stick so tight, she attacked the wolf, throwing it away Arthmael's body, and it was enough for her mate to grow strong and tear the smaller wolf apart. This, before he threw her an almost angry look, but she wouldn't have it.

Evelyn wouldn't let them kill him.

She would turn the world upside down first if it meant keeping Arthmael safe.

And if he wasn't so dead worried right now he'd smile at his fearless mate. But it wasn't the time for her to put herself on danger.

He looked around... Only two left.

Only two and this would be over. Only two and he could bring his mate back home safely. The world had started to spin in his head, caused of the loss of blood, pain had already kicked in in full forces but Arthmael didn't care much.

Taking down the smaller wolf first, he was left only with the last one. The wolf attacked first, launching himself on Arthmael's black wolf, sinking his teeth on his flesh and Arthmael couldn't help it, he let out roars of pains.

"NO!" He heard Evelyn scream, cry out for help but they were far away from town, far away from people, it was pointless. "ARTHMAEL!" She sounded miserable.

Somehow, he found an inner power within himself to overthrow the big wolf, in a second killing him off right there without thinking twice.

And then he turned on Evelyn. Barely standing, a look on his face that said I did it. I protected you. Arthmael didn't notice the grey wolf he had thought he had killed first, standing up from the ground and almost throwing himself on him.

Evelyn did though.

It played as if it was in slow motion. In a second Evelyn was smiling at him while crying at the same time, and in the other she threw herself in front of Arthmael's body, the wolf's teeth piercing on her lower belly. Pure pain ripped on her body, a small whimper leaving her mouth as she fell on the ground, all the while looking at Arthmael.

There was so much longing on her eyes. And somehow, she looked like she was smiling.

Arthmael's whole world froze right there in front of him. Like he was in a bad dream, he tried, he tried waking up, he hoped this was all a mere play of his imagination... but it wasn't.

A painful howl echoed in the air, and only then he figured it was his own.

Launching all his anger on the last standing wolf that had hurt his mate, he sank his teeth on his flesh so hard his head ended up separated from his body.

"Evelyn." Arthmael was already in his human form, falling in his knees besides her bleeding body, moving her hair away from her face softly. "Evelyn." Tears fall down on his face, his body shaking all over, pain all forgotten. "Look at me, please my love look at me." She was looking at him, but in the same time she wasn't.

"You're safe..." She raised her hand, stroking his hair softly. Her eyes half-closing.

He felt numb all over. "You'll be alright, my love, I'll shift on my wolf again and you'll get on my back and I'll send you to the castle. Nothing will happen to you I promise," he kept repeating, pressuring a part of her torn cloth on her bleeding wound.

"Don't cry, I- I'll be alright." Evelyn didn't know how true that was, she just couldn't see him that broken.

"I should have protected you, I should have—"

"Shhh."

Arthmael bought her body closer to his, desperately. "Why?" He leaned his forehead on hers. "Why did you have to do that, huh? Why did you have to risk yourself for me?"

Evelyn didn't know where she found the strength to smile, but she did. "Because I love you."