Bloody and Wild

Desperate and Deadly

Dawn arrived. The sky shifted bloody pink as the fiery sun lazily crept over the horizon. The wolves maintained a punishing pace, none daring to look back as they tore through the forest undergrowth. As he ran Lewis kept an eye on the woman ahead of him. Her lithe body seemed at one with forest, he couldn't detect how she shifted and dodged instead it seemed like she ran straight and the trees moved out of her path. She was in a different league to him. He pushed his legs faster, willing his muscles to push off stronger from the ground. He was the most powerful werewolf in history and yet he wasn't strong enough, not yet.

Suddenly the woman shrieked and fell to the ground. Lewis's paws skidded painfully over bracken and roots before he was able to come to a halt and turn back to where she had fallen. His warriors surrounded her, eyeing her wearily with their ears concentrating on any sound of pursuit. She huddled close against a large tree, hugging the bark whilst crying out loudly. Lewis looked closer and saw the welts and blisters forming on her exposed arms and legs. His amber eyes flickered over to the rising sun and he realised what was happening.

He rounded on the warriors. He ordered two to huddle against the woman and try to shield her from the sun's rays with their bodies, five he ordered to scout the area and search for a cave or anyway sufficiently shielded nearby. They quickly jumped to do his bidding. He looked down and examined his arms and torso. His body was healing fast now that the bond to his wolf was restored.

Partially restored, his wolf corrected petulantly.

"Alpha," Lewis turned to see Donald in human form eyeing him curiously. He nodded that his third in command should continue. "What are we doing? It's madness to stop here for that." He gestured to the woman who was no longer visible beneath her two furry shields.  

"No, it's wise. If we get attacked by those things again then we'll need her help. Also I'm interested to learn her motives and any knowledge she has about Ryder." Lewis replied in a bored voice ignoring Donald's flinch when he uttered Ryder's name. "I'm not acting out of sentiment." He reassured. Donald's jaw clenched and his eyes shifted charcoal black.

"Indeed, if you had any feeling we would have turned back for our Luna," he retorted angrily. Hurt pride and confusion burnt through Donald's gaze. Tarnished honour didn't suit him.

"I'm not stopping you. Go leave, if you want to be the hero." Lewis' smile was sardonic and his tone bitter.

"How can you leave her behind? After all she did for us!" Donald roared back. The wolves remaining cowered, trying to avoid notice. They eyed events anxiously and each wished that Donald would back down. Donald was trembling with suppressed rage now, fighting the urge to shift wolf.

"She's isn't a wolf, it's for her own kind to protect her. I'm a leader and I will not lead my men into ruin again. I WILL NOT BE AT ANY MAN'S MERCY AGAIN!" Donald took an automatic step back and his eyes returned to their caramel brown as he instinctively submitted to Lewis' powerful wolf, his spine bent without his permission as his wolf sought to bow in defeat. Lewis' breathing was hard and heavy and it was a while before he could speak again. At last he took one shaky breath. "She is my wolf's mate but since our separation I know my own mind now."

Lauren isn't even my type, I prefer blondes. His wolf snarled at this thought, disgusted by the idea of being with any other woman.

"What do you have in mind?" Taylor asked in a small voice, shifting awkwardly and wrapping an arm over his exposed flesh to hide some of the bruising. Lewis turned to Taylor and stared at him as if he was seeing him properly for the first time.

"Revenge," he promised, his eyes shifting obsidian black as a calculated smile graced his manly jaw. Taylor shivered involuntarily, recognising Ryder's smile.