Rendered

Chapter 3

Kenny's POV

It had been three days since I intentionally skipped the monthly elder's meeting. Three days since Beta Nuzo had arrived at the office. He hadn't shown up for any of the training sessions but had attended all the online meetings. It was 6 pm, our usual pack running time. I usually led the run, so I headed to the open field where I typically met up with pack members interested in joining me. When I arrived, there were about 30 wolves waiting for me, but the blended grey and white wolf with green eyes was missing. I began to think he was avoiding me.

"You know, you can just go see him. He might be sick or simply avoiding you," my wolf suddenly spoke, startling me. He had never spoken before. We always shared the same thoughts, feelings, and actions. We were always in sync. I ignored him and instead howled to let everyone know we were starting the run.

I took off towards the south border, leading the pack towards the cotton field, livestock, and stream. I ran fast, trying to silence my talking wolf. He kept bringing up the topic of finding a mate, which I preferred to avoid. It shocked me because he had never mentioned us finding a mate all these years. Without thinking, I ran towards the stream and swam across in my white wolf form. Emerging on the other side, I continued towards a cluster of bushes. Soon after, I spotted two rogues scouting my territory.

My first thought was, how did they pass the security without being detected? Did someone let them in? Were we too relaxed and reliant on technology, unaware of the influx of unwelcome wolves? I charged towards them without consulting the others running with me. Lost in thought, I failed to notice that no one had crossed the stream with me. I was too preoccupied to realize it until I caught a foul scent.

A scrawny, dirty brown wolf pounced on me from behind, making it three wolves now. I managed to dodge its attack, and it collided with a tree. Two other wolves came charging at me. As I fought them off, I felt a sting on my left hind leg. Horror washed over me as I knew I had less than 30 minutes to fight and leave the scene before losing feeling in my legs. I kicked the wolf that was trying to bite my leg and sank my teeth into the back of another wolf's neck, causing it to howl and bleed. I attacked the brown wolf by pouncing on it, pinning it to the ground, and ripping its heart out with my claws.

Only one wolf remained, but my hind legs were losing their feeling. I had two options: to run and leave the remaining wolf or to fight it and risk losing. I still don't know who threw the dart at me. I decided to take my chances and fight. To my dismay, the wolf transformed into a small, scrawny boy who aimed an arrow at me. I ran toward him, and he released the arrow. Unfortunately, it hit my front left leg. I didn't care; I tackled him to the ground, tearing his limbs apart and breaking one of his legs. After that, I lost consciousness.

Nuzo's POV

I was finishing up my fighting training with my best friend Dean when I heard my phone ring. I prayed it wasn't Alpha calling; I wasn't ready to face him yet after the messages I had sent on the day of the elders' meeting. I checked my phone, and it was Gamma Msizi. My heart sank. He had never called me on my personal line before. It could only mean one thing: something serious had happened while I was engrossed in training with my friend.

"Are you going to answer that or keep staring at it?" Dean asked with concern, noticing my frightened expression. Without looking away from the screen, I replied, "I'll answer it for you." He took the phone, pressed the answer button, and put it on speaker. "Come to the security office right away. We need you at this moment since Alpha won't be able to help." Those were the words spoken, and the call ended abruptly.

"Damn it! I have to go. We'll continue with this tomorrow morning," I told Dean, rushing out of the training area in my sweaty attire. There was no time to change. I hopped in the car and sped to the headquarters, arriving in less than eight minutes. As I entered the boardroom, everyone was busy with their laptops. Gamma was giving instructions to people on the phone, directing them to patrol every corner of the pack and search thoroughly. I asked the guard at the door what was going on.

"Oh, Beta Nuzo, you're here. Gamma wants you to take over the cybersecurity part and check for any breaches. Three rogues attacked the Alpha today, and he's in critical condition. The rogues managed to infiltrate undetected. The only weak point Nuzo could think of was the silver pack's side. Not all pack members supported our Alpha, as his young brother was still alive. The elders were right; he should have eliminated all the silver pack's alpha's family. Now the boy, who is 21, is likely trying to incite rebellion."

Without thinking, I shouted, "Check the silver pack junction! That's our weakest point, and they have a motive to plan such an attack." Gamma Msizi interrupted his phone conversation and looked at me. "Boy! Don't make accusations without proof. Just review the entire damn security footage and start planning a protection strategy until the Alpha recovers and tells us what to do."

"With all due respect, Gamma Msizi, don't call me 'boy,' and remember that I outrank you. At the moment, I'm first in command until the Alpha's brother arrives," I responded firmly. "Now, everyone, focus on the silver pack's borders and tighten patrol there. Let them know that we're aware they're attempting to rebel, and we won't tolerate it." With that, I left the building and went alone to the site where the incident had taken place.

It was dark outside, but the streetlights provided enough visibility. On my way, I called my friend to come and help me track down the wolves who had dared to attack our Alpha. We spent two hours searching the area and looking for any possible clues, but we came up empty-handed. I remembered Msizi mentioning that one of the attackers was still alive but in critical condition. I rushed to the hospital, hoping the person was awake.

Entering the hospital, I approached the nurse's station and inquired about the boy who had been admitted earlier, supposedly in critical condition. "Oh, you mean the girl?" the nurse responded. "No, the boy who attacked the Alpha and was torn apart," I interjected. "You must be mistaken, Beta. It was a young girl. She's in room 6-9. No one is allowed to see her at the moment." I thanked the nurse and made my way to the room.

Sure enough, there were four guards standing outside, preventing anyone from entering. As I attempted to push the door open, one of them blocked my way. "Sorry, Beta, but we were instructed not to let anyone in," Kiwi, one of the soldiers, explained. "Last I checked, the Alpha was in a coma, and the only person with the highest authority is me, unless the Alpha's mother or brother gave those orders." Kiwi looked down and stepped away from the door. I pushed it open and was hit by a scent that overwhelmed me, making me feel weak. I prayed to God that this girl wasn't my mate. As I approached her, there was no denying it—she was my mate.

I placed my hand on her cheek, and despite her state and the scars on her face, I found her breathtakingly beautiful. I was determined to make her my mate, regardless of her circumstances and any mistakes she had made. She opened her eyes and turned towards me. "Mate," she said weakly, her voice filled with pain. It broke my heart. How could Kenneth do this to my mate? "It's not his fault; I was also trying to capture him," she spoke softly, coughing up blood afterward. "I'll get the nurse. Just hang in there," I told her while wiping away her tears. "No, wait. Don't leave me. I know I won't survive the night, and I'd like to spend the few hours I have left with you by my side," my mate requested. I pulled a chair closer and sat beside her, gently stroking her hair and face.

"I'm supposed to tell you that the person who sent me is Troy, but I won't lie to you. That boy doesn't seem as interested in becoming Alpha as his mother and sister are," she coughed again. "His mate is a human, and he seems smitten. He even moved to live with the humans." I listened to my mate, who struggled to speak. I wanted to hear more about her and how she ended up in this predicament, but I also understood that she wanted to depart this world worthy of her mate.

"Enough talking for today. You need to rest so you can wake up tomorrow and tell me about yourself," I said, placing a kiss on her forehead. She gave me a faint smile and nodded. But what happened next tore me apart. The monitor beside her bed stopped beeping, and she stopped breathing. How I wished we had met under different circumstances.

I opened the door and instructed the guard to call the doctor. Then I called Gamma Msizi to inform him about everything. From his response, I could tell he doubted me. At that moment, I didn't care. I needed to get away from that place.