Chapter 25

When I woke up, it was dark and I was at the edge of the river where a fallen tree branch had stopped me. I was in a lot of pain but I was glad to be alive.
I managed to remove myself from the tangle of branches and then I climbed onto the ground. I lay there for a few minutes to catch my breath and think of how to find my way back home.
There was a half moon in the sky and it provided light for me to see my surroundings clearly. I was alone and hungry. All I wanted to do was to get back to my pack and snuggle beside my darling Hycinth.
“There she is,” a male wolf growled ahead of me.
I looked up and saw Darius. Dominic was following him closely behind and they were walking slowly like predators about to catch prey.
I couldn’t see any of the Betas behind them but I suspected that they were nearby.
“Why wouldn’t you just leave me alone?” I asked them weakly. “You have taken everything from me. What else do you want?”
“Your life!” Said Dominic. “You owe us your life.”
“All we ever did was to love you and show you grace even after you betrayed us,” said Darius. “But instead, you kept paying us back with evil.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
“You gave us up to save yourself,” replied Darius. “You set your uncle and his allies on us and you ran away. Why did you do that?”
“Listen to yourself, Darius. Does any of that even make sense?” I asked him. “Why would I tell my uncle to kill you? What would I have achieved by doing that?”
“That’s a question only you can answer,” said Dominic.
“And even if I wanted to escape, would I then willfully decide to be a slave in a strange pack? Think about it.”
“Maybe things didn’t work out as you planned,” said Darius. “But you managed to somehow get Antonio’s pack on your side and they attacked us and killed Brianna.”
“As if that wasn’t bad enough, they crippled Damian!” Dominic shouted. “Those demons cut off his legs and made him a cripple.”
I gasped in shock. “I had nothing to do with that,” I said.
“Then you should have no problem following us back to Apex Woods to explain that to Damian and the rest of the pack,” said Darius. “Because as of right now, everyone believes that you are the brain behind the attack.”
“You all give me too much credit,” I said dryly. “However, I will not go back to Apex Woods with you so that you can kill me the way Brianna killed my son.”
Dominic stepped forward threateningly. “We weren’t asking you. You will come with us whether you like it or not.”
I braced myself for their attack. The four Betas suddenly appeared from the shadows, growling and threatening me with violence.
“Leave the she-wolf alone,” a man said from the shadows.
We all turned to look in his direction. He was a tall gorgeous man with long dark hair and a sleek beard. Even in the dark, I could see his beauty and I was impressed.
“Who the fuck are you? Her new mate?” Asked Darius nastily.
“Are you the one she ran away with?” Dominic asked the stranger.
“No,” said the man. “I am her saviour. Now, all of you, get lost before I lose my temper.”
Dominic laughed. “What a joke. Get them!”
His Betas ran forward, snarling and barking like wild dogs. One came for me, while the other three went after the stranger.
I heard grunts and the sound of bones breaking but I couldn’t look because I was too busy trying to fight off my captor. He gripped my fur and my skin with his strong teeth and began to drag me towards my former mates.
No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t free myself from his hold.
“Let me go!” I screamed helplessly.
He dropped me in front of the Alphas but they seemed not to notice me. They were staring ahead and watching the fight happening behind me.
I turned around to look and my jaw dropped. I saw a giant Lycan werewolf trashing the Betas like a bunch of annoying insects. He ripped them into pieces like paper.
“Who the fuck is that beast?” Asked Darius in awe.
The last Beta ran off to try his luck with the Lycan but he met the same fate as his friends. He was dead within seconds.
“So, are you going to let her go or do you want to die like your little friends?” The Lycan asked.
“We are not Betas,” said Dominic. “We are Alphas, and killing nosey strangers is what we do best.”
He went after the Lycan while Darius and I watched tensely. I know these Alphas have been very mean to me recently, but I’m not sure I want to watch them die at the hands of this brutal giant werewolf.
“Please, don’t!” I called out to Dominic but he ignored me.
“Shush, you!” Darius snapped at me. “Are you afraid that he’s going to kill your boyfriend?”
“Are you blind? Didn’t you see what he did to your warriors just now? Do you want Dominic to die like that?”
“Who says he’s going to die?” He asked me smugly.
I tried to tap into his confidence but when I looked back to watch the fight, fear gripped me. The Lycan flung Dominic to the ground just as the Alpha landed on him. Before Dominic could get back on his paws, the Lycan stepped on him hard, making him scream.
“Stop!” I shouted at the Lycan. “Don’t kill him!”
“Fuck this!” Said Darius and he ran forward to rescue his brother.
It was a fierce fight as they both wrestled with the Lycan who seemed to be enjoying himself. He was kicking them and slamming them on the ground like helpless pups.
It was a terrible thing to witness and I felt sorry for them. Darius bit the Lycan’s leg and he yelped in pain before kicking off the Alpha.
Dominic tried to do the same thing but he wasn’t so lucky. The Lycan dodged his attack and retaliated by kicking him hard in the stomach.
The hit sent Dominic flying off and landing in the river. His skull smashed again a rock in the water and knocked him out.
“No!” Darius screamed when he saw what had happened to his brother.
We watched with wide eyes as the strong current swept Dominic away to an unknown destination. Darius left the Lycan alone and rushed to the river but it was too late. His brother was gone.
“Dominic!” He screamed and I felt his pain.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly.
“Shut up, you bitch!” He yelled at me. “This is your fault. Your bad luck has ruined my family and destroyed our pack.”
“Are you going to leave her alone now or would you like to join your brother?” Asked the Lycan.
“You bastard,” Darius replied, growling at the Lycan.
“Don’t do it, Darius. Please,” I begged him. I couldn’t bear to see him die too.
“Be quiet!” He snapped at me.
“I would listen to her if I were you,” said the Lycan.
Darius looked like he was still going to attack the giant werewolf but then he changed his mind. He looked at me and said, “This isn’t over, you know.”
“Please, Darius. I don’t want any more trouble,” I said. “I just want to move on with my life. I had nothing to do with whatever happened in Apex Woods.”
“I don’t care,” he replied. “But know this, as long as I am alive, I will not rest until you are finally dead.”
“I might as well kill you now and save her life then,” said the Lycan.
“No,” I said, stopping him. “Let him go. I don’t want to have anyone’s blood on my hands.”
“Oh, you already do, Jade,” said Darius. “You are responsible for Brianna and Dominic’s death. And let’s not forget about these innocent warriors that your beastly boyfriend here has killed.”
“I had nothing to do with any of this,” I said. “You and your pack attacked me and this kind Lycan saved my life.”
“Kind Lycan?” He replied with disgust. “I will let the whole pack know what happened here tonight. We will come back for you, Jade. That’s a promise.”