Golden Destiny

Chapter 14. Recognition

Harper and I looked at each other and then around us at the wolves filled with panic at the obvious threat in front of us. While our teachers valiantly placed themselves in front of the students, the first line of defense, we all knew that these wolves weren't warriors by any stretch of the imagination. The PE teacher, who might have had a chance of making a dent in this wall of rogues before us had he been wolf, wasn't and was, I assumed, safely ensconced within the school.

I saw Harper's hand sneak up to the back of her jeans where, as I recently found out, she had a ready pair of sharp, deadly knives. She was vibrating, Harper was, and I was sure it was from the excitement of being faced with a real challenge. She was a soldier, trained and seasoned in the French Royal Army itself. She must have been itching to finally work up a good sweat. I wished all, or at least more of the rest of us were as excited as her at the prospect of facing down rogue wolves in a battle for our lives.

Because I knew deep in my bones that we would lose some of the wolves here, today. How can we not? The rogues surrounding us looked as though they were ready to tear our skin from our bones.

Harper stepped closer to me.

"Listen to me, Mia. Whatever you do, stay close to me. And. Don't. Shift," she whispered.

I nodded my head. Of course.

One of the rogues, a lanky man with black hair and eyes, started to walk towards us, scenting the air as he did so.

"We only want the son of the Alpha. We will walk away once you turn him over to us," he said.

Adam? They wanted Adam? I looked around, as did everyone else, but I realized that Adam was nowhere in sight.

"No? You choose to protect the son of a usurper, of a traitor above your own lives?" The rogue's voice rang out.

"He is our future Alpha and we will protect him with everything we have," our principal's shaky voice said.

A chorus of voices agreed with him, although some of my fellow students' faces, particularly those who have been on the wrong end of Adam and his friend's pranks and taunts begged to differ.

"Very well. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain how this pup and his father might very well be the end of us all," the rogue said. He looked to the wolves by his side and called out, "begin, my brothers and sisters, until one of them tells us where this future Alpha is."

And then there was chaos.

Some from their side shifted and went for us, the students scattering in their haste to get away from the jaws that surely meant their death. Harper grabbed my hand and tried to lead me to the side of the school. She punched, kicked, shoved any and all wolves that were in her way.

She told me to stay behind her as she got ready to face any wolf that might come my way, but as I was looking at the attack happening in front of us, I noticed something.

"Harper," I called out.

She didn't seem to hear me. I could see every line of muscle in her body taut with tension, her entire being clearly ready to defend me, if need be. But with what I was seeing, I was fairly certain the threat wasn't as dire as everyone here thought it was.

"Harper," I tried again.

She glanced at me quickly and made her way to my side.

"Look, Harp. Something's not right about this," I said as I pointed out one of the rogues who seemed to be merely giving chase to two girls who were in my History class. "That wolf could have killed them pretty easily, but..." I trailed off.