The Lupine Necklace

Chapter 18

This chapter is dedicated to Ocelli for voting and commenting, and motivating me to write the next chapter as well! :)

Chapter 18

We'd been training with the wolf pack for a little over a week now. Ian, Lee, Xena and Nate were all communicating fluently and effectively with the wolf pack now, and the alpha and I had a meeting every night after training, discussing our strategy for taking down Derek.

I think we had a pretty good plan going. It was going to be a surprise attack, around one am, and the pack and Xena, Nate and Lee were going to keep Derek's fighters busy, while the alpha, Ian and I searched for Derek. When we found him, Ian and the alpha would keep his guards away from me and I would take down Derek.

The wolf pack wasn't overly large, but I had enough faith that we could do this. Derek's pack wasn't all that large either, mostly because of his crappy abilities of being alpha, and his pack wasn't trained all that well either.

I think that Ian, Lee, Nate and Xena were really starting to enjoy our time with the pack and I knew they were learning a lot of techniques for fighting in wolf form. Dylan had his own style of teaching, while the wolf pack's was completely different. As I'd suspected at our first training session, the mixing of all of our styles and techniques was proving to be a fatal combo.

I was fully confident that we could pull this off. The fight with Derek was going to be intense, but I knew that as long as I focused and didn't completely let my anger control me, I could take him down. We were all working together seamlessly, and I couldn't be happier.

The alpha also seemed pretty happy. He was very impressed with the fighting style that we were all using now that we'd traded knowledge and I know he was confident as well. We would be moving out tonight at sunset. It would be about a two and a half hour run to his territory and then we would wait until everything was quiet before we attacked.

I trotted over to my friends after hunting for lunch and asked them if they were ready. I got enthusiastic replies from Nate and Xena and simpler responses from Ian and Lee. They still didn't agree to what we were doing, but they had stuck to their word. They were keeping their disapproval to themselves. They were wonderful friends and I was lucky to have them by my side.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, laying in the sun with the rest of the pack. Since the battle was tonght we weren't training at all today. The alpha wanted us all rested and ready to go tonight, especially since we had a long run ahead of us to get there.

When sunset was getting closer, we all started talking about Derek's territory. We all remembered it from the first time I'd been taken and we were making sure everyone was on the same page with the layout. It didn't take long, as everyone remembered it well.

As soon as the sun disappeared, there was a muted howl from the alpha and everyone stood, getting into our running formation. I was running beside, but slightly behind the alpha, on his right, Ian on his left and Nate, Lee and Xena spread throughout the rest of the wolf pack. When everyone was organized, the alpha took off, the rest of us staying on his heels.

We were silent and speedy on the duration of the run, coming to a stop, two and a half hours later, a mile away from Derek's pack borders, down wind so that they would smell us. Things were quiet, but we wanted to wait a little longer before striking. The alpha ordered us to relax, rest and prepare our bodies for the fight ahead.

That translated to resting for a little while, then pacing around and sparring a little bit to warm up our muscles. Then, finally, the alpha turned to us and motioned for us to start towards Derek's territory.

Everything started easily enough. The patrol was light, the other packs having abandoned him when I escaped, and anytime we crossed paths with them, the wolf pack was quick to take them out of action. We didn't kill them, well, not all of them anyway. Accidents happen.

Either way, we made it to the pack house without attracting any attention, the plan working perfectly so far. Now, I just have to find Derek and kill him as soon as possible. The faster I take him out, the faster this battle will end, and the less chance there will be of anyone dying.

Werewolves poured out the front door of Derek's pack house as the alpha howled in challenge, and the real battle began. I didn't see Derek come outside, so I knew that meant we would have to go in looking for him. I made sure that everyone was holding their own and then the alpha, Ian and I began our way into the house.

I listened carefully as we stepped silently into the house. I could hear movement in the basement, and I decided to head down there first. If he wasn't down there, I would release his prisoners and go back looking for him.

I bolted quickly down the stairs and looked around. I didn't see him down here so I grabbed the keys to the cells in my mouth and tossed them at a teenage boy in the first cell. Shifting back quickly, I said, "Get yourself out, and then get everyone else out. I'm going to go kill the bastard."

The guy gave me a look of awe and then nodded quickly. "Good luck. Are those real wolves?"

I grinned, not answering him. I just shifted back and ran upstairs, listening again. There was a faint shuffle from upstairs, so I bolted up there. It was time to put Bane down, like the animal he is, as Xena so elegantly put it.

I heard the alpha and Ian right behind me. Be careful, Layla, Ian cautioned. I know you're strong, but so is he.

I gave him a slight smile over my shoulder as we reached the top of the stairs. I know, I assured him, but don't worry. I'm going to take his mongrel ass out!

I heard him chuckle slightly as we made our way towards the sound of the movement. It led us to a rather large living room, Derek standing in the center, folding a blanket, as if waiting for us.

"Ahh, Layla," he said calmly, maybe even cheerfully. "I thought it was you. You're the only one rude enough to call upon me at this hour."

I growled menacingly and he grinned back. "What? Don't want to fight fair?" he asked me. "You wanted to bring back up?"

I snarled and shifted back. I should just kill him and be done with it, but I couldn't help it. "You and me Derek," I told him.

"Just the way I like it," he leered.

I didn't trust him, though. I knew that he probably had wolves around here to back him up, just in case. I had a way around that though. "I challenge you for your title as alpha," I stated confidently.

I saw surprise flicker across his face. He knew that meant that no other wolves could interfere with this fight. It was to the death. Unless one submits, but that rarely happens and it wasn't happening today. Finally, he relented with a short nod, looking stoic and angry, like a little kid that had their favorite toy taken away.

He shifted and immediately attacked, making me evade him before I could shift as well. When I was back in wolf form, he leaped for me again, me dodging once more and sinking my teeth into his flank. He growled in pain and jerked, slamming his paws into me and knocking me away. I took a good chunk of him with me though.

He was right back on top of me, and we rolled across the floor until he slammed into the wall and I was able to shake him loose. I took advantage of his disorientation and leaped onto his back. It wasn't exactly where I wanted to be, but I could work with it.

Or not, I thought as he bucked, throwing me into the wall and making me dazed for a second, that he was quick to take advantage of. I squealed slightly as his teeth sank into my shoulder, but I shook of the pain and sunk my own teeth into his shoulder, making him release mine. I saw Ian leap out of our way as I tacked Derek, trying to find purchase on his neck.

As we rolled, his head moved slightly, only inches, but it was enough. I lunged down and ripped into his throat. His feet kicked up, digging into my stomach, but I refused to let go as pain tore through my abdomen. With a quick jerk, I ripped his throat out, spraying blood in my face. He ceased moving and I backed away slowly.