His Savior

Where is He?

~Laslo~

               "We're under attack."

               "FROM WHO?!" I growl out, shaking the cave and causing dust and pebbles to rain on our heads.

               "I.....I....I'm nnn...nnot sssssssure." Pathetic! I push past the weak wolf with the intent to see what the hell is going on. I turn to Zahara, seeing her bent at the waist and breathing heavily.

               "We will finish this later." I head down the hall and watch people running back and forth in front of me. I have no idea who is attacking, but I plan to find out.

               "Laslo!" I see my mom at the cave entrance, and she looks distraught.

               "What the hell is going on, mom?" She looks outside the cave, at me, and back again.

               "It's Ash Band. They found us." I growl ferociously, and those around me still look fearful.

               "Take care of Nona and Zahara. I will handle this; it won't take long." I can't believe that weak fucker actually found me and came out here. What did he expect would happen if we met face to face? He couldn't possibly think that he has a chance in hell of defeating me, could he?

               I head out of the cave and move to a few feet in front of the woods. I rip my shirt off and toss it onto the ground. I watch wolves battling all around me, but I don't see the one I'm expecting. I honestly don't even know what I'm looking for; I've never seen him shift or in wolf form. I unleash my Alpha aura and growl so loudly the trees shake. Everything and everyone seems to stop in mid-stride. "WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?!" I take a few steps closer to the tree line, searching the area around in front of me. "WHERE THE FUCK IS CORY?!"

               No one moves, and you can almost see the second tick down. I know he's here somewhere. He came this far, so there's no reason to be scared now. Ahead of me, I notice movement, and I watch as a few wolves move to the side. A huge gray wolf is stalking toward me, and I use every trick I have to keep my face neutral. That has to be Cory, but this can't be right. That fucker is bigger than Nero; how the hell is that possible? I make my stance stronger and wait for him to get closer to me. The wolf gets inches from me and growls in my face. I can feel its hot breath and spittle fly onto my face. The wolf takes a few steps back and shifts into that weak-ass Cory.

~Cory~

               He really called me out; that's funny. Laslo has always been a bold son of a bitch, and I have to give him that. Today, I don't think it will serve him well.

               The vehicles arrived quickly, and we didn't waste any time in attacking. The first way went in silently, taking care of whoever they came across quickly. We tried to eliminate as many of his warriors as possible before they realized what was happening. Once they became aware, all hell broke loose, and I set off to find Laslo. He did make it easier for me by calling me out. I sent Lennox and others forward to find my mate.

               I know I saw a flicker of fear in Laslo's eyes when Sylas walked up, and I love it. I shifted, and now we are having a stare-down. I stand up a bit taller and plant my feet on the ground. Laslo takes a similar stance with his hands fisted at his side. I'm not sure what's supposed to happen here, but I know what the end game is.

              Laslo clears his throat and crosses his arms across his chest. "So what, you are supposed to be a bad, bad man now? Are you supposed to be a terror to those you come across? In my eyes, you are still that weak boy. Nothing you ever do will change what I know about you."

               A smile slowly spread across my face. It's exactly what I hoped; Laslo is underestimating me. This is the perfect scenario for me because he has no idea what I'm capable of. I don't move or speak; I keep my eyes trained on Laslo. I tilt my head to the side, sizing him up. I start to remember all of the times that his fist would pound into me. I remember all of the times that he would rain kicks down on me; he would beat me up so badly that it took weeks for me to heal.

               I used to go out of my way to make sure I avoided Laslo. I always tried to keep him at arm's length and not cross his paths. I always hated it when he would come looking for me because it usually meant that he was trying to hurt me. Standing here now, I'm not afraid. I don't want to avoid him or hide from him. I want him to come at me the way he used to when I was growing up. I want him to try to take me down so I can end him once and for all.

               The look on Laslo's face is changing from cocky to worried. His eyes start to dart around as if he's looking for something. None of the wolves started back fighting again. Everyone seems to be waiting to see what will happen between Laslo and me. If I can end him without bloodshed, I will feel accomplished.

               "Well?!" I still say nothing, clenching and unclenching my fists. I'm not exactly sure how this should get started. I haven't been in any fights or battles. I have only trained, and that doesn't fit this. Training is a controlled setting, and this will be anything but controlled.

               "Gentlemen. Are we going to do this or not?" I don't need to look to my side to know who that is. Laslo turns to the area next to me and grimaces.

               "What the fuck are you doing here?" Elder Langston chuckles.

               "Did you honestly think we didn't realize there was something going on? We aren't stupid. I'm just here to make sure this is a clean challenge, and we honor the outcome." Laslo's entire face grows red, and his face contorts. He lets out a deep growl while breathing so heavily that his entire body is shaking up and down.

              Laslo drops down into a defensive position, knees bent and arms up, ready to attack. I slowly crouch down but make no move to attack. I can still see Laslo take his breaths, and I know his anger is rising. I stand perfectly still and keep my eyes painted on Laslo. A cry rips into the air, and I see a flash of movement coming toward me. Laslo's fist is traveling toward my face and.....