Chapter 160: The deadly trio

Cassandra

The pain in my wrists is unbearable, but I don't stop trying to free myself. The rope digs into my skin, the friction burning my flesh, but I keep going. My numb fingers manage to loosen a knot, and my heart races. Tied up a few meters away, Cedric watches me and barely inclines his head in question. With a slight shoulder movement, I signal that I’m almost there.

He looks bad. Terrible. The rogues hate Alphas, and they have fixated on him.

"A pretty little Luna... Your alpha must have already fucked you, right? I bet he didn’t wait for the ceremony. He should have marked you by now, little wolf," one of the rogues sneers, stepping closer to inspect my neck while running his fingers through my hair. They reek, and their eyes never leave me. They watch me like I’m a prize—a trophy to be claimed at the end of this war. At least, I pray they are willing to wait.

"I heard this one has two wolves, two mates," another rogue adds.

"Really?"

"Is not of your business," I snap. The rogue grips my face tightly, his eyes dark with desire. I try to pull away from his filthy hands.

"Leave her alone!" Cedric yells—only to receive another brutal punch to the face.

"A Luna with two wolves, and one of them an alpha? Damn! Who would’ve thought? You’d think a Luna would be more... modest. Have they both fucked you at the same time yet? Pussy, ass, mouth... how it was?" the rogue hisses.

"Good to know. We could share her between two, three... even four of us," another rogue chuckles.

"Yes... at the same time, in all her holes..."

"I say we test her out now," the first one suggests.

"Enough!" I scream, thrashing against my restraints. The struggle loosens my ropes. We’re surrounded—I know that much. Rogues are watching us from beyond the trees. But suddenly, a noise erupts. Shouts, the rogues grow restless.

"What the hell is that?" one of them demands, forgetting me for a moment. I see others pacing between the trees. Something is unsettling them, but I don’t know what. Then, a sharp, piercing sound splits the air. And everything erupts into chaos. The wolves scream, collapsing to the ground with their claws digging into their heads. Their howls are pure agony. Cedric is writhing, his screams raw and ragged—the sound seems to be tearing him apart from the inside. The noise stuns me, yes, but it doesn’t paralyze me like it does them. Gritting my teeth, I yank on the rope with all my strength. With one final pull, my hand is free.

I don’t know what’s happening, but I’ll take this chance. I crawl toward Cedric. His veins bulge from the strain of enduring the pain. My trembling fingers work at his bindings while he fights to stay conscious.

"Cassandra... run," he grits out.

"I’m not leaving without you. Come on, Cedric, you have to move," I whisper. I drag him—he’s a massive alpha, but I find strength where I have none. Then, hunters emerge from the trees. The humans seem barely affected by the sound, and when they spot us free, they don’t hesitate to attack.

"They’re escaping!"

"Don’t let them get away!" one shouts as they charge. One lunges at me with a knife. I dodge, but his fist slams into my jaw. I hit the ground with a gasp. Cedric, unsteady on his feet, growls and throws himself at another, but he’s too weakened by the wolfsbane they injected him with.

The ringing sound is still incapacitating the wolves and rogues. I try to stand, but another hunter comes at me. His sword gleams in the dim light. I hit him, but the blade sliced into my arm. I cried out in pain. Cedric claws at the man, but another hunter is already behind me. I turn, but is too late.

"Cassandra!" Cedric yells.

I see the knife coming straight for my throat. They won’t hesitate to kill me. I raise my hand in defense, bracing for the impact—

And then, I see a sword pierce through the hunter’s torso. Hot blood splashes across my face. For a second, my stomach churns with horror. Then, I see who holds the sword.

"Dylan," I gasp, relief crashing over me. He pulls the blade free, letting the man collapse. My mate looks more beautiful than ever.

"He came for us." my wolf, Maya, is weak, but I hear her sigh in the back of my mind at the perfect sight of our mate.

"Mate. Are you okay?" he asks, his voice full of worry. He touches my face, my hair, as if he hasn’t seen me in years and needs to remember every detail. I want to cry with happiness. I just nod. He pulls me close, examining my wound. The sound is affecting him too—but not as much. What the hell is it?

"Beta, you took too long," Cedric growls, attempting to smile despite the blood on his lips. His voice is strained from the pain. "I knew the great Beta Dylan wouldn’t sit this one out," he rasps. Dylan shakes his head with a snort.

"I would never leave my mate and my Alpha." I lean against him, he holds me, trying to catch my breath.

"We need to get out of here. Cedric is in bad shape—they injected him with wolfsbane. I’m not doing great either."

"And this damn sound—fuck!" Cedric snarls.

"I don’t know what it is, but Olivia, my father, and a team are already in the city. Christopher and the Alphas should be attacking Joaquin by now. We need to move—we were being used to blackmail Christopher," Dylan explains. Then, suddenly, the sound cuts off abruptly. There is one second of deathly silence, and then the furious growls of rogues fill the air. Still disoriented, the wolves struggle to recover. But we won’t give them the chance.

"Watch out! Cassandra, behind me!" Dylan orders. I see wolves staggering, lost—like they don’t know what just happened. Then, they lunge. Their attacks are swift and deadly. Cedric, despite the poison in his veins, fights relentlessly, his fists striking with precision. Dylan, his sword still dripping with blood, cuts through them with devastating accuracy.

I force myself to move, ignoring the burning pain in my wounds. I punch, dodge, and fight with every ounce of strength I have left. One by one, the rogues fall. We are a storm of violence, a deadly trio tearing through our enemies. They flank me on either side. We take up knives and swords. I clutch a gun loaded with wolfsbane.

We have been through too much. I will not let them take my mates or me again. We are together. And we will be—until the end of our long lives.

"Run!" Dylan shouts. Without hesitation, we bolt from the forest. We leave bodies in our wake, making sure none can follow.

"We have to help Christopher and protect the city," I say, wiping the blood from my face.

Beyond the trees, I see an open field—and beyond that, the city. It stands. It is guarded. And we will not let it fall.