Chapter 252

Ava

I crouched low in the underbrush, my heart pounding as I watched the battle unfold. The clash of metal against metal rang out across the field, mingling with the snarls and howls of wolves locked in combat. Some warriors fought in their human forms, wielding spears and swords with deadly precision, while others had shifted into their wolf forms, teeth and claws flashing in the sunlight.

My eyes scanned the chaotic scene, desperately searching for Chris. The smell of blood and sweat hung heavy in the air, making it difficult to pick out individual scents.

Finally, I spotted him—a magnificent white wolf, flanked by his warriors, sprinting through the fray. Leonard was at his side, his gray fur already streaked with dirt and blood.

I watched as they wove through the battle, clearly headed for a specific destination. Winston, I realized. They must be trying to reach him. But as quickly as I had found them, they disappeared into the chaos once more, swallowed up by the swirling sea of dust and fighting bodies.

My claws dug into the earth as I fought the urge to join the battle. I had planned to stay hidden, to stay safe, and simply wait in case something happened. But every fiber of my being screamed to be out there, fighting alongside Chris.

Suddenly, a familiar scent cut through the battlefield stench—Chris. But something was wrong. The scent was filled with fear and pain, where there had been none before. He needed me.

Without thinking, I rose to my feet, my body tensing as I prepared to sprint into the fray.

And then I felt it—a tugging sensation in my chest, an inexplicable knowledge that Chris was indeed in danger.

The mate bond.

I had heard about it, but had never experienced it myself. It was said that the bond only manifested after a mating ceremony, or…

My eyes widened. Or during pregnancy.

There was no time to dwell on the implications. Chris needed me, and I would not let him face this alone. With a deep breath, I launched myself out of the underbrush and into the battle.

The world became a blur of fur, flesh, and flashing steel. I dodged attacks left and right, my paws barely touching the ground as I wove through the bodies. Dirt and debris flew up around me, stinging my eyes and clogging my nose. But I pressed on, guided by the invisible thread that connected me to Chris.

Suddenly, a heavy weight slammed into my side, sending me tumbling through the dirt. I scrambled to my feet, shaking my head to clear it, and found myself face to face with one of Winston’s warriors—a fierce-looking female wolf with blazing yellow eyes.

She snarled, circling me slowly. I bared my teeth in response, my hackles rising, hoping that she would get distracted by someone else.

But then, she lunged at me. I barely managed to dodge out of her way, but still felt her teeth graze my flank. We circled each other again, both looking for an opening. I knew I was outmatched—this warrior had years of experience on me. But when I tried to dodge past her to get to Chris, she blocked my way again, her fangs snapping mere centimeters from my face before I managed to pull back.

The fight that followed was brutal. We clashed again and again, teeth snapping and claws raking. I took hit after hit, my inexperience showing. But something inside me refused to give up. Maybe it was the mate bond, or the knowledge that I might be carrying Chris’s child, or something else entirely.

Whatever it was, it gave me a strength I didn’t know I possessed.

Finally, I saw my chance. As the warrior lunged at me once more, I ducked under her attack and used her momentum against her. My teeth found purchase on her hind leg, and I yanked hard, sending her crashing to the ground. Before she could recover, I was bolting past her, disappearing into the throng.

Leaving the stunned warrior behind, I pressed on, following the pull of the mate bond. The battle raged around me, but I barely noticed it now. My entire being was focused on finding Chris.

And then I saw him. He was surrounded by a group of Winston’s warriors, his white fur matted with blood and dirt. Leonard lay at his feet, clearly injured. Chris stood over him protectively, snarling at anyone who dared come close.

Without hesitation, I threw myself into the fray. Chris’s eyes widened in shock as he saw me, but there was no time for explanations. We fought side by side, our movements somehow perfectly in sync despite never having battled together before.

“Ava,” I heard his voice through our Mindlink between attacks, “what the hell are you doing here?”

I ducked under a warrior’s swipe, retaliating with a sharp bite to their leg. “Saving your ass, apparently,” I shot back.

Despite the dire situation, I heard an echo of Chris’s barking laugh jolt through my mind. “My hero,” he quipped, taking down another warrior with a powerful swipe of his paw.

Slowly but surely, we whittled down the group surrounding us. As the last warrior fell, Chris turned to me, his green eyes blazing with a mixture of anger, relief, and something else—a dawning realization.

He felt the tug of our mate bond, knew the implications of it suddenly materializing despite the fact that we hadn’t yet had a mating ceremony. His gaze dropped to my belly, then back to my face, a question in his eyes.

I nodded silently, confirming his unspoken suspicion. For a moment, the battlefield around us seemed to fade away. Then reality came crashing back as Leonard let out a pained whine.

Chris shook himself, his eyes hardening with determination. “I have to go. Winston—”

“Go. I’ll take care of Leonard.”

Chris hesitated for a moment, then pressed his forehead against mine. No words were needed—I could feel his love, his worry, and his fierce protectiveness through our newly formed bond.

Then, with one last look, he turned and bounded away, toward where I could see the other Alphas gathering.

I quickly shifted back into my human form, kneeling beside Leonard. “Come on,” I urged, my voice hoarse. “We need to get you out of here.”

Leonard groaned as he returned to his own human form, his face pale and drawn with pain.

“Leave me,” he gasped. “Save yourself and the baby. Chris would never forgive me if something happened to you.”

I ignored his protests, slinging his arm over my shoulder and hauling him to his feet. “Not a chance, old man,” I grunted, supporting his weight as we stumbled away from the battlefield.

We made slow progress, Leonard leaning heavily on me. I could feel warm blood seeping from a wound on his leg, staining my clothes. Finally, we reached the edge of the battlefield, and I lowered Leonard against a large oak tree.

“Hold still,” I ordered, tearing a strip of fabric from my shirt to use as a makeshift bandage. As I worked to staunch the bleeding, Leonard’s eyes never left my face.

“You’re crazy, you know that?” he said, a raw chuckle escaping his throat. “Coming out here in your condition.”

I tied off the bandage, perhaps a bit more forcefully than necessary. “I’m pregnant, not helpless,” I retorted. “Besides, someone had to save your sorry ass.”

Leonard chuckled again, then winced as the movement jostled his injury. “Fair enough. But seriously, Ava, you should go. It’s not safe here.”

I sat back on my heels, fixing him with a stern glare. “I told you, I’m not leaving you. So just shut up and let me help, okay?”

For a moment, we engaged in a silent battle of wills. Then Leonard’s expression softened, and he nodded, leaning his head back against the tree. “Okay,” he conceded.

We lapsed into silence after that, the sounds of battle still raging behind us. I kept pressure on Leonard’s wound, my mind racing with worry for Chris and the others. Suddenly, Leonard’s hand gripped my arm.

“Look,” he whispered, pointing over my shoulder.

I turned, my breath catching in my throat at the sight in front of me. There, running across the battlefield, was Chris.

Flanking him were the other three Alphas, their fur gleaming in the sunlight as they raced toward a massive black wolf that could only be…

Winston.