Bloody and Wild

The Man with No Legs

Two black wolves charged through the woods leaping loose tree roots and ducking for low branches. The trees were increasing in density and the wolves had to dodge between them with greater agility, their lithe bodies turned and twisted around these obstacles as they maintained their punishing pace. Beneath their matted dark fur the outline of fragile bones protruded. Each rib was clearly defined with every breath and their wolves amber eyes looked lost within deep, sunken eye sockets.  

The smaller of the two wolves let out a small whimper in warning to the other. The larger pricked up his ears until he too caught the sounds that troubled his companion. It was the sounds of swift pursuit. Heart's hammering in their strained chests, sudden chilling fear found them strength in a primal place from within that neither had ever accessed before.

The need to live necessitated the need to keep running and somehow despite their aching stomachs and quivering muscles they ploughed on ahead. In desperation both attempted to mind link, calling beseechingly for home and loved ones to warn them and plea for help but the walls Ryder had set up in their minds were as strong as ever.

A wail pierced through the air shooting pain to the wolf's temples. Both cringed and snarled ferociously as they fell heavily to the ground. A deathly coldness crept upon them and both felt frozen finger tips creeping up their spines. Their amber eyes snapped open wide but there was no one else in sight, yet still they could feel a cold grip pinning them to the ground and squeezing tighter about their throats. This enemy wasn't human. Ryder and his followers weren't human. This was magic of the darkest kind. The death grip on their windpipe's burnt with searing cold.

*

"The prisoners will be recaptured." Michael reassured soothingly. His mismatched eyes followed Ryder's progress as he paced the cramped office.

"I don't want them recaptured, I want them killed!" Ryder snapped. His dark eyes gleamed and he ran his fingers through the dark hair. Even when dishevelled and stressed, he was still the most gorgeous man in the room. He paced and glared, his nostrils flared with irritation. But Michael noticed how Ryder's lips puckered into a pout when he was thwarted. Ryder's gaze was heavy with brooding and his dark hair spilled out in front of his lashes. Michael wished that he could brush aside the teasing tendrils.

"Thorn sent the Cold Children after them. The wolves will be dead soon enough." Mason spoke up. Mason was sat in the chair closest to the door, his mobile phone rested on the arm of the chair beside his elbow and his eyes kept darting down to it. Ryder looked up at Thorn for confirmation. The disfigured giant gave a slow nod, his expression was unreadable. Ryder visibly relaxed.

"Thank you friend," Michael's eyes narrowed to slits as they zeroed in on Ryder's hand that was lingering on Thorn's bicep. The cruel snake of jealousy slithered in the pit of his stomach. Eventually Ryder moved away from Thorn and took a seat not on the available arm chair but on the uncomfortable thin ledge beneath the window. "Still it would be best to be prepared should the Cold Children fail." With any other man Michael might have argued that the Cold Children never failed, but not with Ryder. "I want to bring forward our plans for the Paradise Falls Pack." 

"Another take over?" Liam questioned, taking over the entire Mors Pack had been a long process and they had lost some of their numbers before the end. But if Ryder gave the order they would obey unfalteringly.

"No not this time. This time we decimate them. One strike, swift and strong from which no wolf, woman or child is left alive." Mason raised his eyebrows in confusion and Michael exchanged a look with Peter but nobody said a word. They would obey.

Walking to the hall for the last meal of the day Michael observed the omega wolves, headed back to their rooms after a long day. Ryder lived amongst those wolves. He was gentle to their children and spoke with the adults. So why wasn't he interested in the wolves from the Paradise Falls pack? What was different about them?