Run! The Black Wolf's prey.

Chapter 27 - Pine Ridge

"Yes! Perfect... And kick. Kick! And jab. Great job, Chloe!"

It was early morning and John was out practicing with the pack’s fighting squad. Unusually for her, Chloe had joined them. She was quite a skilled fighter! However, she hadn't shown any interest in joining their training lately, so John was very pleased she had decided to come practice with them this morning.

And she did really well, at least for someone at her age and considering she was little rusty. John was just about to give her some feedback when, suddenly, Warren and Rebecca came running from the main house. They were both frowning, obviously upset about something.

“John, hurry! Gather up a team, we have to head east,” Warren exclaimed, rushing into their armoury.

Being werewolves, they rarely used any weapons. Ordinary guns barely affected their tough skin, and with their heightened and rapid senses, they usually sensed the bullet approaching and could avoid getting hit in the first place! Knives and other steel blades were as useless, their fangs and claws much more efficient at doing harm. Besides, they preferred to fight in their wolf form, being even stronger and faster than in their human shape.

However, Warren had invented a new type of crossbow with special bolts in wolfram steel, the hardest metal on earth, shaped into extremely sharp arrows - lethal even for werewolves. Since the crossbows were almost completely silent when the shot was released, they were great when one wanted to surprise the enemy from a distance... Especially in an ambush. The crossbow came with a harness that was made to adapt and fit, no matter if the wearer was in his or her human or wolf form.

“It’s the Pine Ridge Pack,” Rebecca spoke with urgency. “They were attacked right after dawn. They think it might be some kind of a coordinated attack by different rouges, but I think maybe it’s one of the eastern packs that's behind it... But anyhow, most of their pack is now hiding in one of their main buildings. They’ve barricaded the doors and windows. We’re not sure about how long they can endure! We have to leave immediately.”

“Oh Goddess,” Chloe gasped. “Is Joanna OK?”

“I hope so, but the clock is ticking,” Rebecca pressed. “Please, hurry.” She and Warren ran off with the crossbows, loading them into one of their jeeps.

“OK, listen. Peter, Luke, Randall and Veronica, you are coming with us,” John looked at his squad, everyone waiting for his orders, ready to fight. “Chloe, you stay here.”

“No, I’m not!” Chloe objected. “I’m coming! I'm going to help Joanna!”

“No, Chloe,” John said patiently. “You're staying here, protecting our own pack. And you are doing so with Joshua, Iryna, Jack, James and Sheela.” Everyone nodded in consent.

“Elijah, Electra and Ruben, you will come with me as well,” John continued.

“What about me?” Nicholas was leaning against a large pole, brows furrowed.

“You're staying here,” John affirmed.

“I am one of your best fighters,” Nicholas retorted. “You need me.”

“No, stupid. I need you to be here and protect our pack,” John snarled.

He turned to face the group of fighters that were going to stay behind.

“You will all take this very seriously. We don’t know who is behind this attack on Pine Ridge. We must be prepared. There might be a bigger plan to attack our pack as well. We might very well be walking into a trap! So, stay vigilant, use the high alert protocol, and contact me immediately if anything happens.”

John turned to face Nicholas, looking him straight in the eye.

“And you,” John sneered. “Your rules still apply. You are NOT leaving the pack premises, not even on patrol.”

As they all started running towards the vehicles, John pulled Sheela’s arm, taking her to the side.

“Sheela, I need you to keep an eye on Nicholas. I don’t trust him. If he does anything unexpected, you call me straight away.”

“I will make sure of it,” Sheela nodded. “He will not leave the premises.”

“Thank you,” John gave her a pat on the back and ran to his car. He was just about to jump in behind the wheel when he sensed someone approaching from behind. He turned around abruptly, ready to punch Nicholas in the face, but only to see Chloe, who was looking at him with obvious distress in her eyes.

“Tell me as soon as you know,” she whispered, looking pale.

“I will,” he nodded, closing the door. "OK, everyone. Let's go!"

After three hours of driving, exceeding every possible speed limit, John and the rest of their team were approaching the lands of the Pine Ridge pack. Friends and allies from other neighbouring packs were also joining, and they had decided upon an assembly point where they would meet and park their cars. They had to be smart. They could not risk being detected by their unknown enemy, so they had found a road hidden in the woods, far enough to not be heard or seen from the Pine Ridge pack houses, but close enough for them to go by foot.

“John!” Zack, the Alpha from the Silverstreak Pack, got out of his car and walked eagerly towards him. “It’s good to see you, even if I wish it was under other circumstances,” he shook John’s hand vigorously. John and Zack had attended their Alpha training together, and Silverstreak Pack was one of the seven packs in their tribe.

“Yes, this was unexpected,” John smiled with a tight lip. “We don’t even know what we’re dealing with yet.”

“Well, these bastards are going to find out what happens when they mess with our allies,” a voice barked behind them. Liam, the Alpha of the Moonvalley Warriors, also part of their tribe, jumped out of his huge jeep. His eyes were fuming with anger.

“Do you have any news?” Liam’s mate and the Luna of his pack, Rhianna, was Joanna's cousin.

“They have barricaded themselves in the main building. Mother spoke with Amelia on the way here,” John replied. Amelia was the Luna of Pine Ridge Pack.

“Yes, it seems like they're still OK,” Rebecca approached them with a crossbow at her shoulder. “I think everyone has arrived. John, will you take the lead?”

“But father..?” John looked around, searching for Warren’s face.

“You will lead the operation, John,” Warren’s deep voice rumbled as he approached him. “We will be right behind you. As some of us are not as fast or strong as you youngsters, it’s better you shift and go. We'll come after you.”

“Alright,” John nodded. He was ready to shoulder this responsibility.

“OK everyone, listen up!" John called. "We still don’t know who we are dealing with here. If we’re lucky, they believe the Pine Ridge pack was a low hanging fruit, not knowing we are allies. If we’re unlucky, they do know and they’re expecting us. We might be walking into an ambush. So, stay vigilant, and stay close to each other so we can communicate.”

The plan was to go in smaller groups, hidden by the trees, and attack from several directions. The first group would be scouts, led by Zack, trying to find out what was happening and report back to John. The second group would be the one carrying the crossbows, led by John’s Beta Luke. The third group would be John’s group, the group with the strongest and most skilled fighters, along with the fourth group that would be led by Liam. The fifth and last group would be led by Warren, and they would try to get an overview of the situation so they could advise John about his next move.

The first group shifted and took off into the woods.

“ Does Pine Ridge have any idea how many the aggressors could be?” John asked Rebecca quietly.

“Not really,” she breathed. “But they feel outnumbered, that’s why they are hiding indoors and don’t dare face them alone.”

“I hope we have enough wolves to take them down...” John was not pleased by the lack of information, leading his people into uncertainty.

“It’s not about the numbers, John. It’s about skills,” Warren laid a hand on his shoulder. “And this group of fighters is a damn skilled one! You're ready, you’ve trained for this. You’re way more capable than we were when the war came. We had no training, no experience, nothing. Probably like these savages... It would surprise me if they have any formal training. I have a real hard time believing this is the doing of any of the more civilized packs! So, chin up, son,” Warren gave him a wry smile. “It’s time for you to step up and become the Alpha you were born to be.”

Luke walked up to them, wearing nothing but a harness with a crossbow at his back.

“We’re ready,” he nodded to John.

“Good,” John eyed the second group.

Veronica stood a little to the side, seemingly a little overwhelmed by the nudity among all these alpha, beta and gamma males, being the only female in the group. As werewolves, they were used to getting undressed and shifting instantly, but now the wolves in the second group had to stay nude in their human form while donning their harnesses. She looked a bit uncomfortable, to say the least. The whole group was ready to go, though, so John saw no reasons for them to wait any longer.

“Shift and go,” he commanded.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, he was a little amused to notice the relief in Veronica’s eyes as she finally was allowed to shift into her wolf! The next moment, she was a grand black wolf with a white belly, wearing the harness around her chest and the lethal crossbow on her back.

It was time for the rest of them to join, so they all put their clothes in their cars and shifted. They split into groups, and John took the lead into the woods. Most of the wolves from the River Valley pack were black, but they all had their own characteristics.

John was quite intimidating as a wolf, huge with long charcoal black fur. He had a silver-coated mane, looking like he was wearing a silver chain around his neck, and his golden eyes were gleaming. Warren, on the other hand, had shorter fur that was black as night, his eyes glowing like fire. The one to stand out the most though was Rebecca, with her thick, snowy white fur and her blue eyes shimmering like sapphires. John's mother was a true beauty, both in her human and in her wolf form.

They sprinted through the forest at an incredible speed, faster than what could be expected by any living creature! Jumping over stocks and stubs, they crisscrossed between the trees, and soon they caught up with the second team, who were wearing the heavy crossbows on their backs. As they were approaching the Pine Ridge pack's premises, they sensed the scent of other wolves... They slowed down, vigilant and on their guard... But no other wolves were in sight.

Then, all of a sudden, John saw a movement in the corner of his eye and stopped abruptly, bringing everyone to a halt.