Fighting alone against hundreds of Dunebourne wolves isn't doable coz that'll be s.uicide. I have to outsmart them instead!
I gather and mix cayenne peppers, alcohol, and oil to create makeshift pepper sprays, then hide the bottles inside the pockets of my coat, together with the small explosive devices I stole from the military camp the first night I arrived in this pack, since I couldn't trust anyone at that time.
The dungeon is heavily guarded, even on this busy day.
The Gammas' eyes narrow and their jaws tighten as I approach.
"Alpha Philip allowed me to see Harper first, before going back to the Great Hall," I say, trying to sound convincing.
They exchange glances but don't question me, and let me through.
Down the hall, one Gamma stands in front of Harper's cell. Meanwhile, Harper is crouched in the corner while sobbing with bruises marking her face, which weren't there before.
Fury twists inside me. I clutch the cold bars, fighting back a snarl.
"Help me," she begs.
The Gamma simpers, turning to me with mock amusement.
Without warning, I wolf-out then lunge at the Gamma, targeting her jugular vein.
Her muffled cry dies against my paw. She struggles to wolf-out, but she's already too weak due to the blood she's losing. Within seconds, her lifeless body falls limp onto the floor.
I grab the keys from her belt and unlock Harper's cell. Then I hand Harper a mask and goggles. "Wear these. And don't lose them coz I don't have any spare."
As we rush toward the exit, a Gamma shouts, "They're escaping! Alert everyone!"
Before they can grab their phones or wolf-out, I throw both the explosive and the pepper spray at them.
Boom!
The blast shakes the bricked corridor. The Gammas cough, stinged by the pepper mist.
Harper and I sprint through the fog. When we reach the northern border, more Gammas appear. So I hurl my remaining explosive and pepper spray at them.
Harper and I push forward through the panic and chaos. But when my eyes and skin start to sting from the pepper mist, my wolf falters, and I collapse, shifting back into my human form.
"Come on! We can't stop yet!" Harper pleads.
"Go. Save yourself," I pant.
Harper shakes her head, "No, I can't leave you here. If you die, I die. I can't live on my own. You're the only one I have left."
"This isn't the time to be stubborn!" I snap. "Run, Harper! Please!"
Finally, she totters back, then runs, glancing back at me from time to time with an apprehensive and apologetic face until she disappears into the desert fog.
Out of the blue,...
As I try to move, Lance's pleading voice echoes from behind me.
"Harleigh, please. Don't do this."
Even in his wolf form, his hazel eyes can deftly glint with false softness.
"Help me escape, so you can be free being with your fated mate. Isn't that great: a win-win situation for us both?" I say, hoping he'll agree.
"But, I want you too. My wolf grows to like you now," he replies.
Oh please! You're just scared your parents will disown you if you lose the chance to duplicate my bloodline!
As I limp away, he quickly shifts into his human form. He grabs me, his arms locking around me, our chests pressing together, and lips almost touching.
Irritatingly, my stupid heart wants to give in. But thankfully, the image of him intimately thrusting himself inside Aiko comes back to me.
My wolf snarls inside me, provoking me to shove him with all the strength I have left.
But,..
He won't let go. His grip tightens, forcing me back into his arms. "Give me a chance. I'll prove to you that accepting me as your mate is the best decision you've ever made."
Tears glisten in his eyes.
Talent? Or genuineness? It's hard to discern, but the mate-bond I felt for him is no longer as strong and as intact as it was before. And I'd be foolish if I let him fix it.
"Never."
The moment the word leaves my lips, the Dunebourne wolves burst through spiny bushes and from behind wiry trees.
Lance quickly pulls me behind him in a protective stance. "This is our problem. Let us handle this on our own."
"But Alpha Philip wants her in the dungeon now," one of the wolves argues.
Lance turns to me. His tone becomes threatening. "Marry me and live comfortably. Or be captured and rot in the dungeon. The choice is simple."
I knew it! His tender expression earlier was all an act. Now that he has backup, his true self shows: cold and manipulative.
But he's not the only one who can act. I can too!
I seductively slide my hand up and down his chest, feeling his quickened heartbeat. My fingers trace his jaw, then his lips. His body tenses under my touch and his restraint is slipping. Meanwhile, the other wolves avert their eyes uncomfortably.
"Prove to me that returning to you isn't a mistake," I whisper. "Send them away. Let's talk properly. Just the two of us."
He slightly turns to them and orders, "Go back. I'll handle this."
This time, they obey without protest.
Once they're gone and my strength surges back, I wolf-out again. Then I lunge at Lance, slashing his face with my claws.
He hisses in agony as blood streaks his forehead and cheek.
I make my escape without looking back, my heart pounding louder against my ribs than my paws do against the ground.
When the ground turns from sandy to icy, I assume I'll be safe coz I've exited the border of the Dunebourne Pack.
But then,...
Something slams into my side, throwing me to the ground.
When I slightly recover, a big brown wolf stands before me: Aiko.
"Dad says you're special. That's why you have black fur. Out of curiosity, I did my research, and found out about your past. Aren't you scared that if you die, Harper will be the only living Shadowfang wolf?" she says, as if that's an achievement for her.
I smirk back, matching her tone. "Aren't you scared that if I don't die, you'll always be Lance's second choice? His mistress that he has to hide from the rest of the world to remain respectable?"
Her smirk fades, replaced by rage. She then bares her canines and charges.
We crash together, rolling us closer to the cliff's edge. Rocks crumble beneath us.
Then,...
We plummet a hundred feet, plunging into the icy water.
The unbearable cold bites into my bones. I kick upward, gasping for air. But Aiko doesn't stop. She locks her jaws around my hind leg, and drags me down from the surface.
I use my other free hind leg to kick her face, prompting her to finally let go.
Our strength wanes as we race back to the surface, causing our wolves to retreat and our body to shift into our human forms.
Panic fills my head when my chest burns and my lungs scream for air.
Then,...
In my blurry vision, a figure dives into the water: Lance, grabbing Aiko, who's unconsciously floating nearby, safely into his arms.
He briefly glances at me, before swimming back up and leaving me drowning.
The last thing I see before darkness swallows me is the murky blur of their entangled figures and the vanishing sky above.
Is this death?
As I'm readying myself to accept this brutal fate, a warm and strong pair of hands clutches me with protectiveness.
Lance?
When I open my eyes, a pair of striking purple eyes are staring directly at me.
Who is this?
The next thing I know, I'm being laid on the ground with an unfamiliar voice shouting, and a pair of hands shaking my shoulders.
My body can't respond, no matter how much my brain begs it to.
Until,...
Warm lips press against mine, again and again, forcing air into my lungs.
My chest convulses and water gushes out as I cough and puke.
When my vision clears, a tall man with a broad physique appears before me. His defined muscles strain beneath his soaked shirt. He has silver hair and piercing purple eyes.
"Who are you?" I ask weakly.
"... Chandler of the Frostveil Pack."
I'm unable to catch his first name.
But before I can ask again, Lance's demanding and partially threatened voice echoes, "Let her go. She's mine.