Chapter Ten: Ashes and Echoes
The moon hung low, casting a silvery glow over the dense forest as Giselle moved swiftly through the underbrush. Her mother, Elara, leaned heavily on her, each step a struggle. Beside them, her younger sister, Liora, kept pace, her eyes wide with fear but determined.
"Just a little further," Giselle whispered, her voice barely audible over the rustling leaves. "We’re almost free."
The air was thick with damp earth and silence, the kind that wrapped itself around your throat and made every step feel like it echoed for miles. Giselle crouched low behind a thicket, her arms wrapped tightly around her mother’s frail form. Beside her, Liora’s chest rose and fell quickly, anxiety making her breaths shallow.
“Are you sure this is the way?” Liora whispered, her wide eyes reflecting the moonlight.
“Yes,” Giselle murmured, glancing over her shoulder toward the sleeping camp they’d snuck away from. “We have to go north. Once we reach the river, we’ll circle east and—”
Her mother’s coughing cut her off, a harsh, wet sound that sent panic surging through her chest. Elara leaned heavily against Giselle, too weak to stand on her own for long.
“We need to move,” Giselle said firmly, tightening her grip on her mother. “Now.”
Elara coughed, a harsh, rattling sound that made Giselle's heart ache. Her mother's illness had worsened over the past weeks, and the stress of their escape was taking its toll.
They stumbled through the underbrush, each rustle and snapped twig feeling like a warning shout. Giselle’s heartbeat thundered in her ears, but it wasn’t from exertion—it was fear. Not for herself, but for the two people she loved more than anything.
They were almost clear of the dense line of pines when a low growl rolled across the clearing.
Giselle froze, a chill snaking down her spine. From the shadows stepped the rogue leader, his massive frame blocking their path. The moonlight lit up the jagged scars that marred his face, one cutting through his brow and curling down to his jaw. His lips twisted into a smirk as he took a step closer.
“Well, well. Trying to sneak off like cowards?” His voice was gravel and venom. “Not very loyal of you, little wolf.”
“Move,” Giselle snapped, putting herself in front of her mother and sister. “We’re leaving. You can’t stop us.”
He chuckled darkly. "Oh, but I can. And I will. You see, disobedience has consequences." He stopped, his eyes narrowing. Then they flicked to Liora. “But perhaps a trade is in order. Perhaps your sister would like to take your place. She's nearing maturity, after all. She’s young, but we can mold her.”
Liora let out a terrified squeak and clung to their mother’s arm. Something inside Giselle snapped.
A red haze clouded Giselle's vision. “You’ll never touch her,” she hissed, shifting into her wolf mid-leap. With a furious snarl, she lunged at him, claws extended.
She was fast, her claws catching his arm, but the leader was stronger. He twisted, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and slamming her into the dirt. Pain exploded through her ribs. She kicked out, scoring his side, but it only made him angrier.
He bared his teeth and slashed his claws across her shoulder. Blood gushed, hot and wet, down her fur. She yelped, gasping loudly. Pain seared through her, and she collapsed to the ground, blood pooling beneath her.
As darkness threatened to consume her, a sound split the night—a deep, commanding howl that silenced everything, and was followed by the thunder of approaching paws.
Giselle’s vision blurred from pain and blood, but she caught movement between the trees—shadows resolving into wolves. The clearing erupted into chaos.
Rowan.
Rowan burst into the clearing, his warriors flanking him. His eyes locked onto Giselle's prone form, fury igniting within him.
She knew it was him the moment she saw the blurry form launch himself at the rogue leader with a snarl that shook the trees. Rowan collided with the scarred alpha, jaws snapping. They rolled, a tangle of claws and fangs.
“Protect the females!” Rowan’s voice rang out in the clearing, and suddenly Elara and Liora were surrounded by wolves bearing his pack’s colors.
"You will pay for this," he growled, shifting into his wolf form mid-leap. Giselle struggled to stand, her legs trembling. Rowan needed her to watch his back.
The rogue leader met his charge, and the two alphas clashed with a ferocity that shook the forest. Around them, wolves battled, snarls and yelps filling the air.
The rogue leader landed a blow that sent Rowan skidding, but the Alpha twisted mid-slide and leapt again, faster than any of the other wolves. His teeth closed around the rogue’s throat and squeezed.
The rogue bucked, throwing him off, but Rowan landed on his feet. Despite her pain, Giselle watched as Rowan fought with unmatched determination, his every move a testament to his strength and resolve.
Wolves clashed all around them. Blood sprayed, fur flew, and the snarls of pain and fury painted the air thick with rage. Giselle was barely able to drag herself behind a log before a rogue lunged at her, only to be tackled midair by a dark-furred warrior.
She turned toward Rowan just as he and the leader locked again, this time Rowan gaining the upper hand. He twisted, using the other Alpha’s momentum against him, and with a sickening crack, slammed him to the ground.
Rowan shifted back into his human form, not bothered one bit about standing over the rogue leader completely nude. “You should’ve run when you had the chance,” Rowan snarled before moving to slash his claws along his throat.
The rogue leader rolled to the right, avoiding Rowan’s killing blow. Battered and bleeding, he retreated into the shadows, his remaining followers scattering close behind him.
“Pursue them!” Rowan ordered. Half his warriors gave chasem while the others rushed to tend to the wounded.
Giselle’s body trembled, the adrenaline draining from her limbs. She barely registered Rowan’s approach until he knelt beside her, naked, battered, and glorious.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered. "You're safe now." Concern etched into his features as he looked her over for injuries.
Her wolf whimpered softly as he lifted her into his arms. But for once, she didn’t resist.
As consciousness slipped away, Giselle allowed herself to believe, if only for a moment, that they might finally be free.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
