Mia's POV
The air thickened around us, heavy with the scent of death and rot. The rogues didn't just feel wild-they felt wrong.
Daisy's sharp inhale beside me confirmed my thoughts.
"They're not just rogues," she muttered, shifting slightly as her nails elongated into claws.
My muscles tensed, every fiber of my being screaming danger.
And then, I saw it. Their eyes. They weren't normal.
A sickly glow pulsed behind their irises, something unnatural, something twisted.
Daisy stiffened. "Demon wolves."
My stomach dropped. I had heard of them before-wolves who had been cursed, their souls tainted by black magic, driven by something worse than hunger.
But I had never faced them.
I barely had time to process before one lunged.
I dodged, barely avoiding the swipe of his claws as he skidded past, snarling. Another rogue launched at Daisy, but she twisted, kicking him back before raking her claws down his chest.
The wolf didn't even flinch.
His wounds sealed instantly, skin knitting back together as if he hadn't been touched.
Daisy's eyes widened. "That's not normal."
"No shit," I snapped, dodging another attack.
They weren't just faster. They were stronger.
I slashed my claws across a rogue's throat, expecting it to drop, but instead, it staggered, coughing up black sludge, before grinning at me.
My breath hitched. What the hell?
They were regenerating. Healing faster than normal wolves should.
And still coming.
Daisy and I fought back-to-back, claws tearing through fur, bones snapping, but it was like trying to fight shadows-no matter how hard we hit, they kept getting back up.
"They're stalling," Daisy gritted out, blocking a blow aimed at my ribs. "They're not just attacking randomly, Mia. They're toying with us."
She was right.
I barely had time to react before one of the wolves rushed me from behind, tackling me to the ground.
Pain exploded in my ribs as I slammed against the dirt, sharp claws pinning me down. I struggled, but the wolf above me was too strong, his weight pressing down, his rancid breath fanning my face.
A chilling voice slid into my ear.
"Finally caught you, little wolf."
My blood ran cold.
I bucked beneath him, snarling, but his grip only tightened.
Daisy let out a furious scream, launching herself at my attacker, knocking him off just enough for me to slip free. I gasped for air, heart hammering, but more wolves were closing in.
We couldn't hold them off much longer.
Daisy's voice was frantic. "We need backup!"
Daisy and I fought with everything we had, but these weren't ordinary rogues. They were stronger, faster, twisted-like something had corrupted them from the inside out.
For every wolf we cut down, another took its place, their glowing, soulless eyes drilling into me with something unnerving.
They wanted me alive.
I could feel it in the way they fought-pressuring me, forcing me into a corner.
Daisy grunted beside me, barely dodging a swipe aimed at her throat. "Mia, if you have a plan, now's the time!"
I gritted my teeth, my chest heaving. We couldn't keep this up.
We needed an out.
I closed my eyes, reaching for my wolf.
A deep, powerful presence awakened inside me, burning through my veins like a wildfire, and then-the connection snapped open.
My bond.
I didn't want to do it.
Didn't want to need them.
But we were going to die if I didn't.
Help.
It was the only word I sent through the link, but it was enough.
A split second later, the air shifted.
The moment the brothers arrived, the entire energy shifted. Their fury was so thick, so overwhelming, I could taste it in the air.
Xavier moved first, his snarl like a crack of thunder, grabbing the rogue that had tried to pin me earlier. His claws sank into the wolf's chest, lifting him off the ground like he weighed nothing. The rogue gasped, choking on his own blood, as Xavier's voice came cold, lethal, unforgiving.
"You dared to touch her?" His golden eyes glowed feral, his expression deadly as he twisted his claws deeper. "Did you think you could lay your filthy hands on what's ours and live to tell about it?"
The rogue whimpered, clawing at Xavier's wrist, but Xavier didn't let go.
Instead, he ripped out his heart.
The limp body dropped, but Xavier barely looked at it before stepping over it like trash and moving for the next.
Rolex was a storm of rage, moving so fast I could barely see him. He tackled two rogues at once, his claws tearing through muscle, his movements a deadly dance. One rogue tried to run, but he caught him by the throat, slamming him against a tree so hard the trunk cracked.
"Going somewhere?" Rolex's voice was a low growl, his eyes burning with murderous delight.
The rogue gasped, struggling, but Rolex only tightened his grip, his claws digging into flesh.
"You're lucky I'm in a good mood," Rolex whispered, his lips twisting into something dark. "Otherwise, I'd rip you apart slowly."
Then, with one savage move, he snapped the rogue's neck.
Nathan was wild, unhinged, his eyes burning brighter than I had ever seen. A rogue lunged at him, but he didn't dodge. He caught him midair, slammed him onto the ground, and stomped on his ribs, crushing them with a sickening crack.
Nathan crouched over him, his voice pure venom. "Do you know what happens when you hurt what's mine?"
The rogue spat blood, trembling.
Nathan smiled, wicked and merciless.
"I burn your entire world down."
Then he dug his claws into the rogue's skull, ending it in an instant.
Sean was the quietest, but somehow, that made him more terrifying. He wasn't just killing-he was hunting.
His movements were calculated, his expression eerily calm as he toyed with his prey.
A rogue fell at his feet, coughing, trying to crawl away. Sean crouched next to him, tilting his head, watching with cold amusement.
"You all think you're strong, don't you?" His voice was soft, but mocking. "You think you can come here, take what's ours, and leave without consequences?"
The rogue's breathing was shallow, fear rolling off him in waves.
Sean smiled.
Then ripped his throat out with his teeth.
I stood there, frozen, watching the carnage unfold.
They weren't just fighting.
They were punishing.
Executing.
All for me.
I should have been horrified. I should have hated them for it.
But instead, something deep inside me trembled, not with fear-but something else.
Possessiveness.
They fought like demons, like nothing else existed but their rage.
And it was all for me.
I should have hated it. Should have resented them for stepping in when I swore I didn't need them.
But my body betrayed me, the bond pulling me toward them like a magnet, making my heart slam against my ribs.
Daisy fell back beside me, panting. "Damn. When you call for backup, you really call for backup."
Before I could respond, another body crashed onto the ground in front of us.
But it wasn't one of the brothers.
It was Tristan.
My breath hitched.
He stood there, covered in blood, his sharp, calculating eyes flicking to me for a split second before he lunged into the fight.
I should have been angry.
He shouldn't have come.
But as I watched him tear through the rogues, his movements flawless, his power just as deadly as the brothers-I felt safe.
Maybe for the first time in a long time.
The battle didn't last much longer after that.
One by one, the rogues fell, their twisted bodies hitting the ground with heavy, lifeless thuds.
By the time the warriors arrived, there were only a few left alive.
A sharp whistle cut through the silence, and the warriors moved in, surrounding the remaining rogues with lethal precision.
I felt like I could finally breathe.
My legs shook as the adrenaline drained out of me, my body screaming from exhaustion. Before I could stop myself, I stumbled forward.
Daisy caught me instantly.
"Hey," she whispered, pulling me into a tight hug, her hands steadying me. "We made it."
I let out a shaky breath, pressing my forehead against her shoulder.
"We made it."
But as I pulled back, my eyes drifted past her-to where Xavier, Rolex, Nathan, and Sean stood; they were breathing heavily and as sweat dripped from their chests.
My throat felt dry.