JULIUS

 

The weight of so many wolves snatching and clawing at me was too much for any man to handle. I had to use all of my strength just to get room to breathe.

But somehow, I finally freed myself from them.

Goro and the other men had put up a valiant fight to down a number of wolves but a good number of them remained. The Fierce wolves still standing backed away and circled us once again.

I looked to make sure that Goro and the others were still safe.

“Goro! Are you all right?”

“Just a few scratches,” he said as he started to remove his clothes.

“It doesn’t appear that these wolves will see reason.”

“They’re Fierce wolves. This is their territory. That’s all the reason they need.”

I gave Goro a nod, knowing that he didn’t have a choice.

Goro and the other men shifted into the proud bears that they were. They roared into the air. Their intimidating shout was so loud that it echoed all through the Timberlands.

That wasn’t enough to make the wolves back off. They still outnumbered us. They snarled with the same ferocity they had this entire time.

“Now!”

Goro charged forward and engaged the wolves. The wolves were fast and there were many of them. But they couldn’t match the strength of bears who weren’t holding back.

I joined in the fight as best as I could. I remained standing on my feet. I swung with the strength I had and tried to down as many of the wolves as I could. At the same time, Tristan remained in my thoughts. They took him away. I had to get to him. But I couldn’t leave until I knew Goro and the others would be able to fend for themselves.

“Go!”

I heard Goro’s shout among the fight. I ignored him and continued to fend off the wolves.

“Go! The Omega!”

Goro repeated himself.

“Go after him! There’s no telling what they will do to him!”

I wanted to heed Goro’s warning. But I couldn’t leave him. I wouldn’t let Goro fall for the sake of one Omega, even if it was Tristan.

“We can hold them off. I promise you, Mayor. We will be all right!”

I looked at Goro and he roared. I sighed and gave him a nod, knowing that I had to listen to him. Even if it were the wrong decision, my emotions were getting the best of me.

I had to get to him. I had to save Tristan.

I shifted and burst out of my clothing. I galloped forward through the crowd and made my way through the forest that I saw Tristan being taken through.

I caught his scent quickly. Having already laid with the Omega before, his pheromones were unmistakable. Even though I’d lived in the city all my life, my senses hadn’t been dulled. Nothing would stop me from getting to Tristan.

My heart thumped inside of my chest. Sweat started to drench my body. I’d never run so fast in my life. I moved through the trees and over the brush.

Tristan’s scent grew stronger. It was accompanied by the undeniable stench of the wolves I’d just encountered.

I kept moving until the smell was unmistakably close. I rushed forward and saw the light from the clearing in front of me. As soon as I entered it, I dug my feet into the ground and came to a halt.

“That’s close enough, trespasser!”

The lead wolf stood with four of his brethren beside him. Tristan laid on the ground unconscious. I could still see him breathing and his scent was still strong.

“You’re making a mistake,” I said.

“It’s you who made a mistake! You were intent on trespassing through our territory.”

“It is your territory. This will always be Fierce wolf territory. That’s why I’m willing to offer you a compromise.”

“You are in no position to negotiate with me.”

“But I am. I’m in every position to negotiate.”

I took a step forward and the other wolves growled at me. Their teeth bared, they wouldn’t hesitate to pounce.

“Allow free passage through your territory,” I said. “Let everybody moving through this area be allowed to do so in peace.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because if you don’t… I’ll kill you.”

I couldn’t talk with him. I had to speak his language. Threats were the only way to get through to him.

“A lion in the forest,” he snarled. “You will understand that the strength of the pack is greater than you ever imagined.”

“So be it.”

The wolves growled and charged at me at once. I wasn’t about to back down. I moved forward and leaped with my paws up. I swiped at two of the wolves and knocked them down to the ground. The other wolves quickly landed on their feet and tried to pounce.

I was ready. I swung my paws up. They were fast but that only made it easier for me. I used their aggression to my advantage, letting their heads collide with my paws.

Their efforts were futile. The only one who remained was the lead wolf who continued to stand next to Tristan.

“Take my offer,” I said.

“No!”

The lead wolf growled at me and moved forward. I roared and charged at him.

He was more ferocious than the others. He scratched at me with an unmatched intensity. His claws dug into my skin and drew blood. But my injuries weren’t enough to stop me.

He pounced on my back but I rolled him off of me and slammed him down to the ground. The wolf let out a whimper as the air left his lungs.

I quickly shifted and wrapped my hand around the wolf’s throat.

“It’s over,” I said as I squeezed.

“It’s never over,” he struggled to respond.

“Allow safe passage through your territory. Let others move freely. Assist the Omegas who wish to make it to the city.”

“No…”

I squeezed harder around his throat. I could feel the life draining from him. I had no intention of killing him but he was giving me little choice.

I was hoping he would finally see reason.

“Allow safe passage! Submit or you will die!”

The wolf’s eyes started to roll back in his head. He was getting weaker with every second.

“I… submit…”

I let out a sigh of relief as I pulled my hand away from him. The wolf gasped a deep breath. He remained laying on the ground in his weakened state.

I immediately turned to Tristan and rushed over to him.

“Tristan,” I said as I cradled him in my arms. “Tristan, are you all right?”

The Omega slowly blinked his eyes open and looked up at me.

“Julius…”

He reached his hand up to my face and caressed my cheek.

“…Julius… You came…”

“Of course. I told you I would never let anything happen to you.”

“The others—”

“Don’t worry about the others. Are you all right?”

“I’m okay,” he said with a nod. “I… I just feel a little woozy.”

“Can you walk?”

I slowly helped Tristan up to his feet. I looked into his eyes and saw his senses returning to him. He examined the clearing and saw all of the wolves I had knocked unconscious.

“W-what happened?” he stuttered.

“I had to do what I had to do.”

I walked over to the lead wolf who was still recovering and took a knee down next to him.

“Honor your word,” I said. “This territory will remain under observation by the Fierce wolves. You will not take any action against any trespasser. You will assist any Omega in the area who seeks refuge in Dirge.”

The lead wolf snarled at me before responding.

“I will honor my word. It is the code of the Timberlands.”

“If you don’t, I will return. And if I do, I won’t be so willing to compromise.”

I made my message as clear as I could make it. From the look in his eyes, the lead wolf appeared intent on keeping the deal we’d just made.

I stood up straight with Tristan by my side.

“Come,” I said. “We must get to the others and let them know.”

Tristan nodded and followed behind me as we made our way back through the forest. I shifted back into a lion, rumbling through the forest with the wolf Tristan right behind me.

We raced back to where Goro and the others were fighting and found them in the midst of their fight. Neither group was moving as quickly with obvious fatigue taking a toll on them.

“Enough!” I roared.

They all turned toward me. I moved forward and shifted back into a man before all of them.

“It’s done,” I said. “Let this fight end. The lead Alpha has submitted to me. Return to him and honor the agreement he has made with me. It is the code of the Timberlands.”

The wolves all stared at me with those menacing eyes of theirs.

“Ask him!” I shouted. “Ask your lead Alpha. He is the man who commands you. If you don’t follow him, you dishonor yourselves. There will be no more bloodshed between us.”

The wolves looked at each other like I’d finally gotten through to them. They moved to their brethren who had been knocked unconscious. They pushed at them with their snouts and awoke them from their sleep. One by one, the wolves all got back up to their feet. Their legs wobbly, they moved back through the forest where they came from before finally disappearing into the darkness.

I turned to Goro and the others. The bears shifted back into the burly men that they were. Their muscles were covered in sweat with red cuts all over their bodies.

“Are you all right?” I said. “You’ve been injured.”

“Scratches,” Goro said with a laugh. “We bears have thick hides. It will take more than a few wolves to make us bend.”

“I’m glad,” I sighed.

Goro chuckled even louder and moved closer to me. A hand on my shoulder, he raised an eyebrow at me in curiosity.

“What do you know of the code of the Timberlands?” he asked.

“I know that those living here live with honor,” I said. “They are bound to their traditions. If they live in the Timberlands, they live the same way their ancestors lived. I defeated the lead Alpha. He submitted to me. He must honor his word.”

“I’m surprised you know the rules.”

“I know the rules because I live in the city. I’m not the mayor of Dirge. I’m the mayor of all people. It doesn’t matter where they live. I must watch over everybody who is innocent.”

Goro gave me an approving grin and nodded.

“Indeed,” he said.

He pointed with an index finger at my chest.

“You’ve sustained some injuries watching over everybody,” he said.

“It’s all right,” I said. “I can handle it—”

“Let me,” Tristan interrupted. “The fighting is over. Let me take care of your wounds.”

I looked at the Omega. Staring into Tristan’s eyes, there was a sudden sense of relief that washed over me. It was a feeling like nothing else in the world.

I smiled at Tristan and he did the same.

“Okay,” I sighed. “Let’s take some time to recover.”