Chapter 166 Last Stand

Chapter 166 Nick of Time
Gabriel POV

The moment Lyra jumped from the underbrush, exposing herself, I knew there was no stopping her. Time seemed to slow as the black-robed figures threw back their hoods, their bodies contorting in violent shifts. Bones cracked and reformed as they transformed into wolves: large, unnaturally strong beasts with eyes that glowed with malevolent purpose.

"Protect Lyra!" I commanded, watching as her warriors emerged from hiding, intercepting several attackers before they could reach her.

I moved to shift, intending to race to Lyra's side, when the undergrowth around me exploded with movement. Three massive wolves lunged from the shadows, forming a triangle around me, their teeth bared and hackles raised. Their coordinated attack pattern spoke of extensive training: these weren't ordinary soldiers.

"They're trying to separate us," my wolf growled.

I completed my shift in seconds, my bones and muscles reforming into my wolf form, larger than most Alphas, with dark black fur. I snarled at my attackers, watching their movements carefully as they circled me.

"Alistair, protect Lyra!" I commanded through our mental link while dodging the first attacker's lunge.

"What about Isabella?" Alistair's concerned voice echoed in my mind.

I glanced across the clearing, seeing Lyra fighting her way toward where Isabella was bound. My heart seized with sudden clarity: both women were in grave danger.

"Protect them both!" I ordered.

A momentary distraction was all it took. The largest of the three wolves seized the opportunity, crashing into my side with enough force to send me tumbling. Pain lanced through my ribs as I scrambled to regain my footing, only to find myself surrounded once more.

The wolves parted slightly as a figure approached. It was Kade, his muscled torso bare and scarred from countless battles.

"He's mine!" Kade called to the wolves, who backed away obediently, forming a loose circle around us. "Leave us."

I kept my wolf form, growling low in my throat as I assessed my opponent.

"Let's finish what we started," his voice echoed in my mind, an unwelcome intrusion. "Today, one of us dies."

Kade's eyes gleamed with anticipation as he began his shift, his body contorting until a massive black wolf stood before me, nearly matching my size.

We circled each other slowly, each looking for an opening. From the corner of my eye, I could see Lyra and Alistair had reached Isabella and were removing the wolfsbane bindings, but they were quickly surrounded by enemy wolves.

"Focus!" My wolf snarled internally. "We can't help them if we're dead!"

Kade lunged first, a feint I anticipated. I dodged sideways, but he twisted mid-air with unnatural speed, his jaws snapping closed inches from my throat. I countered, driving my shoulder into his exposed side, hearing a satisfying crack as at least one rib gave way.

The impact sent shockwaves through my own body, jarring my teeth and sending splinters of pain across my shoulder. I pivoted hard, claws digging into the soft earth for traction as I spun to face him again. The metallic tang of blood filled my nostrils: his and mine intermingling in the charged air between us.

Blood matted my fur from multiple wounds as we continued our deadly dance. Kade was strong, perhaps stronger than I remembered, but there was something desperate in his attacks now: something frantic and undisciplined. His movements betrayed a recklessness I could exploit.

My muscles burned with exertion, each breath coming in ragged pants that clouded the cold air. Every fiber of my being screamed for rest, but I pushed through the pain, my wolf's endurance merging with my human determination. We were fighting not just for ourselves, but for everyone who depended on us. For Lyra, for Isabella.

"He fights like he has nothing to lose," my wolf observed as Kade launched another savage attack, teeth slashing at my flank.

I twisted away, feeling his teeth graze my hide, tearing through fur but missing flesh by millimeters. The near miss sent adrenaline surging through my veins, sharpening my senses to painful clarity. I could hear every heartbeat on the battlefield, smell every drop of spilled blood, feel the vibrations of combat through the very earth beneath my paws.

An image of Eleanor flashed in my mind, her final words echoing: "Protect the White Wolf, Guardian. The fate of all packs depends on it." I thought of my promise to Jason, to protect both Lyra and Isabella. The weight of my responsibility fueled a new surge of strength.

I recalled how Kade had deceived Lyra, posing as Zachary, earning her trust only to hurt her. The memory of her pain, her confusion when she learned the truth, ignited something primal within me. With renewed fury, I drove Kade backward, my jaws closing around his foreleg with crushing force.

Kade howled in pain, twisting free but leaving flesh and fur between my teeth. I pressed my advantage, driving him to the ground, my teeth inches from his throat. Victory was within my grasp.

Then I heard it. A high-pitched, agonized howl that could only belong to Lyra.

I turned instinctively toward the sound and saw the nightmare unfolding. Lyra and Isabella had been separated, with Isabella pinned beneath a massive black wolf, its jaws poised above her exposed throat. Lyra was surrounded by at least five attackers, bleeding from multiple wounds as she fought desperately to reach Isabella.

In that moment of distraction, Kade surged upward, flipping our positions. His weight crushed down on me, his claws digging deep into my flesh. Blood welled from the punctures, hot and slick against my fur. His teeth found purchase on my shoulder, driving deep toward bone.

"Watch," he seemed to growl in my mind, forcing my head to turn toward Lyra and Isabella. "Watch as everything you swore to protect dies before your eyes."

Despair crashed through me as I struggled beneath his weight. I've failed them both. I promised Jason I would protect them, and now...

I reached desperately through the pack bond: "Alistair, help them!"

"I'm trying, Alpha..." came his strained reply. Through our connection, I glimpsed him fighting three attackers at once, his silver-gray fur matted with blood, moving with desperate speed but unable to break through to either woman.

The black wolf above Isabella raised its head for the killing strike. Lyra screamed in wolf howl, a sound of pure anguish that tore through the battlefield.

This is it, I thought grimly. We've lost.

Suddenly, the undergrowth at the edge of the clearing exploded with movement. A blur of auburn fur crashed into the wolf above Isabella, sending it tumbling away from her prone form. More wolves, at least a dozen, poured from the tree line, engaging the black-robed forces with savage efficiency.

With shock, I recognized the auburn wolf as it stood protectively over Isabella's form.

Dominic.