Bronze

Chapter 19 pt.2

Kane

The guys and I huddled close, whispering everything and nothing, all in a way to clear our heads of worry. 

"Did she know him?" I asked Ekon who seemed to be the more stable out of the four of us. "Anything?"

He shook his head. "From what I could see, she didn't know him. The guy came to us in wolf form, motioning with his head for us to follow."

"That was when she ordered us to stay!" Andreas snarled, snapping his teeth. "If something happens to her-"

Nika placed his hand on Andreas's shaking body. With a curt nod, he successfully calmed him down enough to forgo shifting.

A deafening cry emanated from the woods. All of our heads turned, but I wasted no time standing around. She might've ordered them, but I'd be damned if I let her order me to sit like a dog. 

Jerking my head, I made Nika follow me. He was more reliable in a fight; I needed that. 

He shifts before my eyes, black hairs standing on edge. As much as I wanted to, the risk of my wolf taking full control and abandoning her was too high. When Katherine was involved, he couldn't be trusted. 

I made it to the tree line in record-breaking time, stopping only to wait for my Delta. His hot breath blew from his snarling mouth, legs bent and ready to bolt at my command.

"Go," I ordered sternly. After that, he didn't wait. He ran, using the logs and wet dirt to his advantage to gain speed. I, too, ran toward the sound of Katherine whimpering.

They weren't as deep as I once thought. Not even a mile in, the foreign wolf circled around Kate like prey, nipping at her naked ankles as she tried to scurry away. 

"Nika!" I yelled. He was somewhere ahead of me, watching. When he pounced, the wolf growled and clawed at him, obviously stunned. 

Ignoring them, I ran to Kate. She was balled up, holding her right arm to her chest. She was covered in blood, some of it not her own.

"Hey, calm down, Kate. It's me," I whispered as I scooped her up into my arms. She was shaking, crying into my shirt as she held her shoulder. 

"Oh, Kane!" She wailed. "I was so scared. I thought I was going to die." 

Wiping away a spot of dirt from her brow, I smiled down at her with as much love and tenderness as I could bring forth. 

When she heard the tearing of flesh from behind her, she jumped and shrieked. "It's only Nika," I told her. "Calm, Katherine. I need you calm."

Her lips turned upward for a fraction of a second. Then, she winced painfully as her shoulder collided with my chest as I walked. 

"My shoulder. I-I think I broke it," she said through tears. 

My eyes roamed up and down her body. Her dress was torn from the ribcage to her hips on one side. Both of her straps were torn leaving her shoulders and arms completely bare. She had a few cuts and scraps around her neck, cheeks, and forehead, and some all down her arms and legs, but no other visible signs of damage. 

[Nika! Scout for more] I called out to him. His black form stepped out from behind bushes; crimson blood dripping from his leather lips and staining his teeth. With a nod, he was off again, searching the area for more intruders. 

Ekon and Andreas were waiting patiently in the meadow. The moment I stepped out into the sunlight, they ran to me, Andreas being the first to reach us. When he saw her, he smashed his fist against a nearby tree, bruising the hell out of his hand.