Chapter 2
1561 Words
Piper
King Andrew backs away from me. I watch from the corner of my eye as he looks around to try to figure out what’s going on. Seconds later, both members from Dark Moon and the Night Blood stormed the walls of the Kingdom.
“Take cover!” King Andrew ordered his people before taking off from the platform, leaving me still chained up.
I could only take small glimpses around as I watched the wolves begin to take out anyone in their way. They had a few seconds of a head start but then King Andrew’s men shifted and I could hear the howls and whimpers around me as the battle between the wolves commenced.
I could feel a mix of worry and frustration pitting in my stomach. I wanted to be able to see what all was going on. Not only that, but I wanted to fight. I wanted to break free from this nightmare I have been living.
Out of the corner of my eye, one wolf in particular catches my attention. I gulp as I watch it begin to charge in my direction. Then, my eyes meet a pair of gray orbs that I immediately recognize.
Dee.
She reaches the platform quickly and I can’t help the small grin of relief that spreads across my lips. “Boy, I’m glad to see you Dee.”
She doesn’t respond, instead her eyes look at the chains that hold me in place. Then with all the force inside of her body, she breaks them one by one. She’s clearly gotten stronger since the last time we’ve seen each other.
Dee backs away, her eyes meet mine and I can tell she’s trying to mindlink with me. Unfortunately for her, I have too much Wolfsbane in my system to even try. That also means, I’m not going to be able to shift and I’ll have to make a run for it.
Dee’s eyes break away from mine and look at the chains around the collar. We both know that we have no time to mess with them now. This is my only chance to get out of here and I need to take it.
“Lets go Dee.” My words come out more like an order. “We’ll take care of these when it’s safe.”
She nods, then she turns around and begins to lead the way out of the Kingdom. I follow behind her as closely as I can with the chains dragging behind me on the ground and weighing me down.
I run as fast as I can, my feet hitting the ground hard but it’s not enough and I begin to fall behind. Dee glances behind her as we continue going, she notices she’s getting ahead and slows her pace slightly.
As Dee keeps her focus on getting me out of here, the rest of the wolves are still battling out. The smell of spilled blood is everywhere and the growls and cries fill my ears. I can’t help but look around, noticing a few lifeless wolves on the ground.
I focus my attention forward and the walls of the Kingdom come into view. Dee leads the way to the doors, thankfully she’s taken into account that I won’t be able to jump the wall and she leads us to the gates. It’s left unguarded and we slip through it easily.
We don’t stop running, we keep going until we’re in the woods. When Dee stops, I watch as she sniffs the air and then lets out a howl. She lets out another and then she shifts, pulling on some clothes that had been hidden nearby.
When she’s dressed, she looks over at me and rushes over. She throws her arms around me and I can practically feel the emotions oozing off her.
“Thank goodness that you’re okay. I was worried I’d never see you again.” She releases me and her eyes look intensely into mine. “You are okay, right?”
“Yeah.” I nod as I respond. “I’m okay.”
Her eyes drop down to the chain and begin to assess the collar on me. As she looks for a way to get it off of me, we’re joined by the rest of the wolves. They all begin to shift back into their human forms and change into some clothes, then they all wait for their leader to join.
I look around, trying to catch any glimpse or whiff of Jaxon that I can. I can feel my heart pounding inside my chest and my stomach sinks. I can’t find him, which is sending me into panic mode.
“Piper.” Dee calls out my name, drawing my attention back to her.
“Where’s Jaxon?” I asked as I continued to look over the crowd of wolves. “Where is he?”
I know I won’t feel at ease until I see him. We’ve been apart for too damn long and I need to end. I need him by my side, I need him because together we’re stronger than when we’re apart.
“Relax.” Dee’s voice is low and soothing. “Let me get this off of you real quick and then we’ll find him. Okay?”
Nodding, I give her my focus. “Okay.”
Her fingers grab at the collar around my neck. She bites her lower lip as she concentrates on breaking it apart without hurting me. She struggles for a moment and I take in a deep breath, closing my eyes as I wait.
She lets out a grunt, and with it I feel the metal around my neck release. It falls to the ground with a thump, and then I fall along with it. My body is far weaker than I had thought I was now that I’m away from the Wolfsbane.
Dee comes to my side, there’s a worried look in her eyes. “Are you alright?! I didn’t expect that to happen, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine.” My voice is barely there as I begin to feel my body struggling inside.
When I was in the cellar I was constantly around Wolfsbane. I’m not sure how he did it, but it was always there. When King Andrew would take me out, the collar was laced with it. It’s been months since I’ve had a break from it and this is the first time I feel like I can truly breathe.
I let out heavy breaths, my body is trying to regain all of its strength too quickly. My heart beat picks up and I feel like I’m about to puke. No matter how much I’m trying I can’t calm myself down, not until I hear his voice.
“Piper.” Jaxon calls out my name, making me look up at him.
Our eyes lock and my body begins to calm down as I focus on him. He’s changed a little bit in the months I have been gone. I can tell he’s been building muscle and the stubble on his chin has grown out slightly.
I rise to my feet as I finally feel calm enough to stand. There’s a silence settling in between us as neither of us knows what to say. Instead, I decide actions are the best way to communicate with him right now.
I practically leap into his arms and as my lips meet his. He holds me tightly as his mouth takes over mine. It feels like ages since I’ve tasted him.
I feel a mix of heat and sparks surge through my body the longer he kisses me. A low growl rumbles his chest and I can feel heat and excitement pooling between my legs. We’ve been apart for so long that we need to make up for lost time, but that will have to wait.
Breaking the kiss, Jaxon and I are both breathing heavily as we look into each other's eyes. I can feel the strength inside of me beginning to come back again, this time at a slower rate so I don’t get worked up.
My voice cracks as I finally speak. “You came for me.”
“Of course.” He uses a hand to brush some hair out of my face. “I would never give up on you, not even in death.”
I swallow as I take in his words. It’s so hard to not let myself get overwhelmed with emotions. I’ve had to keep everything to myself for so long, now I’m in my safe place and I feel the block I put up crumbling down.
“Let’s get you home.” He says lowly before looking at the crowd that’s still looking at him for guidance. “We’ve got what we came for, now it’s time to get home so those injured can heal. When we get back, we’ll assess some things and come up with another plan.”
I watch as the wolves nod and then Jaxon turns away. He continues to hold me against him as he leads the way out of the woods. As he does, I can’t help but look towards the Kingdom walls.
I feel my nerves coming back again because I know this isn’t even close to the end of this battle, it’s the beginning.
- Writer
