Chapter 98

Thorne’s POV

The wolf on my back digs its claws into my sides, and the one beside me snaps its teeth too close to my neck. My vision blurs at the pain in my body, but I shake it off. I can’t keep fighting if I pass out.

My legs shake under the weight of my attackers as I toss my head back and clamp my jaws around the neck of one wolf.

A broken scream fazes into a howl, distracting the wolves attacking me and giving me a chance to slam the wolf on my back against the nearest tree. It falls off me, and I spin, looking for the source of the howl.

In the middle of the battling wolves stands a silver-white female wolf. Chaos rages around her, but it all fades when our eyes connect. Familiar human eyes give way to sharp, predatorial wolf eyes.

Aurora.

She’s beautiful.

And clumsy.

The she-wolf stumbles toward me, walking slowly and stiffly before she trips over her own paws. This has to be the worst time for her to shift for the first time, so I bark at her, hoping she’ll take it as a call to come to me.

However, before she can take more than a few steps, a rogue rams into her, sending both of them to the ground. She yelps in pain, sending a wave of fury through me.

“MATE!” My wolf howls, and I run forward, dodge an attacker, and pounce on the wolf attacking my mate. I sink my teeth into its neck, hauling it off my mate and tossing it aside. Its body collides with a tree, and I pounce again, snarling in its face and baring my teeth at it.

A whimper from behind me grabs my attention, pulling my eyes back to my mate. She limps toward me, but something rams into me from behind. Then, Aurora is out of my sight. I’m tumbling down a hill, pain spearing every part of my body as claws and teeth pierce me.

Snarling, I fight back, attacking the rogues with as much power as I can, but it’s not enough.

“Protect the she-wolf!” I order, sending the command to every gamma and pack member near me.

I slam my hind legs into the wolf behind me, then rake my claws across the face of another rogue. With each blow I land, I’m dealt just as much damage. The rogues don’t give up, but neither do I.

Aurora needs me. She can’t fight and doesn’t know how to use her new body. The rogues will easily overpower her if I don’t get to her.

“Alpha! There’s too many!”

“We can’t get to her!”

“She’s… we’re all surrounded!”

Whipping my head around, I search for my mate to find just that. There are three rogues circling her. I move toward her, but with each step I take, I’m pulled back.

A blinding pain slams into my head, and my vision goes black. I stumble, but keep heading in the direction I know Aurora is in. If I can just get to her, I can protect her.

“Go forward,” my wolf demands, using his strength to push me.

Another rogue attacks, and I try to shake off the blindness that has struck me. It’s on top of me, and Aurora is somewhere ahead of me. I throw myself back, slamming the wolf into the ground and landing on top of it.

Before I can get to my feet, another attacks. Teeth sink into my shoulder, and I roar, trying to shake it off me.

They’re doing everything they can to keep me from getting to her, which means they’re here for Aurora.

Aurora’s POV

I don’t know what to do. Everyone around me is struggling to fight, and each time I try to help, my wolf body doesn’t cooperate. My limbs feel funny, and my heart is pounding so loud, I can’t hear anything else.

A roar sounds from far off.

Thorne.

The wolves keep dragging him away, and I can tell he’s trying to get to me, but they won’t let him. I find him, across the field, thrashing against four rogues. His fur is bloody, and his movements are sluggish.

A whine falls from my muzzle, and I move toward him. I snap my new, sharp teeth at the men and wolves around me, but it doesn’t do any good. So, I swipe wickedly long claws at them, catching one wolf in the side.

Blood spurts from his side, and I move around him, nearly tripping as I do. I want to get to Thorne. He needs help… but can I help him?

Anders. I need to find Anders. I look around, hoping to find someone to help, but each of Thorne’s men is busy fighting their own attackers. Even as I search the field, I realize there are more rogues than there were earlier.

Had more shown up?

“You should worry more about yourself, little she-wolf,” a rogue man says as several wolves surround me.

Lifting my head, I do my best imitation of a growl, but it comes out weak. The man laughs. I throw my paw out, slicing my claws into his leg. He cries out, stumbles back, and glares at me.

Who’s laughing now?

I growl again, this time more confident.

If he wants to mess with me, I’ll do my best to hurt him. I won’t give in without a fight.

The rogue wolves around me growl as well, skulking closer and baring their teeth at me. There are three of them, all ready to attack at the signal of the man I just hurt. My eyes bounce between the four rogues surrounding me.

There’s no way I can escape this without help, but even so, I dart to the side where there’s a small opening. If I can get through, I can—

Something heavy slams into the back of my head, making my vision blur and my legs give out beneath me. Suddenly, my body is in the air and arms are hauling me up. I try to fight them, but they move quickly, wrapping something tightly around my front paws and back paws.

I can’t move.

The ropes cut into my skin, making me whimper at the burning pain.

Thorne.

Turning my head, I blink past the darkness clouding my vision, only to find Thorne surrounded again. There has to be at least ten wolves around him, and he’s struggling. Even with his strength, he won’t make it to me.

“He won’t make it out alive,” the man holding me laughs just as two of the wolves around Thorne jump. They land on him in a whirlwind of claws and teeth. Thorne does his best to fight the many attackers, but there’s too many.

“We got her!” The man holding me shouts. Thorne’s head lifts and our eyes connect as my captor orders, “Keep him busy!”

Thorne roars, thrashing against the wolves around him.

“Say goodbye,” my captor chuckles, just as two wolves sink their teeth into Thorne’s side and neck. Thorne’s body slumps to the ground beneath his attackers, and I scream. Or I try to.

The sound that comes out of me is unearthly.

Then, there’s another spike of pain at the back of my head and everything goes black.