I am Rogue [Book 1]

Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

               The wind was moving in our direction, keeping our scent from them, but filling our noses with the smells of wolf and smoke from the dying out bonfire pit in the middle of the rather overbearing back yard. No doubt pack meetings and such were held outside with the carved out log benches that rounded the fire pit. It looked to be about three yards or more from the forest line to the back door of the mansion where music blared from and lights lit up the grass below each window. For a moment it made me wonder what they would have done had it been more winter and if they decorated extravagantly, my mind conjuring images of glowing snow.

               Shaking the image away, I concentrated on the here and now. A strange feeling was eating away at my gut as my eyes shifted from the three sentries seeming to have slumped over on their watch and fallen asleep from the festivities. Something wasn’t right, though, it all felt too easy. I could feel it in my bones as I watched Cold sneak up on the southern sentry, her movements quick and sure as she pounced upon his seemingly drunken form.

               Just as she threw herself onto his back, from the corner of my eye Nyx and Ben also jumped upon the two others hoping for a quick hard hit that would render the wolves unconscious as we didn’t want to have to kill any of our brethren. However at the final moment of each of their pounces, the men they were attacking jerked out of the way, dropping themselves to the ground and quickly rolling to put space between themselves and their attackers.

               Watching as my pack mates began to stalk their prey, keeping the others from slinking out of the woods to alert the guards to call for reinforcements, I kept my arrow trained on the wolf in front of Nyx. If need be I would let the arrow fly to hit its mark, but I had faith in Nyx and knew he could take his opponent down. It was the opponent I didn’t trust.

               I watched as they continued to circle one another, my eyes fixed on Nyx’s opponent who was still in human form when I heard it, my eyes breaking away towards Cold where her opponent seemed to have multiplied and she now found herself facing off not only against the human shaped werewolf but a wolf whose pelt was a caramel brown, his muzzle pulled into a snarl. But how had he gotten there? Confused, I moved my bow so that the arrow was aimed at Cold’s new opponent and let it fly. The hollow point tip piercing through the wolf’s left side and no doubt breaking after impact allowing the wolvesbane to begin its job.

               Pulling out another arrow quickly, I notched it into place and pulled back, prepared to take out Cold’s human-formed opponent when a howl suddenly broke the night sky and wolves came racing around both sides of the mansion ready for battle. Watching them come, I felt dread build up inside me, the dread I had been feeling since I meant with Tanner. They were supposed to be having a party, supposed to be dancing and drinking. Yet I knew they hadn’t been. Somehow, they had known we were coming, and they had been prepared to take us on.

               Nyx let out his own howl, having no doubt figured there was a traitor somewhere amongst us. Our own wolves came running out of the forest line, prepared to fight and die as they had been when we arrived. More arrows and throwing knives came from other trees where the others were sitting at their own vantage point. Soon the yard was mess of brawling fur and blood.

               Trying to keep my eye on Nyx, I cursed when I lost sight of him, jerking my bow back into its clip on my back and shimming as fast as I could out of the tree, not feeling like risking a broken bone from jumping down at the height I had climbed to. Unclipping the bow and notching a new arrow, I made my way into the fray, cursing Nyx quietly to myself as I looked for him. In the process of moving, I risked being sideswiped by an enemy wolf a few times, thankful someone else in the trees had noticed my stupid idea of getting into this mess personally and was watching out for me, a silver throwing dagger embedded in the wolf’s skull. If I made it out of this mess, I would no doubt be owing Rune a huge thank you and maybe a few dozen playgirl magazines.