Chapter 5

Ryder POV

We landed with a jarring thud, our disfigured car almost thrown off the mountain into the waterfall, but luckily, it was held back by a huge broken tree. William's face turned grim.

"Shit, we need to leave now!" I unbuckled, kicking the door open and pulling my mate out. Immediately, we hurried out. The car moved forward a bit, falling into the huge waterfall along with the broken tree.

Quickly, I stared down at my mate, and something snapped in me when I saw the cuts, bruises, and blood stains on her body. She's unconscious, my heart breaks. I just met you, I can't fucking lose you.

Vincent and William rushed beside us.

"She's bleeding," William's nose crinkled in concern as he stared at my mate. "We should look for a way and take her to the hospital,"

My balls curled up. I tried to carry her up when immediately, out of nowhere, I felt something pounce on me, causing me to roll over to the other side. Vincent and William shuffled back immediately, using their huge bodies to cover my mate.

"What was that?" I hummed, and that's when the smell of blood wafted into my nose, disgusting me to the extreme… Rogues! My body vibrates, rage shooting instantly inside me unlike anything I have ever felt, and before I could process anything, my beast resurfaces without me calling him.

Any pain I had felt from the accident disappeared and was replaced by hunger for their blood and for the bruises they caused my mate.

My Lycan, Valkar roars. Vincent and William got the hint and quickly allowed their beasts to take over. Strangely, the rogues didn't back away, even after we had transformed.

Now, this is starting to seem odd.

My gaze flickered back to my unconscious mate, and that seemed to trigger my already exploding anger. Not a moment was wasted, and I rushed toward the nearest rogue in front of me. Tearing each of the rogues apart. Yet, they didn't retract, rather, more were trudging out from the woods.

Rogues are hardly in these woods, so where the hell were they coming from? They're many, and we are outnumbered. I can take them all down, but my concern now is my bleeding mate, lying unconscious and exposed to them.

"Drag your ass here, we're under attack," I sent out a quick mind link before sinking my fangs and tearing the next rogue apart.

From time to time, the soil was getting soaked with blood. The sight was horribly delightful, watching those bastards lying lifeless.

"Alpha, look out!" William screamed my name through the link, and I turned around in time to catch the rogue lunging for my face.

I snapped my sharp claws deep inside his chest, causing him to let out a painful groan. Twisting my hand, I forcefully pulled out my hand along with his heart. His body fell to the ground, blood pooling around him. He convulsed before his eyes rolled back in his head, and his body stilled.

I squeezed his heart with my palms, the blood splattering all over my hands and the ground.

Fucking assholes!

I moved my gaze to see Vincent fighting off other rogues with his huge form still shielding my mate from harm. And just then, William targeted the other rogue by the tree, and I rushed toward the next one remaining, but before I could get to him, someone not in his beastly form smashed the rogue's head into two.

"Fuck!" I hissed, stopping on my track, to see the intruder. It was Logan, my beta. I mindlinked him instantly, "We were supposed to get him alive."

"Sorry, I didn't know," he mumbled a quick apology and snatched the bag of new clothes from one of our warriors.

It annoyed me to see the lifeless rogue; he was the last one remaining, and I didn't plan on killing him. I wanted him alive to know who was behind them, because, for some odd reason, they didn't fear death. They challenged a Lycan…! Someone sent them, but who?

I sighed, Valkar retracting as I transformed back to my human form. Logan tossed a pair of shorts to Vincent and William, who caught it with a growl.

William went behind the woods to change when Logan handed me another pair of shorts, but instantly, he quirked a confused brow when he noticed my hesitation to leave my mate's side.

He stared at her and then back at me. His face twitched in curiosity.

"Who is she, bro?" He nodded to my mate, sensing my possessiveness around her. My hesitation to let go of her, as if those assholes would come after her again.

Before I could respond, William walked out from the woods, cutting in, "Go change, buddy, I'll take your mate to the car."

"MATE?!" Logan gasped, and the same went for the few warriors there.

"She will be fine after a few more days of rest," Doctor Harrison said, and I nodded with a sigh. I stared at my mate lying unconscious on the bed. She still looked beautiful, though. I rubbed the tip of my nose and tore my gaze away from her.

My gaze shifted back to my doctor. "Mr. Harrison, nobody should know about this," I warned, and he nodded his head. "Yes, my prince."

"I will take my leave now," I waved him off and walked over to sit on the chair facing the bed where my mate lay. I heard the door close. Now, I was alone with my mate. I had brought her to my penthouse at the outskirts of the city. At least here, I was sure she would be safe.

I removed part of her hair covering the side of her face. If someone had told me I'd find my mate in the Shadow Moon Pack, I would have laughed.

Who could believe I, a Lycan, would be mated to a werewolf- the former Luna of Shadow Moon Pack, no less? I'm her second-chance mate, how ridiculous!