The Taste of Blood
*Rowan*
I half expect the enemy to turn and run as we approach them, just because I am so fired up to rip into them, and it would be my luck for them to slink away without me getting a bite of fur and blood.
But they don’t. Instead, they charge us as well. I’m looking for a wolf with a scar, not even sure how that would appear with fur, but I don’t see that bastard. Instead, I slam into a black wolf about fifty pounds lighter than me and shorter–I am an Alpha King, after all, so I’m the largest wolf out here–and knock him backward onto the bridge. He lands flat on his back, the wind knocked out of him. When I pounce on him, he snarls at me, baring his teeth and thrashing.
It’s been too long since I tasted blood. I sink my teeth into his throat and yank. His body stops moving beneath me, and I lift my bloody face to see who’s next.
We are outnumbered, but it doesn’t matter. They were unprepared, and my men are hungry for a fight. After the king–my father–was assassinated, we sparred with Darksky’s men on the border whenever we could for a time, but then, they backed off, and we wouldn’t be able to get to them without an invasion. It took me a while to heal after my attack, and I missed out on too much of that, but this wolf is not the first I’ve killed.
He won’t be the last either. I leap over his body and barrel into another wolf, this one even smaller, and knock him sideways. He doesn’t fall, though. He’s stronger and a better fighter than the last one. We go at one another, growling and snapping. He manages to land a blow in my front right shoulder, but when he releases me, he exposes his neck. I take the opportunity handed to me and chomp down. He whimpers, and I pull, ripping out a hunk of flesh. His eyes roll in his head, and he tumbles over. He’s still breathing for now, but he won’t be in a moment.
I take a moment to glance around. I see Dean’s wolf on the other side of the bridge, his teeth stained red with blood. Only one of Darksky’s warriors remains on his paws, so two of my best fighters attack, and in a moment, he’s literally ripped to shreds. Despite being outnumbered, we’ve won this battle. I brought my best guys, whereas it seems Darksky’s were just whoever happened to be on patrol.
I’m still relishing the victory when I get a mind-link message from deep within the forest. My commander there tells me there’s been an attack, but they’ve beaten Darksky back as well.
Immediately, I send every available warrior I have to the border. I tell my men here, ‘Get rid of these bodies. Send them into the river if you have to, or lay them on the other side of the bridge. Put up a line of defense here. No one gets through.’ It hasn’t escaped me that I don’t know if any of those tunnels we’ve found actually lead into my home from somewhere else. I need to figure out how to get those fucking doors open.
Maybe the powers Aiden mentioned of Hezzlie’s are capable of doing that. She should be half-witch, after all.
A few of my warriors are limping, and one of them has a chunk missing from his haunch. ‘Let’s get the injured back to the mansion,’ I tell Dean. ‘I need to check on the situation there.’
My Beta nods, and we move toward the vehicles. One of my assistants arrives with a bag of clothing, so I shift and get dressed, still wiping blood from my mouth. He hands me a towel, and I thank him for always being prepared. By now, the wounded are loaded up.
I look at Dean, who is also dressed now. I can’t decide if he should stay here to oversee the situation or return to the house with me. I know he’s worried about Hezzlie, too, and I don’t think Darksky was expecting this, so it might take him a bit to get organized.
“You come back with me, but then get your ass back out here,” I tell him.
My Beta understands. He nods with a grateful smile, and we get into one of the vehicles. In a moment, we’ve turned around and are speeding back home, the vehicle with the wounded warriors in it following behind.
I see more transport vehicles deploying toward the bridge, and as we approach the house, I see even more hurrying off down roads that lead closer to the edge of our territory. We might not have a large staff in our castle these days, but we have warriors who are trained and energized. Killing their beloved Alpha King did much to motivate the citizens of our kingdom. For years, many of them have been training and hoping to get their opportunity to fight against the kingdom that took him away from all of us. I can still taste the metallic notes of blood in my mouth, and it only serves to make me want to lap up even more.
We arrive at the house, and I hop out before the car even stops, much to Dean’s chagrin as he shouts after me. I take the front steps two at a time and shoot up the stairs, not needing anyone to tell me where she is. I can smell my mate, and the fact that she’s so nearby makes me feel better in more ways than I can express.
But she was clearly unconscious when they brought her in, so I’m begging the Moon Goddess with every step that she’s all right.
I burst into the room where she used to stay to find her lying on the bed, James sitting next to her. He turns to look at me, his eyebrows knit together with concern.
“How is she?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “The same. I have no idea what’s wrong with her.”
I rush over and push him out of the way, shoving his shoulder away from her, and he stands, giving me room to take his place.
Hezzlie’s eyes are closed, her dark hair fanning out around her on the pillow, her lips red and pursed together, her skin pale and practically glowing in the dark. I brush a hand across her cheek, “Hezzlie,” I whisper, using the mind-link as well. “Wake up. Open your eyes. Please.”
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