34

"STEVEN?!" I cried out hysterically. My mate. You can't just take my mate away from me that easily.

Tears were already starting to form in my eyes, and in addition to hearing, my vision was now blurry as well. Everything around me was barely perceptible. I just wanted to know what's up with my mate, my Steven, the love of my life.

'click'. I could hardly hear anything, but that was the sound I heard, which prompted me to look ahead again.

In front of me I could perceive a hand-sized green object. I couldn't see exactly what it was because the tears blurred my vision.

I wiped my eyes again to get a better look. And then I actually recognized this object.

A grenade.

wait what I have a grenade in front of me that will probably explode at any moment?!

Suddenly someone grabbed my shoulder and pulled me up. Everything happened so fast and the next moment I was on my feet. Behind me there was a bang from this grenade and I was pushed to the ground again, the weight of another body pressed on me, which pressed me firmly to the ground and tried to shield everything with his body.

However, I felt pain in my back. At first I thought it was the weight that was on top of me, but the pain burned way too much.

I could hear a male roar above me. So I turned to see who my savior was.

When I recognized him, I could hardly believe my eyes.

My mate, who has just grimaced in pain, lay over me. But he's in pain and that means he's alive.

When he opened his eyes again and looked into mine, I could read concern in them.

"Are you alright?" he asked. It was only faintly audible due to the trauma in my ears, but I understood him. But what I could hear in his voice was pain.

"Steven," I whispered, just glad he was still alive.

Steven said nothing to that, but pulled himself down to the side of me. He was now on all fours next to me so that I could get up.

The first thing I saw when I got up was his back bleeding. And what was unusual about it was that the wounds were hissing and there was a faint steam coming from them.

"Wolfroot," he hissed. "But it burns like hell." I could imagine how that must have felt. Because I could feel his pain in a way too. There is no other way I can explain the burning sensation on my own back.

"Wait, I'll help you." In the meantime, the bang trauma has subsided a bit, so that I could hear quite well again. I went to my mate and wanted to help him up, but apparently that wasn't his plan. Instead of getting to safety, since he Yes, injured, he transformed into his wolf form and stood protectively in front of me.

Only then did I notice the hunters, who came towards me heavily armed. And it wasn't just any hunters. They were the three with whom I had the privilege of becoming acquainted.

"Well, look who we have here," said the bald man menacingly. However, Steven immediately gave him a dangerous growl.

"The murderess!" said the black-haired man this time.

I immediately became suspicious. What did he mean by murderess?

"Did you enjoy ripping our boss's skull off?" Baldhead asked again. At least now I knew what they meant. But it wasn't me. It was Devin. That liar must have blamed me.

"That was your beloved Alpha Devin," I growled through clenched teeth.

"Keep telling your tall tales. Devin wants us to torment and break you as soon as we get you back." Said the third this time.

However, my mate did not like this at all. Without warning, he jumped towards the brown-haired man and bit his neck. None of the other hunters could rule that quickly and when they got what had happened, Steven let go of the corpse and jumped at the next one's neck. The bald guy then wanted to shoot Steven with his gun, but then I started running.

I ran towards him and pinned him to the ground so his shot fired into the sky. My claws extended in my right hand, which I then pushed into his throat without hesitation.

I looked him straight in the eye. At first he was surprised, but the next moment the life left them.

When he was finally dead, I transformed myself and set out to kill more hunters.

Nobody threatens my life or my mate's life. Unless he wants to die!

Not far from me, a hunter stabbed a dark brown wolf in the chest, which then howled. I immediately rushed towards the hunter and attacked him from behind.

I already removed his head from his shoulder. Then I turned back to the wolf to help him, but there was already another one at his side. It was one of the men who were locked up with Steven.

He pulled the knife out of the other's chest, then gave me a nod of thanks before finally turning back to the other wolf.

"It'll heal in a minute, Cody," he said in a loving voice. Cute, actually, like this tall blond man with a scar running across his face that made him look dangerous, caring as he can be. "Hold on."

But I no longer focused on the two, but turned on my own axis to look for my next victim.

"Has anyone seen this Devin yet?" The Alpha ran onto the battlefield and looked around before scratching some hunter's back.

"I only have Hunters." came the Beta's reply.

"I haven't seen him here either." I answered this time. What if Devin isn't here at all? What if he found it unnecessary to help the hunters here? What if he had something completely different in mind?

I didn't even get to think about it because I was suddenly knocked out from the side.