Chapter 13. Hills that rumble
I peeled his hand away from my face and turned my head. There was a strange rumble coming from over the hill and somehow, I guessed it wasn't a good kind of rumble.
"Oh no..." Danny groaned, running her hands through her red hair in worry.
"Not this again," Regan growled, dropping his backpack and cracking his neck.
I looked around. "What?" I asked, unclear to what was going on. Why did they always know what was going on? Why were they also so coordinated and in sync? It made me feel like the odd man out. Literally.
"Damn it, they couldn't have chosen a worse time," Ashleigh cursed, facepalming herself.
"Who are they?" I tried again, angry I was always one step behind. Or you know, at least a couple of steps. I really needed to keep up. I couldn't stay the ignorant, weakest link.
"C-Coyotes."
As soon as he said it, I could distinguish the noise from over the hill as the drum of multiple people running and I wanted to slap myself for not recognising the sound.
Ashleigh placed a hand on my arm, asking for my attention. Not that she didn't always have it.
"You need to keep Aspen calm," she spoke, urgency clear in her voice.
"What?"
"He barely managed to keep his Alpha under control the last time. If he kills more people, he'll be lost."
Her blue eyes pierced into mine. This was an important task, why would she trust me with this?
"I..." I started my protest, racking my brain. Wouldn't JP be more suited to keep him calm? Or even Ashleigh herself? But as I heard the metal zing of blades behind me and saw JP gearing up, I realised he was going to fight as well. I wasn't sure why, but I always assumed he wasn't a fighter. He just seemed more like the brains of the group. But with the determined look in his eyes and the way he swung his arms, I could immediately tell this wasn't his first fight.
Ashleigh tugged on my arm again. "Please, don't let my brother fight," she begged again, her voice cracking as she asked.
I nodded. "Okay. I won't."
A chaste kiss landed on the corner of my lips. "Thank you."
And with those words, she drew away from me and pulled Danny to her side. I briefly wondered what the two women were discussing, but quickly focused back on the real task at hand. I made a promise to Ashleigh, but how could I possibly keep Aspen in check?
The last time, my wolf cowered at the sight of his Alpha and I only barely succeeded with Ashleigh's help. Now I was supposed to do it alone?
"Ever been in a fight before?" Darren suddenly asked, twirling his dagger in front of my nose.
I shook my head. Not really no. Unless getting miserably beaten up by your brothers and sisters counts as a fight.
"Stick close to Aspen. He'll protect you if necessary, but we won't let anyone come close enough to you two. At least, that's the plan," he spoke, jumping up and down to loosen his limbs.
A shiver ran down my spine as I felt a growl in my neck. "Like hell will I sit back and let you do all the work," Aspen snarled, his breath hot on my skin. These were the first words he had spoken since his kill and frankly, they terrified me.
"Asp, you can't fight," Ashleigh worriedly said, trying to calm her brother. He slapped her hand away, his eyes wild and dark.
"I'll kill them all," he snarled, yanking off his shirt to expose his bare chest. I felt my hands burn as I remembered how his muscles had felt underneath my palms and balled them into fists. This was not the time to lust over him. I dug my nails deep into my skin only after I left white crescent circles in my palms, allowed myself to touch him.
"Aspen... I need you to protect me," I whispered, disliking I had to play the helpless girl card, but then again. It wasn't exactly a lie. I really did need him to protect me. That being said, there was no reason I couldn't try and protect him at the same time.
His eyes softened a little, the muscles in his arms relaxing for a second as he stared at me. There were flecks of gold dancing in his ambers and I wondered why I had never noticed that before.
"Okay. For you."
Before I could get lost in his eyes, Ashleigh tapped me on my shoulder. "You'll have to hold him down."
Gold flecks became silver strands as I shifted my attention from Aspen towards Ashleigh. Why were they both so beautiful?
I nodded, staring in her bright blues. I loved her eyes.
"I'm not kidding. You'll have to hold him down literally," she spoke, snapping me out of my trance.
"Umm... Okay?" I frowned my forehead. I wasn't sure how I would be able to hold down a beast like Aspen, but it if meant wrapping myself around him, I wasn't going to say no. There were worse things to be wrapped around.
My arms barely fit around his back and the muscles of his chest were hard against my body. And then, with no time to spare, it all happened at once. Out of nowhere, the hills suddenly grew legs and attached to those legs were men. A lot of men. At least a dozen coyotes appeared from behind the trees as they ran towards us screaming.
Our group scattered. It happened so fast, I couldn't even keep track of who was doing what. All I could feel was Aspen's warm body against mine as he had his arms wrapped around me. I could barely look over his shoulder.
To my left, Danny and Regan had teamed up, swinging short blades between them. I wondered where they got them from as I checked up on the rest.
To the right, Darren was going at it solo. He was running on his hands and feet, the dagger he held so dearly clamped between his teeth as he circled the attackers. He looked more wolfish in his human form than anything else.
Right in front of me, I saw JP strut towards the incomers, swinging a catapult expertly around. He definitely seemed to know what he was doing, but all I could hope was he wouldn't hit me.
I wished I could see Ash, but I guessed she must have been protecting us from the back. Damn, if only I could turn Aspen and me around.
Aspen growled as he spotted the incomers. I felt his muscles tense underneath me and for a brief moment, I wondered what it would be like to feel him tense like that for different reasons.
But as the first cry of the battle penetrated my ears, all other thoughts were wiped from my mind. There was no time for anything else than the fight.
JP let out a loud scream and with a swiftness I hadn't expected, he twirled his sling in the air and a couple metres ahead of us, the first Coyote fell down on the ground. JP had hit him right in the forehead, between the eyes. A small trail of blood trickled down his face as his comrades jumped over him and ran towards the otherwise so stuttery and clumsy man.
Surprisingly fast, JP ducked underneath the first sword, swiping his leg as he tackled the guy and floored him. With an efficiency you don't learn after only one fight, he conjured a small knife from his side and stabbed the guy right in his neck. Blood spat out the artery, coating anyone in a two-metre circle and I felt bile hit the roof of my mouth.
I really wasn't cut out for this fighting stuff.
As JP took down another guy, it became clear he could hold his own. So I directed my attention to another part of the circle. On his side, Darren was taking down five guys by himself, beating and kicking at them, his dagger still in his mouth. There was already one man lying on the ground and another one was about to eat dirt. I shuddered and didn't want to see what he could do if he actually started using his weapon.
From the other side, Danny and Regan had teamed up. I briefly wondered why they went together in a pair and none of them covered JP, but as I counted the guys falling like flies next to JP, I realised he might not need the back-up after all.
Regan was mowing down the incoming Coyotes like daisies, hitting them in the head with his massive fists, while Danny was circling around them, hitting them from the sides or in the back.
Her red hair was twirling around her in a flash and I realised it would be massively distracting to anyone attacking her. She drew everyone's attention and while they were focused on her and her red locks, Regan knocked them into the ground.
Not a bad strategy at all.
"I want to fight," Aspen growled, tugging against my arms. For now, he seemed to be in control of himself, but I could feel his skin grow hotter as his murderous Alpha seemed to emerge.
"Not yet, Aspen..." I tried to ease him, but he shook his head and cracked his neck.
"I need to help them," he snarled, not unreasonably so. From over the hill, another handful of men appeared and they seemed much more tentative and careful. I suddenly realised they were probably watching everyone fight, waiting until we tired ourselves out.
Damn. We were so ambushed. And I hadn't even realised it until it was totally too late. Well. Not just me. The whole group had been too preoccupied with my stupid quest to actually pay attention to who was hunting us apparently.
Aspen clamped his hands around my arm and as I felt his fingers dig into my flesh, he flexed his muscles.
"Let go of me," he hissed, trying to pry my arms open.
We both knew he could just shake me off by force. It would've been easy since I was nowhere near as strong as he was. But I had counted on him not wanting to hurt me and from the looks of it, I had been right.
Aspen wanted to jump into the fight, but with me clamped around him, he couldn't risk throwing me off and hurting me.
"You can't..."
"I need to. They're going to get killed."
I turned his head towards JP and tried to calm him. "Look, they are doing fine without you. Or without me for that matter. But we already knew I was useless."
"They won't last," he growled, his skin burning up.
And just as he uttered those words, a loud scream was heard from behind me. In shock, both Aspen and I turned our heads, met with a sight that made me nauseous like I had never been before.
One of the Coyotes had somehow managed to creep up on Ashleigh and was now straddling her, his knife pressed against her throat, ready to steal her life.
Aspen howled at the sight of the stranger attacking his sister and as he did, the golden flecks from his eyes disappeared. Instinctively, I opened my arms to release him from my embrace, quickly stepping out of his way. I knew there was no stopping him now. His Alpha had taken over.
With a furiosity that scared me more than I wanted to admit, Aspen ran towards Ashleigh's attacker and with one swift motion, dove onto him. With one smooth move and a popping noise that made my stomach churn, he broke the man's neck. Like a doll, the attacker fell lifelessly to the ground, no longer a threat to either of my twins.
Without a moment to spare, Aspen launched at the other men standing around his fallen sister and mid-air, Aspen the man disappeared. With a loud howl, his wolf form sunk his fangs deep into a Coyote's neck and one more fell down onto the ground. This time, it was Aspen's paws that sunk into the next man's chest and as blood spat out of the open wounds, Aspen mercilessly tore his throat out. Just like he had done with Cece.
I vaguely remembered asking Ashleigh if this was a usual thing and I realised my question had become moot.
Without caring about the men he was ploughing down, Aspen jumped onto the next Coyote, tearing off his arm.
Whereas before I had only half-jokingly called them a circus of killers, it was clear this was exactly what they were.
Killers. Assassins. Murderers.
The coppery smell of blood was now dominating the air and with every kill, with every spillage of life, that scent grew heavier. Like artists from hell, my pack painted the pure snow red with designs of death and destruction.
Helplessly, I stood in the middle of what I could only call, utter chaos. This was my own personal circle of hell and it couldn't get any worse. At least, that was what I thought. Until I felt the cold steel of a blade against my throat.
I barely dared to swallow as I felt the cold metal against my skin. A soft voice hissed in my ear. "Got you now, little birdy."
I felt a man pressed against my back. He smelled like urine and sweat and even with my life on the line, I wondered when he last bathed.
Come on, Akira. Priorities! Don't think about hygiene, think about dying!
"Pl..." I opened my mouth, ready to beg for my life, but halfway through, I decided to slam it shut. Nobody else was cowering or hiding in fear. Neither should I. But as I felt my legs tremble and the first trickle of my blood run down my skin, I realised being brave was much harder when you actually needed to be brave.
I gritted my teeth and balled my fists, taking in a deep breath. The man behind me was obviously playing with me, otherwise, he would've just ruthlessly killed me like Aspen or Darren were doing.
An image of Ashleigh on the ground flashed in front of my eyes and with all the courage I could muster, I slammed my balled fist into what I hoped was my attacker's groin. From the loud grunt and him screaming "bitch" I gathered I had hit my mark.
I scrambled to my feet, quickly running away from him and turning around so I could face the coward who snuck up behind me.
That was not a man. This was not a sacred life. This was a Coyote. A vile creature who was attacking me and my friends. He was endangering my friends, pressing blades against my skin, and even worse, threatening the lives of my mates. I couldn't let this happen. I had to do something. Anything. I wasn't sure what I was capable of or what harm I could inflict, but one thing was very clear. He needed to die.
An anger I had never felt before, welled up from inside me as I felt my otherwise dormant and peaceful wolf growl.
With a scream and a stupidity I hadn't expected from myself, I charged towards the man, toppling him over as I kneed him in the balls again. As if he hadn't expected the sudden assault to his manhood again, he fell to the ground. The laughing, mocking man was now reduced to a pathetic heap, whimpering in pain.
I quickly scanned the group, trying to figure out where everyone was. Now Aspen had joined the fight, me standing here in the middle was like having a bullseye painted on my back. Frankly, as much as I joked about death, I didn't feel like dying today. It just didn't fit into my schedule.
Darren was still fighting with his dagger between his teeth, throwing and flooring guys left and right and it somehow seemed like a stupid idea to join him. I didn't want to get hit by a flying body.
On the other side, Danny and Regan were still whirling around their enemies, teaming up as they hit them from both sides. They were working together like a well-oiled machine and somehow, it didn't seem like a great idea to join them either. if I wasn't careful, I'd just get caught in Danny's red fury.
Behind me, I could hear the animalistic growls and howls as Aspen was still killing and slaughtering any man who dared to approach him or his sister. I wish I could've joined him to protect Ashleigh, but with his Alpha on a rampage, it seemed safer to stay as far away from him as possible. Even if that meant breaking my promise to Ashleigh.
So that left me with JP. The gentle man who always seemed like the mastermind of the group, but had suddenly turned into a killing machine. As he dug his knife into someone else's eyeball and showered himself with blood, I shivered with the thought of having to join him. But from all the fights going on around me, he seemed like the lesser of all the evils.
Not giving my attacker enough time to get up after I kneed him in his family jewels, I sprinted towards JP and silently begged I wouldn't get him out of his groove. The last thing I wanted was to distract him and get him killed. As if he sensed I was coming, he suddenly turned towards me, a grim smile on his face.
Somehow, without his usual smile and his hair all ruffled up, he seemed much more handsome and dangerous.
"Catch!" he called out to me, and as he did, he threw a short dagger in my direction. With a thud, the blade clattered to the cold ground, only a couple of metres in front of my feet. There was no time to ponder how he had known I would be joining him, but I didn't feel like figuring it out right now. All I knew, was that I now had a knife to protect myself with and that was good enough.
The handle of the blade was cold against the palm of my hand and I suddenly wondered why I hadn't taken out my own knife. I had one in my backpack. Had I really expected I'd be able to keep Aspen in check? Did I really think I would be able to get out of this battle without having to fight myself? Was I really relying on the group so much I didn't even feel the need to weapon myself?
Damn it, Akira! Stop being so helpless and start doing something!
I tightened my grip on the blade and jogged towards JP, trying to figure out how to attack one of the men without ruining his flow, getting him killed, or getting myself killed.
Why did I think I could do this again?
My wolf growled, bringing up another image of Ashleigh on the ground with the man straddled on top of her.
A flash of white, hot rage sizzled through me as I ran towards the man closest to me.
Idiot.
As I felt the knife sink into the flesh of his arm, and the unmistakable scent of fresh blood hit my nostrils, my stomach turned and I sank to my knees.
Oh gods, I wasn't made to be killing people. Digging a blade into someone's body felt utterly disgusting. Instead of just staying back and letting the group handle it, I had now caught this man's attention and angered him.
He spat on the ground and with a snarl on his face, yanked the blade out of his side. His blood was gushing out of the wound I had created, but he hardly seemed to notice. With a determined look on his face and a mean glint in his eyes, he approached me. He was going to kill me. With my own knife. Well, with JP's knife, really, but who has time to make that distinction?
I really was going to die here. In the midst of my new family. In front of my mates' eyes. In the middle of the Aladwin forest, they would have to bury my body. If there were any of my comrades left to bury me, that was.
I wrapped my arms around my body, trying to stop myself from shaking. I shot a quick prayer to the Great Wolf, telling him I was coming sooner as expected and begging him to welcome me into his kingdom.
Another prayer went to my grandparents, to my mother, telling them how sorry I was for failing my mission and not bringing back the Winter Stone. For disappointing them, even though they had never expected anything from me.
And lastly, I thanked my wolf, for always sticking with me, even though she had nowhere else to go. At least we got to meet our mate. Our mates.
I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see my boring life flash in front of my eyes and begged the Great Wolf my death would be quick and painless. That it would be over before I knew it. That he would take my life and protect the others. Danny, Darren, Regan, JP, Aspen, and of course, Ashleigh.
Ashleigh. My beautiful mate. Who was lying on the ground. Maybe soon enough, she would join me in the afterlife.
The scent of musk and dirt hit my nostrils, making me almost gag. Was this really the last thing I would smell before I died? Couldn't it have been something nicer, like Ashleigh's wild strawberries? Then again, if I'd meet her in the afterlife, I'd have an eternity of strawberries.
I felt his fingers curl into my hair as he yanked my head upwards. "It's better when you can look death in the eye," he growled, his eyes flickering menacingly.
I whimpered, trying to crawl away, but his grip on my hair was too strong. I needed to get out. I needed to free myself. I felt around the cold ground, for something, anything I could use as a weapon. A lost knife, a broken shard, a branch. Nothing. Just muddy snow and dirt. Dirt that I would soon become.
My attacker pulled harder, stretching my neck backwards in an unnatural fashion. With a laugh, he painted lines on my skin with his own blood. Blood that I drew from him in a futile attempt.
This was it. I was about to die.
And as I drew out what I thought to be my last breath, I waited. For the pain, for the panic, for the fear. And then for the release.
But it never came. Instead, the man in front of me drew in the last air he'd ever take and with a soft gasp, he sank to his knees. With his eyes rolling back into his skull, he fell down onto the cold forest floor, a knife I immediately recognised, speared through his neck.
Darren.
A wave of gratefulness surged through my body as I realised that not only was the rest of the group looking out for me, they were all protecting me. JP had handed me a knife without hesitation and even Darren had given up his blade to protect me. And I knew how much he loved that blade, he wouldn't have done that if he didn't genuinely care about me.
But the warm feeling of finally belonging quickly faded away as my stomach churned. This was not the time to feel gushy. There were still many threats out there and I couldn't afford to lose focus.
The scent of blood hit my nose as I pulled Darren's blade out of the man's neck. Disgusting. With my arm in front of my face, I gagged as I used his leather jacket to wipe the blood away. I pried JP's dagger from his fingers and let out a sigh of relief now that I was armed again. I should stop attacking randomly, but if someone charged at me, at least I could try to defend myself.
But before I had a chance to re-orientate myself, I realised it had suddenly become very quiet. The only thing I heard was the heavy breathing and panting from my companions. I quickly scanned our circle, the silence of the forest suddenly deafening me. The first wave of men had fallen.