Wolf Roulette: Supernatural Battle

by Kelly St Clare

  Fuck.

  “Big Red. Prepare Operation Mosquito. Over.”

  My mosquito stewards, covered in protective gear, ran across what remained of the middle tier on either side of the quarry.

  I waited until the last pack drone had ascended above their spot. “Big Red. Initiate Operation Mosquito. Over.”

  Our drones shot out and descended on the pack.

  For a while, there was near complete silence as both sets of drones spun in rapid circles, launching tranquiliser darts.

  I grimaced as cliff stewards who hadn’t managed to get their shields in place went limp.

  Our drones were navigated back to the middle tier as the pack drones slowed and descended.

  Crunch time. “Big Red. Prepare Operation Batman and initiate Operation Hairdryer. Over.”

  Some paw patrol stewards manned the water cannons while the others continued to fire. The pack had ripped off most of the grills—dammit.

  I needed to call the lowest stewards to safety soon, but those on the cliffs could help them with cover fire for now.

  “Reindeer. More drones incoming! Over.”

  “You cunning fucker,” I muttered. “Big Red. Hold your shield position! Over.” I bit my lip, thinking fast. “Big Red. Initiate Operation Mosquito a second time. Over.”

  Our drones weren’t loaded with more darts, but the Luthers didn’t know that. I just needed them to hesitate and not gain height while my cliff stewards were forced to shield.

  I gritted my teeth as a fresh onslaught of darts showered the cliffs.

  Everyone but my Operation Batman stewards were mostly covered.

  Darts embedded in some legs and arms that the shields couldn’t quite protect.

  “Three Operation Batman stewards,” Pascal murmured.

  I swore again.

  The pack drones lowered, and ours returned to the middle tier. The pack had shielded, but our bluff wouldn’t work again.

  Despite the water blasting out from our cannons, Luthers were reaching the first levels.

  “Big Red. Wicked, Snow, send replacements for Operation Batman. Two west. One south. Over.”

  Paw patrol stewards needed to get out of there. If Sascha planned a third aerial attack, we were screwed.

  There wasn’t time to hesitate. “Big Red. Stewards, resume firing positions. Cover bottom tier. Over.”

  I hoped that order didn’t bite me on the ass.

  “Reindeer. Task complete. Over.”

  “Wicked. Task complete. Over.”

  Our hastily practiced operation was fully manned again. Here goes. “Big Red. Initiate Operation Batman. Over.”

  Ropes burst from the top cliffs to the opposite side.

  “Come on.” I exhaled slowly.

  The Batman stewards clipped themselves to the ropes and wasted no time soaring across the quarry.

  Face down, they opened fire on the Luthers below.

  Yes!

  “Big Red. Paw Patrol, shields on and climb. Over.”

  If they could reach the middle tier, we’d be okay.

  Those on the water cannons would probably be shot, but they continued working as Batman stewards soared over the quarry, and paw patrol stewards ascended the sandstone walls.

  One Batman steward was hanging limp in the middle of a wire, rendering the entire wire useless.

  But they were nailing it.

  This game is carnage, Booker said in awe.

  Yep. I’d never experienced a grid match this intense.

  “Something’s wrong over there.” Rhona pointed.

  Tribe members were scrambling to reach an unconscious steward. I gasped as her anchor dislodged and she dropped to the next safety point.

  Muted screams rocketed toward me from those looking on.

  I blurted into my walkie, “Reindeer. Take over head steward controls. Over.” Jumping onto the railing, I launched at the cliffs to my left and extended my claws part way.

  Puncturing the sandstone, I worked fast toward the middle of the quarry where the unconscious woman hung.

  I could feel Sascha closing in as well.

  Panting hard, I reached the steward and took her weight over my shoulder. Oh fuck. Our claws were not made for this load.

  She’s clipped to the rope, Booker reminded me.

  “Hand her over.” Sascha was breathing hard too.

  He was stronger.

  Hissing at the pain in my claws, I nodded. He transferred her to his shoulder, and I unhooked her from the ropes.

  Grunting, Sascha descended to the middle tier. I caught my breath, clinging to the wall.

  “Fancy meeting you here.”

  Pain exploded across my cheek, and I saw white. I clung on and blinked at Mandy for an instant before her fist replaced my view of her smirk.

  She connected with my jaw again.

  My claws slid free of the sandstone.

  I cried out.

  How high are we? Spin around, Booker shouted.

  Air rushed past as I struggled to face the ground.

  But I already knew we were too high up to come out unscathed.

  A huge body collided with mine and the air rushed from my lungs. Sascha wrapped around me, cradling me tight.

  We rocketed toward the ground.

  And hit.

  My head cracked against Sascha’s chest.

  His arms slid from my back. Pain reverberated through my body where I lay atop of him.

  Clutching my head, I rolled off, trying to see past the black cracks in my vision.

  “Sascha?” I slurred, crawling back to him. Booker?

  I’m here, she said groggily. There’s blood.

  I called out to Greyson and didn’t receive a reply.

  Forcing my way through the throbbing pain, I focused on Sascha again. Blood seeped out from under his head.

  I checked his pulse. Slow.

  Too slow.

  “Sascha,” I shouted.

  My heart pounded as I heaved him sideways to check his head. The split nearly made me vomit.

  “No.” Black closed in on my mind. “Sascha! Wake up.”

  Evelyn pushed through the midst of the fighting Luthers.

  She dropped beside me, feeling for his pulse. She inspected his wound, and I watched on in desperation as she checked his eyes and felt his pulse again.

  “His heartbeat is strengthening.” She sat back and sighed.

  “He’ll be okay?” My voice cracked.

  “Yes.”

  I covered my face. She wrapped me in her arms, and I cried against her shoulder.

  “The idiot c-caught me,” I explained.

  “Yes, dear. I saw. Very stupid of him.”

  Chaos was all around us, and I just didn’t care. I sniffed hard and pulled away.

  “Is Sascha alright?” Mandy asked in a tiny voice from behind us.

  Evelyn growled, all menacing mother.

  Red blanketed my vision as I turned to Mandy. Fangs bursting from my gums, I launched at her and tackled her to the ground.

  Drawing my fist back, I slammed it into the delta’s face twice.

  And then once more for fucking luck.

  Her head lolled, and my brief satisfaction ended as I felt a sharp pinch in my back.

  Spinning in a drunken circle, I met Grim’s gaze.

  “You shot me,” I accused.

  The gamma shrugged. “No hard feelings.”

  “Bastard.”

  He smiled, and I slanted to the ground.

  24

  I clutched my head and rolled. “Mothershitter.”

  “I’ve always wondered what that means. Then again, what does bitchhole mean? These are questions that only the consumption of red wine can answer.”

  Forcing an eyelid open, I found Wade sitting on a chair beside my bed.

  “Ouch,” I told him.

  “Your forehead copped a pretty decent injury. No joke, you looked like a white-trash unicorn for a whole hour.”

  Booker?


  She didn’t answer, but as panic threatened to close in, I recalled Grim darting me. Tranquiliser affected our wolves more than us.

  “I fell?” It had to be sometime in the middle of the night because no one in the manor made a sound.

  “Sascha caught you. I can’t believe he isn’t dead.”

  My heart stalled and horror saturated my very soul. “Tell me he’s alive, Wade.”

  “I got Evelyn’s number. She’s texting hourly updates. He opened his eyes for a bit. She said he’ll fully recover.”

  My heart resumed beating, and I dragged in a harsh breath.

  Some of the horror remained though.

  I’d felt panic when Herc aimed his gun at Sascha, but I’d never truly understood just how his death would break me until now.

  My very being screamed against that existence.

  I touched my face, wincing at the deep pain in the centre of my forehead. “I can’t remember what happened after we hit the ground.”

  Wade kicked his legs up onto the bed and crossed them at the ankle. “Let me give you a play-by-play.”

  “A genuine one, please.”

  “This may sound Wade-esque, but it’s accurate.” He cleared his throat. “Mandy punched you twice in the face, throwing you from the top cliffs. No one’s sure what compelled her to do it—the move would have always lost the pack points. But moving on. Sascha dropped the unconscious steward he saved like she was burning sack of shit and launched after you like he was Wolverine. Our steward fell a few metres to the middle tier and is bruised but otherwise fine. Sascha hit the ground with you in his arms. You wept like a child on his mother’s shoulder after screaming his name. Every steward saw Sascha take the brunt of the hit for you… They also saw your distraught reaction when you believed him dead.”

  I groaned.

  “The upside is that the tribe also saw you beat the Christmas spirit out of Mandy—they think you’re a total badass.”

  “What’s everyone saying about me and Sascha?”

  “Uh, well, they saw how you truly feel about Sascha Greyson. It’s... some are shocked. I’m not sure it’s in a bad way—but I guess we’ll soon find out. Until now, you haven’t once let feelings you have for him affect your effort in the grid, so that’s a definite bonus.”

  I’d planned to lose to the pack if Sascha agreed to a truce, but the tribe didn’t need to know that.

  Jesus. The next few days would be hell dealing with the fallout, and Rhona would have seen everything too.

  I sighed. “Are you sure Sascha is okay?”

  “Positive, baby girl. He’s going to get better. Plus, he managed to make the tribe super uncomfortable by risking his life to protect you.”

  “How? My head hurts too much to think.”

  “He put your life above the game. He provided unshakeable proof that he’s more than the savage beast. That will probably shock the Luther-haters more than your feelings for him.”

  Huh. Hoped so.

  I rested back on my pillows. “You’ve been here all night?”

  “You betcha. Cam was, too, but I told her to get some sleep an hour ago. The stewards are all asking about you.”

  “Thank you for being here.” I sucked in a harsh breath. Oh my god. “Did we win Sandstone?”

  “Five minutes. It took you five minutes to ask.”

  “Tell me.”

  “There was one point between us and the pack. We won.”

  “One point,” I repeated in a daze.

  Wade grinned. “You turned over another grid, baby girl.”

  I closed my eyes.

  We won. We had three grids.

  Yet I could only think about Sascha. About how much I wanted to be beside him. “Can you call Evelyn, please?”

  “I want a better reaction to our win first.”

  I stared at him.

  “For now, you get a pass,” he rushed to say.

  He dialled and put the call on speaker.

  “Wade, hello,” Evelyn answered immediately.

  I braced myself against the lingering horror. “How is he?”

  “Andie. Sascha woke and is asking for you. Would you like to speak to him?”

  “Please.” I listened to murmuring voices.

  “Mate,” Sascha answered.

  Wade fanned his face.

  A lump rose in my throat. “You’re alright.”

  “You hit your head. How do you feel?”

  This wasn’t becoming about me when he’d nearly died. “I’m fine. Has your head healed?”

  “Grim shot you,” he growled. “I was worried what it might have done with your head injury.”

  “Sascha. Are you okay?”

  “It will take a day or two to get back on my feet,” he admitted.

  Anger surged. “Why did you do that? I could have landed better. You had to absorb the shock from two bodies.” My voice broke. “How is your back not broken?”

  “Don’t be upset, beautiful wolf. My back has healed now.”

  My eyes rounded. “It was broken?”

  “I heal fast,” he said hastily. “Thank you for being worried about me though.”

  A tear slipped from my eye.

  “She’s crying,” Wade said.

  Fucker.

  Sascha sighed. “I’d much rather see you to know you’re safe.”

  “Maybe I could visit you tomorrow? With pack permission.”

  “Permission granted.”

  Another tear joined the first. Sascha never sounded tired, but near-death had done it. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Sleep and rest.”

  He murmured a disjointed goodbye, and I ended the call.

  Wade’s eyes were wide. “Baby girl, you are so far gone,”

  My bottom lip trembled. “I know.”

  Sascha nearly dying made the consequences of Grids real in a way nothing else had. This was what stood to happen unless I won.

  Sascha could die.

  I could lose him forever.

  Wade leaned over and wrapped his arms around me. “You don’t need to be afraid.”

  But I did.

  I really did.

  The office door was slammed against the bookshelf.

  I glanced up, phone held to my ear. “Let’s suspend work in Sandstone today. The focus is on cleaning up darts and compiling a thorough inspection of the pack’s management.” I listened to Trixie’s reply. “Alright. See you this afternoon.”

  I hung up. “Wade. Can I help you?”

  He squared his shoulders. “You certainly can.”

  Striding forward, Wade tossed a thick folder on my desk. He leaned forward on his hands to peer into my eyes.

  What the hell?

  “I’d like to take you back to 1846,” he said grimly.

  I inhaled my friend’s determination. “If you need to.”

  “We can both agree it’s imperative.”

  Can we? “The floor is yours.”

  “Since its birth, the Annual Deception Valley Ball has formed the cornerstone of relations between the public and the Ni Tiaki. The event fostered friendships and business networks between our people. In an isolated town, the ball was anticipated as the event of the year. Women would spend the year creating their outfits as shown in some old pictures I pulled from records—”

  “Where are you going with this?”

  He spoke over me. “The ball of today is a sad, weak replica of what once was. Our tribe has allowed this tradition to fall into woeful despair, and I strongly believe it is our solemn duty, now more than ever, to resurrect this event to its full power.”

  Wade opened the folder and I eyed the thickness of the contents.

  He began again. “Luthers, tribe, and—”

  “I have a call that I can’t miss in five minutes.”

  Wade glared at me. “This is important.”

  A lot of preparation had gone into his presentation. “I’m not saying it isn’t. I’m saying that you need to get to your point. You know I’ll listen.�
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  He maintained his glare for another beat before sighing heavily. “Fine. Prior to the last fifty years, the Deception Valley Ball always meant a week off Grids. I want this tradition reinstated. The ball was once vital to relationships between tribe and public, but in my humble opinion, it can be used to the same effect between the pack and Ni Tiaki now.”

  Humble wasn’t a word I’d apply to Wade.

  Ever.

  I leaned back. A week off Grids for the ball…

  We had three grids in our possession and the two hardest battlefields remained. The odds of winning Clay or Water were far lower than those we’d already turned over.

  A week off Grids for the ball would mean an extra week to prepare for those grids.

  A week off could affect my steward’s winning momentum though, and that wasn’t something to disregard. Morale held great importance.

  Then again, improving relationships between Luthers and stewards felt like an insurmountable task, and one that had to be achieved to form a lasting truce.

  Every little effort could help.

  Wade hadn’t breathed in thirty seconds. He really did believe in this ball. My friend was smart about people.

  I nodded. “I’ll back you on this. I can see the benefits. It’s up to you to convince the head team. Put together an official request for the pack after. If Sascha says no, my hands are tied.”

  He smirked. “He’ll agree.”

  That comment should probably worry me.

  Controlling Wade would be like controlling a flood, and I needed to be in the conference room three minutes ago. “Go get ’em, tiger. Let me know how you get on.”

  Grabbing a thin folder—my life was 100 percent folders these days—I rushed from the office.

  In the conference room, I switched on the large screen and connected my device to the laptop. I only had time to take a steadying breath before a phone symbol appeared.

  I shook out my hands. This call was important.

  It wasn’t every day I spoke to a vampire king.

  Drawing my shoulders back, I answered the call. “This is Andie Thana.”

  A huge space came into view. Smooth stone registered before the two thrones drew my eye—because they were thrones. The number of bodies came next. Upwards of ten vampires.

  The biggest of the two thrones was occupied by the largest man I’d ever seen. A heavy crown sat atop his head. The woman sitting on the smaller throne to his right was clad in an elegant tiara and nipple tassels.