CHAPTER 2
1116 Words
Aurelia's POV
The rogue wolves charged,screams erupted across the training ground.
Panic spread through the pack like wildfire.
I couldn't move,thirty wolves,maybe more.
Their red eyes glowed with bloodlust.
Foam dripped from their mouths.
They weren't here to steal territory.
They were here to kill.
"Protect the pack!" Beta Kieran roared.
The warriors immediately shifted.
Bones cracked,growls thundered,clothes tore apart.
Within seconds, massive wolves burst onto the battlefield.
The ground shook beneath dozens of pounding paws.
Chaos exploded.
The first collision hit like a truck.
Silver Crest wolves slammed into the rogue front line.
Teeth met flesh,claws ripped fur.
Blood sprayed across the dirt.
The sound was horrifying.
Snarls,howls,screams.
The sickening crunch of bone.
I stumbled backward because fear consumed me.
I had never witnessed a real battle before,not like this.
Not when wolves were actually dying.
A gray warrior lunged at a rogue.
The rogue twisted beneath him.
Its jaws snapped upward.
Straight into the warrior's throat.
Blood ran everywhere.
The warrior collapsed and was instantly dead.
My stomach twisted violently.
"Oh Goddess..."
The battlefield was turning into a slaughterhouse.
Then Ragnar moved and everything changed.
The Alpha shifted.
The transformation happened so quickly it barely seemed real.
His body expanded,muscles stretched.
Black fur erupted across his skin.
Bones cracked loudly.
The massive black wolf that emerged was terrifying.
Larger than every wolf on the field.
Stronger and deadlier.
His silver eyes blazed.
The Alpha launched himself directly into the rogue line.
A rogue wolf leaped toward him.
Ragnar caught it in midair.
His jaws crushed its neck.
A sharp crack echoed.
The rogue dropped lifelessly to the ground.
Another attacked,then another,then three more.
Ragnar tore through them.
A force of nature.
A monster among monsters.
For a moment, I even forgot to breathe.
The crowd always spoke about Alpha Ragnar's strength.
Now I understand why. No wonder everyone feared him.
No wonder neighboring packs avoided war with Silver Crest.
The Alpha was a weapon.
A deadly one.
"Aurelia!"
I spun around.
Selina was running toward me.
Her curly brown hair was covered in dirt.
Fear filled her hazel eyes.
"What are you doing standing there?"
"I…"
"No!"
She grabbed my wrist.
"We need to go."
Another howl erupted nearby.
Selina pulled harder. "Civilians are evacuating."
I nodded quickly.
We started running.
The residential sector wasn't far.
If we could reach the shelters…
Something slammed into me.
I crashed into the dirt.
Pain ran through my shoulder.
The air left my lungs.
"Aurelia!" Selina screamed.
I rolled over.
A rogue wolf stood above me.
Its red eyes locked onto mine. Its teeth gleamed.
My blood froze,the wolf growled.
It wanted me. The realization chilled me.
Why?
The rogue lunged.
I scrambled backward.
Its jaws snapped inches from my face.
My heart nearly stopped.
I kicked wildly.
The wolf barely reacted.
It was too strong,too fast and too close.
I was going to die.
I knew it.
I couldn't shift,couldn't fight,couldn't even defend myself.
I was still the same helpless omega.
The same useless girl everyone despised.
The wolf attacked again.
Then suddenly a blur of gray slammed into it.
Both wolves tumbled across the ground.
Selina,my eyes widened.
She had shifted.
Her smaller gray wolf fought desperately against the rogue.
The rogue was much bigger and much stronger.
But Selina refused to back down,she was protecting me.
The rogue struck.
Its claws ripped across Selina's side.
Blood sprayed,she yelped.
My chest tightened.
"Selina!"
The rogue pinned her down.
Its jaws opened,ready for the killing bite.
"No!"
I grabbed a broken training spear lying nearby.
Without thinking, I ran forward.
The rogue never saw me coming.
I drove the spear into its shoulder.
The wolf howled violently.
It released Selina.
The rogue spun toward me,fury burned in its eyes.
The spear hadn't killed it.
I knew that instantly.
All I had done was make it angry,very much angry.
The wolf charged.
My hands trembled.
I couldn't outrun it.
Then something strange happened.
The world slowed.
But everything became clearer,sharper,every movement,every sound,every scent.
I could see the rogue's muscles tightening before it moved.
I could hear its heartbeat.
I could smell the blood on its fur.
What was happening?
The rogue lunged.
My Instinct took over and I moved.
The attack missed.
The wolf immediately turned,being confused.
I shouldn't have missed it,nor should I have survived.
The rogue attacked again.
I dodged.
My own body shocked me,I wasn't fighting but somehow I could predict its movements.
Almost as if an invisible voice was guiding me.
Move left,duck,turn,run.
Every instinct was suddenly screaming directions inside my head.
The rogue became frustrated.
Its attacks grew reckless and more violent.
Then another wolf appeared,black fur and silver eyes.
Ragnar.
The Alpha slammed into the rogue with terrifying force.
The impact launched the creature several feet away.
Before it could recover, Ragnar's jaws closed around its neck.
The rogue stopped moving.
Silence filled the small space.
My chest rose and fell rapidly.
Ragnar shifted back.
His black clothes were torn,blood stained his skin. Most of it wasn't his.
His silver eyes locked onto me.
"You should have been dead."
Even after everything,I looked away.
"I'm sorry."
His jaw tightened.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Beta Kieran appeared.
"Alpha!"
Ragnar immediately turned.
"What?"
"The rogues are retreating."
Relief spread across the battlefield.
The surviving rogues were running.
The warriors were chasing them toward the forest.
The battle was ending.
Ragnar nodded.
"Secure the borders."
"It'll be done." The Beta rushed away.
Selina slowly shifted back into human form.
Blood covered her clothes,she winced.
I immediately moved toward her.
"You're hurt."
"I'll survive."
"You protected me."
She laughed weakly.
"Someone had to."
Emotion tightened my throat.
Nobody had protected me before,not like that,not at the risk of their own life.
Selina squeezed my hand.
"We should get to the healers."
I nodded.
Then I noticed a strange silence had fallen across the training ground.
Whispers spread through the crowd,confused whispers,concerned whispers.
I frowned.
"What happened?"
Selina suddenly looked pale.
Her eyes dropped to my hands.
A strange expression crossed her face.
"Selina?"
She didn't answer.
My heartbeat quickened.
"What's wrong?" Her mouth opened.
The crowd continued whispering.
I looked down. My breath caught.
Blood covered the front of my shirt.
Had I been injured?
I quickly touched my side,nothing.
My shoulder,nothing.
No wounds,no pain.
Then why..?
Selina grabbed my wrist.
Her hand trembled.
"Aurelia..."
Fear flashed through her eyes.
"Aurelia, tell me the truth."
My stomach dropped.
"What truth?" She swallowed hard.
Then lowered her voice.
"Tell me the truth,so everyone doesn't hear."
And Selina's next words made the entire world stop.
"How long have you known you're pregnant?”
- Writer
