Never Leave, A Human Mate - (Book 2 The Mist Series)

~Chapter 19 - Desmond Saves Reece~

~Reece~

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Donte clawed at my mind, sensing those mutants were nearby. Dawn was not entirely oblivious to the chaos shooting through the werewolves’ senses. But she had chalked it as a part of her illness, and that she had missed one of her medications. She was so close to the truth, yet so far. I ached for the moment Freya, her dormant wolf, would finally reach out and claim her. But that moment hadn’t arrived, and the mutants had. I needed to get Dawn safely to the packhouse without exposing her to the supernatural world and shattering her sanity.

“This was a beautiful lookout,” Dawn winced, her hand fluttering to her head. “I’m sorry for ruining it.”

“No, you didn’t ruin it,” I said, pulling her close. I hid the fear in my voice, the growl Donte desperately wanted to release. “Let’s get you back to the house… You can rest.”

A raw and primal howl ripped through Mist, and echoed off the stone walls of the Mist lookout. It wasn’t a wolf howl. It was something mutated. Dawn tensed, her eyes darting to mine. Fear paled her face.

“Did—did you hear that?” she asked, her words tight.

I feigned listening, but pretended to hear nothing. The guilt of my betrayal sunk deep into my stomach. “Here what?”

She shook her head, her hand going to her forehead. “I think I need to lie down.” Suddenly, her body went limp in my embrace.

I caught her as she collapsed and cradled her in my arms. “Dawn?” I said, patting her face. Her eyes flickered, but she was either unconscious or Freya had granted her a small reprieve.

A guttural snarl, thick with malice, tore through the air. I glanced up. Emerging from the treeline, its silhouette framed against the fading dawn, stood one of the mutated beasts. Its muzzle was slicked with drool and something darker, something that made Donte’s hackles rise. Donte surged forward in my mind, a white-hot wave of possessive protectiveness for our mate. I glanced down at Dawn, relief washing over me. She was spared from witnessing the coming transformation.

“Let me protect her!” Donte snarled.

I laid Dawn down, my hands lingering for a moment on her soft cheek. Then, I released Donte. The wolf’s pure white body erupted from me, landing in a crouch between Dawn and the approaching beast. Donte growled, a low, rumbling promise of pain and fury.

“Beast up on the lookout!” I shouted through the mind link. “And Dawn’s unconscious. Send back up!”

“On our way!” Gamma Thorne replied, his voice sharp.

Having witnessed the brute power of these creatures firsthand, I knew Donte, magnificent as he was, couldn’t win this alone. But he wouldn’t back down. He would fight to his last breath to defend the woman we both loved.

Donte sucked in a long breath, testing the wind, then sneezed out a disgusted snarl. These things… they were a sickening collage of wet fur, clinging muck, and something else entirely. Something… wrong. It might have been magic, but not the kind that flowed from the earth or the moon. This was something… sweeter, almost floral, but laced with a sharp, metallic tang that curled your toes and made you want to gag. The smell alone was enough to weaken a wolf.

The beast took a lumbering step forward, and Donte sprung back, meeting the creature head-on. He snapped, a blur of white fur and teeth, aiming for the exposed tendons of the beast’s leg. It roared, a sound that scraped against my soul, and retaliated with a swipe of a massive, clawed paw. Donte dodged, narrowly avoiding the blow, but not before a claw ripped across his flank. We yelped, a sharp, pained sound that echoed in my head.

The beast spun around and faced me, its putrid breath washing over me in a nauseating wave. Donte backed towards Dawn, positioning himself between her and the monster, refusing to let it anywhere near her. White-hot pain radiated from his flank, pain we could almost taste. The wet warmth of blood followed. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the symphony of fear rising within me.

A clatter of wolf claws echoed on the stone path that led to us. But to our horror, it wasn’t reinforcements, but another mutated beast, even larger and more grotesque than the first. How many of these things did Maddison and Salista have hidden away in this twisted menagerie?

They shared a look, a silent communication I couldn’t decipher, then surged towards us, snarling. Before I could react, a large, blond wolf exploded from the bushes and slammed into them, knocking them against the stone wall. It turned towards us, and a jolt of recognition, a strange sense of familiarity, flooded me. That pelt… Those eyes… He looked so much like… No, it couldn’t be. Desmond Hugh?

But the shared moment vanished as one of the mutated beasts shook its head, clambered to its feet, and fixed its malevolent gaze on us. The blond wolf didn’t hesitate. It launched itself at the creature, aiming for its neck. They connected with a sickening crunch as the blond wolf’s jaws clamped down. It was a desperate, brutal struggle.

Donte, weakened but unyielding, danced around the first beast, snapping and snarling, trying to wear it down. But its thick hide and unnatural resilience seemed impervious to our attacks. He swiped again, missing his flank but catching his shoulder. We cried out as the claws tore through muscle and fur.

“Hold on, Donte,” I growled through the mind link, tasting blood. “They’ll be here any minute.”

But every second felt like an eternity.

The beast lunged, pinning Donte to the ground. Its foul breath reeked of decay, its hot drool dripping onto Donte’s fur. Panic clawed at me. This thing was going to kill us, and Dawn would be left unprotected.

Suddenly, a brown blur slammed into the beast, knocking it off balance. Gamma Thorne, teeth bared and eyes blazing, joined the fray. Relief washed over me, momentarily easing the pain.

“Get Dawn out of here!” Alpha Zodiac barked as he joined the battle. “We’ll handle this.”

I didn’t argue. Donte shook himself, trying to regain my focus, and nudged Dawn with his snout, willing her to wake up. When she didn’t stir, he relented and allowed me to take over. The change was agony, every torn muscle screaming in protest. I scooped her up in my arms, wincing at the pain. Her body was still limp, her face pale. I prayed she would stay unconscious, spared from the brutal scene unfolding around us.

As I carried her away from the lookout, I risked a glance back. The fight was a tornado of fur and claws, a chaotic ballet of violence. Thorne, Zodiac, and Desmond, working together, were putting up a valiant effort against the mutated beasts. But the creatures were relentless, their strength and unnatural stamina seemingly inexhaustible.

“Please hold on,” I whispered to Dawn as I ran through the town, dodging wolves. “Just a little further.”

I reached the edge of the road and burst through the gates that led to the packhouse. The familiar scent of my pack filled my nostrils, a comforting reassurance. But even here, the putrid stench of the mutated beasts lingered, a dark cloud hanging over us.

I raced into the packhouse, panting and bleeding, each movement a white fiery ache.

“Luna Louise!” I shouted through the mind link as I collapsed on the bottom step, with Dawn in my arms. “I need your help!”

Tyrone appeared on the second floor landing. Luna Louise, Luna Ruth, and May stood behind him, their eyes wide.

“We were attacked,” I panted, pressing Dawn to my chest. “Dawn’s unconscious… I can’t wake her!”

“Reece,” Luna Ruth gasped. She hurried past Tyrone and Louise and ran down the stairs, taking two at a time. She stopped beside me, her eyes falling on the blood running from my shoulder and my thigh. “You’re injured!”

“I’m fine,” I half-lied, biting down on the pain. “But Dawn needs to be taken to the safe room.”

Suddenly, Tyrone and Louise were beside us. “Let us take her…” Luna Louise offered, reaching for Dawn’s body.

Hesitantly, I allowed Tyrone and Louise to take Dawn. They carried her up the stairs and out of my sight. Once she was safe, the pain overtook my senses.

“Arrh!” I seethed, pressing my hand to my shoulder. The warmth of blood burned against my hand.

“Let me help you,” Luna Ruth said. She ran to the linen closet behind the stairs, returning with towels. She folded one, then pressed it to my shoulder. Once that was in place, she pressed the other to my thigh.

I held them there, each movement agony. “Those beasts…” I hissed between clenched teeth. “They’re magically tough.” I sucked in a deep breath. “If it wasn’t for Desmond Hugh and Archie, I wouldn’t be here!”

“How many were there?” Luna Ruth asked. She lifted the towel from my thigh, winced and replaced it. “That’s deep, Reece. I can’t let you go back out there. Another attack and you might not survive.”

“I have to,” I defended. “Joseph, Archie, and Desmond won’t be able to take them out. We need multiple, maybe help from the Elders.”

Luna Ruth hesitated, then checked my wounds. “We’ve reached out to Duane and the Celestial Moon, and Silas is already here.” She met my eyes. “I don’t think we need to involve the Elders just yet.”

I scowled at her, but her Luna wolf made Donte recede. “Luna, you know we’re ever faithful to you, but this time I disagree. We need the Elders, in the least, Darius.”

She cleared her throat. Something troubling flickered in her expression. “Reece, I have mentioned nothing, because the war planning—the triplet—the Alpha Summits, they have taken presidency.” She swallowed nervously. “The Elder’s… Well, Josephine, she’s…” she trailed off.

I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Luna?”

She peered up at me. This time, guilt replaced the fear. “After the situation with the Sunset clan and Maddison kidnapping our warriors, I reached out to the Elders. It wasn’t me, but Ophelia spoke with Elder Alda… and, well, Josephine disappeared. They don’t know where she is. None of them can reach her. Elder Darius couldn’t care less, but Alda and Adelaris are concerned.”

Hey heart stopped for a breath, then started. A sudden realisation dawn upon me that made my skin crawl. “Luna,” I said, pivoting to face her. “Maddison has been spotted in the different packs, but never caught. She’s making her rounds… What if,” I held her gaze. “What if she’s going to every pack to recruit, or pilfer, our warriors? She’s already got Kendle and Misha, and Alpha Tyson admitted that three of his delta warriors were never found. Did Duane or Beta Jackson mention any warriors missing?”

She nodded, the motion stiff. “Yes. Kyra was lucky to escape, and a few were killed, but two were taken, presumed dead.”

Everything was making sense, and it made my blood boil. I stood, removing the towels. The wounds were already healing, and the pain had been overtaken by anger. “Luna Ruth, Elder Josephine hasn’t just disappeared, she been kidnapped.”

Her hand fluttered to her head. “That’s why Josie-Anne can’t find them… or sense the missing warriors. Once Salista mutates them, they’re no longer a part of their packs!”

A female cleared her voice from the staircase landing. We turned to see Agatha standing there, Anya balanced on her hip.

“That’s why I can’t see them!” She exclaimed. Smoke tendrils danced around her and Anya, and I knew even she was concerned. “Salista isn’t powerful enough to break the pack connection, but your Elder Josephine… I believe she can.”

“Right now, I need to get back out there and fight!” I determined, turning away from them. “I need to pass on the information. If this is as bad as we think it is, we could be fighting our own warriors and never know!”

“Be safe, Beta Reece,” Luna Ruth said as she backed towards the stairs. “I’ll see if I can reach out to Elder Darius. You might be right. We need his help!”