Chapter 13

Damian’s POV  

The rogue lunged for Arielle, and my body moved before my mind could catch up with it and I shifted mid-air, my bones snapping and reforming in a matter of seconds.

My wolf surged forward, colliding with the rogue before it could reach her. We crashed to the ground in a violent tangle of fur and claws tumbling across the forest floor both of us snarling and snapping, I barely registered the pain when his fangs sank into my shoulder. With an annoyed  growl, I twisted my body using my own teeth and snapping around his throat sinking into flesh and bone almost immediately. 

Blood splattered against the dirt and grass as I ripped the mutt’s throat open. The rogue let out a strangled gurgle before going limp beneath me shifting back to its human form almost immediately.

It was a young boy, I almost cursed but I didn't have the time to but there were much more of them  around us I glanced around and counted three others circling us, their eyes glowing red hungrily in the moonlight.  

Arielle stood frozen for a moment, her chest rising and falling in rapid breaths. She wasn't supposed to be here —she wasn’t even trained for this. She shouldn’t have to fight for her life but here she was doing all these things because of me. I looked around trying to find a way to get her out of harms way then she shifted too. Her wolf was smaller than mine, sleek but very swift,she didn’t hesitate to rush at them.

A snarl ripped from her throat as she lunged at the nearest rogue, her claws slicing across its flank. It yelped, but its companion took the opening and rammed into her side.  She went down hard, rolling across the dirt and I growled, rushing at them immediately tearing through another rogue with my fangs, but I couldn’t get to her fast enough. 

The last one was on her before she could stand pinning her beneath its massive form, jaws snapping dangerously close to her throat.  

My heart nearly stopped as Arielle let out a desperate snarl, twisting her body beneath the rogues paws , her claws swiping wildly. But the rogue was stronger and winning it pressed her down and a sickening crack filled the air as its jaws clamped onto her shoulder and she screamed.  

Rage blinded me filling my gut , launched myself at the rogue, my fangs clamping down on its spine. With a vicious shake, I tore it away from Arielle, throwing it into a nearby tree the impact shattered bone based on the cracking sound that I heard. 

It didn’t get up panting and I turned to Arielle, she was still on the ground, her wolf trembling with blood soaking into her fur, and her breathing was ragged but not slow and I could hear her heart beating strongly in her chest. I shifted back, ignoring my own wounds as I crouched beside her.  

“Arielle,” I rasped running my hands over her fur.

“Shift back. Let me see how bad it is.” I urged. For a second, I thought she wasn't hearing me,but then she let out a pained whimper and her body began to shift.  

Moments later, she was lying in the dirt in her human form, blood seeping from the wound on her shoulder.  

Her eyes met mine and the shock in them had me shifting on my knees it was like she couldn’t believe I was real and I was likely the last person she expected to see. I reached for her, but the moment my fingers brushed her skin, she flinched and then in a move that didn't really surprise me —she pulled away from me.  

She struggled to sit up, pressing a hand against her wound, her face pale from the pain that I knew had to be bad.

“What…what are you doing here?” she whispered.  

The sound of her voice weakened me more than I had ever thought anything would I swallowed hard looking over her shoulders at the tree line and the body of werewolves littered over the grass. 

"I—” I stammered but before I could answer, she shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips.  

“No,” she said, her voice hoarse.

“I don’t want to hear it.” She pushed herself to her feet, swaying unsteadily.  

I moved to steady her, but she recoiled, I stood still trying not to reach for her . I had spent months convincing myself that staying away from her was the right thing to do but standing here now, seeing the way she looked at me— like I was a stranger and she hated me.  

I was loosing her and it was my own damn fault. I swallowed hard walking towards her.

“You’re hurt—”  I started.

“Don’t.”  she said hoarsely.