War Amongst the Realms

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The air was unusually still on the night of the summer solstice. The moon glistened through the trees, illuminating the lake in the middle of the clearing. Delilah stood at the edge of water, poised in a ready position to strike when the signal was given. The Faye celebration was in full swing at this point. Natari and her clan are blissfully unaware of the dangers lurking in the woods, just beyond their gated land.

"How many at the gate?" Kylen's voice rang through Delilah's ears. He was waiting at the edge of the woods with the rest of his pack, using his mind link to reach his mate.

"Five visible, but I've picked up at least a dozen scents in the trees."

"It's time." Delilah's eyes darkened as she raised her hand in the air, signaling the others around her to move in. In one swift motion, Delilah leaped into the air and shifted into her wolf, her jet black fur blending into the night. She cleared the lake in a single leap and ascended into the trees. Before the Faye guards knew what was happening, bodies dropped from the trees to the ground with soft thuds. The Faye on the ground raises their weapons as they scanned the area for the cause of the commotion. Three silver haired wolves emerged from the trees, quickly ripping to shreds the guards on the ground. Delilah dropped down from the trees, counting the bodies when the smell of sage drifted into her nostrils, letting her know Kylen was approaching with the others.

"Sixteen, one is missing." Delilah said through mind link, sniffing the air around them. Just then, Freya came strolling out of the woods, wiping blood off her blade before turning her gaze to Delilah, a sinister smirk dancing on her lips.

"Seventeen." She stated before shifting into her wolf. Delilah let out a low growl and turned her attention to the gate. She took a few steps forward, glancing to her right to see Kylen appear next to her. His dark brown fur giving off a slight red tint in the moonlight. Their eyes locked briefly, nodded, then Kylen let out a growl. He ran towards the gate, knocking it down with minimal effort. Delilah right on his tail as they charged into the Faye's celebration.

Natari sipped her wine, sitting on her throne, smiling as she watched her subjects thoroughly enjoying her party. She took one last sip of her wine and slowly rose from her throne, raising her arm in the air to silence the band.

"Loyal subject," she began, "it brings me great joy to see you all here this evening. I know times are tough, but soon, we shall arise victorious."

The crowd erupted in cheers at her words. Natari paused for a moment, letting the cheers die down before she spoke again. "Chaos and lawlessness have reigned for too long. Once we are crowned champions, we shall restore order and rule over all supernatural once more!" Natari raised her glass in the air as once again, the crowd erupted in cheers.

The cheers were soon interrupted with screams of terror. The wolves descended upon the crowd, the blood lost evident in their eyes. Within minutes, hundreds of Faye were sprawled lifeless on the ground, laying in pools of blood. The wolves continued their attack, pushing forward into the crowd, leaving only death in their wake. Natari's personal guards quickly ushered their queen away from the chaos, disappearing through a trail in the woods, leading back to her mansion.

Faye warriors rushed through the trees towards the wolves. Gunshots rang out in the air as wolves began to drop as well. Shifting back into humans as they lay bleeding out on the dancefloor turned battlefield. The scene was utter madness. Bodies and silver shell casings littered the earth as the fight continued.

Delilah growled, leaping towards a guard and slashed through his body with her claws. The Faye warrior fell to ground as Delilah pressed forward, taking down any Faye that crossed her path. She fell to ground, howling into the night as a piercing pain shot through her back. She rolled on to her back to see a large Faye warrior hovering over her, his blade wet with her blood. The Faye man wasted no time in lifting his silver blade above his head ready, bringing it down with great force towards Delilah's chest. Just before the blade pierced through her flesh, the man was lifted into the air by his throat and thrown like a ragdoll across the field. Kylen shifted into his human form and dropped to his knees beside Delilah. She let out a whimper as she shifted back to human form, too weak to stay a wolf. Kylen carefully scooped her into his arms and took off in the direction of the gate.

"Wolves, retreat!" Kylen said through his mind link. The wolves stopped attacking and followed behind Kylen, ending their reign of terror against the Faye. Kylen continued running through the woods until he reached the clearing, where the wolves had left their vehicles for a quick escape. He paused momentarily to survey the area. Once he was sure they were safe, he opened the door to his truck, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around his mate before gently placing her in the passenger seat. Hundreds of wolves emerged into the clearing and shifted back into human form. They all scrambled to their vehicles and drove away.

Kylen drove like mad man back to his packs territory. He pulled up to the hospital, barely putting it in park, not bothering to shut off the engine as he hopped out and ran around to the passenger side. He ripped the door open and took Delilah into his arms, bursting through the entrance of the hospital. The woman at the front desk jumped at the sudden commotion in front of her. She focused her eyes on the scene at the door and leaped to her feet.

"Right this way, Alpha." She said as she ran through the double doors directly behind her desk, followed quickly by Kylen. She disappeared into a room, returned seconds later wheeling a bed out with her. Kylen placed Delilah onto the bed as two more nurses appeared by his side.

"Get the doctor!" Ms Johansen shouted. She pulled the blanket off Delilah to examine her body. 'The wound is deep and laced with silver, but she will be just fine, Alpha. I promise." She said and wheeled Delilah down the hall towards an operating room.

Kylen stood in the hallway and stared after his mate, then turned and went back out to his truck. He grabbed a bag out from the back, pulling it open and grabbing out a pair of gray sweats. He had been so worried about Delilah, he hadn't bothered to put clothes on after he shifted back. He threw on a black t-shirt before tossing the bag on the passenger seat and climbing into the driver's seat. After he parked his truck in the parking lot, he pulled some socks out of his bag, sliding them onto his feet. He grabbed his black and white Van's from the floorboard, struggling to get them on. He cursed under his breath, finally getting them on and lacing them up and hopping out of the truck. He ran back towards the hospital doors, hearing the screeching of tires as more of the injured wolves arrived at the hospital. Marcos pulled his mustang into the parking lot, stopping right in front of Kylen. Mirroring Kylen's actions when he first arrived, he hopped out of the car, running to the passenger side and pulling the door open. Slumped in the passenger seat was a tall, slender man with shaggy, short black hair. The green streaks in his hair were barely visible through all the blood soaking his head.

"Is he alive?" Kylen asked.

"For now." Marcos responded. "Help me get him inside."

Kylen moved and grabbed the man's arm, pulling him out of the car with Marcos and carrying him inside the building. Nurses lined the walls of the hospital entrance, wheelchairs and beds at the ready. They got the man onto a bed and watched as a nurse wheeled him down the hall. Marcos stepped forward to follow after them, but was stopped by Kylen.

"Let them work. Shilo is in good hands and you will only be in the way." Kylen said. "We have to check on the rest of the wolves."

Marcos let out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "Yes, Alpha. Let me go park my car." He nodded and disappeared back out the hospital entrance.

Kylen watched as more and more injured wolves came flooding through the doors. Listening to the sounds of crying and distressed wolves around him. He inhaled sharply before slowly turning and headed towards the waiting room. His mind focused only on the state of his mate. He sat in the corner of the room, leaning forward to rest his hands on his knees. Pain crept through his body, the adrenaline finally wearing off. He sat back in the chair and looked down at his now wet t-shirt. He hadn been so focused on Delilah, he hadn't realized he was hurt himself. He pulled his shirt up to see a long gash going across his abdomen. It wasn't deep, but it was still seeping blood. He let his shirt fall back down and stood up. Marcos came around the corner into the waiting room. Worry and exhaustion taking over his pale face. Bruises and small cuts were scattered over his body, but he did not sustain any serious injuries.

"You should get that looked at." Marcos said, gesturing towards the wet spot on Kylen's shirt.

"I plan on it soon. Have you heard word of the wolves we lost?"

"So far the count is twenty five. No reports of what pack they belonged to." Marco said, plopping down in a chair by the door. He rested back against the chair, laying his head back against the wall, closing his eyes.

"Only Natari and her personal guards survived the attack." He said, keeping his eyes closed.

"Good, stay here and speak with the others as they come in. Find out as much as you can about the injured and dead." Kylen said. "I'm going to go get this scratch looked at and check on Delilah."

"Will you ask about Shilo?" Marcos asked, opening his eyes to look at Kylen. The desperation and concern were strong in his voice as he stared at his Alpha. Kylen nodded and gave a sympathetic smile before turning and walking down the hall to find a nurse. As he passed the front lobby, he saw a few more wolves walking in with less severe injuries to be treated. He continued down the hall until he came across a young blonde haired woman standing at the nurses station. She turned, hearing his footsteps and bowed her head slightly.

"Good evening, Alpha. Delilah is doing great. The doctor gave her a mild sedative and she is resting." She said with a kind smile. "Would you like to see her?"

"Very much so, but would mind taking a look at this cut here?" Kylen asked, raising his shirt to expose the slice across his stomach. The woman's brows furrowed as she examined the wound.

"Come on, it's not too bad. We can easily take care of that." She said, leading Kylen down the hall and into an empty room. She motioned for Kylen to take a seat on the exam table and started gathering some supplies. Kylen took a seat, pulling shirt over his head and staring down at the long slit.

"Any news on Shilo?" He asked.

"He's in surgery. One bullet grazed his right temple and the other was lodged in his right shoulder. He lost a lot of blood and the silver is rapidly moving through his blood stream." She said as she got to work, cleaning out the wound. She grabbed a small jar off the table beside her and dipped two of her gloved fingers into the jar.

"Thank you, Taya." Kylen said, slipping his shirt back on once Taya had finished bandaging him up.

"Of course, Alpha." She smiled, bowing her head to him. "Tell Marcos that Shilo will pull through. He's one of the strongest warriors in this pack. I know his mate will be just fine. Now come on, let's get you to your mate." She said.

She ripped the gloves from her hands and tossed them into the trash before making her way out the door. Kylen followed after her down the hallway some more. Taya stopped outside a room at the very end of the hall and opened the door before stepping to the side to let Kylen walk in. Kylen stepped through the doorway and let out a sigh of relief. Delilah was sound asleep, her brow furrowed slightly, but overall looking peaceful. Kylen moved to her bedside and bent down, placing a kiss on forehead.

"Sleep sweet, my love. I will be back as soon as I can." He murmured against her forehead. He stood up straight and walked back out the door, closing it behind him. He walked back to the waiting room to find it full of people. All waiting anxiously for news on their loved ones and fellow pack members.

"Any word on Shilo?" Marcos asked, springing to his feet, eyes full of hope.

"He's in surgery. He was hurt pretty bad, but the doctor expects him to pull through." Kylen said, patting his Beta on the shoulder. "Taya promised to come get you as soon as he is out of surgery." He turned his attention to the others, surveying the room. Freya was standing in the corner, her arm slung over her sister's shoulder, whispering something into her ear.

Another victory on their side, but the war was far from over. Natari would not accept defeat easily and was probably already gathering other supernaturals for her army. Kylen knew if they had any chance of defeating her for good, they would also have to reach out to the other supers to form an alliance.

"Marcos?" Came a voice from behind them. Marcos spin around, eyes locking on to Taya, who stood in the doorway to the waiting room. "I'm so sorry. We did-" Her words were cut off by a booming growl. Marcos sunk down in the chair and buried his head in his hands, sobbing into his hands. The room fell silent as everyone turned their attention towards Marcos. Taya hung her head and walked slowly out of room, a few tears sliding down her cheeks.

"My poor baby!' A woman shrieked, running to Marcos and wrapping her arms around him. Marcos sat back in the chair, gently removing the woman's arms from around him. He slid around her and stood up, running to catch up with Taya.

"Can I see him?" He asked, tears striking his face. Taya took ahold of his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before leading him back into the room with his mate. She stepped into the room in front of him and walked over to the examination table. She pulled the sheet down, revealing Shilo's bruised face. Marcos walked over and knelt down beside him, resting his head against Shilo's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you, baby." Marcos whispered. "I swear on my life, we will end this and make that vile Faye b***h pay for everything she has taken from us all." He kissed his shoulder before standing up. "Fly high with the Goddess, baby. Until we meet again."