Chapter 42: They're Coming
1242 Words
Ryker's POV
The trees were quiet—a little too quiet. My feet moved silently over the mossy ground as I crept deeper into the forest.
There was something about the atmosphere, something I couldn't place my fingers on.
Almost like I could feel them—my brothers. Their presence thickened the air. I followed their scent trail to a cave hidden behind thorns and rose bushes.
I crouched low, pressing my back against the cold stone wall as their voices echoed from inside.
“I should be Alpha,” my youngest brother hissed.
“You?” another scoffed. “You barely made it through the last battle.”
“You think you’re any better?”
“Well, yes."
“Enough,” my eldest brother cut in, his voice low and sharp. “It doesn’t matter who’s next. Not until Ryker is out of the picture can we be at ease. That bastard still breathes! And while he does, none of us are safe.”
My stomach twisted. So it was all true.
He went on. “We kill him first. Then we talk about leadership after.”
I clenched my fists, every muscle in my body tight. So this was their grand plan—murder me, take my place, and destroy everything I worked so hard to build.
I turned to leave. I had to warn Lucy, the council, and everyone.
I stepped on a twig, and my cover was blown.
Two guards stepped out from the shadows, eyes wide, the moment they saw me. One moved left, the other right, trying to corner me.
I shifted halfway, my claws beginning to extend, but then a blow to the back of my head dropped me to the ground.
Everything went black.
I was out.
********
I woke up tied to a chair, every inch of my body screaming in pain. The thick rope bit into my wrists and ankles. My mouth was gagged; they used an old cloth to tie my mouth shut, and I could literally taste it.
I thrashed, but it was no use.
Footsteps echoed across the rooms.
“Well, well, well, look who decided to drop by,” my eldest brother said, his smile as cruel as ever. “You always had to be the hero, Ryker, didn’t you?”
I tried to speak, but the gag held me in silence.
“No worries,” he continued. “You won’t be needing words where you’re going.”
The others chuckled behind him.
“We’ll kill your little freakshow family first,” he said, crouching in front of me. “That pathetic mate of yours— if we can call her that, and her spawn. Then we’ll come back for you.”
He pulled out a knife.
“No!”
The word never made it past my throat before he drove the blade straight into my chest.
Pain exploded inside me. My vision swam. The room spun. I gasped against the gag, my blood spilling and spilling fast, soaking my shirt.
“I’ll be back soon,” he whispered. “Try not to bleed out too quickly. Hahaha.”
They all left.
I sat there, trembling, dizzy, and I felt my life force fading.
This is it, I thought. This is how it ends.
Then I heard a voice. “Ryker! Ryker, hold on!”
Taro?
He burst in through the side door, panting hard, eyes wild. “Damn it, what did they do to you?”
He ripped the ropes off, his hands shaking. “We need to get you out of here, somewhere safe.”
“No… phone…” I croaked.
Taro shoved my phone into my hand.
I called Lucy.
“Ryker?” she answered, her voice soft and worried.
“Lucy," I said, my voice urgent. "You need to get back to the house now! Bring Eli. Bolt the doors and don’t let anyone in."
“What’s going on?! Are you hurt?”
“They’re coming.”
I dropped the phone.
My hands were shaking. I tried to stand—but the moment I got to my feet, I collapsed, clutching my bleeding chest.
“Stay down!” Taro shouted.
“I… made a promise…” I gasped. I ripped my shirt, pressing the fabric to the wound. Every move sent fire through my ribs.
I shifted into my wolf form. My legs wobbled, blood dripping from my side. But I had to go.
I had to protect Lucy.
I howled and burst out of the broken window, into the night.
I didn’t care about the pain. I had to get to her.
I had to keep my promise.
********
Lucy's POV
The second I hung up, my hands started trembling.
“They’re coming,” I whispered.
We rushed home.
I bolted the door and dragged the couch in front of it. Every lock. Every window. Shut tight.
“Kara, help me,” I called.
She was already shoving a table in front of the back entrance. “I’m on it.”
“You didn’t have to come, you know,” I said. “You should’ve stayed at the hospital—”
“I’m not leaving you, Lucy. Or Eli. You guys are like my family. You're all I have.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I didn’t have time to cry.
I grabbed Eli’s hand and pulled him upstairs with us, locking the bedroom door behind me. He clutched his stuffed wolf tight against his chest.
“Sis?” he whispered. “Are the wolves coming?”
I sat on the bed with him, wrapping my arms around his little body. “Yes, but don't worry, Ryker's on his way.”
I prayed that wasn’t a lie. I hoped he was okay; the way he sounded on the phone didn't sound like he was in good shape.
We sat in silence for maybe a minute before—
BANG!
The front door shook so hard that the floor trembled.
BANG! BANG!
Growls echoed beneath us, followed by snarls, heavy breathing, and furniture scraping across the floor as it held the entrance in place.
Eli cried out and buried his face into my chest.
Then pain shot through my stomach.
I gasped.
Kara turned to me. “Lucy?”
I tried to stand, but the second contraction hit, and I screamed.
“No. Not now,” I groaned, holding my belly.
“Lucy…your water just broke!” Kara shouted.
“No. Not now. Please, not now!” I cried.
But the pressure was already building. Sharp, fast waves of pain.
“You’re having the babies!” Kara dropped to her knees, already pulling towels from the dresser.
Eli whimpered on the bed. “Lucy!?”
“I’m fine, Eli,” I lied, gasping through the contraction. “I’m okay.”
“Don’t panic,” Kara said, forcing calm into her voice. “I’ve done this before don't worry. I’ve helped deliver pups.”
I nodded, biting down on my lip to stifle another scream. “I thought you said I had 3 weeks before the babies arrive!!!"
"I'm sorry, werewolf births are always inconsistent.”
The door banged again, louder this time. Closer.
“Ryker, please,” I whispered. “Where are you…”
Another contraction ripped through me. I screamed again, my whole body shaking.
“They’re coming, Lucy. The babies are coming.”
I gritted my teeth.
“Push!!!"
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!"
- Writer
