A Luna's Flame

Chapter Seventy-Eight

Nyx's POV

The warm sunlight that peeked through the vibrant green treetops kissed my skin as I looked up at the white bird that danced in the sky. The wind blew a rogue curl into my face. The heaviness of the metallic scent that clung to the breeze coated my skin.

A deep howl interrupted my solace and solicited a slew of whispered curses as I looked at the chaos to my left with agitation. I watched as a bloody, gash-covered Deimos circled around a dark brown, patchy Rogue that bared its yellowing canines.

"If you keep letting them howl, you will continue to find yourself fighting waves of wolves. You've already lost about half of your elite fleet, Deimos, and this fight has grown stale," I warned as I stepped over the pile of brutalized Rogue bodies that circled me.

The idiots were brave enough to bother me while I was watching the lackluster show.

The dried blood that coated the skin that peeked from under my soiled clothes cracked as I stretched, glancing at the bodies of Deimos' fallen comrades that lay strewn around the area. The men hadn't lasted long against the second wave of crazed Rogues, the wolves clearly underestimating the strength of their adversaries. However, they stayed true to their mission of preventing the intruders from getting past them. If I hadn't known of their allegiance and illusions of grandeur, I would've called them admirable.

"Call off your friends, Rogue, or you will not have anyone left," Deimos threatened as he narrowly evaded the jaws of his opponent.

I looked back at the bodies that once surrounded me. The Rogues had returned to their human forms as they took their last breath. Their vulnerable states only paint their injuries in an even harsher light.

"Friends," I scoffed, "the term is so easily tossed around in this pack, or you're stupider than I originally thought."

I smirked as I looked at the sunlight reflecting off the blade in my hand that was still coated in Deimos' blood.

"If this is how I treat my 'friends,' I would hate to be my enemy," I dryly stated, my words heavy with double meaning.

Out of the corner of my vision, I saw a glimpse of honey brown quickly growing closer. On my next exhale, I threw my dagger with the speed of a viper. Enyo yipped in delight as the blade thumped with sickening accuracy before a heavy thud shook the ground. I casually looked to my right as a wolf's large, already shifting body slid across the ground. The knife struck true between the yellow eyes of a wolf, the life quickly draining out onto the already blood-soaked ground.

After retrieving my slick dagger, I watched as Deimos had finally killed his 11th adversary. He wiped the sweat that beaded his brow as he looked over at his still-fighting pack members, his chest heaving. Enyo's tail wagged as she found delight in his inferiority.

Chirps broke through the sounds of violence, pulling my attention skyward as the white bird from earlier watched me from where it landed in a distant, tall tree. I stretched my arm out, beckoning it closer, and it obliged.

"What do you have for me, Ornis?" I asked as I softly petted the pure white hawk with my knuckle, seemingly ignoring my surroundings.

I took the small paper tied to its leg, taking only seconds to read the short message.

"Deimos," I called, glancing over at the band of warriors.

They had finally defeated their last opponent and were enjoying a moment of reprieve, sobering realizations overcoming them.

"I would suggest that you call that Demon Alpha of yours. You'll need his help soon," I said before turning away.

"Where are you going, Rogue? We aren't done here," he yelled out behind me.

"Trust me, pup. You have bigger things to worry about. I suggest you call ahead to the others. You'll need all the help you can get," I said as I allowed the thickness of the forest to consume me. Trademarked property of J.Evo, exclusively on Wattpad.

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Meanwhile....

Alpha Maddox's POV

Luce paced my mind as I carried an old shewolf, Hestia, to the pack house. She was the slowest and most vulnerable of the group that traveled from the Northernmost region of Night Fang, and I refused to let her fall behind. Despite the relatively small attacks that plagued the distant border, I hadn't taken Nyx's warning for granted. I personally delivered the message of war this morning to the small band of pack wolves living in the area. I sent a small group of warriors to assist until I could get there.

At the brief mention of my—the Rogue, our brief interaction earlier began to replay in my mind.

I rubbed my bloody hands on my shredded pants as I walked down the quiet, restricted floor of the hospital. Luce's distracting energy filtered through my veins as I twisted the brass knob to the Rouges' hospital room.

Nyx was perched on the edge of her brother's bed, her back to me as she looked out of the uncovered window, seemingly at peace for once. She turned around as I entered the room, her onyx curls bouncing as she regarded me. There was an angelic contrast between her inky coils and her warm, honeyed skin. Even her burn scars added to its complexity.

Her pupils dilated as she took a deep breath that parted her plump, pouty, pink lips. The hazel of her irises took on an electrifying grey pulse as they quickly traveled down the length of my body, taking extra time over each claw mark and bite that dotted my exposed torso.

Luce puffed his chest out with pride at his mate's attention while I remained otherwise passive, somehow knowing that she wished to see me in more pain. Her perfectly curved eyebrow arched as she found my eyes again, subtly scooting closer to her unconscious brother. I fought to dampen the growl that threatened to escape my throat at the thought of her protecting another male. Regardless of what she referred to him as he did not share her blood, and that was something my wolf refused to forget.

"What b—" she started to question.

My thoughts were interrupted as multiple mindlinks began to push at the edges of my mind, desperate to be heard. I quickened my pace to the packhouse as I sorted through the unique signatures that accompanied each mindlink, searching for the most urgent.

"Deimos," I commanded as I allowed him my attention.

"Alpha, the Rogues have infiltrated the Southern border. Half of the Council Warriors have already died. We are faring to uphold our line, but realistically, we will not be able to keep this up much longer," he explained, sounding strained as if he was currently fighting.

"Your Beta and a fleet of pack warriors are already en route to provide support. They will be there within the next five minutes. As the Council's appointed warriors, I expect you to hold your own until then, as does the Council Elders," I sternly answered before cutting off the mindlink, leaving no room for argument.

I wasn't ignorant of their claims to have the strength and power to overthrow me. Luce often found the thought amusing. I allowed it to give peace of mind to my pack as I worked to regain their trust after my last mistake. However, it was time for the Council Warriors to prove their worth or die trying.

I sorted for the next mindlink as Hestia clung to me as my quickened strides jostled her. The most unexpected mindlink commanded my attention as the wolf repeatedly tried to break through.

"Nikias, wh—" I started, shocked that the wolf was conscious as I had just seen him unresponsive earlier.

"Pardon my interruption, Alpha. But this is urgent," he pressed.

"Speak," I allowed as the pack house became visible, only a few miles ahead.

"We must mobilize all warriors. The Rogues are attacking! They are not like...our usual...Rogues," he explained as his mindlink started to waver.

"Nikias!" I called out, struggling to sort through his jumbling message.

"The Rogues...are...synchronizing. They...are...infiltrating...every...cardinal...border...all at...once."

Author: The chapters ahead will mostly include scenes of violence. This is your warning. Thanks for reading!