31

B E A U

✿

"Everyone into the bunker!" I shouted and sent all pack members who stormed into the entrance hall down the stairwell that led to the secured bunker below the warehouse. "This way." I pushed little Anu through while scanning the crowd for a specific face.

Blair pushed through next to me. I grabbed her. "Hey, where's Georgie?"

Blair faltered. "Isn't she already in the bunker?"

"I'll get her." Then I pushed through the crowd, running up the wide stairs, two at a time. I could feel my wolfskin under my skin, claws pressing against my fingertips. He wanted out, wanted to destroy the danger. Slit these pirates' throats and rip out their jaws.

"What's going on?" Georgie asked worriedly as she ran towards me and stopped a step above me, breathing fast.

'Pirate attack. They haven't got far into our territory, but we have no time to lose."

She nodded, then put her hand in my outstretched hand and we hurried into the large entrance hall, which slowly cleared.

"Wait, Beau... Hey!" She tugged at my hand. "Where are you taking me?"

I quickened my pace, dragged her along the corridors, down the stairwell.

"No! Beau, now wait a minute! ... Let go of me!' she complained loudly and shook my grip.

Grimly pushed open the solid iron door and took her into the bunker's spacious common area. The overhead lights emitted a sun-mimicking light that filled every area down here. It wasn't dark, nor were there any cramped spaces. So don't panic.

"Starting tomorrow I'll be an official soldier, I'll fight," Georgie said with a determined twinkle in her eyes. “Those pirates are after us healer werewolves. I want to face them.”

My wolf growled at her. Me too. “You're right, they're after you. And that's why you're staying here."

She lifted her chin. "No."

I pulled her away from the entrance, aware that every fucking pair of eyes in this crappy bunker was on us. "Georgie, damn it, I don't have time for this." Pirates threatened to be closing in on my pack at any second. My wolf pushed to the surface, fur covering my neck and arms. He wanted out, wanted to destroy, kill.

"Then stop arguing with me and let me come with you! I want to protect my family. I want to fight I . . . I . . .” She gestured angrily with her hands in the air. "I don't want to be afraid anymore! why don't you believe in me How come? Why don't you trust me? I thought that had changed in the last few days. But apparently you still think I'm too weak. You think I'm helpless-"

I pressed my mouth to hers, pinning her against the wall and silencing her loud mouth. When we broke apart, she was breathing frantically. Just like me. I grabbed her chin. She should finally understand. "You are important to me. You're too fucking important to me to let you risk getting hurt. I want you to stay here and be damn well when I get back."

Her eyes widened and she whispered. "You know wolves gossip?"

"Hell yes. Worse than old women.”

She punched me in the arm giggling and I grinned and kissed her again. Let the old gossips break their mouths about the fact that this girl was my fucking center.

"You stay here, understood?"

"Okay," she said softly against my lips. "But starting tomorrow, it can't always be like this."

"I know." She would pass the exam and she would learn to take care of herself. Wild protective instincts stirred in me at the thought that I would leave her. But there was nothing I could do about the rising madness that would soon inevitably grip me in its claws and not let go.

The sword hovered over us, threatening to swoop down at any moment. Still, I found myself reaching for her chin again and kissing that seductive mouth I couldn't get enough of one last time. Georgie didn't hold back, gave me everything and my wolf roared. One more step and she crossed the border. And I wouldn't stop her. To hell with the sword, she'd be my girl.

I left the bunker, changed and hunted through the forest. My wolf bared his teeth and I felt the first stirrings of raw aggression.

The clock had started ticking, and that was the end of me. Aggression that turned into pure insanity and rabies until I embodied one of those red-eyed beasts that had already sent quite a few packmates to their deaths.

They were called Rogues.

G E O R G I E

✿

"Can we talk?"

"Uh...yeah right." I followed Isaac through the bunker to the bedroom section, absently touching my lips, which were tingling from Beau's kiss.

Isaac had closed the door behind us so we could talk privately. There were a total of four bunks in this room, on which thick, brown, woolen blankets were spread. Very sparsely furnished, but more than enough for emergencies like this.

"Here. I found it in front of the glowworm grotto. You know, where you were attacked.” He fished a sparkling crystal out of his pocket, making the overhead light magically shatter and dance on the walls.

I accepted the crystal and admired it. "Why were you there?" This was Beaus and my place.

'Wanted to check...I don't know...if the guys will be showing up again. I was just worried about you."

I smiled and twirled the gem in my hand. He was indeed beautiful. "You do not have to."

He was quiet for a while, then he asked, "When were you going to tell me?"

I looked up at him. "To say something?"

"I don't know, G. Maybe you're dating Beau?'

"I..." Only now, when I looked at him properly, did I discover the bluish discoloration around his right eye. And his split lip. "Tell me, what happened to your face?"

"Why, G? Why Beau?” he avoided my question.

"Shit," I cursed. I didn't need to dig deeper to know who he'd collected it from. 'I'll talk to him about it. It won't happen again, I promise."

Isaac didn't seem to be listening to me. "Guys like that are poison, I thought you knew that. Stay away from him."

"Hey, Isaac that-"

'No, G. I'm serious. How can you not buckle that he's just using you? That's how wolves are like Beau. They wrap up girls like you, dribble nice words in your ear and then throw you away like old toys.' he spat in disgust. "He hasn't committed himself in five hundred years, and he won't commit now."

The crystal dug into my palm as I gripped it tightly. 'How dare you talk about him like that? You don't know him at all, you haven't the faintest idea who you're talking about!"

"He'll hurt you and you'll run to me crying."

I was stunned. "What's gotten into you?"

"You have to make a choice, Georgie," he said firmly.

"Deciding between what?"

'Between him and me. I've developed feelings for you, you can't say you don't feel it too."

I looked up at the ceiling and let out my breath. 'I like you, yes, but we're friends. We always have been.”

"Which doesn't mean it has to be like this forever," Isaac said, taking a step toward me. "We may not be mates, but if you gave me a chance, I could prove to you that I'm the right choice for you."

"Isaac..." I began hesitantly.

"What?"

"That...I..." I shook my head. 'It will never work. Beau is..."

"What? Beau is what?” Now he was standing in front of me. Eyed me inquiringly. "Are you in love with him?"

I inhaled sharply. was that me In love with Beau? Naturally. I loved everything about him. His wild, rough nature. His hard features. His sometimes almost vulgar language. The way he looked at me. touched me

You are important to me.

I shuddered and then nodded. "Yes, I am." At first I felt sorry for Isaac, I never meant to hurt his feelings. But then suddenly everything happened very quickly. Isaac grabbed my waist and kissed me hard, and any sympathy I had felt before evaporated. My legs hit the edge of the bed and I squeezed against his chest to push him off me.

He kissed me even more. I bit his lip and he flinched, cursing.

"Are you crazy? What was that?!” I exclaimed angrily, wiping my mouth with my black sleeve. "No, you know what? Just say no more. Just shut up and get out!”

Isaac clutched his bleeding lower lip. "Georgie, please."

“You know, Isaac, I thought we were friends, real friends. But I must have been wrong about that.” I laughed bitterly. “And believe me, I'm definitely not going to run back to you crying. Beau is my mate. And now out!”

Isaac snorted. "Okay, I'm sorry, but I didn't-"

"OUT!" I screamed. Then the door slammed behind him and I found myself on the edge of the bed, trying to calm myself. After all, there were worse things right now than Isaac kissing me. We were attacked. Beau could be injured right now, as could the rest of the pack that was outside the protective walls of the storehouse.

But I was so angry. So incredibly angry. It was one thing to confess your feelings to me, but quite another to just kiss me like that and not want to stop.

I rolled the crystal between my fingers, inclined to smash it against the nearest stone wall as its surface grew warm.

What on earth? I studied it more closely, glimpsing a tiny, bright flicker within the crystal-clear stone. Then it got hot and glowed.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, releasing the crystal. It clattered to the ground and rolled over the gray stone slabs. I was about to stand up to get a closer look at its glowing radiance when a bright golden ray shot up and joined in a swirling whirlpool in the air.

I couldn't believe my own eyes as I stared at the golden portal. A golden portal that grew darker and darker. It was as if a gray mist was covering and consuming the golden glow. The oval vortex spread out, got bigger and I thought I could make out shadowy beings in the center.

But it wasn't the portal, nor the freezing cold spreading through the room, that sent terrifying shivers down my spine. It was the voices. Strange whispering voices echoing in my head.

Georgie... There you are... We were looking for you!

I backed away from the black vortex, from which a violent wind blew at me and made my hair flutter wildly. The shadows in the portal flitted around so fast I couldn't catch them. Their voices dug into my head, splitting it open and crawling through my body.

What have you done, Georgie, not a wolf? What bad things have you done?

You bad, bad girl! Are not you ashamed?

We know about that night! We know everything!

Everything, everything, everything!

Memories hammered at me. My parents alone in the cell. Dead. Hades taking their lives. A life that could not even be described as such. I held my head and shook it wildly. "No! Get out of my head!' I yelled shrilly.

You let your own family die, Georgie?

Georgie, you betrayed your family!

Murderess! murderess! killer!

More memories came crashing down on me. I heard my mother's agonized screams. "No! No, that is not true! Hades killed her, not me!” My knees hit the stone floor and I doubled over. Grabbed my hands in my hair. "That was Hades!"

Then they laughed at me. Their sneering laughter was everywhere. frowned upon me mocked me

“Stop it! Stop it!” My nails dug into my scalp. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

Then come here little Georgie. touch us

My skull was pounding, her laughter boomed. I blinked against the horrible memories, but they didn't go away.

Georgie, where are you?

Come closer, closer! We want to see you!

I crawled across the floor. Wanted it to finally stop.

Faster, yes... Come here!

Closer, closer, closer!

I held out my hand, shaking.

Come here... Yes, yes Georgie, yes. It sounded greedy, that voice.

My fingertip touched the end of the black mist and with a jolt I was pulled into the swirling portal.