The Alpha's Second Chance

Safe in His Arms

The scream from the northern hill cut through the air.

The boys inside the room tightened their grip on their weapons. The smell of sweat and iron lingered in the air. Jacques closed his eyes, sensing the silence that prevailed outside. This silence was unusual.

"Marcus."

"Yes, brother."

"Take the boys. Go through the back door. No one will go through the front. They must be lying in wait."

Marcus nodded immediately. He picked up two heavy axes from the wall. He gestured to the boys standing behind him. They all disappeared into the dark corridor without making a sound.

Jacques reached his waist. The leather pouch was there. Inside was the same silver blade that had trembled when Lily touched it. He drew out his heavy sword. The iron blade shone coldly as the dim morning light fell on it.

He came to the main door. He gently pushed the heavy wooden door. The icy wind outside blew directly onto his face. Dry leaves were blowing. There was a strange, stale, cold smell in the air. It wasn't the smell of a dead animal. It was the same dark stench that the butchers from across the river had brought with them.

The field ahead lay empty. But behind the dense trees, something was moving in the mist. It wasn't fog. It was dark, with long shadows hiding behind the trunks and infiltrating their boundaries.

Jacques descended the stairs without making a sound. He entered the forest path on the right. He knew where the boys were hiding.

The darkness beneath the trees was deep. Jacques stopped behind a thick trunk.

"Sam?" he called out in a hushed voice.

A leaf fell from above. Sam jumped down. His face was smeared with mud so it wouldn't shine in the dark.

"They're in, Jacques," Sam gasped. His breathing was heavy. "They don't have legs like humans. They float above the ground. They don't have arms, but their hands extend like black smoke."

Jax's jaw clenched. "What happened to the detective?"

Sam's eyes hardened. "Kev is gone. His body is shriveled up. It's as if someone sucked everything out from within. Only skin and bones remain. His face is unrecognizable."

This wasn't Caleb's doing. Caleb only knew how to use a sword. This was the work of the sorcerers from across the river who were after Lily.

"Tell the boys to keep their silver sheathed," Jacques ordered. "No one will attack until they're within the circle of iron. No one will open their arms first."

Sam nodded and disappeared into the bushes again.

Jacques moved forward alone. The birds chirped in the forest. Then, to his left, there was a sharp crack of dry wood breaking.

He stopped, his back against a tree. A shadow emerged from the darkness. A long, tattered black cloak was wrapped around him. His face was gone; only two smoldering eyes shone. Black smoke billowed in place of his hands.

The shadow looked at Jacques. The air became so icy that Jacques's breath began to choke.

"Get out of the way, wolves," a heavy voice echoed directly in Jacques' mind. It wasn't a human voice. "That girl is ours. Her blood will change this soil." Get out of here, or you won't see the morning sun."

Jacques clenched his sword in both hands. There was no fear on his face, only a fierce determination.

"She's my woman," Jacques said directly. The words were small, but the decision was firm. "Only those I want will enter my territory. You've come here only to die."

The shadow let out a shrill scream. Its smoke-like arms suddenly lengthened and went straight for Jacques' neck.

Jacques quickly dodged to the right. The bark of the tree the smoke struck instantly turned black and rotted. Without wasting a moment, Jacques swung his sword. The sharp iron edge landed on the shadow's shoulder.

There was a dry sound, like a bone breaking. The shadow recoiled, but no blood flowed. Only purple smoke billowed out. The iron was cutting through it, but not destroying it.

"This metal can't kill us," the shadow growled again.

"But it can stop us." Jacques stepped back and whistled loudly.

As the whistle echoed, boys emerged from behind the trees. They were holding barbed iron ropes. They formed a circle and fastened the ropes to iron pegs driven into the ground. Jacques also wrapped one end around the tree.

As the shadow fell from the cold iron, it hit him, and white smoke began to rise from his body. He writhed as if he'd been set on fire. His purple eyes began to blur.

"Marcus! Cut it out!" Jax yelled.

Marcus leaped from the bushes with a heavy axe. It had a silver coating. He struck the shadow's neck with all his might. There was a cracking sound, and the shadow dissipated into smoke, leaving only a black fragment in the field.

Marcus approached, panting. His face was covered in mud and sweat. "That was just one, Jacques. Caleb has brought his entire army to the border. And behind him, many such shadows are crossing the river. Our magical siege has been broken. They won't hold out now."

Jacques cleaned his sword. The morning light was rising, but the sky was terrifying. The howling of wolves could be heard.

"Call the boys back to the main house. We'll be surrounded here in the open," Jacques said. "We have to get to Lily. They're heading straight for her."

They all turned and ran toward the house. The bushes were parting. But as soon as they reached the edge of the forest, Jacques' steps froze. His body stiffened.

The window panes on the main building, where Lily's room was, were shattered. The glass had fallen to the ground. A bright silvery light burst forth from within the room, and with it, Lily's agonizing scream echoed throughout the area. The power that had been suppressed for years had now been unleashed. The real game had begun on the border.