Everything Anew

Chapter Nineteen

I wanted to thank @Mercyfighter for all the votes the other day. It's the first time I've received votes from a reader (other than my friend/boyfriend) and I was so excited waking up to that Monday morning. I appreciate it! <3  :) 

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Chapter Nineteen

Nathan

The night had come, and we were ready.

The pack walked alongside me. As wolves, they kept their heads held high and their focus straight ahead. Lila kept close to my side, her and I being the only ones in the pack still in their human form.

The cool metal of my gun pressed to my hip, holstered in place in case I needed it. Lila had her own. She didn't get much time to learn how it worked, but she felt comfortable enough to use it with the basics I taught her.

We made our way through the forest, flashlight in hand. Most would find the woods intimidating at night, but I welcomed the cover of darkness.

Eric would have been difficult to see if it weren't for the light snow on the ground highlighting his figure when he moved through the trees. Evan, who usually stuck out against the foliage, did a better job blending in with the white ground, though his coat was bright enough that I barely needed to put my flashlight on him to know where he was.

Markus' and Seojoon were a kaleidoscope of rich colours, it was always the hardest to find them whenever they walked through the dense forest.
Evan ran ahead of us to guide the way. We followed his direction and kept an eye on him, watching him go deeper into the forest and pause at the edge of the road.

Lila faltered beside me, seeing the fear in her eyes as the emotion radiated off of her. I noticed her emotions more frequently, feeling myself beginning to sense them the more time I spent around her. The muscles in my jaw tensed at the sight of her shaking, seeing the terror in her eyes.

"Stick with me, they won't hurt you."

Despite her trepidation, she continued forward until we stood beside Evan. We watched and waited while Seojoon paced anxiously around us. The snap of a branch caught all of our attention, the beam of my flashlight crossing over the trees until multiple glowing eyes shone back at us.

"Shit." I muttered, seeing at least half a dozen wolves approach us slowly. They stilled at the edge of the road on the opposite side, watching us with ravenous eyes. Seconds later, an equal amount of men joined them to stand beside the wolves.

"Alpha." One of them called out.

I knew him instantly. He named himself Skoll. A lumbering man, with long black hair tied back out of his face, showing the scars riddling his features. His eyes nearly glowed yellow, showing he was more animal than human. He looked just as eager to see us as the wolves around him did.

"It's him." Lila choked out beside me, catching my attention. "Who attacked us. It was him."

My temper rose as I looked back over at Skoll, and saw him smile in our direction. I wanted to tear the grin off his face.

"I haven't seen you in...how long as it been? A decade?"

This wasn't why I was out here. I didn't care to talk to the man in front of me, and instead of answering; I ignored his words and spoke my own. "I'm not here to talk about that."

"No? Then why are you here alpha?" He said, as if the title was an insult rather than a badge of honour.

I eyed the wolves around him to count how many there were, still only seeing six, but knowing more were probably hiding in the trees. "What do you want from us? You break into my home, and terrorize us for what?" I growled out.

Skoll's smile was feral. "I think you already know the answer to that."

My hands clenched at my sides. Did I know? In the back of my mind, I knew there were possibilities, but I didn't have time to ponder them. "A direct answer is what I want. Cut the crap."

"Very well." Skoll waved a hand, causing Evan to step forward and growl. It barely fazed them as two of their own wolves stepped forward to match Evan. "We want you to return to us. In turn, we'll leave her alone."

All eyes turned to me, though I didn't look away from Skoll. My chest filled with dread, and with something I hadn't felt in a long time. Fear. "What if I don't?"

Skoll shrugged a massive shoulder, his long black coat fluttering behind him like a shadow. "We'll take her back, eventually. It just depends, if you treasure her enough to sacrifice yourself, or let us take her back by force." Skoll chuckled, though the sound was rattled and broken. "Unless of course, you've grown attached to her. Tell me, are you enjoying our sloppy seconds? If you haven't already that is, if not I'm sure my men are happy to take her back and show her exactly what she's mis-"

"Enough!" A link in my mind snapped and my body trembled. My breathing came out quickly, the air in front of me clouded by it. My wolf had surfaced, and I didn't resist him whatsoever. "I'm not giving myself, or her to you." I seethed.

"Nathan."

I heard her voice, but it was so distant compared to the sound of my heart beating in my ears. Suddenly, my body calmed when her bare hand wrapped up and around my forearm, reaching beneath the sleeve of my jacket so her skin touched mine. A heavy breath slipped past my lips, my vision clearing as Skoll watched us, more intrigued than ever.

I wanted to rip his face off, add to the scars that were already there, or better yet, finish him off entirely. All the memories of my past washed over me when I saw him, memories I thought I had forgotten and ones I wished to forget.

"Nate." Lila said, her voice soft.

I looked at her then, and in that moment every memory vanished. Her eyes were still full of fear, but they also held strength. She must have noticed my return, because she eased with relief and smiled up at me dimly.

"Well now, it seems we have our answer." Skoll's voice thrummed with interest. He stepped forward, getting closer and closer to us while the others stayed back. My pack stepped forward, but before they could do anything I drew a hand back. "Leave him. I'll take care of it."

I met Scoll in the middle of the threshold, standing face to face. I could barely look into his golden eyes without feeling rage build up inside me.

"So, what are you gonna do wolf? Return her to us, turn yourself in, or will you both head home and let us enjoy a little bit of a hunt?"

Scoll was prepared for the swing as I brought my fist up towards his face. He moved with ease out of the way and returning the momentum towards my ribs. I felt a crack, and hissed in pain, returned the favour with a low kick that brought his feet out from under him.

He jumped back up without giving me the chance to keep him on the ground, his eyes flashing even more than usual. "Ah, there's the fight. Just like the old you."

"Shut the fuck up." I growled.

I threw another punch but he dodged each time I swung at him, only clipping his jaw when I switched to my left side unexpectedly.

He laughed from the hit and used it to fuel the fight, making him ravenous for it. I got my arms up when he went for my face, grunting in pain when he used it to knee into my stomach and take my defense down to finally land a hit square in the jaw.

My head snapped to the side, my vision slipping while the sounds of my wolves snapped into action behind me. Easiness washed over me as something warm dripped down my chin. I looked back at the man in front of me and spat blood onto the road.

"You're getting neither of us back. I'll kill you before you touch her."

Skoll's eyes lit up at the challenge, his scarred lips turned into a sneer. My legs wanted to give out from under me, my wolf breaking the surface to take control. I was about to let it happen, but Skoll backed into the trees and turned, his silhouette almost impossible to see against the night.

"Then it's decided. If you won't come willingly, we'll have to take back what's ours by force."

They gradually retreated back into the trees, my entire body shaking with hatred as the Rebels left one by one, until there was nothing left staring back at me, but darkness.