Blaze

Three

​"They're attacking from the west side," one of the warriors informed me through the mind-link.

​"Head to the west!" I shouted at the warriors. They immediately followed my command and headed west. "All females, protect the elders and kids. Some of you must stay to protect the pack territory; the remaining should join me for the war," I linked all the females and then made my way toward what I could already tell was a bloodbath from the broken links.

​I pushed past the horrible sight of the shredded bodies of several warriors. The Rogue Alpha and his minions were known to be the best warriors. Their strength was unmatched, and I could only pray my pack could survive this attack, though the chances were slim. None had survived their attacks until now, and this pack was not as strong as some of the others they had targeted.

​What was more astonishing was that they didn't have any special abilities, but their techniques were so precise they managed to take down whole packs without breaking a sweat. So, I had no doubt that today would be my last day in this world.

​I threw all negative thoughts aside and concentrated on the difficult task at hand: protecting my pack from the Rogue Alpha.

​When I reached the west side, my eyes widened as I took in the scene in front of me. All of the warriors who had been on the west side of the territory lay dead, their faces difficult to recognize due to all the blood.

​I whined for my now-dead pack members before I took off in the direction where a delicious scent was leading me. I didn't dwell much on the scent, other than the fact that it belonged to an outsider- probably one of the minions of the Rogue Alpha, or the Rogue Alpha himself. I shuddered at the thought. Can a beast like him have such a delicious scent? I didn't know and didn't want to know. My priority was to save and fight for my pack, not to wonder who the scent belonged to.

​I let out a howl as I neared the scent of the five rogues. For a second, fear gripped my heart as I saw how fast and cruelly they were killing the pack members one by one, but I hardened my heart and joined my warriors to fight them off.

​The first one I decided to attack was the Rogue Alpha. How did I recognize him? His aura was dark and dangerous, his wolf was the biggest in the group, and he was clearly more skilled than the others.

​He was fighting one of the male warriors, and I decided to help him. I knew I couldn't beat the Rogue Alpha alone, so I bared my teeth and attacked without remorse.

​Before I could even scratch a hair on his body, he turned to me and dodged my attack. My fur bristled against his as he moved. The sparks from his touch threw me completely off guard before his wolf slammed me to the ground, my body landing a few feet away from the sheer force he used.

​I stood up and growled in his direction, but then froze in shock when our eyes met—his amber ones locking onto my blue ones.

​Mate! my wolf howled in happiness, nearly deafening me with her high-pitched shriek.

​This couldn't be happening right now. No way in hell was my mate the Rogue Alpha. My eyes never once left his; it almost felt like time had stopped completely. Almost. Until I got a reminder of where I was and who my mate was when one of his group members threw the dead body of a pack member onto me. I cursed inside my head as I fell once again. Is it fall day? I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts before looking back at the Rogue Alpha- or should I say, my mate?

​He was still looking at me but averted his gaze when he, too, realized where he was. His eyes darkened for a second before he composed himself and let out a resounding howl. All the rogues he had come with stopped fighting immediately.

​I froze. Is he sparing my pack members' lives? I looked at him with hope, but my eyes widened in alarm when I saw Beta Isaac sneaking up on my mate with a silver knife.

​I immediately ran toward my mate and, with as much force as I could muster, tried to throw him to the side. I only managed to shove him a single step away, but compared to his strength and body mass, I was proud I managed to even move him that much.

​I jumped on Beta Isaac and growled at him in warning, even though my wolf wanted to end his pathetic life for trying to harm our mate. I rolled my eyes at her possessiveness. She wanted to protect him as if he actually needed our protection- he alone could end the lives of more than half my pack.

​I stood up straight when I heard the retreating sound of paws hitting the ground. I turned around in a panic, praying to the Moon Goddess that I would get one last look at my mate. It was as if she listened to my prayers, because he turned around. Our eyes met once more for a second before he looked ahead and vanished into the shadows.

​Beta Isaac growled in frustration as I removed my paws from his chest.

​You should've let me kill that mutt! Beta Isaac screamed at me through the mind-link, and I growled right back at him.

​Go inside before I rip you into pieces, I took a threatening step toward him. He knew better than to disobey me now and stormed off toward the packhouse.

​Take the bodies and hand them over to the families of the deceased. Tomorrow we'll hold their burial ceremony, I ordered through the link. All of the remaining warriors nodded and left with the bodies. I watched them carry the dead pack members away one by one until I was the only one left alone.

​I turned back toward the direction where he had disappeared, my eyes desperately searching for him in the shadows.

​I knew he was still there, watching me from the darkness. The heat of his gaze on my fur was proof enough. When I failed to spot him, I turned around in disappointment and made my way toward the packhouse, feeling his gaze heavy on my back the entire way.

​(Maverick's POV)

​I hid in the darkness as I watched her, my pitch-black fur helping me blend perfectly into the shadows.

​Her wolf looked toward where I stood, trying to search for me.

​Beautiful, my wolf commented, and I nodded in agreement. She was breathtaking in her wolf form, and I wondered if she looked just as beautiful in her human form.

​As cheesy as it might sound, she looked like an angel with her platinum-blonde fur and blue eyes. Her eyes were the deepest blue I had ever seen. Even in the dark, I could see how bright they were, just like diamonds. The moonlight reflecting in them gave the illusion that they were shining.

​I sighed in disappointment when she finally turned around and left, my eyes tracking her like a hawk until she stepped inside what seemed to be the packhouse.

​"I'll come back for you, little mate," I smirked, leaving their pack lands to make my way back home.

​When will we come back for her? my wolf asked hopefully.

​"Soon," I answered as we began the long journey back.

~•~