Not All Heroes Are Guiltless

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Aela’s POV

It was late at night the following day before I finally reached the mercenaries’ camp. I was only able to pick up my mates trail for an hour or so before it disappeared, but I’m certain he’s in the camp somewhere.

The mercenaries’ tents were located on the beach of a glacial lake with a small island in the middle. The cages with the children were lined up near the tents, almost in an attempt to guard them from potential escape. Getting close would be hard because there were nearly twelve men on guard in the camp. One could easily alarm another in the moonlit night. I need to investigate somehow.

Moving slowly through the forest, I try to hunker down into the snow anytime a guard is close to looking my way. I know my white fur is a good camouflage for this forest. I am able to get close to listening to the men in the camp.

“Damn, this f*****g cold its almost summer already and the place is still f*****g frozen.” One-man grumbles.

“Quit your belly aching. We should be out of here in the morning and then we will be able to get back to ship.” Another one says while smacking someone possibly on the head.

So, the hired mercenaries are Hou Ndour. I smile at the thought of getting some of my revenge from the last time I fought against a squad of the regiment. A soft scuffle makes my heart stop in apprehension, “You are too close Nadar. Come back.”

With a silent grumble, I slowly move away from the tents and back farther into the forest where it’s easier for me to blend in. I find my mate sitting behind a tree still in his wolf form. I stared confused because I swear, I heard him whisper to me. One of his tendrils wrap around me and I roll my eyes when I hear his scolding, “I told you to stay behind. You aren’t ready.”

I shake the snow out of my fur and lay down next to him feeling the waves of his anger and disappointment. I try to think of reasons why I should be here to help. I bring up an image of the children and their whimpers.

“No.” He growls at me with a snap. “This is definitely not the time for you to practice when you can barely control yourself. Please, Nadar, if you get any closer to the moon altar it might trigger another burst. Then, I will have to make decisions to save you and it will not benefit the victims. Return now.”

I snarl lowly in response but he stares me down and I stop my protest and remain silent.

His wolf glances away from me and stares at the camp and then he shifts back into his human form. A part of me wants to chuckle and taunt my win. I move to transform into my human form. One of his hands rests on my neck and my transformation halts to a stop with almost a mental backlash. I grungily growl at my mate again but he only strokes my wolfs head.

“Be angry with me all you want. You will stay here in your wolf form and not move from this spot until I return to you.” His words are terrifying and the tendrils wrapped around me are stronger. They pull on me tight and then I notice they are anchored to the ground.

Once I am firmly tied down by his spells, he shifts back into his wolf and makes his way towards the camp. I can only watch as he stalks into their camp and disappears into the shadows of fires and tents.

‘He’s wrong. We deserve to try to use our training.’ My wolf huffs at his disappearing form. I feel like he doesn’t trust me at all. I can still fight without my magical ability. ‘Then let’s get these anchors to cut us loose and go fight.’

I pull and check the spell tethers and can feel them tightening. I whimper slightly from being uncomfortable and the tethers falter and loose a bit. Allowing me to shift my weight from underneath. ‘Our mate doesn’t want to hurt us. That might be our ticket to break from their holds.’

Noises are heard now from the island. I look up and can see the guards are now all running towards that direction. I try to get up and the spell tendrils hold me tightly. I whimper softly and they loosen again and I jump quickly and rush through their grasp. The tendrils pull on my fur but I rush towards the tents.

A guard jumps in front of me and I bite into his arm to keep him from attacking me with his sword. He drops his weapon and I finish and bite his neck going straight for the windpipe. He chokes and coughs as he falls down. I make my way to the cages fighting the few guards I can. I shift into human form and pull the tarp up over the cages of children and find them empty. All of them are empty.

The ground rumbles with an impossibly loud roar. I shudder in my place and almost feel like I should flee. The roar isn’t anything like a wolf, it sounds more like a bear. There must be a bear fighting my mate on the island.

I shift back into my wolf form and run past the fleeing mercenaries as I start to cross the natural bridge. More roars can be heard and I can see the trees sway unnaturally farther into the island.

I keep going even though the tendrils of my mates shield on me tighten almost to remind me of my mate’s warning. But I need to be here to help him. There are children somewhere and I need to protect them.

The center of the island has a large platform in the center and the moonlight makes the entire place glow. I would stand in awe of its beauty if it didn’t have a child on it bleeding to death. I move to rescue him but my eyes start to feel hazy and my head is lightheaded.

I feel my wolf tumble on its side and I try to move my muscles to get up and move but nothing is responding to me. Pressure builds up and causes my breathing to be labored. I’m forced to pant to keep oxygen going to my brain.

Out of the surrounding forest my mate runs through the clearing next to the platform. His black wolf moves so quickly in the thick dense haze. Behind him has an enormous black bear with round golden eyes and feathers adorned in a headpiece which goes down its neck. It’s the owl bear the old man in the tavern was describing which my mate acted like he didn’t know.

The bear was twice as big as my mate and could flatten a tree with just one swing. He was lining up for an attack and my mate would run away. I could see bite marks along his side and his neck.

With a shimmer of silver light almost like the moon, a tall man with long hair going down to his knees stands naked from where the bear once stood, “Dark One! You are not welcomed here. Only the one’s chosen by Bjronik can come to this altar. You’ve ruined a sacred ritual and will not be forgiven no matter the past alliances.”

A sly slither of words reply back to him, “Tian, if this is what you’ve been doing with your new found power then I should end this ritual.”

The tall man, Tian, tilts his head to one side and walks closer to my mate then he tilts his head to the other side similar to a peacock taunting his rival. Then the tall man laughs loudly. He disappears from my sight and I am instantly filled with dread.

“What a beauty this one is. I guess she’s the reason for the fact you’ve gained a heart?” Tian's laugh is haunting and disturbing. His hand wraps around my ankle, and with little air I have, I scream loudly.

My body unnaturally shakes, and I feel myself falling from the man’s grasped as my ears ring loudly.