Once Upon a Wolf

Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

"Rogues!" I shouted as I scrambled to put on my sneakers. "Shit!" I grabbed my crutch in a hurry and staggered down the steps. All around me was disarray. Everyone was already downstairs. Confusion and suspicion clouded the pack.

Questions and accusations flared around me.

"How could there be intruders among us?" Willow seethed.

"We're always vigilant, protecting our territory from any threats." Lincoln's beta added with a growl.

"Why would the rogues enter our grounds?" Zack snarled. Maddox marched through the front door, and everyone followed him out of the main house and ran outside into the dark night.

I searched for Alice in the turmoil and found her close to Brett. I breathed in relief.

The pack's alpha, Lincoln, raised his nose to the sky. His amber eyes scanned the surrounding shadows.

"Who dares to enter my territory!" he roared.

Without warning, a dozen wolves stalked forward. Their glowing eyes gleamed with a savage hunger, promising a fight. I stood at the safety of the front door, frozen in fear at the scene that unfolded before me, gulping in rickety air. Alice stood on the deck and we both watched as pack members — deltas, betas, and the alpha family shifted into the grueling creatures.

The Moon Stone pack members fell to their knees, gritting their teeth. Course hair sprouted from their bodies, ripping their clothes off from their flesh that turned into their wolf. I stared in horror at the sight that shocked my eyes for the second time. The group's shifting intensified, bones cracked and reshaped, their bodies contorting into monstrous forms. I looked away and flinched. It wasn't pretty to witness and tough to get used to. The forest echoed with fearsome growls and howls.

Zack's wolf was chestnut brown, and Mike's wolf had tanned fur, matching the shades of their hair. Willow's wolf was russet and cinnamon, her fur mirroring her fiery spirit that countered the warm amber of Faye's wolf. Even Savina shifted. Her wolf was golden brown with a silky coat. And Brett's wolf I recognized from the barbeque — a rugged smoky grey. Amongst them were the other Moon Stone wolves of different shades and sizes. Alpha Lincoln's matured grey wolf was the largest. Old scars etched upon his flesh bore testament to the battles he had fought. But Maddox's wolf was just as large, if not bigger and more powerful. I blinked twice. His coat was obsidian, as dark as the pitch-black sky that absorbed around him. His intense blue eyes glaring at the intruders.

With a chilling snarl, the rogues revealed themselves, their fur matted and unkempt, a stark contrast to the sleek coats of the Moon Stone pack. Abruptly, the rogues charged forward. The grounds erupted into a frenzied clash of teeth and claws. I held my breath. Never have I felt so frightened in my life as my white-knuckled fingers gripped the door frame. Alice held her chest in fear as she watched with equal terror. The werewolves of the Moon Stone pack, driven by fury, fought to defend their home and protect one another. Fangs sank into flesh, fur matted with blood, and guttural growls filled the night and I was witness to this madness.

Maddox, his wolf's muscles rippling with power, lunged at the largest rogue, their bodies colliding in a whirlwind of brutal strength as he grappled the rogue effortlessly. Faye's howl pierced the air, cutting through the chaos like a bell through the night, when a rogue sank its fangs into Zack's shoulder. Meanwhile, the pack members battled fiercely against the rogues, killing half of them.

It appeared the Moon Stone pack had the upper hand. I walked hesitantly down the steps, with Alice already ahead of me, walking close to the danger zone. "Alice," I said. "Are you crazy? Get back here."