Connell

Chapter Eight

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Everything else is forgotten, and we both run.

Kota's screams become closer, more eerily desperate as Connell and I quickly near the cave. All the pain I once felt within my body has now vanished, and I run on pure adrenaline.

My wolf is barking within me, growling to be let free so we can reach our pup faster, but I force her down. I do not trust her in a situation like this, not after the last time.

Branches are scraping past my bruised skin, messily tearing it open with heavy force. My feet are aching, the soles are raw, and dirt is forced within the cuts with every harsh step, yet I keep running.

Connell suddenly lets out a vicious growl—and it makes me stumble in my path. He begins to run faster, so much faster than I. He sprints ahead with sheer aggression, leaving me to weakly follow behind in his trail.

I have never seen him act like this, and that's when I know it is serious. This wasn't just a scared cry for help.

When the cave comes into view, I watch in pure horror as Connell shifts into his black wolf mid-air, letting out yet another thunderous growl, drowning out Kota's screams altogether.

I can't catch up, my human legs are giving out, and my ribs tear at my insides, telling me to stop, to just let them heal. I keep going until I'm at the cave's entrance when my legs can no longer hold me. My knees give in and I roughly land on the cold ground with a wheeze, looking up inside the cave to see a nightmare.

Connell's wolf is murderous, I can hear his delirious growls more than anything else. He shows no mercy to the massive intruding animal, jumping at its large back, clawing at its thick skin covered in bloodied brown fur. Connell's wolf is smart, and he latches on to the creature's back, not allowing it to grab ahold of him or snatch him with its claws. He tears the creature's fur, completely destroying it.

I cannot see the creature's face, so I breathe in its scent, and everything becomes vivid.

A bear, my wolf growls.

I'm screaming Kota's name, I can't see him behind the bear's large figure. Connell's massive wolf is only two-thirds of its size, and I become scared.

The bear suddenly rolls on its back, having enough of the wolf's harsh attacks. I hear Connell's wolf yelp at the forceful impact, crushing him against the cave's floor, and the sound makes my wolf livid.

"Connell!" I scream without thought, seeing his body struggling underneath the bear.

I begin to shake, twitching and convulsing. I can feel her rage, it mixes with mine and creates something deadly, forcing pure instinct to take over.

I let her shift, I let her lose control. My human body is soon destroyed, and I quickly reshape into my frantic, wild wolf. She growls and it sounds sickening, getting the bear's attention. That's when we charge.

The bear gets up off of the ground, yet Connell's wolf continues to latch on, not giving up. He tears at the bear with so much force that it doesn't even seem to stand a chance. Despite this, my wolf jumps at the bear without a second thought.

She wants its throat clutched between her jaw, its blood against her tongue. She lands on the bear's side and quickly clasps her teeth within its flesh. She doesn't think twice before ripping it out, flinging it across the ground. She continues with every chance she gets.