My Alpha's Mark

115 Chaos

Kacie

After Haley shifted, others followed her and shifted into their wolf form as the rogues inched forward. Lucky for us, there were fewer of them and it put them at a disadvantage. The longer the wolf had been a rogue, the worse their health, their strength, and their physical appearance. Judging by the appearance of the group, so of them had been rogues for a lot longer than others. We were a pack, united we were stronger.

A few of the wolves hesitated when I stepped forward, their eyes zeroing in on my flaming hands. My eyes drifted over them one by one as I searched for someone who wasn’t in their shifted form. When I found none, I knew they weren’t here to talk; lives would be lost today.

Jake bristled behind me and I held my ground as I held eye contact with the one leading the group. A large black wolf stood in the middle of the group, his fur had a few patches but nowhere as many as the wolves beside him. His eyes left mine and focused on Jake.

Hold your ground until they get closer. We stand united until I give the signal to attack. Stay close and don’t wander too far from the group. If you’re cut off, they could swarm you. These are rogues, not warriors, don’t fight them like a warrior. They will not fight fair or honorably. If you see an opening, don’t hesitate to take out your opponent. Win, win at all cost, and protect your Luna.

At this moment, as Jake spoke to us, we were all connected. A few wolves nodded and some crouched lower to the ground. We waited for them to make a move.

Be careful, My Queen.

Jake linked me privately and it gave me the comfort I needed. You, too. My mind wandered briefly about Viktor, where was he? Was he okay? I prayed to the Goddess that he was safe.

The black wolf leading the rogues reared his head and the rogues charged past him. They sprinted towards us. I held my breath and when they were less than twenty feet away I glanced at Jake nervously. Jake gave the signal and then it was chaos.

Haley reached them first, she bit into a small brown-haired wolf and blood darkened his fur. She shook him like a rag doll while the rest of us clashed with the group of rogues. Haley’s opponent was dead before his body hit the floor.

Sharp teeth snapped at me and I barely managed to dodge it as the rogue snarled. It followed my movements and attempted to bite me again. I crouched down and the rogue loomed above me. I didn’t contemplate what I was going to do, I just did it. I reached up and wrapped my hands around their neck before they could move out of the way. The smell of burned hair filled my nose-first. My opponent whined and scratched wildly as they tried to get away but it was too late. Light brown eyes widened as my flames burned through hair and skin sizzled and peeled back.

My opponent’s body goes limp and I don’t know if it’s from shock or if he’s dead. I throw him to the ground and I search out Jake. I sigh when I find him punching a dirty-brown wolf’s face in. Another wolf comes to the dirty-brown wolf’s aid but Jake sees him coming and traps him in a headlock.

I’m about to turn away and make my way through the rogues when a blur of movement behind Jake catches my eye. A large black wolf stalks forward and I watch it as it makes its way towards Jake.

I move without thinking and before I know it, I’m between Jake and the large patchy black wolf as it lunged at him. I recognize the wolf as the same wolf that commanded the rogues forward. He had been watching Jake, he must think he’s the Alpha.

We crashed to the ground and there was a struggle for power but his paws pressed down on my forearms. He witnessed what I’d done earlier and wasn’t going to let me get my hands on him. The smell coming from this wolf wasn’t as putrid as the others but I fought the urge to gag.

I tried to figure out a way to escape but I cried out as his jaw widened, latched onto my shoulder, and canines pierced through flesh. The pain was excruciating and made it hard to focus. The urge to shift and let Athena’s fur burn him tempted me. Athena mentally paced as the pain ripped through me. She wanted to help me but I held her back.

I struggled against his strength as I found my strength and I fought to free my arms. If I could just get one free, I could burn him and get out from under him. I fought to no avail when an idea came to me. I pulled my knees towards my chest, inhaled deeply before I kicked up as hard as I could.

He wheezed as my feet connected with his stomach but he didn’t let go. His jaw clenched down, his canines dug deeper, and he pulled on the tender flesh of my shoulder. I cried out and Jake’s voice n my mind reached out for me. He was still fighting but was frantic as he called out for me again.

Are you okay?

I didn’t have time to respond. I hadn’t been trying to kick him off, I’d been trying to get his body as far away from me as I could, and I’d succeeded.

Kacie, are you okay?

I didn’t let the pain stop me, this was my chance, and the Moon Goddess must be on my side because his powerful paws gave way; only for a second. I pounced on the opportunity and yanked my right arm, pulling it loose.

Dammit, answer me.