Freeing Anvi

Chapter Nine

The wolves in the arena bolt.

They move faster than I am able to count them. It's like a stampede of wolves, rushing past Adonis to the border where the wolf was said to have been injured and dying. Bea and Ben follow the small pack and Jackson starts to go after them, but hesitates.

"Go on," I tell him. I glance at Adonis, who's still standing there, quiet. "I'll catch up with Adonis."

Jackson nods. There's a grim set to his jaw and his eyes have darkened again, like an eclipse has passed through them. He jerks his head to Adonis and mind links him quickly before he's a streak across the arena, chasing after the warriors.

Adonis is in front of me suddenly and he's gripping my wrist, pulling me quickly down the grass.

"Come on." Adonis's grip is rough and chafes my skin like the strap of a seatbelt. He starts with a walk, then slowly, he begins to jog, then run, then he's speeding down the grassy patches towards the border.

I stumble a few times to keep up with him. Adonis is just as fast as his brother. He doesn't look as panicked as everyone else, but there's an element of fear that burns in his eyes.

So much for a perfect first day, I think. I turn my hand in Adonis's palm to get a better grip on his hands, and he doesn't even falter as his fingers wrap around mine, holding me steady as we approach the field surrounding the border. Some other wolves come to watch. They've created a semi-circle around what I'm guessing is the spectacle, but they clear the path immediately when they see Adonis and I approach.

Even then, the warriors are barring our view from the injured wolf, so Adonis and I make a beeline for Jackson. He's standing with Bea and they're talking quietly, but Bea stops when she notices me.

"That was quick," she says as Jackson turns around. They both notice Adonis holding my wrist and Jackson's eyes narrow at his younger brother, but Adonis didn't seem bothered.

"Quite," he snaps at Bea. "How's she doing?"

"She?" I ask in surprise.

Jackson nods. "Yes. Helene. She's stable for now. Some of the wolves are sniffing out the attacker. Others are trying to get her onto the stretcher." He points to a little gap between the bodies of people surrounding the wolf, and I can see glimpses of a bloodied, scratched up body with matted long hair and torn clothes. She doesn't make a sound as the army medics help her and bandage some of her wounds. The crowd parts as they haul her onto their backs and take her to the hospital. Han-Seok and a group of wolves close to his age scout the area, and some of the other wolves I saw at the arena follow the larger wolves into the forest. The crowd disperses at Adonis's command and the few stragglers introduce themselves as generals, commanders, and soldiers in the army.

"Help the younger one's track," Ben's voice comes from behind Jackson, and he comes forward to stand beside Bea. "Don't do it for them, but guide them to the wolf that hurt Helene."

"Yes, Beta," the wolves chorus, and with a bow they're gone, shifting and racing into the forest. Han-Seok and the other teen wolves follow them, and then, the area is empty except for me, Jackson, Bea, and Ben.

"It's odd that this happened so suddenly," Ben says. "I mean, when was the last time we had a rogue attack?"

"A while," Bea agrees, and I feel her eyes on me.

I flinch. I can't read minds anymore, but it's pretty easy to guess what she's thinking. The attack didn't happen until I showed up. I was the perpetrator, as usual. It was my fault, she thought, that Helene was beaten.

Jackson seems to understand what she's thinking. He says something in a different language and she breaks away from me immediately. She snaps back to him, but Ben intervenes and stops both of them from escalating the situation. His gaze drops sympathetically to me and I step away.