I knew I’d hurt her.
Knew it wasn’t good enough. But if I tried to argue now, she wouldn’t believe me.
Fucking hell.
We hit the dirt road a few minutes later, and our back seat passengers woke. They were quiet, probably sensing the tension in the front seat, and too polite to call us on it.
I wished one of them would call me on it. Help me work my way through the messed-up shit rattling around in my brain. Or maybe I just needed another big, angry alpha to spar with until I was so exhausted, I couldn’t stand. So the walls could finally come down.
Gael was always down for a good session of torture by sparring ring, but unfortunately, he was a bit occupied at the moment.
And I had to get my head in the game. I tried to clear my thoughts, but by the time we reached the designated stopping point, I was no better off. It was an endless circle in my head of can’t hurt her, have to keep her safe. And loving her wasn’t safe.
We all piled out of the SUV, quiet as we hit the ground, already scenting the air and looking for enemies.
The breeze was untainted by strangers’ scents, but that didn’t mean all was clear just yet. We fanned out in pairs, and Olivia and I went straight up the mountain toward the enclave. It was the most direct path, so if shit hit the fan, I could get her to safety more quickly.
Not that she wanted to be alone with me. And because we were scouting, we had to stay silent. Though it was probably for the best; I didn’t have anything intelligent to say right now. I needed to explain why I’d hesitated. I knew that. But was giving her time to process considerate or cowardly?
The longer we walked, the more I leaned toward cowardly.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, not willing to risk more than that. She cut her eyes the other direction, clearly not even willing to look at me at the moment.
Frustration filled me. “Hellcat??”
She waved her hand down low, cutting me off, and my wolf went on high alert as she focused off into the distance, uphill from where we stood and a little to the right.
Movement. We’re not alone.
Olivia
Lucien grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me behind him, gesturing for me to crouch down, stay hidden. I did as he asked, not wanting to distract him or draw unwanted attention to our position.
I wasn’t sure what I’d seen up the hill-only a flash of dark blue, gone too quickly for me to process. Lucien was an alpha, though, with sharper senses. Hopefully, he’d sense that it was just one of the maidens, out for a midday stroll.
Surely that was all it was. We’d been gone from the enclave for weeks; anyone who would just sit around here and wait for that long needed to find something better to do with their lives.
Everything burst into motion at once. Gray wolves barreled down the hill toward us, weaving between the trees at top speed. Too many to count.
I held out hope for one second that they were friendly, and then their scents hit me like a tsunami. Strangers! my wolf shouted in my mind, clawing for freedom.
I let her have it, terrified as she burst from my skin. But Lucien was faster, and by the time my paws hit the ground, he’d already shifted and darted forward, meeting the intruders a dozen feet from me. Trying to protect me even now, when we were sorely outnumbered.
But there were too many of them, and he was alone. I was a terrible fighter, but the least I could do was guard one of his flanks so the wolves couldn’t attack him from that side. Our allies were nearby; surely they’d hear the scuffle and come running to help any minute, or feel the attack through Lucien’s pack bond. We just had to hang on until then.
With a plan in mind, my wolf charged forward, snarling and snapping at anyone who came too close to Lucien’s flank. But as more and more wolves surrounded us and no help appeared on the horizon, they pressed in closer, their attacks more vicious with more pack mates behind them. One of them grabbed my back leg, snapping it between his teeth.
I couldn’t hold back a howl of pain, and Lucien’s wolf roared his fury as he turned and ripped out my attacker’s throat.
Even though his lifeless jaws dropped from my leg, it was too late. My leg was broken, dangling uselessly. The break meant I could no longer dodge attacks effectively, and Lucien couldn’t protect both of us from an entire pack alone. Where the hell was everyone else?
Howls lit up the woods in every direction, and that was the moment it sank in.
Help wasn’t coming because they were all fighting for their lives too. We’d been ambushed by the Hungarian pack.
My movements were slow, and Lucien, Goddess, he fought for me like a wolf possessed by a thousand and one demons. More wolves fell between his teeth than I could count.
But I was drifting, pain and my injury slowing me down, and more and more gashes were ripped into my sides as Lucien slowly lost the war. My blood puddled beneath me, and my healer instincts kicked in.
This had to end before someone gutted me or ripped out my throat. They were content to toy with and torture me now, but for how long? Lucien’s wolf cut them down with startling ferocity, and eventually, they’d stop playing games.
Three short, sharp barks, and the wolves surrounding us fell back, forming up in a closed circle. There was no escape, but they weren’t actively attacking.
I swayed on my feet, the blood loss really starting to get me.
Drip, drip, drip.
My life force, draining away faster than my wolf could close the wounds, though she was trying. I needed to shift back to help the healing speed up, but as I stared out at the males circling us, I knew that was a bad idea.
So many of their eyes were on me, and it confused me. My thoughts floated slowly to the mark on my palm, and it suddenly made sense. That was why they’d been distracted enough for Lucien to take them out. My scent…
They didn’t want me dead. They wanted me too weak to fight, and the realization was horrifying.
I whimpered, and Lucien pressed himself to my side, snarling defiantly at the males who would snatch me away from him. But before he could charge again, the circle parted.
Petr? Fucking Varga himself, Alpha of the Hungarian wolves pack that he’d set on us like we were prey.
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