The Faltered Bond | Book #1 [Werewolf]

Chapter 10 | Ambush

JACE W.

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Blood floods my mouth, thick and metallic, clinging to my tongue. Claws tear into my neck and shoulders, but I ignore the pain, my teeth sinking deeper into my opponent's throat. I don't stop until my canines scrape against bone. A sickening gargle bubbles from his bloodied maw as I wrench myself free, leaving a gaping wound in my wake. His body convulses, collapsing into the growing crimson pool beneath him. I release my grip, already scanning the battlefield for my next target.

The scene before me is chaos. Wolves battle in every direction, snarling and tearing into each other with relentless fury. Bodies litter the ground, some still twitching, others already cold. My stomach twists as my heart pounds like a war drum in my ears. The mansion's once-pristine courtyard is unrecognizable, overrun with invaders. Within minutes, our guards had been slaughtered like lambs, and our troops scattered across the territory—chasing what I now realize were mere distractions. A trap. A perfectly executed trap.

How could I have been so blind? How did I not see the signs?

A yelp pierces through my thoughts. My gaze snaps toward a familiar raven-black wolf—Gamma Angel. She struggles beneath a massive, scarred rogue, his jaws locked around her shoulder as he forces her into the dirt. A snarl rips from my throat, and before he can do more damage, I charge, barreling into his side with enough force to send him staggering. His belly is exposed for a split second—more than enough time. My claws rip across his underside in one savage swipe. Warm liquid gushes in thick spurts from the wound, his body seizing as he bleeds out within seconds.

I spin back to Angel, relieved to see her already back on her paws despite the blood staining her black fur. Tapping into the mind link, I ask, Any injuries?

She shakes out her pelt, but her blue eyes burn with urgency. Nothing serious.

Then her gaze snaps past me, pupils dilating.

Instinct kicks in. Before I can react, she leaps over me, slamming into another rogue mid-air. The mutt had been inches from sinking its teeth into my back. She makes quick work of it, her powerful jaws closing around its throat with a sickening crunch.

I growl, scanning the battlefield again. They're everywhere. We're overrun.

The clash of bodies and the cries of the wounded press in on me, overwhelming the link. I barely hear her words over the chaos. Have the civilians been evacuated?

I pause. My mind blanks. I don't know.

Angel's features harden, her voice sharp through the link. Jace, focus!

I'm try— A bone-chilling howl rises from the mansion.

My blood turns to ice as my father's voice booms through the link, burning into my mind like a hot blade.

The mansion has been breached.

My paws move before my mind can catch up. I break into a sprint, weaving through the chaotic tangle of wolves and bodies, my breath ragged as I push forward. The oak gates of my home loom ahead, their once-proud frame now battered and scarred from the onslaught. Within minutes, I reach them, slamming through with the force of a battering ram. The crooked hinges scream in protest, wood snapping with a deafening crack as splinters slice across my face.

My eyes dart across the bloodstained carpet, scanning the mess of bodies littering the ground. Most of them are Weston wolves but none of them my father. My stomach twists fearing the worse.

Above me, the floor quakes, heavy footsteps and frantic snarls echoing through the mansion. Without hesitation, I lunge for the staircase, claws scraping against the waxed wood as I bound upward, taking the steps two at a time. My breath comes fast and sharp, heart hammering against my ribs like a war drum. The acrid scent of blood and smoke clings to the air, thick enough to choke on.