102 Chapter 102
102 Chapter 102
Damien’s POV 1
The howl hit us like a p.
Close. Too damn close.
My wolf Alex went wild inside my chest. Every instinct screaming danger. This wasn’t random. This was a
trap.
“Stay together!” I roared.
But the fog was wrong. All wrong. It moved like it was alive. Chemical stench burned my nose. Made my eyes
water.
This was magic. Dark, twisted magic.
“Alpha!” Lucas’s voice cracked with panic. “I can’t see anyone!”
More howls. From everywhere. All around us.
Fuck.
“Listen to me!” I let my alpha power explode outward. “Back to back! Fight as one!”
The first rogue came out of nowhere.
Massive. Teeth like razors. Eyes glowing yellow death,
I shifted before I could think. Bones cracking. Muscles expanding. My human form melting away.
The beast mmed into me. We rolled, ws raked my shoulder. Pain red white-hot.
But I’ve been fighting since I was fifteen.
I mped down on its throat. Bit until I tasted copper. Hot blood filled my mouth. The rogue thrashed. Went limp.
Dead.
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102 Chapter 102
“Lucas!” I called out, still in wolf form. “Where are you?”
“Here! Two of them on me!”
I bounded through the fog. Found him dancing between two snarling rogues. Blood streaming down his gray
fur.
He was tiring. Fast.
I hit the nearest rogue like a freight train. Sent it flying into a tree. Crack. It didn’t get up.
The second one turned. Looked at me.
My blood froze.
This wasn’t mindless rage. This was intelligence. nning.
Someone had been training them.
The rogue feinted left. Lunged right.
I was ready. Caught it mid-leap. Jaws around its spine. Crunch.
Another one down.
I shifted back to human. Naked. Didn’t care.
“Lucas! How many are left?”
“Five!” he gasped. “Maybe six! The fog-I can’t tell!”
Five warriors. Out of twelve.
Rage burned through me like acid. Pure. Blinding.
“Where’s the nearest cover?” I snarled.
“Ridge. Half mile north”
Another howl. Closer.
Time was up.
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102 Chapter 102
“Everyone retreat!” I roared. “North ridge! Stay together!”
What came next was hell.
Pure, blood-soaked hell.
We fought through the forest like wounded animals. Every few yards, another wave hit us. Rogues melting
out of the mist like ghosts.
I lost count of my kills. Blood slicked my hands. Mine and theirs. Every muscle screamed.
But we kept moving.
Had to keep moving.
“Almost there!” Lucas appeared beside me. Supporting Derek, who was bleeding bad. “I see the rocks!”
The ridge was perfect. Natural fortress. Granite and pine. Limited approaches.
We copsed behind the biggest boulder we could find. Gasping. Shaking.
Final count: Five warriors. All wounded.
Derek was worst. Deep gashes across his back. Blood everywhere.
Lucas had a nasty bite on his forearm. Wouldn’t stop bleeding.
I had w marks across my shoulder. Pain with every breath.
“First aid,” Imanded. Voice hoarse. “Patch up what you can.”
While they worked, I stared at the forest below. The mist was thinning. Whatever spell created it was fading.
But the rogues were still out there. Waiting,
*Sera.* I reached for our bond. Desperate. *Sera, can you hear me?*
Nothing.
The connection was barely a whisper. Like a candle in the wind.
Something was wrong. Seriously wrong.
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102 Chapter 102
Our bond was iron-strong. It shouldn’t be this weak unless-
No. Don’t think it.
Sera was safe. Home with Adrian. Had to be.
*Focus,* I told myself. *Your men need you.*
“How bad, Derek?” I crouched beside him.
He tried to smile. Failed. “I’ve had worse, Alpha.”
Bullshit. He was dying. We all knew it.
*If Sera were here…* The thought hit like a punch to the gut.
She could heal him. Heal all of them. Those golden hands working magic.
But she wasn’t here.
I was alone with five bleeding warriors. Cut off from everything. No backuping.
The longing was so intense it nearly knocked me over. God, what I’d give for her here. Not just the healing.
Her presence. Her strength. The way she looked at impossible situations and found answers.
We could fight together. Side by side. Like we’d dreamed.
Instead, I was trapped on a mountain. Men dying. No way home.
“Alpha,” Lucas settled beside me. Arm bandaged. “What’s the n?”
I looked out at the forest. Shadows moving between trees. Still hunting us.
“We survive the night.” My voice was rough. “Come morning, we figure out how to get home.”
It wasn’t much. But it was all I had.
Lucas nodded. Grim understanding.
“And if theye again?”
I pulled my silver de. Tested its weight. Still sharp despite the blood.
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102 Chapter 102
“Then we send them to hell.”
The sun was setting. Long shadows across our refuge.
I tried the bond again. *Sera. Please be safe. Please be smart.*
Still nothing. Like shouting into an empty void.
My chest ached. Not from the wounds. From fear.
If she was in danger while I was stuck here…
The thought made me want to howl. To rage. To tear apart everything in reach.
*Hold on,* I whispered into the darkness. *Just hold on. I’ll find a way back to you.*