Chapter 167 167

Chapter 167 167
Arielle's POV

Then I felt it, the pang of pain again. Sharp, hot, blinding. It lanced through my chest, making me stumble, making me gasp. It was different from before. It felt like something was clawing its way out of me again, like my wolf was fighting to break free.

I stumbled again, my knees hitting the ground. I lifted my face, and my blood ran cold.

Four wolves had rounded me, their hulking forms emerging from the shadows. They circled me, their eyes burning with hunger, their lips curled back to reveal rows of gleaming teeth. They snarled, the sound low and guttural, vibrating through the air like a warning.

I looked around, taking them in. They were massive, their fur dark and matted, their muscles rippling beneath their skin. They moved with a predatory grace, their paws silent against the leaves.

I was doomed. How could I even think I could outrun them in their wolf forms?

They closed in, their tongues lolling out, saliva dripping from their jaws. There was enjoyment in their eyes—a sick, twisted pleasure at the hunt. They were ready to drag me back to Logan, to deliver me to their Alpha's worthless son.

I pressed my back against a tree, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. My breath came in short, desperate gasps.

There was nowhere to run. No escape. The wolves circled me, their eyes gleaming with predatory hunger, their snarls low and menacing. My hands trembled as they scraped against the ground, searching for anything—anything—that could help me.

My fingers brushed against a fallen branch. I gripped it, the bark rough against my palms, and with a surge of desperate strength, I snapped it in half. I knew it was pointless. Useless. A pathetic attempt against four wolves who could tear me apart in seconds. But I hurled it at them anyway, the wood spinning uselessly through the air.

They laughed. The sound was low and cruel, echoing through the trees. One of them caught the branch mid-air, snapping it effortlessly between his claws. They shifted back to their human forms, their bodies twisting and reforming until they stood before me—four men with cold eyes and mocking smiles. They brushed the leaves and twigs from their clothes, their movements casual and unhurried.

"Look at her," one of them sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "Trying to fight us with a stick. How pathetic."

"She's got guts, I'll give her that," another added, his eyes raking over me with cruel amusement. "Too bad it's not going to do her any good."

"Logan's going to make her pay for what she did," a third one said, cracking his knuckles. "She stabbed him. In the hand. He's not going to go easy on her. He's going to take his time breaking her. I've seen him do it before—he likes to draw it out, make them beg. She'll be screaming for mercy before the night's over."

"Maybe if she crawls back to him and begs for forgiveness," the first one suggested, his smirk widening, "he might consider fucking her gently. Since it's her first time and all. But honestly, I wouldn't count on it. He's got a long memory, and she humiliated him."

I grabbed another branch, hurling it at them with all the strength I had left. It bounced off one of their shoulders harmlessly, and they laughed even harder, their voices harsh and mocking.

"I'm getting bored," the one in front said, his voice flat. "Let's just take her back and be done with it. Logan's waiting, and he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

The one on the left stepped forward, grabbing me by the hair. "Enough of your nonsense now, bitch."

He yanked me forward, the pain sharp and blinding. I stumbled, my hands flying up to claw at his grip, but he was too strong. The others laughed, the sound grating against my ears, bouncing off the trees like a chorus of demons.

Then I heard it.

A growl. Low, ferocious, cutting through the noise like a blade. It wasn't one of them. It came from behind them, from the shadows deeper in the woods.

The laughter stopped. They turned, their eyes scanning the darkness. I looked too, my vision becoming blurry, my head spinning. I saw a figure emerging from the shadows, his face concealed in the dark. I couldn't make out his features, but there was something familiar about his stance, his presence. The way he moved with a quiet, lethal grace.

"Who the hell are you?" one of them demanded, stepping forward. "You lost or something? You better not butt in, asshole. This doesn't concern you."

The figure spoke, his voice low and cold, cutting through the night like a blade. "Let her go."

I squinted, trying to see his face, but my vision was fading faster than expected, the edges of my sight growing dark. I could barely stay upright, my body swaying with exhaustion and pain.

"Or what?" the one holding me sneered, his grip tightening in my hair. "You think you can take all of us? There's four of us, and one of you. You're outnumbered, man."

The figure stepped closer, his movements unhurried, and his next words sent a chill down my spine. "I'm going to enjoy watching you die for touching her."

They howled, the sound defiant, but I could hear the uncertainty creeping in. They circled him, trying to intimidate him, but he didn't move. He just stood there, calm and unyielding, like a storm waiting to break.

My vision cleared for just a moment, and I saw his face.

Alpha... Aeson?

It was him.

He was here. How's this possible?

The three quickly turned into their wolves and lunged, but he moved faster than I could track. The first one leaped at him, claws extended, jaws gaping. Aeson caught him mid-air, his hand wrapping around the wolf's throat. He squeezed. I heard the sickening crunch of bone, and the wolf went limp in his grip. Aeson tossed him aside like a broken doll, his body slamming against a tree trunk before crumpling to the ground, motionless.

The second one came from the left, aiming for his flank. Aeson spun, his fist connecting with the wolf's skull in a brutal, precise blow. The crack echoed through the clearing, and the wolf collapsed, his legs twitching before going still.

The third one tried to attack from behind, his claws raking through the air where Aeson had been standing a second before. Aeson had already moved, his hand shooting out to grab the wolf's arm. He twisted it with brutal efficiency, the bone snapping with a sound that made my stomach turn. The wolf howled in agony, but Aeson didn't stop. He drove his knee into the wolf's chest, and I heard ribs crack like twigs. The wolf crumpled, gasping, his body folding in on itself as he hit the ground.

The fourth one—the one holding me—released my hair and stumbled back, his eyes wide with terror. "You—you're the Alpha of Dead Moon," he stammered, his voice trembling with sudden recognition as Aeson took a step further, the view of him now clear.

Aeson didn't respond. He just walked toward him, his steps slow, deliberate. Each footfall was a promise, a death sentence. The man tried to scramble backward, but his legs gave out, and he fell to the ground, crawling desperately away.

"Please," he begged, his voice cracking. "Please, don't kill me. I was just following orders. Logan made me—"

"I warned you," Aeson said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion. "You didn't listen."

He reached down and grabbed the man by the collar, lifting him off the ground with a single, brutal motion. The man's legs kicked uselessly, his hands clawing at Aeson's grip.

Aeson's fist connected with his face once. Twice. The man's head snapped back with each blow, blood spraying across the leaves. On the third punch, I heard the crack of bone, and the man went limp, his body sagging in Aeson's grip.

Aeson released him, letting him fall to the ground in a heap. He didn't move.

The clearing was silent, save for the sound of my ragged breathing. The bodies lay scattered around us, broken and still. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood.

Aeson stood there for a moment, his chest heaving, his fists still clenched. Then he turned to me, his eyes softening. "Are you okay?”

I tried to nod, but my body gave out. I collapsed to my knees, the world spinning around me.