Chapter 21 Ambushed
Zarek POV
Brennan walked beside me through the lower east route while explaining patrol changes, his boots crushing against loose gravel beneath us.
“The full moon is making everyone restless,” he sighed. “We need to tighten security before the race.”
I barely glanced at him. “Already handled it.”
“No,” Brennan corrected calmly. “You handled the borders near the northern ridge. The east tunnels still need to be checked.”
I hissed lightly.
The eastern side of the territory was old and less populated. Mostly abandoned routes built beneath previous pack structures decades ago.
There was too many blind spots, too many places for rogues to hide.
“We’ll split up here,” Brennan suddenly said.
I looked up.
A rusted metal gate blocked one side of the narrow stone pathway ahead. Brennan moved toward it immediately.
“When did this close?” I frowned.
“This morning apparently.” He shoved the gate harder like he was testing it. “Probably damage from the rain.”
Something about his tone felt strange.
I stayed silent.
Brennan glanced back toward me. “Take the lower route instead. I’ll circle around and meet you near the checkpoint.”
For a second, I just stared at him. Then slowly, I nodded. “Don’t take too long,” I muttered.
Brennan gave a small shrug. “Try not to kill anybody while I’m gone.”
I scoffed quietly before turning toward the lower path.
The moment I stepped deeper into the abandoned route, the silence changed.
The tunnels beneath the east sector were colder than the rest of the territory. Narrow stone walls stretched around me while dim emergency lights flickered overhead.
Water dripped somewhere in the distance.
Kairo’s growl deepened inside my chest.
Something’s here, I slowed slightly.
Every instinct sharpened immediately.The scent around me smelled strange, that alone was enough to make my hand flex beside me.
I stopped walking.
My eyes narrowed slowly as I scanned the shadows carefully.
Then I noticed fast movement. A figure lunged from the darkness toward my blindside.
I reacted instantly.
My fist collided with the attacker’s throat hard enough to send him crashing into the wall before he could fully reach me.
The impact cracked concrete.
Another wolf came from behind, then another. It was an ambush.
Kairo exploded beneath my skin immediately.
My eyes burned red.
The second attacker swung a silver blade toward my ribs. I caught his wrist midair and snapped it sideways violently.
The sound of bone cracking echoed through the tunnel. He screamed.
I slammed him headfirst into the wall hard enough to leave blood across the concrete.
Then pain exploded across my back.
Wolfsbane.
Liquid wolfsbane poured directly against my skin like acid. A vicious burning sensation tore through my body instantly.
“Ahhhhh.” I screamed, my wolf roared violently inside me.
“Fuck—” The pain destabilized me for half a second.
Before I could recover, a silver blade buried deep into my side.
The force knocked the breath from my lungs instantly. Kairo howled.
Every nerve inside my body ignited at once.
Silver.
I staggered backward, breathing turning uneven immediately while dark blood spilled against the floor.
Five wolves stepped from the shadows around me now.
One of them laughed nervously. “Even poisoned he still looks terrifying.”
I slowly lifted my head. Blood dripped from the corner of my mouth, my eyes turned red.
“You should’ve brought more people,” I growled.
I moved fast enough that the nearest wolf barely reacted before my hand wrapped around his throat.
I slammed him into the tunnel wall hard enough to cave part of it inward.
The second wolf attacked from my left with a silver chain.
I caught it mid-swing despite the burning pain ripping through my muscles and yanked him directly into my knee hard enough to shatter ribs.
He collapsed choking.
Another blade sliced across my shoulder.
Pain exploded again, Kairo snapped completely. Strength surged violently through me. My claws burst free instantly.
The tunnel shook beneath the force of my aura.
One wolf hesitated.
Big mistake.
I grabbed him by the jaw and drove him face-first into the concrete floor hard enough that the entire tunnel echoed from the impact.
Blood spread instantly.
The remaining two attacked together.
Smart but not enough.
The first lunged low. I twisted sideways despite the silver lodged inside me and drove my elbow directly into his spine.
The crack that followed was sickening.
He dropped immediately.
The last wolf froze in fear.
Wolfsbane burned through my veins like poison fire while silver weakened my healing.
Still—
Kairo wanted blood.
The final attacker turned to run.
I moved before he could fully shift.
One brutal hit sent him crashing against the tunnel wall hard enough to split stone.
He slid down barely conscious.
Silence returned again. My breathing sounded rough now, blood covered my hands.
The silver knife still remained buried deep near my ribs. I staggered slightly before grabbing the blade handle. Pain shot through my entire body immediately.
Silver inside a wolf felt like fire buried beneath flesh.
I gritted my teeth hard enough that my jaw hurt, then ripped it out.
A strangled growl tore from my throat. My knees hit the ground heavily.
I pressed one hand against the wound while forcing myself to stay conscious.
Footsteps echoed nearby.
It was familiar.
Brennan appeared from the darkness moments later.
He stopped the second he saw the bodies scattered around the tunnel.
Four unconscious, one barely breathing.
His expression darkened immediately. “…Damn.”
I lifted my head slowly toward him.
Even kneeling, bleeding and poisoned, my wolf still snarled beneath my skin hard enough that the tunnel vibrated faintly.
Brennan stepped closer carefully. “Zarek—”
“Where were you?” My voice came out rougher than normal.
His eyes flicked briefly toward the silver blade lying nearby before returning to me.
“I came as fast as I could.”
Something inside me twisted painfully. The wolfsbane burning through my system made focusing difficult.
Brennan crouched in front of me carefully. “You’re losing too much blood.”
“I noticed.”
His jaw tightened slightly as he reached toward the wound.
I grabbed his wrist instantly, his eyes met mine immediately.
For one long second, neither of us spoke.
Then Brennan quietly muttered. “You’re still trying to decide whether to kill me or not.”
My breathing stayed uneven. “…Depends how honest your next answer is.”