Chapter 64 Near Death

Chapter 64 Near Death
Mia

I held my ground even as one of them shifted her weight and lunged.

It happened fast.

Too fast for hesitation.

One second she was circling with the others, her body low, her muscles coiled like she was waiting for the exact moment to strike, and the next she was already in the air, teeth bared, eyes locked on me like I was nothing more than prey she had already decided to bring down.

I reacted on instinct.

My body moved before my thoughts fully caught up, my arm pulling back as I released the arrow in a single fluid motion.

The arrow cut through the air sharply and struck her just as she closed the distance, forcing her to twist midair and crash into the ground instead of landing directly on me.

A sharp yelp tore from her as she rolled to the side, but it didn’t stop the others.

If anything, it triggered them.

The circle tightened instantly.

The growls grew louder.

Closer.

More aggressive.

I stepped back slightly, pulling another arrow from my quiver, my breath already uneven but my focus sharp.

“Stay back,” I warned, my voice steady even though my heart was racing.

They didn’t listen.

Another one lunged.

This time from my right.

I barely turned in time, raising my arm to block as her weight slammed into me, knocking me off balance and forcing me backward.

The arrow slipped from my fingers, disappearing somewhere into the forest floor as I struggled to steady myself.

I stumbled but didn’t fall completely.

I pushed forward instead, grabbing hold of the wolf’s fur and forcing her away from me with more strength than I thought I had left.

She snarled, snapping her jaws dangerously close to my arm before pulling back again.

“You should have stayed in your place,” one of them growled.

I didn’t respond.

There was no point.

They weren’t here to talk anymore.

They were here to break me.

Another attack came immediately after.

Then another.

They didn’t give me time to breathe, didn’t give me space to think, didn’t give me anything except constant pressure from every direction.

I moved as much as I could, dodging, blocking, striking when I found an opening, but there were too many of them.

Every time I pushed one back, another was already closing in.

Every time I tried to create distance, they collapsed it instantly.

I grabbed another arrow, barely managing to nock it before one of them charged again.

I released it quickly, not even aiming properly this time, just trying to force space.

One of them came from behind, her weight slamming into me hard enough to finally knock me completely off my feet.

The ground hit me sharply, knocking the air out of my lungs as pain shot through my back.

I tried to push myself up immediately, but another wolf pinned my arm down with her paw, her claws digging just enough to hold me in place without tearing through skin completely.

A low growl rumbled above me.

“You’re done,” she said.

I twisted, struggling against the pressure, my other hand reaching blindly for anything I could use.

Another wolf stepped forward slowly, her movements deliberate now, like she was savoring the moment.

Her eyes locked on mine. She lowered her head slightly, her body tensing as she prepared to strike.

“To think this is who they chose over her,” she said, her voice low and almost mocking.

I clenched my teeth, my body straining against the hold, but it wasn’t enough.

Her muscles tightened further.

And I knew.

This was it.

The moment before impact stretched painfully long, like time itself was slowing just to make me feel every second of it.

Then suddenly—

“Stop!”

The voice cut through everything. The wolf above me hesitated just for a fraction of a second.

That was all it took.

A force slammed into her from the side, knocking her completely off course before she could land the strike.

The pressure on my arm disappeared instantly as the wolf pinning me was thrown aside.

I sucked in a sharp breath, pushing myself up just enough to see what had happened.

Damon.

He stood between me and them now, his chest rising and falling steadily, his eyes burning with controlled anger as he looked at each of them in turn.

“What do you think you are doing?” he demanded, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

The wolves shifted slightly, but none of them attacked immediately this time.

“You should be ashamed of yourselves,” he continued, his tone dropping lower but carrying even more weight. “Attacking the Luna of this pack like this.”

One of them stepped forward slightly, her posture less aggressive now but still defiant.

“She is not our Luna,” she said.

Damon didn’t even hesitate.

“She is,” he replied firmly. “And even if she wasn’t, this is not how you handle anything within the pack.”

His gaze hardened.

“Stay where you are,” he added, his voice now carrying clear authority. “None of you move.”

There was something in his tone that made them pause.

Something that reminded them of consequences.

“The Alpha is already on his way,” Damon continued. “I have informed him.”

That shifted everything.

The tension changed instantly, no longer aggressive but uncertain, uneasy, like the reality of what they had just done was finally settling in.

I pushed myself up slowly, my body trembling slightly despite my effort to stay steady.

Pain lingered everywhere.

Every movement felt heavier than it should have.

Damon turned slightly toward me, his expression softening just enough to show concern.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

I nodded weakly.

“I’m fine,” I said, even though my voice didn’t fully match the words.

Jesse arrived moments later, his figure appearing through the trees with a speed and intensity that made everything else feel still in comparison.

His gaze locked onto me first.

Immediately.

Taking in my state.

The disarray.

The injuries.

Then his expression changed into fury. His attention shifted to the wolves.

And the silence that followed was suffocating.

“What,” he said slowly, his voice low but carrying absolute authority, “is the meaning of this.”

None of them spoke at first.

Not one.

They stood there, no longer aggressive, no longer defiant, just… still.

But Jesse did not wait long.

“I asked a question,” he said again, his tone harsher now.

One of them finally stepped forward, lowering her head slightly.

“We—”

“Enough,” he cut in immediately.

His patience was gone.

“I do not need excuses,” he said. “I have seen enough.”

His gaze swept across all of them. “From this moment,” he continued, “you are all banished from this pack.”

The words hit harder than anything else that had happened.

The wolves reacted instantly.

Shock.

Panic.

“Alpha, please—”

“We didn’t mean—”

“Give us another chance—”

But he didn’t listen. “You made your choice,” he said firmly. “And now you will live with it.”

There was no room left for negotiation. The finality in his voice shut down everything else.

He turned away from them then.

Back to me.

And in that moment, all the coldness, all the fury, shifted into something else entirely when his eyes met mine again.

He stepped closer without hesitation.

“You’re hurt,” he said quietly.

“I’m fine,” I repeated, even though I knew I didn’t look it. He bent slightly and lifted me into his arms.

The movement was firm but careful, like he was fully aware of every injury even without me pointing them out.

I didn’t resist.

I didn’t even have the strength to.

I just let myself lean into him, my body finally giving in to the exhaustion that had been building since the fight started.

Behind us, I could still hear the wolves pleading.

Still begging.

Still trying to reverse what had already been decided.

But Jesse didn’t look back, his eyes stayed fixated on mine.