Adversaries

CHAPTER 4

AMERADA'S POV

A tear slid down my face, my head throbbed in sync with my pounding heart. The inevitable was finally upon me. A marriage with Damora.

As we galloped away, I prayed to the goddess to help me find my mate or better still, help him find me!

"You might die in battle, which would be entertaining but I won't be letting my soon to be bride die, would I?" I hated my life and the fact that he sounded happy.

It was already dark when we left the pack border, headed for the south. So dangerously close to the Claws borderline, that it was obvious Damora was looking for trouble.

"Strange! The guards and patrol team of the Claws pack did not respond to my little game." He whined as soon as we passed the borders.

Not long after, we heard the clashing of knives and swords.. Damora brought the horse to a stop and jumped down. Forgetting me on it. This must be the small southern pack.

"I smell something foul and mediocre," he sniffed the air before a smile graced his face.

"Raizen!" He patted my butt and traced my thigh with his claw, drawing blood mid-thigh. He licked it just as Hardin showed up with some warriors.

"Alpha?" They stopped, waiting for the next instruction. From the number of feets I could see, they were about fifty men. And they had all half-shifted to get here in time. Hardin was very competent as beta.

"Just in time, Beta Hardin." He smirked before rushing off in the direction of the fight.

I had no idea if Hardin pitied me or he had other motives, but he stopped in his pursuit of Damora and came back to get me down from the horse.

"Stay here and stay hidden!" He warned before going away. I stayed behind a large tree, crouched down in fear.

A little while later, the fight was yet to be over. I could tell that it was getting more rowdy. Grunting and shouting could be heard from almost every direction.

I wanted to escape. Sticking to the shadows, I drew out my wolf's vision and started to move. Running towards the southern pack.

The southern pack village was very small and the main village was very silent. It was as though the souls in the pack had all departed. I rushed towards the sound of a door shutting close.

"Hello?" I whispered audibly. Enough for the occupants of the house to hear.

"Please help me!" I whispered again. Tears were blurring my vision. On a more clear day, I could logically think of a solution to my predicament. Today was not a day of reasoning at all.

My heartbeat jumped as I heard light footsteps from somewhere behind me. Deciding that the place was unsafe, I skimmed away. Following the shadow casted by the houses as my escape route. I sucked in a breath when I bumped into a masked man. He was human. What was he doing here?

"Well well well, what do we have here?" He sounded amused as he grabbed my hand. I tried to strike him but it was a futile effort. My next thought was to run. As fast and as far away as possible. It was almost like wasting my time because he was strong.

"No! Please, let go of me!" I screamed and thrashed about as the man dragged me into the woods, away from the fight. Normally, humans weren't as strong as werewolves. I should be able to overpower him.

This particular man that smelled of smoke and blood was dragging me away from the fight, deep into the woods. No one would be able to save me from him. He looked ruthless and fearless. Couldn't he hear the ongoing fight between the werewolves? Where was he taking me to?. If only Damora had just left me back at the pack.

"Stupid b***h. I'll taste what it is that is so special about you werewolf bitches and kill you after." He said before tying me to a tree. Disgust immediately washed over me. First, the Alpha of my pack was trying to force me into marriage and now, a measly human was going to forcefully have his way with me minutes before he kills me.

"Please let go!" I cried as I pushed him with my legs. A reasonable amount of force but it only managed to make the man stagger. Before I could scream, he slammed my head into the tree. My vision blurred for the second time today.

"Stupid thing!" He spat before putting his hands in between my legs to tear away my panties. As soon as he stood up to throw them away, he halted as if he had been inspired by the gods to stop.

Slowly, he turned in the direction of the fight. I gasped, afraid of what was to come. The man had a knife in his back. His blood flowed out slowly, coating the knife before dripping down.

"Damned werewolf!" He lashes out with a wince. Reaching for his own dagger that was tucked in one of his numerous pockets. He threw it at the man in the shadows.

"Foolish human!" A man that was almost as big as Alpha Damora came out from the shadows, holding the same type of dagger that has just been thrown. He was a bloody mess but I was very grateful to see him. Flinging the dagger aside, he pounced my captor, punching furiously until the man's heartbeat stopped. Claw marks graced the poor man's face.

"Help me?" I wasn't sure whether to show my gratitude or be afraid now that I had seen how happy he looked to be killing. he looked like his bloody hands would pick me up to wipe me out of existence.

"How is this possible?" He asked. I wondered if he was alright in the head or if the fight had finally made him crazy.

"Can you please untie me?" I fluttered my lashes in a bid to actively seduce the man into freeing me. Apparently, men found me appealing immediately I matured as a woman.

"You're my mate." He said with a pained whisper, that caused my art of seduction to go away. I almost couldn't hear him.

"What did you say?" I asked again, hoping he would go straight to freeing me so I could be on my merry way, far from Damora.

He crouched down to my level, successfully untying me. "You're my mate."

I could feel it that he wasn't lying. I didn't find his touch irritating and I didn't want to get away from him. I wanted him to protect me. Was this how it felt to have a mate? Were my troubles finally over? Tears clouded my vision.

His expression changed when he saw the tiny tattoo on my wrist as he brought my hands forward.

"You're from the Canine's Pack?" He sounded disturbed. What did my pack have to do with me being his mate?

"You stay away from my mate, Raizen!" Damora called from the back with a growl.

Raizen? As in Alpha of the Claws pack?