Fated to the war general

Trapped together

Kane

There must be a logical explanation as to why I'm drawn to this woman. Delilah is the most stubborn person I've ever come across, second to my father. I pull on her arm, willing her to follow me back to my quarters where she was never supposed to have left in the first place.

"I won't say it again, let's go!" I command her.

She places a firm foot on the ground and resists my pull. "No. I refuse to let you trap me in that place. I'm sick of it."

"You have no other choice. Come willingly or I'll carry you myself."

Her eyes grow wide in alarm as her eyebrows crease together. I'm about to bend down to sweep her off her feet when I hear a shout from the distance. The shouts are followed by the quick movement of feet. They're faint but I can catch them with my super hearing.

Immediately my eyes dart frantically through the woods. There are shadows of people running in the distance. Rogues.

My mind goes alert. The pack is under attack. I bring my gaze back to Delilah who is standing in front of me, confused.

"We need to hide."

"What? Why?"

Before she can finish asking her questions I whisk her off her feet and straight to one of the underground bunkers in the woods. Delilah is lightweight, so it's easy to carry her along with me. On arriving at the entrance, I put her down and lift up the lid lying at the same level as the ground.

"Go on, get in."

She hesitates for a split second before rushing down the sloping stairs leading further into the bunker. I follow behind and lock it shut behind us.

"This way," I say and walk in front of her. We pass through a dimly lit passage and into a safe room. There are monitors connected to security cameras showing the entrance of the bunker and strategic points in the woods.

The place is a bit shabby with grey walls and sparse furniture, but I can safely hide Delilah down here. We can barely hear the shouting and fighting happening. I'm sure it's not a major threat Ezekiel can't handle.

Standing before the monitors, I turn them on and the live security footage starts playing on the screen. Delilah continues to move about the place, examining the shelves containing books, random objects, and barely any food.

She goes over to the table and searches the drawers. I don't know what she's expecting to find. This bunker was used to keep and train members of the pack who were losing control. She comes and stands behind me, looking over my shoulder.

"What is it?" I ask in slight annoyance.

"If there's a fight going on, why are we here?"

I look at her in disbelief. "We are here because you can't protect yourself from whatever is going on out there." Word after word, I spell it out to her since she is ignorant about the gravity of her situation.

"I was once a Sentinel. Not just any sentinel, but their leader. I can handle whatever it is that's happening outside." She speaks defensively.

"You're just getting up from your sick bed. You don't seem to understand what's wrong, do you?"

I move past her towards the thermostat to reset it before turning on the oxygen supply.

"I don't see why everyone else is so worried about my weakness when I don't feel weak at all."

I scoff and move further away from her. At this point, I'm used to her delusion. First was her pursuing a mate bond with me, thinking I had romantic interests in her and now feeling like she could fight in an attack against my pack.

She still follows me around the bunker. "You don't believe me? I can show it to you."

I turn back to face her. "How?"

"Fight me."

Delilah's words amuse me. I should fight her? Was she asking for a death sentence? Physically, she has a similar build to Nora but is slightly shorter and thinner. Laughing her off, I turn my back on her and begin to walk away.

Suddenly, I feel a blow on my lower back. I turn around to see Delilah standing behind me in a combat position, full of a determination I can wipe off with one punch.

"Have you lost your mind?" I ask, trying to contain my anger.

She still maintains her stance. "Fight me!"

I want to walk away from this reckless act. It's hard to bring myself to fight her when I know how weak her wolf is. She is definitely no match for me.

"Come on!" Delilah implores and sends a kick in my direction. She directs several blows at me and I dodge them.

Her moves are a bit shocking. "For someone who is just recovering, you are good."

"Then why won't you let me fight?"

"Because they're better! Those rogues you see out there have been fighting for a long time. Meanwhile, you're a bit rusty."

Delilah lets her guard down, and a frown dominates her expression. My last words must have rubbed off on her the wrong way.

She resumes her fighting position, this time with a deeper frown. She raises her fist and clenches it tightly. Her eyes are set on me, and her gaze doesn't waver even a bit. Is she trying to make me scared? What's with that glare?

She sends a punch in my direction. I'm barely dodging her first attack when she sends another one and follows it with a kick. Her moves are fast and I have no other choice but to engage her.

She's relentless in her attack. The sounds of her groans fill the room as she fights me. We struggle a bit. I avoid going forcefully on her before I can finally hold her in place. She fights against my grip but it's of no use. My hands wrap around her tightly. Our breathing comes out in a regular rhythm as I hold her with her back against my chest.

"Let me go!"

"Begging already?"

She remains quiet as her breath comes out heavily. I can feel the beating of her heart against my chest. Her body is still a bit cold and damp. I blame myself for not getting her a towel. But she's partly at fault for coming out when she wasn't supposed to.

For a moment my focus shifts from our brief scuffle and my aim to prove her weakness. I'm suddenly aware of Delilah's body against mine. My hard knees press against the thickness of her thighs. I relax my grip on her but she doesn't move away.

Reluctantly, I move away from her. She turns around and meets my gaze. Her eyes hold a fire that reflects her underlying desires - desires I can't fulfil. I hate to cause her pain, but I have my reasons for steering clear of this path she wants to lead me into.

"How long do we have to stay here?" Her voice reflects her pain.

"Until the place is safe enough for you to go back."

She steals her gaze from mine and moves to sit on the chair on the other side of the room, creating distance between us.

I resume my position, sitting in front of the monitors. A while later, Alexander begins to stir within me. Something is causing him discomfort.

"Alexander? What is the matter?" I ask him inwardly.

"My mate..."

"What's it with her again? I thought we'd let this one go."

"No, something is wrong. Really wrong." There's an urgency in Alexander's voice. "Delilah is trying really hard to reconnect with her wolf. That fight you both had must have awakened a drive inside of her."

I turn around and find Delilah sitting still, eyes closed, quiet. I know this move, the Fukko. It's an ancient and secret practice passed down through generations of werewolves. There are risks associated with doing this. It's either that Delilah is ignorant of the trouble she's putting herself into, or she's just being reckless.

Alexander's voice comes in again. He sounds really worried. "You need to stop her before the process becomes irreversible."

I immediately stand up from my chair and move to Delilah.

"Delilah?" I call out her name but she doesn't reply. I touch her only to find her body is cold. Ice cold.