Chapter 141
Those who ran off were mostly Bloodrayne omegas and prisoners.
The injured allies who had been taken as hostages, those who were strong enough, shifted to continue their fight; the more seriously injured helped guard the backs of the fleeing wolves, as they, too, left the pack hall.
Once the fodder cleared, Dinka joined Beta Brock and the others who were meant to keep Alpha Tobias busy until Dax showed up.
Dorien was not part of this team.
Even as the fight escalated, Marian thought about him.
Dorien…
If only you were here…
If only…
A sure accident would have befallen you by now!
Marian cursed at Dorien in her heart.
She thought back to the moment just before she lost contact with Jackson.
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The Lightmoon Gamma had been moving swiftly with Reyland on his back. He had shifted to wolf form and had left all others behind.
With Corien’s blood, his body was better than it had been, even at the beginning of their travel to bring Reyland to Marian.
His heart had been heavy. His mind in turmoil as he worried about his ward, about his Alpha, and about his fellow guards he had taken with him to find Marian.
Marian’s view of the Gamma had changed once again.
Afraid for everyone but himself, she had mused as she watched him run.
Then, suddenly, nothing. She had lost her connection.
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Reyland…, Marian reflected, her heart wavering for a moment.
“Marian!" Dinka urged.
Marian pulled her mind back, focusing on what was before her, leaving thoughts of Dorien and Reyland for later.
“Can’t we just kill him?” Dinka growled as she rushed forward, taking down one of the thirty.
“He is too strong, D. Also, he’s a trickster; this is known. See how he’s playing with us? Even now?” Marian stated as Dinka snapped at another wolf, who dodged back, then spun away to fight a group of Lightmoon allies who had surrounded one of his pack members.
Dinka snarled and jumped at Tobias’ wolf.
Tobias’ wolf snapped at Dinka’s throat.
Very close to it. Without moving more than a few inches.
Dinka jumped back.
“I see. He is strong indeed,” Dinka grumbled, the hackles on her neck rising, as Dinka, for the first time since entering Bloodrayne, felt prickles along her spine.
“D., Father, and Dax can take him. If they can’t, there’s still us and Brock. Patience, sister,” Marian warned her wolf as she stared at Tobias again through her sister’s eyes.
Dangerous.
That word vibrated through Marian’s mind.
He is a pack Alpha, indeed.
And has been the pack Alpha of Bloodrayne, of all places, for a long time.
He cannot be simple to deal with.
Marian mused.
Dinka snorted, feeling her sister’s reservations.
“I want your Alpha! I don’t play with children or messengers!” Tobias declared again, speaking through his wolf.
Dinka swiped, Brock’s wolf snapped, two other allied wolves lunged.
Alpha Tobias kept them all at bay without breaking a sweat.
He was letting them come to him, hardly moving from where he stood as his Guards jumped around, keeping a short distance between themselves and their master, protecting his back while he faced five intruders.
By numbers alone, Lightmoon and their allies had the advantage.
But in strength, the fight would be tough.
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Eight minutes into the fight, the Bloodrayne Guards were losing.
It had already been over fifteen minutes since the intruders had entered the pack hall.
All of Tobias’ taunts for the Alpha leading the group had not served any good.
No one mentioned where they were from.
No one called out any names he recognized.
As his men’s numbers reduced, Alpha Tobias started on the offensive, focusing on one wolf at a time, hitting them with his body and with unknown spells that seemed to destabilize the shifter the more hits they took from him.
As his men’s numbers reduced, they pulled closer to their Alpha, forming a new living shield at his back.
Even as they guarded him, their Alpha fought on their behalf. Alpha Tobias would push through his men at his back, attack whichever of the intruders was closest, and move back to confront the five, growling and snapping, keeping them at bay.
Then he would do the same, over and over, weakening those facing his men, while keeping those facing him at arm's length.
As he did this, his men would find an opening in the weakest opponent and take them down.
After five minutes of this tactic, half of the Lightmoon allies raced out of the pack hall and were replaced by a new set of the same number.
They had shared the information and now kept changing their numbers, rendering Tobais’ tactic useless.
As more of his men dropped, Tobias grew more aggressive.
Unexpectedly, his wolf stepped forward and took the head of one of the five who had been too slow or too distracted.
Another tactic.
His actions for the past ten or so minutes had caused the five in front of him to relax slightly.
He had not been attacking them; he had watched and waited, expecting someone to drop their guard.
Someone did.
That one died.
Dinka stepped forward to take Tobias’ mysterious hits after two more in their party fell at the hands of his men, on the opposite side of the standoff.
The numbers were still in favor of the Lightmoon allies, but Bloodrayne still had wolves standing. These remaining few were proving very difficult to kill.
From thirty, they were now nine, their Alpha included.
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The near-empty hall was fuller now; survivors were trooping in one after the other.
Lightmoon fighters and their allies knew better than to gather themselves in one place. As they killed off or captured Bloodrayne wolves, they separated them and stood guard over their captives.
Of the two hundred attack force, fewer than eighty of the advance team were still alive, scattered all over Bloodrayne’s lands – over one hundred of the allied party had been killed.
Those heading to the pack hall were mostly former prisoners, hoping to see the demise of a wolf they feared, hated, and despised.
As Dinka faced off with the Alpha, Brock moved to her side, and the other two allies took position behind the Lightmoon leaders.
These four were the strongest members of the attack force.
But they were not Alpha Dax or Alpha Corien.
Tobias and three Guards stood shoulder to shoulder, facing Dinka. The five remaining Bloodrayne Guards protected their pack members’ backs, facing twenty Lightmoon allies.
The three wolves beside Alpha Tobias were not necessarily the largest of the Bloodrayne wolves, but their eyes were different.
Their coats seemed to shiver, as if an electric current was running through their large bodies.
As Dinka moved, Brock and the others took their positions, preparing to strike or defend, whatever would be required.
Before Marian could say anything, out loud or in link, one of the Guards beside Tobias dove for Brock.
Brock was on Dinka’s right.
Dinka stepped back to attack the careless Bloodrayne Guard, her eyes on Brock, whose wolf was setting itself on his hind legs, bracing to take a bite out of the fool coming directly at him, when something was sprayed in Dinka’s face.
The world spun.