Chapter 4: Protected
940 Words
"Found her."
The rogue's voice echoed through the hall.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
His finger remained pointed directly at me.
My stomach dropped.
How did he know who I was?
The rogue smiled.
It wasn't a normal smile.
It was the kind of smile predators wore when they finally cornered their prey.
Fear wrapped around my chest.
Around me, wolves began backing away.
Some gasped.
Others stared at me with confusion.
I couldn't blame them.
I was confused too.
Why would a rogue be looking for me?
I was nobody.
Just Ava Wilson.
The wolfless girl.
At least, I had been until tonight.
The rogue took a step forward.
Then another.
His eyes never left mine.
"Ava," my wolf whispered.
"I know."
"He's dangerous."
I didn't need her to tell me that.
The scars covering his face told me enough.
Suddenly, Damien stepped in front of me.
Completely blocking the rogue's view.
The movement happened so quickly I barely registered it.
One second I was staring at the rogue.
The next, Damien's broad back filled my vision.
His shoulders were rigid.
His hands clenched into fists.
A low growl vibrated through the room.
Every wolf present froze.
Even I felt it.
The power behind it.
The authority.
The warning.
Alpha.
The rogue's smile widened.
"So it's true."
Damien's voice was cold.
"Leave."
The rogue laughed.
"I don't think so."
More growls sounded from outside.
Dozens of them.
Maybe hundreds.
The hall suddenly felt much smaller.
The rogue spread his arms.
"You know why we're here."
Damien didn't answer.
My eyes narrowed.
He knew.
Whatever was happening, Damien knew exactly why the rogues had come.
The realization fueled my anger.
Even now he was keeping secrets.
"Ava stays here," Damien said.
The rogue laughed again.
"That's not what my Alpha wants."
A chill raced down my spine.
My Alpha.
So this wasn't random.
Someone had sent them.
Someone powerful.
Someone who wanted me.
But why?
The rogue's gaze shifted around Damien.
His eyes found mine.
"There you are."
My wolf growled.
A deep, vicious sound.
The rogue's smile faltered.
His eyes widened slightly.
Almost as if he sensed her.
Almost as if he had expected something else.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"What do you want?" I demanded.
The hall fell silent.
Damien cursed under his breath.
The rogue looked amused.
"You ask a lot of questions."
"And you haven't answered any."
For a moment, he simply stared.
Then he tilted his head.
"You really don't know, do you?"
A knot formed in my stomach.
Know what?
Before I could ask, Damien spoke.
"Enough."
The command cracked through the hall.
The rogue shrugged.
"Fine."
His expression darkened.
"We can do this the hard way."
Everything happened at once.
The rogue lunged.
Warriors surged forward.
The hall exploded into chaos.
The rogue shifted midair.
Bones snapped.
Muscles expanded.
Fur burst across his body.
Within seconds, a massive black wolf crashed into the nearest warrior.
The warrior slammed into a wall.
People screamed.
Tables overturned.
Children cried.
I stumbled backward.
My heart pounded.
I had seen wolves before.
But never violence like this.
Never real violence.
The black wolf charged again.
Another warrior intercepted him.
They collided with enough force to shake the floor.
Growls filled the hall.
Claws flashed.
Blood sprayed.
I couldn't look away.
This was what life in a pack truly meant.
Not ceremonies.
Not celebrations.
Protection.
Sacrifice.
War.
"Ava!"
Damien grabbed my arm.
I jumped.
"When I tell you to run, you run."
I glared at him.
"You don't get to order me around."
His eyes flashed.
"Seriously?"
"This conversation again?"
"Yes, this conversation again!"
A disbelieving laugh escaped him.
We were arguing during an attack.
Part of me realized how ridiculous it was.
The other part didn't care.
Then another crash sounded.
This time the front wall shook.
Everyone froze.
A second later, it shattered.
Three more rogues burst inside.
The room erupted in panic.
The warriors suddenly looked outnumbered.
Fear gripped my chest.
This wasn't one rogue.
This was an invasion.
Damien's face hardened.
He pulled me behind him.
Without thinking, I grabbed the back of his shirt.
The moment I realized what I had done, I released it.
Too late.
His lips twitched.
The annoying man almost smiled.
"I wasn't scared."
"Liar."
I opened my mouth to argue.
Then one of the rogues charged directly toward us.
Everything slowed.
The rogue leaped.
Claws extended.
A snarl ripped from his throat.
Before I could react, Damien moved.
His body shifted instantly.
Bones cracked.
Fur exploded across his skin.
The massive silver wolf that emerged was unlike anything I had ever seen.
Power radiated from him.
Dominance.
Strength.
Authority.
The entire hall seemed to tremble beneath his presence.
Even the rogues hesitated.
The silver wolf launched himself forward.
The collision shook the room.
The rogue flew backward.
Straight through a table.
I stared.
Speechless.
My wolf practically purred.
"Our mate is strong."
"Stop calling him that."
"He is our mate."
"I don't care."
"Liar."
Great.
Now even my wolf was arguing with me.
A sudden scream cut through my thoughts.
I turned.
One of the rogues had broken through the warriors.
And he was running directly toward me.
Not anyone else.
Me.
My blood ran cold.
The rogue's eyes gleamed with triumph.
As if he had finally found what he was looking for.
As if I wasn't a person.
As if I was a prize.
And for the first time that night, I realized something terrifying.
The rogues weren't attacking the pack.
They were attacking the pack to get to me.
But why was I so important?
- Writer
