Chapitre 18

It wasn't long before improvised bridges crossed the raging river. The warriors on the other side had retreated into the woods as a sign of peace.

What did Alpha Lam and Luna Laila want? Why did they invite us when they had previously attacked themselves?

"Are you ready?" Astor asked our small group.

"Yes General Astor!" barked the deep voices of the elite warriors. Ulf and Luke stood next to me while Beta Talon was already surveying the bridge.

Astor was the first to climb onto the wood, beneath which the bubbling masses passed. When it was my turn, I put a shaky foot on the soaked plank. What was I getting into here? The noise smothered all noises around me and a fine mist of water cooled my skin. I could feel Astor's burning eyes on me, but I was completely focused on my steps.

My heart thanked me for the solid ground that I could feel under my feet again on the other side.

"Can I go back? Somehow this is too real," Luke whispered while looking around. I knew exactly what he meant.

We were in enemy territory.

The smells were alien to my nose and my wolf tensed her muscles. Who knew what was lurking around here...

Astor gave no sign of it. He approached one of the river claw warriors who showed us the way. We dived into the forest, which lay bone dry in front of us. Branches snapped under our feet as everyone followed the path in silent tension.

We broke through the treetops and a small village came into view. The stench of rotting fish and excrement polluted the air that moments before had been fresh. The people who saw us bowed their heads to us or hid in their huts.

Poor creatures.

Their emaciated bones stuck out as if the wolves had given them nothing to eat. As the warriors of her pack passed through, all lamentation ceased. The dusty ground billowed under our feet and the midday heat made an acrid odor of sweat.

When was the last time you washed?

My horror was broken when a huge house appeared in front of us. Countless warriors stood in front of us, as if they had to protect it from invaders. I moved closer to Astor's back, which was like a shield.

Upon seeing us, the guards wordlessly opened the gates of the packhouse, and darkness awaited us.

"Alice," whispered Ulf. He must have scented his daughter's tracks under the layers of misery and dirt. Very lightly, like a breath, I sensed the smell of the ribbon. However, it was older, as if she had just passed here once and it led straight into the packhouse.

Astor turned to us.

"You know what to do," he said to the warriors, who nodded once. Beta Talon flanked him as he turned and stepped into the darkness. My heart began to pound as we followed him.

Cold enveloped us as if we were in a cave and it was only thanks to my wolf that I could make out the figures inside.

"Alice!"

There she sat, the little girl, at a children's table. Her head snapped up at Ulf's call. Her eyes were bright red, as were her cheeks, like she'd been crying the whole time.

"Father!"

Alice's high pitched voice echoed around the room and her eyes lit up. A loud rumbling interrupted the moment before Ulf could even take a step towards her.

A throne stood in the middle of the room, a few feet away from Alice. Two figures sat on it. My heart clenched at the sight of Alpha Lam.

He was a monster of a werewolf, broad-shouldered, tall, and so muscled he resembled a bull. Luna Laila sat on his lap and was still smaller than him. Her skin was flawless as she stared down at us. The hands were covered by white gloves. Alpha Lam's hands were wrapped tightly around her. She eyed each of us, and when her eyes fell on me, I looked down at the floor.

"Alice darling, come here," Luna Laila said, raising a delicate gloved finger. The girl looked up at her in fear and then back at Ulf, from whom waves of anger emanated.

"What's going on here?" Astor asked.

"Alice, get over here," Lam growled, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. He almost sounded like a bear. Alice got up and made her way to the throne, legs shaky.

"No," whispered Ulf, who couldn't believe his eyes. Alice was now standing next to the two of them, her gaze fixed longingly on us. Alpha Lam drew his gaze back to us.

"The better question is what you want from us," he growled, and Luna ran a hand through Laila's hair soothingly. At his words, the Riverclaw warriors surrounded us. I cautiously looked around as my wolf internally jumped. Astor seemed unnerved by the threat unimpressed.

"You made a big mistake kidnapping her."

Suddenly Luna Laila jumped up and her face twisted.

"She is our daughter, our darling. she asked, turning to the girl with fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes darted uncertainly. "Right Alice?"

The venom in Luna Laila's voice made the girl nod violently. We watched in amazement. This she-wolf was crazy. A loud growl came from Ulf's throat and his heart was beating in his chest like a war drum. The warriors around us drew closer. I wanted to cling to Astor's sleeve, but he had other plans.

"Bring your dogs back, Lam," he said coolly. "Unless you want your whole pack to go up in flames."

The bull of a wolf rose from the throne.

"What does this mean?"

"My warriors on the other side of the river stand ready. If they don't get an answer from me, they will unleash their flaming arrows in the forest, and you know what fate awaits forestless packs. It's good that it's summer and the leaves are bone dry. A spark would do."

The Alpha's expression twisted. Packs without a forest didn't stand a chance. No place to hunt or hide, no shelter from the sun, and most importantly, no home for wolves. The tension crackled and Luna Laila decided to add fuel to the fire.

"Go ahead, then we're all going to die here. We won't give her back, she's my daughter," she hissed, hugging Alice to her body like a snake strangling its victim. Ulf suddenly lunged forward, but Luke grabbed him and held him with the help of two others Warriors Returned For the first time, Beta Talon spoke up.

"Alpha Lam, you know very well that this is not your daughter. Why does your wolf let the hallucinations of-"

The alpha's eyes changed color as if fighting his wolf.

"He insulted me!" Luna Laila shrieked, looking at her mate. "Do something!"

As Alpha Lam struggled with himself, Beta Talon looked around at the riverclaw warriors still surrounding us.

"You support this madness! Don't you see how they're ruining your pack?"

Suddenly something hissed through the air and time seemed to slow down. A silver bolt fired by Luna Laila herself. He aimed squarely at Astor's chest.

A scream trilled in my ears until I realized it was coming from me. Time picked up speed again, throwing everything around us into chaos. Astor's hand shot up before I could take a step towards him.

He caught the bolt in front of his chest with no problem. He twirled the missile between his fingers.

"That," he growled, "was a mistake."

He threw it at Luna Laila with full force. At the same moment there was a cracking sound all around us and a roar made the ground tremble under our feet.

Alpha Lam had transformed.

He charged at Astor while the warriors around us were already engaged. My wolf howled and wanted to help him, but at the sight of the beast she crouched back in the corner.

Astor cleverly dodged and hit the first punches.

"Ah!"

Alice's shrill voice echoed over the cracking of bones. My heart froze at the sight of Luna Laila grabbing the girl by her black hair. My wolf growled and without hesitation I sprinted towards her.

Hate rolled over me as I watched her try to drag Alice away by her hair. The smell of blood mixed with my tantrum. With full force, I rammed my elbow between her ribs, just as Astor had shown me.

Surprised, she let out a breath and let go of Alice, who immediately ran away from us. Luna Laila staggered back before eyeing me. Behind her was the crossbow she had shot Astor with. Fresh anger made my heart race.

She wanted to kill him.

She would pay for that.

***

"You're supposed to be a warrior?" Luna mocked Laila, adjusting her white gloves. "Be careful not to tarnish Silverblood's reputation."

A growl escaped my throat. How dare she insult my homeland? For a moment her eyes darted to something behind me and suddenly a force slammed me to the ground. I was just able to catch myself on my hands when a hand grabbed my head.

"Finish it," Luna Laila hissed and the warrior pinning my body to the ground slammed my head against the stone floor. My mind went blank as everything began to spin. All I could feel was hot blood rushing down my forehead The paws gripped the sides of my skull.

Pure horror flowed through my veins.

He wanted to break my neck.

I hunched my shoulders, but the fingers forced my head into a death grip. Gasping gasps escaped my mouth as I waited for him to twist jerkily. Suddenly the weight above me disappeared and a loud growl drowned out the chaos in the room.

The wolf mauled the warrior as if he were a defenseless deer. The metallic smell dulled my senses. When the riverclaw warrior stopped flinching, the wolf lifted his snout, dripping fresh blood.

Hatch.

He stared at me with his faithful eyes. He had protected me. I gave him a grateful nod as I sat down on my knees. He nodded back.

A hiss cut through our moment as something shiny zoomed towards him. The silver tip flew through the air like a shooting star. Then she hit her target. A whimper escaped his throat and he fell sideways. A bolt protruded from his chest.

"Hatch!"

There she stood.

Luna Laila with the crossbow in her gloved hands.

"YOU!"

My voice was a snarl as my wolf pushed to the surface. Her pain seared my chest as I lunged toward her. My eyes must have changed color because my field of vision had turned red.

Luna Laila lowered her gun and for the first time I saw something like fear in her eyes.

Good this way.

My hands turned into claws, trying to pierce her flawless skin. She looked around hastily, looking for a way out. The silver crossbow in her hand was the only weapon.

"Stay away!" she yelled, and my wolf savored the fear in her voice. She knew it was over. I didn't stop. I grabbed the silver with my bare hands Adrenaline smothered any pain as I snatched the gun from her hand and threw it to the side. Luna Laila jerked around and sprinted. I launched and my wolf tried to morph in mid-leap.

"D-Dan?"

I froze to Luke's voice. The anger was instantly forgotten as I turned around. There he lay in his human form. His head rested helplessly on the floor while his eyes sought mine. My chest tightened and barely let any oxygen into my lungs.

"Hatch!"

I lunged at him and dropped to my knees. The silver bolt lay beside his body and gleamed blood red. Each of his breaths was accompanied by a moan, produced by the hole in his chest that was oozing fresh blood.

It couldn't heal.

"Luke," I croaked as fresh tears blurred my vision of him. "Luke, please."

His hands grabbed mine and clasped them with all his might.

"II," he gasped, "I don't want to die."

"No," I whispered as the tears rolled down my cheeks. I elbowed them away. He couldn't...

A fit of coughing began to shake him and blood ran out of the corners of his mouth. He grunted at the pain the silver had eaten into him.

"Luke, please," I croaked, squeezing his hands tighter. He laid his head back on the floor and closed his eyes.

"It was an honor to have fought with you," he whispered hoarsely, as if he were an old wolf who had lived his life behind him.

"We're like family! You can't go," I begged, and without opening my eyes, the corners of his bloody mouth twisted into a smile.

"Ensure that the adventures of the Wild Wolves continue. And I'll be able to watch you from above," he whispered, and there seemed to be no more fear in his expression.

only peace

"Hatch!"

I grabbed his shoulders, but the heart in his injured chest weakened.

"Luke, you're going to be the brightest star in the night sky, do you hear?"

Sobs escaped my throat and hot tears rolled down my cheeks. They fell on his body and shattered into thousands of pieces.

"Right next to the moon goddess..."

He was as young as me, barely grown. He still had so much to do. The grip of his fingers relaxed.

"No," I whimpered as the heart gave in his chest. No Muchs beat through his body. "No!"

Streams of salty water dripped from my chin as I tilted my head back.

"Luke, please! You have to wake up again! Hatch!"

I gasped for air. Hardly anything got past the lump in my throat. Through my blurry vision his face would look peaceful were it not for the blood. He still had his whole life ahead of him. His dreams were shattered, his life as a warrior, a mate who would love him forever...

all gone

Nothing remained but creeping death.

"Luke," I sobbed, squeezing his lifeless body with all my might. He was still warm. "Luke, I'm sorry! Please come back!"

Suddenly a strong hand was placed on my shoulder. The warm tingling tried to comfort me, but the sadness smothered all other feelings. Still, they stopped the sobs shaking through my body.

He was dead.

He had saved my life and now he was lying on the cold stone. His blood clung to me along with his trail burned into my brain. He couldn't stay here, not here, in this dirty-

"Dana," Astor whispered, and there was so much emotion in his voice that I pressed my lips together to keep from losing my composure. I grabbed the hand on my shoulder, which was warm in contrast to mine.

"he-he-"

"Shh," Astor said. Very slowly, I felt his hands slip under my shoulders and set me on unstable legs. He carried my full weight in his hands and wrapped his arms around me.

My sobs choked as I pressed my face into his chest. Luke was my best friend from the first day we met at camp...he always helped me.

Astor stroked my hair as I soaked his uniform. This didn't seem to bother him as he kept whispering soothing words in my ear. His voice was strained. I had blocked out everything around me.

"We have to go," Astor whispered, releasing his grip on me. I turned my head, but Luke was no longer there, as if I'd just imagined the whole thing.

"Where is he?" I asked in a panic, scanning the whole room.

“You put him where he belongs. Home," Astor said, gesturing toward the warriors who were carrying out an immobile Luke. But something else had caught my attention.

She knelt in the middle of the room.

Luna Laila.

"You!" I yelled, lunging at her. With the chains around her wrists and ankles, she could only look up at me. Hands settled on my shoulders, holding me like roots. "Leave me!"

My hiss triggered a growl.

"We don't hit women, pup," Beta Talon growled, standing at an angle to Luna Laila. How could he defend her after all she'd done? Astor's fingers dug into my shoulders beyond my pain limit and I froze.

She had tears in her eyes. They blended into her derogatory expression. My anger subsided. Another dead man lay less than five meters away.

Alpha Lamb.

The monster of a man lay lifeless on the ground. His body was covered with wounds he must have suffered in the fight with Astor.

"You're going to pay for this, do you understand?!" Luna Laila shrieked.

"Maybe we should kill them after all," Beta Talon said, and the prisoners' hysteria turned to fear.

"No, no, you can't do that," she said, all her confidence gone.

"And why not?"

Suddenly her eyes fell on me. Behind that I saw so much hate, so much malice that she was trying to hide from everyone else.

"Because I know a traitor in your ranks."