So that left me with JP. The gentle man who always seemed like the mastermind of the group, but had suddenly turned into a killing machine. As he dug his knife into someone else's eyeball and showered himself with blood, I shivered with the thought of having to join him. But from all the fights going on around me, he seemed like the lesser of all the evils.
Not giving my attacker enough time to get up after I kneed him in his family jewels, I sprinted towards JP and silently begged I wouldn't get him out of his groove. The last thing I wanted was to distract him and get him killed. As if he sensed I was coming, he suddenly turned towards me, a grim smile on his face.
Somehow, without his usual smile and his hair all ruffled up, he seemed much more handsome and dangerous.
"Catch!" he called out to me, and as he did, he threw a short dagger in my direction. With a thud, the blade clattered to the cold ground, only a couple of metres in front of my feet. There was no time to ponder how he had known I would be joining him, but I didn't feel like figuring it out right now. All I knew, was that I now had a knife to protect myself with and that was good enough.
The handle of the blade was cold against the palm of my hand and I suddenly wondered why I hadn't taken out my own knife. I had one in my backpack. Had I really expected I'd be able to keep Aspen in check? Did I really think I would be able to get out of this battle without having to fight myself? Was I really relying on the group so much I didn't even feel the need to weapon myself?
Damn it, Akira! Stop being so helpless and start doing something!
I tightened my grip on the blade and jogged towards JP, trying to figure out how to attack one of the men without ruining his flow, getting him killed, or getting myself killed.
Why did I think I could do this again?
My wolf growled, bringing up another image of Ashleigh on the ground with the man straddled on top of her.
A flash of white, hot rage sizzled through me as I ran towards the man closest to me.
Idiot.
As I felt the knife sink into the flesh of his arm, and the unmistakable scent of fresh blood hit my nostrils, my stomach turned and I sank to my knees.
Oh gods, I wasn't made to be killing people. Digging a blade into someone's body felt utterly disgusting. Instead of just staying back and letting the group handle it, I had now caught this man's attention and angered him.
He spat on the ground and with a snarl on his face, yanked the blade out of his side. His blood was gushing out of the wound I had created, but he hardly seemed to notice. With a determined look on his face and a mean glint in his eyes, he approached me. He was going to kill me. With my own knife. Well, with JP's knife, really, but who has time to make that distinction?
I really was going to die here. In the midst of my new family. In front of my mates' eyes. In the middle of the Aladwin forest, they would have to bury my body. If there were any of my comrades left to bury me, that was.
I wrapped my arms around my body, trying to stop myself from shaking. I shot a quick prayer to the Great Wolf, telling him I was coming sooner as expected and begging him to welcome me into his kingdom.
Another prayer went to my grandparents, to my mother, telling them how sorry I was for failing my mission and not bringing back the Winter Stone. For disappointing them, even though they had never expected anything from me.
And lastly, I thanked my wolf, for always sticking with me, even though she had nowhere else to go. At least we got to meet our mate. Our mates.
I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see my boring life flash in front of my eyes and begged the Great Wolf my death would be quick and painless. That it would be over before I knew it. That he would take my life and protect the others. Danny, Darren, Regan, JP, Aspen, and of course, Ashleigh.
Ashleigh. My beautiful mate. Who was lying on the ground. Maybe soon enough, she would join me in the afterlife.
The scent of musk and dirt hit my nostrils, making me almost gag. Was this really the last thing I would smell before I died? Couldn't it have been something nicer, like Ashleigh's wild strawberries? Then again, if I'd meet her in the afterlife, I'd have an eternity of strawberries.
I felt his fingers curl into my hair as he yanked my head upwards. "It's better when you can look death in the eye," he growled, his eyes flickering menacingly.
I whimpered, trying to crawl away, but his grip on my hair was too strong. I needed to get out. I needed to free myself. I felt around the cold ground, for something, anything I could use as a weapon. A lost knife, a broken shard, a branch. Nothing. Just muddy snow and dirt. Dirt that I would soon become.
My attacker pulled harder, stretching my neck backwards in an unnatural fashion. With a laugh, he painted lines on my skin with his own blood. Blood that I drew from him in a futile attempt.
This was it. I was about to die.
And as I drew out what I thought to be my last breath, I waited. For the pain, for the panic, for the fear. And then for the release.
But it never came. Instead, the man in front of me drew in the last air he'd ever take and with a soft gasp, he sank to his knees. With his eyes rolling back into his skull, he fell down onto the cold forest floor, a knife I immediately recognised, speared through his neck.
Darren.
A wave of gratefulness surged through my body as I realised that not only was the rest of the group looking out for me, they were all protecting me. JP had handed me a knife without hesitation and even Darren had given up his blade to protect me. And I knew how much he loved that blade, he wouldn't have done that if he didn't genuinely care about me.
But the warm feeling of finally belonging quickly faded away as my stomach churned. This was not the time to feel gushy. There were still many threats out there and I couldn't afford to lose focus.
The scent of blood hit my nose as I pulled Darren's blade out of the man's neck. Disgusting. With my arm in front of my face, I gagged as I used his leather jacket to wipe the blood away. I pried JP's dagger from his fingers and let out a sigh of relief now that I was armed again. I should stop attacking randomly, but if someone charged at me, at least I could try to defend myself.
But before I had a chance to re-orientate myself, I realised it had suddenly become very quiet. The only thing I heard was the heavy breathing and panting from my companions. I quickly scanned our circle, the silence of the forest suddenly deafening me. The first wave of men had fallen.
The Alpha
We were standing on a pile of bodies. At least twenty, thirty men were scattered around us. Throats cut, limbs torn off, too much blood wasted. It was a massacre.
Did the six of them really do all of this? Was that even possible?
"Round one goes to us," Darren grimly said, spitting out blood as he inspected a long slash on his chest. He seemed rather unbothered by it, but then again, maybe he was used to this.
Danny wiped blood from her cheeks and I noticed that oddly enough, it matched her hair colour. "We still have a long way to go. There are more of them waiting up the hill."
I followed her gaze and felt my stomach tighten. She was right. More men had gathered on the hill as they were watching us. They were probably trying to tire us out and overwhelm us, until they were sure they had the upper hand and could kill us off. We'd never make it if I kept being so useless and kept getting myself in trouble.
A soft hand found my lower back. "You're still safe. I'm glad," Ashleigh whispered, a deep gash splitting open the skin on her forehead.
"Ash!" I cried out, almost literally jumping into her arms. I wasn't sure when or how she had gotten back up, but all I knew was that she was alive and standing. What about Aspen? Was he okay?
I scanned the corpses for my other mate, silently begging he wouldn't be one of them. But if he had died, if either one of them had died, wouldn't I have felt it? Wouldn't my wolf have felt it?
Holding on to that, I let my eyes glide over the bodies, until they landed on a naked heap. Aspen was curled up in a ball on the groun
d. He was rocking himself back and forth, and while part of me felt relief, another felt a sharp pang of guilt. I had broken a promise to Ashleigh and had let both of my mates down. I was supposed to protect Aspen, to keep him out of the fight, to keep him safe. But I hadn't managed to do any of that.
Now he was reduced to a miserable pile, clearly in pain, struggling to keep himself conscious.
Why was I so useless?
I was ready to start beating myself up again, but there was no time for more self-loathing today. I guess I would have to schedule it in tomorrow. If there was a tomorrow for me, at least.
JP had just jogged back to our huddle and smiled gratefully when I handed him his knife. He also gracefully ignored the fact I had almost got myself killed like an idiot.
Regan and Danny ran towards us and I noticed that Regan was lagging a tad behind her. He looked somewhat different than usual, but I couldn't put my finger on it. That was until they rejoined us and I noticed he kept lingering behind her. It finally clicked as I realised he was using his broad shoulders and chest to shield Danny from any potential incoming attacks, even if the immediate threat was gone.
I felt the corners of my mouth tremble in an almost smile. I wasn't sure if she knew he was doing it or if he even did it consciously. But it was easily one of the sweetest things I had ever seen.
Glad the rest was okay, I turned back to Ashleigh, ready to shamefully beg for her forgiveness. I had let her and her brother down, I needed her to know how sorry I was.
I was met with two eyes looking warmly and affectionately at me, like I was the only person in the world. Even in the middle of a circle of corpses, she somehow managed to take my breath away and whisk me to another place. A place without death, war, or the scent of battle.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Will Aspen be okay?"
Ashleigh gritted her teeth and nodded. "Just barely."
Before I could apologise, Darren rejoined our little group to reclaim his blade and nudged to the rest of our enemies standing on the hill. "What are we going to do about those?"
Regan grunted as he stretched his arms and cracked his neck. Danny was admiring a sword she had looted from a corpse and tested it out by swinging it over her head. After all the killing and fighting they had just done, they looked plenty revved up. This definitely wasn't their first fight.
"C-Can we take them?" JP asked, wiping his glasses with shaking hands. He barely resembled the ninja I had seen on the battlefield and I was amazed at his sudden transformation.
Ashleigh tilted her head back. "I believe Camille is with them. She has finally shown herself. With Aspen tired out and Akira to protect, I think we could get ourselves in a lot of trouble."
Danny nodded, tying up her red hair and readjusting the straps of her clothes. "We're in a bad situation here. Aspen can't keep fighting. It's already bad enough he shifted again. I don't want to die tonight, but our lives shouldn't cost him his soul."
In unison, the rest of the group nodded as we worriedly glanced at Aspen. His naked body was covered in mud and dirt and while he was hugging himself. He seemed to be muttering words as he rocked back and forth.
He was obviously having a hard time staying in control of himself and I felt for him. Both my wolf and I felt for him. We could sense how his soul was being driven in a corner, how his mind was fogging over, how his control was slipping away. It was terrifying.
"I-I don't think we have t-time to discuss what to do," JP alerted us, pointing at the nearest hill. Three men were jogging toward us, the blades of their swords glinting in the last sunlight of the day.
"Damn it, looks like Camille wants to tire us out," Danny cursed, crouching down to dig in the pile of satchels and backpacks. With a rattling sound, Danny revealed a long metal chain. Why did they carry that around?
Danny threw one end at Regan and skillfully, her mate caught the chain and wound it around one his wrists. It was a weapon. With a nod, they confidently strode towards the three incoming attackers.
I figured they knew what they were doing, but one metal chain against a bunch of swords seemed like something that could go horribly wrong. For our side.
With my breath trapped in my chest and my fingers itching in fear, I watched how the pair waited patiently.
For a moment, everything was quiet.
And then steel clashed against steel, bodies hit bodies, mud sprung to life under their feet. Regan absorbed the first hit with his arms, which made no sense. How could he have blocked the hit of a sword?
Looking closer, I caught a glint of something metal. He must've had some kind of steel bracers hidden under his jacket that he was using as defence. Smart. And a testament to how strong he really was.
As he took the hit, Danny twirled to his other side and I saw the first man fall down at their feet. A small trail of blood gushing out from the wound on the back of his neck. He never even saw it coming.
With Regan skillfully blocking another hit from the side, and all of us watching the battle in front of us, I suddenly realised what was going on. Danny and Regan were fighting them off on their own so the rest of us could recover. Damn, that was smart.
I let out a small yelp as I realised the second man had somehow managed to get behind Regan's back. Just as I was about to yell a warning, Regan turned on his feet and swung up his arm to block the incoming hit. Before I well and truly realised what was happening, their second attacker was lying lifelessly on the cold ground.
They were good. As much as I admired Danny and Regan's skill, I feared them for it. I silently thanked the spirits I had taken good care of Aspen because these were not people you wanted to turn into your enemies. They proved that point with the massive pile of bodies around us.
It wasn't before long that the last man joined the rest of his fallen comrades and fell into his forever sleep.
With the chain rattling as they rolled it back up, the pair rejoined us. Danny wiped some dried blood from her forehead, but it looked like she barely broke a sweat. How she and Regan managed to fight together like this without even talking, was beyond me...
"Good job." Ashleigh nodded, and to my dismay, I had to agree. My eyes fell onto the gash on Ashleigh's forehead and the same searing anger as before welled up in my stomach. They had tried to take my mate away from me, they deserved to die. She was right. They had done a good job. Killing people, nonetheless. But yes, good job.
"Yes, nicely done," I blurted out, my voice only slightly shaky. I had to stop being a wimp and try and see this situation for what it was. There were people attacking us. People trying to kill my mates, my friends, and me. All I was doing was protection myself, protecting the ones I cared about. How could that be wrong? How could fighting to preserve life be wrong?
I balled my hands into fists, telling myself to woman up. This was no time to be the helpless little girl. I almost died today. I couldn't let them come that close to killing me again. I needed to figure out how to stop being a burden and start pulling my own weight. I was going to protect all of them, even if that meant taking a life from the other side.
"You need that?" I asked JP, pointing at the knife in his hand. The knife that had almost killed me earlier.
"T-This thing? No." He shook his head and threw me his spare dagger. I hadn't noticed earlier on how heavy the blade felt in my hands, but that had probably nothing to do with the actual weight. Before, it was a knife to protect me. Now, it was a blade to kill.
"Let's just hope you don't have to use it again," Ashleigh spoke softly, her hand reassuringly warm on my arm. I threw her a puzzled look, wondering how she always seemed to know the right thing to say.
She grinned. A rare smile in the middle of doom and death, but it lifted my spirits. It awoke my wolf. Ashleigh was here and she was okay. I would be okay. A calmness settled in and I felt the ball of stress in my stomach disintegrate. I wouldn't die today. She wouldn't let it happen. None of them would.
I glanced at all the men lurking in between the long
shadows of the trees and just wished they would leave. That they realised how dangerous my friends were and turn around, to go home alive. But they didn't seem to care about the loss of their men. They didn't seem to need the numbers. The third man barely hit the ground and five more were running down towards us.
I wondered if Danny and Regan would keep on fighting or if someone else would take on the next group. Nobody really seemed to talk. They all seemed to know exactly who would do that, something that could only have grown by working closely together for years.
"I g-got this," JP confidently stuttered, swinging two short blades up in front of his face. I wondered where he got them from and how he was going to stop five men with swords, but I didn't need to worry.
As the men surrounded him, swift and fast, he danced around in his little circle. A swift jab here and a slash there, metal hitting metal, blood hitting ground. It was over before it even started. Five grown men fell almost at the same time as JP expertly shielded his blades in sheaths hidden under his shoulder blades. So that is where he kept them.
"D-Done."
"If they keep this up, we'll be dead before morning," Regan grunted, stretching his shoulder as Danny seemed to be rubbing his back. They were keeping up a brave act, but underneath Regan's stern face, I could tell he was concerned and tiring fast.
"If they keep coming in small groups like this, we can take them," Darren argued, polishing and cleaning his blade. His dark eyes were glittering with an emotion I couldn't exactly place but he seemed to be in his element.
"Depends on how many they send," Ashleigh sighed, tying up her own hair in a quick ponytail. Looks like they all meant business. I should probably tie my own hair up as well and avoid fiascos like before.
"Looks like we won't have to worry about small groups," Regan groaned, pointing upwards. As if the hills came to life, more men than I had expected suddenly charged towards us. There were easily twice as many men as the first wave and as skilled as my friends were, I doubted they could take on this many people.
Shifters Gone Wild: A Shifter Romance Collection Page 48