Chapter 71 Running From Monsters
Rafe's gray wolf joined the fray, tackling another white wolf with a savage leap, their bodies slamming into a tree with a crack of bark. Alexander surged up, throwing off his attacker, his white fur stained red, jaws closing on its throat with a final snap. The wolf went limp, and he turned, eyes meeting mine, gold on brown, a flash of connection through the bond.
The remaining white wolves circled, snarling, but we were three now, me, Alexander, Rafe, united in fury. I charged the nearest, leaping high, claws extended, landing on its back with a thud that drove it to the ground. My teeth sank into its neck, the taste of fur and blood bitter on my tongue, shaking until it stilled. Pain lanced through my side, a graze from another, but I spun, growling, and Rafe finished it with a swift bite.
The last two backed away, snarling, but Alexander lunged, powerful, relentless, taking one down in a blur of white fur and red blood. The final wolf turned to flee, but Rafe intercepted, the kill swift and merciless.
The woods fell silent, the snow stained dark with blood, the air heavy with the coppery tang of death. My body trembled, the shift's energy fading, pain crashing in as I shifted back, bones realigning with a grinding ache, fur receding, skin knitting over wounds. I collapsed to my knees, naked in the snow, the cold biting like needles, breath coming in gasps. I ran towards my clothes that were littered close to the tree trunk. The pregnancy, God, the pregnancy, had it hurt the baby? A wave of nausea rolled through me, but I pushed it down, staggering to my feet.
Alexander shifted back, fur melting away, body reforming into the man I knew, wounds knitting slowly, blood streaking his skin. He was alive. Hurt, but alive.
I rushed toward him, the snow cold under my bare feet, the wind whipping my hair. "Alexander!"
He lay on the ground, eyes closed, chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. I dropped beside him, hands shaking as I touched his face, his skin hot and slick with sweat. "Alexander, wake up! Please!"
Tears blurred my vision, sobs choking me as I shook him gently, panic clawing at my throat. He was breathing, faint, ragged, but unconscious, wounds deep and ragged across his chest and arms. The bond pulsed weakly, his pain echoing in me like a distant echo. "Please," I whispered, sobbing, the cold snow soaking my knees. "Don't leave me."
Movement in the woods, Rafe, shifting back, bloodied but upright, with a few other pack members emerging from the trees. They were the cleanup crew, efficient, silent, hauling away bodies, erasing traces. Rafe knelt beside me, voice low. "We'll get him to the doctor. He's strong, he'll make it."
They lifted Alexander carefully, his head lolling, and carried him toward the house, the snow crunching under their boots. I followed, shivering, the wind a cruel whisper against my skin.
Rafe and the others carried Alexander carefully, his unconscious form limp in their arms, blood staining his shirt dark. His face was pale, breaths shallow, but steady. Relief flooded me, he was alive. I'd shifted fully to save him, the awakening surging like a tidal wave, brown fur and claws exploding out in a rush of power and pain. No going back now. But I'd do it again. For him.
We approached the main entrance, the doors heavy oak gleaming in the dim light. Before we reached them, one swung open, and Ben stepped out, duffel bag slung over his shoulder, car keys jingling in his hand, face ashen in the early light. He froze when he saw us, eyes widening at the group, then narrowing on Alexander's bloodied form.
"Where are you going this early?" I asked, voice steady despite the exhaustion dragging at me. Relief washed over me, he hadn't been outside when I shifted. He didn't know I was part of Alexander's world, not fully. The secret held, for now.
Ben's gaze flicked to me, then back to the men carrying Alexander. "My house. I can't stay here another minute. You can come with me if you want, get away from... this."
His eyes went to Alexander, lingering on the wounds, the blood. "What happened to him? Is he dead?"
I gave him a stern look, anger flaring hot in my chest. "Why is that the first thing that comes to your mind?"
Ben shrugged, but his voice shook. "I'm out. I need to wrap my head around everything I saw last night. This place is insane."
Rafe walked towards Ben, too close, his presence towering, face grim with dried blood on his cheek. Ben recoiled slightly. "Man, why are you standing so close?"
Rafe's eyes shifted to amber, fangs extending with a soft click, his voice dropping to a growl that rumbled like distant thunder. "Everything that happened here stays here. I don't want to hear it anywhere else. You know what will happen if you don't behave."
Ben's face drained of color, eyes bulging, breath catching in his throat. He looked terrified, shaken to his core, body rigid as if frozen. Rafe held the stare a moment longer, then turned and walked away, boots crunching on the gravel.
Ben released the breath he'd been holding, a shaky exhale fogging the air. He turned to me, voice trembling. "Come with me. Be saved from these monsters. Stay if you want, but don't blame me if they turn into vampires and suck your blood. As for me, I'm out."
He walked away hurriedly, duffel bag bouncing against his hip, keys clenched in his fist, glancing back once with wide eyes before disappearing toward his car.
I sighed, the sound heavy in the quiet morning, relief and exhaustion mixing. Ben is gone, for now. One less problem.
I walked inside, the foyer warm and familiar, the chandelier's light soft overhead. The men carried Alexander to the sitting room couch, laying him down gently, the leather creaking under his weight. The doctor, a pack member, older with steady hands, was already there, unpacking supplies, the scent of antiseptic sharp in the air.
Alexander was awake now, eyes half-open, face pale but alert. Relief crashed over me again, tears pricking my eyes.
"I'm glad you're fine," I said, voice soft, kneeling beside the couch.
He smiled faintly, hand reaching for mine, fingers warm despite the blood loss. "You fought well. But you shouldn't have fully shifted. There's no going back now, you're fully awakened."
I squeezed his hand. "Now or later, it's the same."
He nodded, eyes softening. "Go freshen up. Change into something better."
I leaned in, kissing his forehead, his skin hot, tasting faintly of salt and blood. "Rest."
I stood, legs shaky, and headed upstairs. The house felt different now, safer, but changed. The fight, the shift, the revelations. Everything.
But Alexander was alive.