Amber Silverblood: Silverpack

Chapter Forty Five

"I've found you."

Suddenly, the already frigid forest seemed to grow even colder. A breeze blew through the clearing, making the bearded man's coat flutter around his ankles like a shadowy cape. Slung over his back was the same curved sword that he'd tried to kill me with the last time we'd met. I took a step backwards, my blood freezing solid in my veins, and let out a pitiful whine. The next thing I knew, Stark was standing in front of me, arms held out like a protective fence.

"Stop right there," he snarled. "Not one step closer!"

The bearded man looked up at my alpha without a trace of fear in his eyes. "I take it you are the alpha of this one's pack?"

Stark gritted his teeth, anger and fear radiating off of him so hot it almost melted the snow. He was breathing heavily. Slowly, with a trembling hand, he pointed at him.

"You turn around," he said, "and leave."

The bearded man sighed and shook his head. "Regrettably, I cannot. The girl escaped from me last time. I've been ordered to track her down and finish her off."

"She's just a child!" Stark yelled.

"Be that as it may, she is also a monster. I have no choice. For the sake of the human race, she must die." The bearded man paused and narrowed his eyes. "As do you, alpha."

I stood behind Stark with my paws rooted to the frozen ground. His words and his expression were so different that it was like someone had dubbed over what he was really saying and replaced it with someone else's voice. His words were those of a monster, but his eyes were filled with sadness and his voice was heavy with reluctance. At the same time, when he drew his sword, the blade reflecting the moonlight in my eyes, there was no hesitation in his movements.

Stark clenched his fists and drew them in closer to his body in a boxing stance. "I'm warning you, old man," he said, his voice suddenly very low.

For just a moment, the Slayer paused. "Please don't think ill of me for this," he said. "I don't get any pleasure from it."

"Go to hell!"

The Slayer raised his sword. "Very well. Let's get this over with."

Without turning away, Stark said, "Amber, run!"

Then he threw himself at the Slayer. My breath caught in my throat as I watched my alpha attack an armed man with nothing but his fists— an armed man who I'd seen defy the laws of physics before. The Slayer immediately swung his sword and I flinched, convinced that Stark was going to get turned into sashimi, but then Stark twisted his body in a way that my eyes told me shouldn't have even been possible, the blade barely missing him by an inch, and thrust his fist towards the Slayer's face.

"I said run!" he yelled at me as the bearded man ducked out of the way and spun around, fluidly turning his dodge into another attack. His sword came whipping around from his right, slicing through the air with a hiss, and even though Stark was able to dodge it, the tip still left a long, thin slice along his cheek. Blood immediately began to run down his face, staining his shirt.