Chapter 13
~Alexia-
'Alpha, please hurry!' Alexia mindlinked back to Kieran.
Rae and Alexia had been running through the woods. Rae had shifted into her wolf form and carried Alexia on her back.
Alexia was riding Rae, her arms held tightly around her neck. She looked back, and her eyes broadened at the two werewolves gaining in on them.
"They are catching up, Rae - Ahhh!' Alexia screamed when Rae halted. One werewolf had jumped past Rae and landed in front of her.
Alexia fell to the ground, her frame rolling on the graveled path. Alexia would have kept moving down if not for a jack pine that caught her weight. She frantically stood up and searched for Rae, not caring for her dirty clothes.
In her wolf form, Rae had a brown-reddish coat. Her size was remarkable. Alexia swore she was as big as her stepbrother, Drake. Rae was growling in front of the two rogues. Each of them looked different, and they smelled different, too. There was a grey wolf with a black brindle. The other was a dark brown wolf. They both barked and showed off their canines.
"Rae!" Alexia called.
'Stay behind me,' Rae spoke in her head. 'Try to find cover, Alexia!'
Rogues were werewolves that had been kicked out of their pack or had left on their own. Many had turned feral, living in the wild and committing crimes, stealing, kidnapping, and even killing to survive.
Twenty rogues had arrived at the east border. With only twelve of them on patrol, they outnumbered the warriors. While Kieran's warriors were robust and reliable in fighting off the invaders, a few had slipped into the territory.
Rae and Alexia had run off to avoid the fight, but two rogues chased after them.
It was supposed to be a simple task. The mountains that protected the pack from invading rogues were east of the Stone Bood Pack's territory.
According to Rae, the mountains were the most difficult to infiltrate. There was not a single attempt to enter the pack on the same route, but that day, twenty rogues took the courage to climb up the mountains and down. They moved through the lush forest and challenged the warriors of the Stone Blood Pack.
What luck for Alexia! Why, of all days, did rogues attempt to invade when she and Rae were visiting?
"Don't come closer!" Rae warned. "Alpha Kieran will hunt you down if you try to hurt her! She is his luna!"
Alexia understood. She was trying to ward them off, but it did not seem to work.
"Interesting! Then, all the better," the grey wolf voiced, shocking Alexia.
The dark brown wolf purred and said, "We would love to get our hands on her."
"Do you want to die?" Rae shot back.
"You seem to be missing the scene here, young wolf. There are two of us and one of you. Who do you think will live?" The dark brown wolf purred, his fangs elongating.
'Alexia! Run!' Rae said to Alexia, mindlinking.
'No, Rae -' Alexia tried to reason, but Rae cut her off.
'Go!' Rae repeated.
'Be safe, Rae! Be safe!' She yelled in her head.
'Silly, girl! You be safe!' Rae mindlinked back.
Yes, Alexia still could not shift, but it didn't mean she could quickly leave her friend behind. Her heart was against it, but she forced herself to run, knowing she was the weaker among them.
Behind her, she heard them growling and howling in pain. Alexia was worried for Rae, but she knew Rae was well-trained. She only hoped Rae was strong enough to fight off two werewolves simultaneously!
As she was racing, she saw a tall pine tree. Its trunk wasn't so thick to require a long rope to climb, but it was enough to carry her weight.
If there was anything she was good at, that would be hiding. At least, if the werewolf came after her, he would be forced to change into his human form. It was better than sprinting away from the rogues that could outrun her.
She hurriedly climbed onto a tall pine tree and settled on two thick branches. Just then, she noticed the smaller trees swaying. A wolf's howl was coming closer.
It did not take long for the dark brown wolf to find her scent. He was circling around the tree, sniffing its trunk.
The rogue growled! He jumped up, trying to reach as far as he could, but Alexia had climbed much higher. It made the werewolf snarl, "Come down here! Come down, and let's have some fun, little one."
'Who was he kidding? Why would I do that?' Alexia inwardly said. She didn't want to die! She would instead be stuck in a tree, for Goddess knows how long!
Again and again, the brown wolf kept attempting to reach for her. When Alexia noticed he had come close, she would climb up higher. However, to her dismay, the rogue changed into his human form and ascended in Alexia's direction. Alexia's heart raced. She called for Rae, 'Rae? Where are you? I need help!'
'Alexia, Alpha Kieran's headed your way. Wherever you are, stay put!' Rae mindlinked with her.
"There you are," the rogue said. He was already a foot away from Alexia. His eyes filled with malice as his hand reached for her.
"Get away from me, you freak!" Alexia screamed, her leg kicking the man's hands.
The rogue held her ankle, and he tried to pull her down. He hissed, "Come here, little one. Your skin looks so beautiful. I want to have fun with you!"
Alexia screamed, "Kieran! Kieran!"
'I'm close!' She heard him speak in the mind, and before she knew it, a large black wolf leaned in mid-air, biting the rogue's leg!
The rogue groaned in pain as he shifted into his wolf form. When he stood on all his fours, he fought with the black wolf.
From above, Alexia marveled at the stunning black wolf. He was massive. His coat was shiny, and his moves were precise. She watched as the same wolf lunged at the rogue and bit his shoulder.
As the black wolf tore off the rogue's flesh, Alexia's eyes met his brown orbs. She realized that the stunning black wolf was none other than Kieran Stone.
She was in awe. Her husband was such a ravishing and fearsome beast! 'Wait. What am I thinking?' Alexia held back, scolding herself. 'How could I think of him that way at a time like this?'
Keiran was definitely moreThis content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
prominent than the dark brown wolf. He was taller and bulkier. In his wolf form, he looked ferocious, with his fangs clutching tightly against the rogue's flesh. Despite his menacing quality, however, his fur was shiny. From where Alexia was fastened around the tree, she could tell his
coat was soft.
The rogue whimpered until his very last breath. Kerian had repeatedly bitten him and thrust him from side to side. It was a brutal sight, but then again, this same wolf was after her. She had no compassion for the rogue. When Kieran finally threw the lifeless rogue to the ground. He growled and howled, his snout pointing to the sky. He turned to look for her, and when their eyes met, he mindlinked, 'Get down, Alexia. It's me.'
'I know,' she said back. Relief engulfed her before descending carefully.
'Steady. Steady. Use your left foot first. Careful,' Kieran instructed in every step she took.
Alexia was ten feet away when she struggled to find a branch to climb down, thanks to the rogue who had broken some branches earlier. She looked from side to side and decided on a smaller branch to step on. "Ahhh!" The branch snapped. She fell in an instant. As she slid down, the same broken branch cut her arm. Her eyes shut, anticipating the pain, but a man's arms caught her instead of the ground!
She unwittingly clung to Kieran's body as part of her reflex. When she opened her eyes, she met Kieran's gaze. She gulped, embracing him. She said, "Thank you. Thank you, Kieran - I." Alexia gasped with horror in her eyes. 'Did I just call him by his first name?'
She gulped and corrected, "I mean, Alpha Kieran. I'm sorry. I don't mean no disrespect."
"Hmmm," Kieran acknowledged. "I'm going to put you down now."
Landing on her feet, her cheeks
turned tomato red. She tried her
n'
best not to react in any way, but how could she not? Immediately, she turned around, her back facing her. But of course, she had already seen
it. The second she stood up, she saw most of him!
Kieran was naked. That was not something new. After all, they were werewolves. They did not shift in their clothes. However, something tingled in her abdomen after seeing his chiseled frame. She has had the pleasure of seeing the muscles that formed on his abdomen. She did not miss his well-shaped biceps and the unique tattoos that covered part of his chest, down to his arm. How she wanted to peer down in between his legs, but she would not dare. Alexia was just... curious.
When Alexia faced him, he was back in his wolf form. He lowered his frame, his head pointing toward her when he suggested, "On my back. It's faster that I carry you."
"You can turn around now," Kieran ordered.
She cautiously wrapped her arms around his neck, climbing up to his back. His fur was so soft that Alexia wanted to rest her face against him.
She contemplated. As Kieran took his first few steps, she decided it was safe. After all, if she did not clasp onto him tightly, she would fall! Finally, she gave in and lowered her torso against his fur.
While Kieran sped through the
เวน
forest, she embraced him tightly from behind. Her face rested on the back of his neck, feeling the softness of his shiny black fur. She shut her eyes as the air brushed against her skin. In her mind, she thought, 'What am I going to do? How will I ever avoid you?'