Feral Wolf by Caroline Peckham
The fence was so close, I could see freedom shining beyond it like the brightest star in the sky. I ran faster than I ever had in my life, my gaze swinging from it to Rosalie on my right again, making sure she was there. A smile started pulling at my lips as Dante’s huge form landed beyond the fence and lightning ripped through it, blasting a giant hole in it and sending electricity crackling out through the air.
“Roary!” my brother’s voice made me hunt for him in desperation and I saw him on Dante’s back. “Where’s your mane!?” he gasped in horror and I growled as I put another burst of energy into my veins.
“Run, Uncle Roary!” a tiny voice yelled and my heart lurched as I spotted my niece and nephew sitting on his lap, drinking in the sight of them for the first time that I’d ever seen them in the flesh and my heart leapt with joy and the urgent need to hold them in my arms.
“I’m coming, little ones!” I cried, a joyous laugh tearing from my throat.
I glanced back over my shoulder as a roaring boom rang out and I spotted Cain blasting a Griffin out of the sky who must have been one of The Watchers. The beast spiralled out of the air in a ball of flames, crashing into several other Watchers and taking them to the ground, sending dirt flying up around them. A mine went off in the earth and with an echoing bang they were all killed from the explosion. Fuck.
The shockwave of it crashed against Sin’s shield around us and he yelled out in frustration as his magic died in a wave.
“I’m tapped out,” he panted, looking fucking exhausted as he started to slow.
“Come on, keep moving.” I grabbed his arm, my gaze locking on Cain as he turned his attention to Sin.
Rosalie slowed ahead of us as Plunger made it to the fence and Leon shielded RJ and Luca’s eyes from his nudity.
Cain shot towards us in a blur and I shoved Sin forward, needing him to move right fucking now.
“Cain’s coming for you, Sin, run,” I urged as the Incubus stumbled into Ethan and I blocked the way to them as Cain collided with me.
He took me to the ground from the force he used and I snarled in anger.
“Where is he?” Cain demanded, looking up and I twisted my head, finding Sin gone and Ethan standing there with an innocent expression on his face.
“What are you doing?” Rosalie cried, pushing Cain off of me and tugging my arm to get me up. “We have to go!”
“Where’s Sin Wilder?!” Cain bellowed, but my eyes slipped over his head to where Gustard was closing in on us.
But worse than that, far fucking worse. FIB helicopters were tearing through the air above, floodlights igniting on top of them and lighting us all up in the powerful beams.
“Go.” Cain shoved me towards Rosalie and we started running again with Ethan racing at her side too.
Pudding had somehow made it past us, lumbering along at a brisk pace towards the gap in the fence and somehow avoiding every blast of magic that came his way.
A horrid shriek behind me made me turn and I spotted the Moose Shifter Gustard was riding being pulled to the ground by a massive metal hook in its back with a chain that attached to one of the helicopters. Another hook came flying through the air towards us and I gasped as it slammed into the ground and tore up a mound of dirt as spikes ejected all along its sharp edges.
“Fuck,” I cursed in panic, shoving Rosalie along.
“Shift!” Leon cried and my Lion rose to the surface of my flesh, about to rip free of my body when a hook slammed into my back and I roared as I was hurled to the ground.
The spikes ejected, latching into my body and hot blood rushed over me as I was dragged backwards at an alarming pace.
“No!” Rosalie screamed and I cast ice blades in my hands, slamming them into the earth and tearing through it as I desperately tried to stop myself from being dragged away from her.
Rosalie was suddenly in front of me, diving to the ground and taking hold of my hands, binding me to her with vines.
“Stop!” I roared as we were both dragged towards the FIB and she fought to pull me back, tethering her ankles to the ground with more and more vines. But the hooks were in too deep and I knew there was no chance of getting them out. And there was no fucking way I was taking her with me.
“Rosa,” I rasped.
“Don’t,” she snapped. “I’m not letting you go Roary Night. Not again.”
I winced against the blinding pain tearing into my flesh and dropped the blades in my hands as I squeezed her fingers and my heart cleaved in two.
“Get out of here,” I commanded.
“No,” she begged, clinging onto me as her magic bound her to me and refused to let go. Tears burned in her eyes and desperation flared through her expression.
“I love you, little pup. But you’ve gotta do something for me.” I held onto her for a moment longer as pain scored along my spine and I swore I was going to be torn apart if I didn’t let go of her. “Don’t come back for me.”
I cast ice blades in my palms, severing the vines she’d cast tightly around my arms and her screams followed me as I was dragged across the ground and yanked into the air. I spun violently as the wind battered my body and I fought to get the hooks out of my back to no avail.
As I was raised up rapidly into the air, hands hauled me into the helicopter and a needle was jammed into my neck immediately before I could even try to fight.
The sedative rushed through my veins and I felt the spikes slide out of my flesh before the hook was pulled out too. I was vaguely aware of being healed before I was thrown down beside another body and my gaze landed on Gustard opposite me, his eyes slowly falling closed.
Darkness rushed over me and I tried to bring a piece of Rosalie with me into the abyss, but I couldn’t grasp her. The feeling of her was slipping away, and I prayed that meant she’d run.