Fighting for Power (Howl of the Elements: Book One)

Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

Logan had been mid-fight with one of the Nuna pack members when he heard Layla’s blood-curdling screams. No longer caring about what the other wolf was going to do, Logan whipped his body around to see what was happening to her. His eyes landed on Layla’s burned and bloody flesh and Leon tearing into one of her thighs.

The other wolf, Shawn, had stopped attacking Logan at the same time as Logan had turned to witness the gruesome scene in the next room. But now, Logan watched as Shawn sprinted towards Leon. In one swift leap, Shawn had hurled himself into Leon’s back, knocking him loose from Layla’s thigh.

Snarling, Leon turned his attention to his attacker. Blood was dripping from his bared teeth, soaking the fur around his mouth. Not wanting to miss his opportunity, Shawn lashed out and caught Leon’s right shoulder in his bite, but that just made him close enough for Leon to turn his head and sink his teeth into Shawn’s ear.

Logan didn’t pay much attention to the two blood-thirsty wolves in the center of the room. His focus was on that one limp and lifeless body sprawled out on the floor that was now stained a dark red. He was looking for any signs of movement from her, but failed to see anything.

His top priority should be helping protect his pack and his home, but all he could think about was getting Layla out of here to safety. Although he was wounded himself, he ignored the pain as he willed his body to shift back to his human form and dashed over to her.

Logan turned to check on what Leon and the other wolf were doing, but saw that they were still battling it out. The only difference now was that they were bringing their elements into the mix. Shawn, who was now backed up against the wall, was trying to dodge the flames that were beginning to surround him as he was channeling his energy into forcing stones to come crashing through the glass windows, shooting the broken shards and stones Leon’s way.

That just made Logan even more worried about Layla, who could not defend herself. Bending over, he scooped her body into his arms. Even though she was dead weight at the moment, she still felt so light to him with all of the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

“What the hell are you doing?” Leon snapped at Logan, causing him to become distracted enough for a large rock to smash into his face.

Leon spiraled sideways, and Shawn jumped over the flames towards him. Not waiting to see what happened next, Logan ran out of the opening in the front of the house. A few startled looks were thrown his way as Logan kept running, naked and carrying an almost unrecognizable body in his arms, towards the path that led through the woods.

He knew that even if someone were to try following him, nobody but the girl he was holding knew about his secret place. There was no plan of where he would go from there, but as long as he got her away from the battle and out of harm’s path he would be satisfied.

Branches scraped his bare legs and arms as he ran, but he made sure that none touched Layla. He didn’t want her already horrible wounds getting even worse. It seemed like it took forever to get to the hidden path. Seconds ticked by like hours, but finally he was skidding to a stop in front of it.

Peeking over his shoulder to make sure nobody was watching where he was going, Logan squeezed his way in between the bushes and towards the clearing. He worked up the courage to glance down at Layla’s face. Her swollen eyes were still closed. He wasn’t sure if that had been caused by an injury or if it was just from how hard she had cried when she was screaming in agony.

Her hair was burnt and frayed at the edges, parts of it had already fallen off. There were a few small cuts on her face, but it was hard to really tell with how much extra blood and ashes were smeared across it. Her arms were burnt badly, though, and blisters were already forming.

Once Logan reached the clearing, he went over to the little field of flowers that he knew Layla had enjoyed and gently laid her down on the ground. She didn’t move a muscle.

Kneeling down beside her, he finally let his emotions come forward. The adrenaline was slowly fading now that he had come to a stop, getting replaced by worry and fear and sadness. A single stray tear slid down his cheek, dripping onto her arm.

“Don’t leave me, Layla. I didn’t realize how much I cared until now. You can’t leave me now. You have to be okay. Just open your eyes and tell me that you’re going to make it. I don’t want to lose you before I even had the chance to have you…”

***

Callie had been sleeping when the attack had first started. Hopping out of bed, she didn’t even bother taking the time to change out of her pajamas. Instead, she rushed out of her room and peered out of the kitchen window.

The once silent early morning was now substituted by shouts, howls, snarls, the sound of rocks smashing into windows, and the swooshing sounds of flames igniting. Shadows of people running past her house danced across the kitchen walls, but the sight that caught Callie’s eye was that of the wolf that she was soon to be married to rushing into their beta wolf’s home, just a couple of houses away from her own. One of the Nuna pack’s wolves ran after him, which made her gasp.

She knew that Logan could take care of himself, but that still didn’t shake the fear of seeing another wolf going after him. Racing towards the front door to her home, she almost tripped over her own tennis shoes as she attempted sliding her feet into them.

A girl’s screams reached her ears, and her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. The screaming continued, but then came to a halt. She didn’t know if it was one of her own or one of the other pack, but whoever it was sounded as if they didn’t make it through their attack.

Finally having her balance back and her shoes on her previously bare feet, Callie opened up the front door just a crack. She cautiously peeked out of the door to make sure the coast was clear before she stepped outside, shuffling herself alongside the outer wall of her house.

The sound of someone running made her glance towards the source. The sight of her naked fiancé running towards the woods carrying a naked female’s body made her stop dead in her tracks. What the hell is he doing?

The female he was holding was badly burnt, but when she realized who it was, her confusion switched to a feeling of frustration and betrayal. There was no way she was going to sit still and do nothing about what she had just seen.

I’m sure the Rocco would want to know what his son is up to, and he would have to be grateful that I was the one to inform him.

A/N: I really appreciate all of the people that have been reading this story. There was a time when I was losing hope on people being interested in it, but after seeing how many reads it has reach at this point it's been making me so much more motivated to continue it.

A special thank you to the people who have commented and given their input on chapters. I love reading what you have to say and it really makes my day. That's one of the things I love most about Wattpad