Chapter 78

Chapter 78
Silas’s POV

“We have to respond to Alpha Lucien,” I said, feeling the weight of the decision settle heavily on my chest. I stood in the middle of our living room, my fists clenching and unclenching at my sides.

Gabriella, seated on the couch with her hands resting protectively over her small bump, looked up at me with wide, worried eyes.

“Are you still going alone?”

I inhaled deeply through my nose, exhaled slowly.

“Yes,” I said, forcing the words out. “I have to go alone.”

But deep inside, fear gnawed at me.

I didn’t want to go alone.

Not really.

But I needed to. For her. For the pup growing inside her. For the survival of our entire pack.

Gabriella stood up and walked toward me, her bare feet silent on the wooden floor.

“So when?” she asked quietly, her voice trembling slightly.

I turned to look at her, memorizing every detail of her face—the way her lower lip trembled, the tears she was trying so hard to hide.

“I have to go very soon,” I said. “Before anything worse happens. For your safety…and the baby’s.”

Gabriella’s hand found mine and squeezed it tightly.

I squeezed back, grounding myself in her touch.

“I believe in you,” she whispered.

There was a soft knock at the door.

Leander entered without waiting for a reply, his expression serious.

“Alpha, the vehicle is ready. The scouts checked the first few miles—no sign of trouble.”

I nodded.

“Thank you, Leander. I’ll handle it from here.”

Leander hesitated, glancing between Gabriella and me.

“At least take two guards with you,” he said. “It’s dangerous to go alone.”

I shook my head firmly.

“No. If I show up with an escort, it might be seen as a threat. I need to go alone.”

Leander pressed his lips together but said nothing more.

He knew I had already made up my mind.

I turned to Gabriella once more.

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

She gave a wobbly smile, blinking back tears.

I kissed her forehead gently, lingering for a moment longer than necessary, then pulled away.

The separation felt like ripping a part of myself out, but I steeled myself against it.

There was no room for weakness now.

I stepped outside into the chilly evening air.

The sky was already darkening, the stars hidden behind thick, heavy clouds.

The black SUV waited in the driveway, engine purring softly.

I climbed into the driver’s seat, adjusted the mirror, and took one last look at the house at Gabriella standing in the doorway, hands clasped tightly over her heart.

I gave a small wave and pulled out of the driveway.

The journey began smoothly enough.

The road stretched out ahead of me, long and empty, bordered on both sides by thick woods.

The moonlight filtered through the trees in patches, casting eerie shadows across the asphalt.

I kept my senses sharp, my eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.

I couldn’t afford to be caught off guard.

Half an hour into the drive, I noticed headlights behind me.

At first, I thought it was just another traveler.

But the car stayed close. Too close.

I frowned, checking my mirrors.

Whoever it was, they weren’t trying to pass.

They were sticking to me like glue.

I pressed the accelerator, increasing my speed slightly.

The car behind me matched it, refusing to fall back.

A knot of unease tightened in my stomach.

I switched lanes.

They switched too.

I slowed down.

They slowed down.

No doubt about it now.

I was being followed.

I glanced at the clock.

Still another 24 hours  to Mooncroft.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, another vehicle barreled out from a hidden path between the trees and skidded across the road, blocking my path.

I slammed my foot on the brakes.

The SUV screeched and skidded sideways, narrowly avoiding a crash.

Before I could even catch my breath, doors flew open and figures poured out of both cars atleast a dozen of them, dressed in black, their movements quick and predatory.

My wolf senses kicked into overdrive.

Rogues.

I cursed under my breath, reaching for the door handle.

No time to think.

I threw the door open and sprang out just as the first rogue lunged at me.

I caught him mid-air, using his momentum to flip him over my shoulder and slam him onto the asphalt with a sickening crack.

Another rogue rushed at me from the side, claws bared.

I ducked under his swipe and drove my fist into his ribs, feeling the satisfying crack of bone beneath my knuckles.

But they kept coming.

I was outnumbered.

Badly.

I backed up toward the SUV, using it as a partial shield.

My mind raced.

Was this a random attack?

Or had someone sent them?

A rogue charged at me with a metal pipe.

I side-stepped his swing and elbowed him in the throat, dropping him to the ground gasping for air.

But as I turned, I caught movement from the corner of my eye.

Too late

A rogue slammed into my side, sending me sprawling across the road.

Pain flared up my ribs.

I rolled quickly to avoid a boot aimed at my head, coming up in a crouch.

Another rogue pulled a gun from his belt and aimed it directly at me.

I dove behind the SUV as the gunshot rang out, the bullet embedding itself in the metal frame inches from my head.

Breathing heavily, I peeked around the side of the vehicle.

They were closing in, forming a tight circle around me.

They weren’t here to scare me.

They were here to kill me.

I bared my teeth in a snarl.

“Come on then,” I growled under my breath, letting my wolf strength surge through me

I couldn’t shift fully here, not  yet.

It would leave me vulnerable.

But I could fight like hell.The first rogue rushed at me.

I sidestepped him and smashed my elbow into his jaw, feeling it snap under the blow.

Another rogue grabbed my arm, trying to pin me. I twisted, breaking his grip, and drove my knee into his gut.