CHAPTER 5 – Saving The Pups!
Catherine's POV
"Get all the she-wolves and children to safety!" Beta Harold roared out his order to the warriors.
My father gave my mother a quick kiss and handed her over to one of the senior warriors.
"Keep your Luna safe!" He orders the big wolf.
"Yes, Alpha!" The warrior answered, and my father and his Beta shifted into their wolves, running off toward the fight.
"Go with your mom," Brian ordered me.
"I can't," I argue, "not until I shift..."
I couldn't risk shifting between innocent pack members; if something ticked Kia off, it could create chaos and someone might get hurt.
"Then you need to find a safe place to hide," he told me as he readied himself to shift.
"Brian," I argued, "this is my home and pack! I am trained well enough to help and fight!"
He sighed and walked back to me, pulling me in, and his hand tenderly moved to my face.
"What if you start to shift while in the fight?" He asked, finding my gaze; worry for my safety was written in his eyes.
"I can't risk it," he said, shaking his head and pleading.
"I will know when it's time to shift," I argued. "Look, we still have plenty of time until my shift."
I gestured to the moon, hanging low over the mountains.
"Kia will tell me to leave when the time has come... I will then find a safe place."
Brian shook his head; he knew it was a hopeless case to argue with me. I wouldn't listen, and I would protect my pack...
"Fine!" Brian gave in and shifted into his brown wolf, then gestured to me to get on...
It wasn't the first time that I would take a ride on his wolf's back, yet it would be the first time as fated mates...
Brian's wolf, Haiti, lowered himself for me to get on, and I swung my legs over the huge beast's back.
Haiti purred as soon as I sat down on his back, and the vibration of his purrs sent a warm feeling directly to my core.
"F*ck!" I internally growled, "It is going to be hard to concentrate."
"Hold on tight," Brian ordered over the mind-link, and I nodded my head, intoxicated.
Haiti got to his feet and started toward the northern boundary, where the rogues had entered.
I got lost in Brian's intoxicating scent and became more and more conscious of the sparks moving between us wherever my bare skin touched.
Oh, Goddess, this is heaven...
I shivered, getting drunk on nothing except his scent.
I swallowed hard, shaking my head, trying to concentrate.
"Are you alright?" Brian asked seriously.
"I-I-I'm fine..." I whispered, "Nothing to worry about!"
"F*ck!" I sighed, feeling my senses were being overridden by the mate's bond.
My mind wandered off, and I suddenly wondered if this is what the mate bond feels like—how will it feel when we take the big step and mate?
We hadn't taken the step; we wanted to save ourselves for our fated mate... Will it be just as electrifying and poisonous to our senses? Will we get lost and forget about anyone and everything while we do the deed? Will we be lost in our small little world, where only Brian and I matter and f*ck one another's brains out?
Will it smell like smoke?
I shook my head, irritated.
Smoke?
Really?
I shook my head a few times, unable to get rid of the smell. That's when I noticed the huge, angry flames coming from our right.
"Brian, the pack house!" I yelled out, terrified, "It is on fire! My mother..."
Haiti turned his massive head, and his eyes widened.
He didn't hesitate, changed direction, and ran towards the pack house.
Just as we came down through the thick forest, the pack house came into view.
"We are almost there!" Brian mind-linked. Haiti pushed faster, and just as we reached the edge of the forest, a force knocked us from the side, sending me flying into a nearby bush.
"What the hell just happened?" I gasped as my hand reached my head.
I got to my feet, feeling a bit disoriented, but shook it off as a slight concussion.
Aggressive and threatening snarls, with an angry snapping of jaws, disturbed the silent forest.
"Sh*t, Brian!"
I need to help Brian. I can't lose my mate!
I ran toward the sound and pushed through the bush, not caring for the cuts and scrapes. Those will heal by tomorrow.
I found Brian standing in a defensive stance, his posture aggressive and every hair on his back standing horizontal.
Five rogue wolves were snapping their jaws at him, yet with every attack, Brian blocked them off with ease.
One of the rogue wolves lifted his muzzle and sniffed the air, then turned his massive head toward me, and for a second it looked as if the wolf smiled.
Brian must have noticed something had changed, and he turned his head in my direction.
"Kate! Run!" Brian yelled over the mind-link.
"What about..." I tried to argue but he cut me off.
"Run!" He ordered again, this time with fear, "Kate, run!"
Four wolves pounced on Brian, tackling Haiti to the ground, yet Brian's wolves didn't shy away from the fight.
Brian was trained by the best and was able to dispatch one of the rogues with the first blow.
Brian and I started training at the age of five, and because Brian is a few months older than I, he had already started his wolf training.
The fifth wolf watched the four wolves take on Brian, then his gaze snapped back at me, and an evil sneer followed on the wolf's lips.
He started forward slowly, stalking me like I was prey.
I sized up the rusty wolf, knowing I would be able to put up a decent fight and maybe be able to kill him in my human form. The wolf wasn't very large, yet something about him bothered me, and a cold chill suddenly ran down my spine when I spotted balls of white foam dripping from the sides of his mouth.
"Rabid rogues?" I whispered to myself as I stepped backward.
The wolves stalked forward and walked into an open area where the moonlight shone through.
I gasped out in horror when I saw his deadly red eyes glittering in the light.
"F*ck!" I swore under my breath, "This can't be good; this wasn't just a normal rogue attack! They must have been sent here to destroy us. But why?
I slowly took another few steps back, keeping the wolf in my sight, and as soon as I stepped over a huge stump, I turned around and ran as fast as I possibly could.
The soft thumping sound of the wolf's paws followed behind me, yet the wolf didn't make a sound or even try to knock me off my feet.
Was he just following me?
Was there something he wanted?
I turned my head to look back, confirming that the wolf was still following me and was gaining ground.
The pack house came into sight and increased my speed, and seconds later an aggressive snarl startled me.
I turned my gaze, searching for the owner, and was knocked off my feet.
I turned over, trying to raise myself from the ground, but the rusty wolf jumped against my chest, pushing me down.
I tried to fight and push him off, but it was no use; he seemed much stronger than me.
"Kia!" I yelled. "A bit of help would be appreciated!"
The wolf dropped his head, pinning me with his gaze, and similar images of wolves in the fire's flames crossed his eyes.
"What the f*ck was going on?"
Before I could get an answer, I got sucked into the unknown and was lost in the rogue's blood-stained eyes, feeling cold and alone.
A deep, furious roar broke the connection, and the wolf who pinned me down was knocked from the top of me and thrown against a tree, breaking the tree in half.
I got upright as the massive brown wolf came flying past me, soaked in blood.
My eyes widened, not recognizing the wolf, and I scattered backward, afraid.
"Kate," Brian's voice echoed in my mind, "get the woman and children out of the pack house and to safety! I will make sure this one doesn't survive!"
"O-o-okay..." I stuttered and forced my body to move.
I ran as fast as I could towards the pack house, finding the north side up in flames.
A she-wolf saw me and ran to me. She panicked, and horror froze on her face.
"Kate," she whimpered in fear, "the pups are still in there!"