Beasts of The North

Chapter Eighteen

I leapt forward in an instant, my teeth latching onto the lead wolf. I was going for his soft neck, trying to catch him by surprise and rip out his throat before the fight even began. He twisted to the side just in time, keeping my teeth from his throat and instead I grabbed onto the scruff of his neck. I did my best with the position that I had him in. He wriggled underneath me, but I put my full weight onto this wolf. His teeth snapping wildly around me as he tried to escape. I stayed on top of him, determined to hold him down. I had faith in Alpha Christian's ability to quickly fight off the other two wolves while I held this one to the ground, hoping to bring a quick end to the fight. I ground my teeth into his skin and he yowled in pain.

I stole a glance back to see Alpha Christian fighting off the other two wolves, but they all heard the lead wolf's cry. One continued to distract him, while the other headed straight for me. Even with my faith in Alpha Christian taking on both wolves, he couldn't hold both of them back at the same time. I couldn't continue to hold this wolf down with another heading my way. I jumped off of the wolf under me, making sure to dig my claws into him as I did so. I wasn't familiar with fighting werewolves, but a fight was still a fight. I knew that weakening them before the final strike was the only way I would make it out of this. I couldn't afford to try to take them head on now, that first strike was all I had and it failed.

I bent down and growled, assessing my opponents as they did the same to me. They moved to circle me, but I didn't budge. I snapped my teeth back and forth at both of them, warning them to back off. Luna Tyrra was still in the den behind me. I don't know if they could smell her or not, with the scent of smoke still fresh and how deep into the den she was. I wasn't about to give them an open opportunity if I could help it. Unfortunately, they noticed my stance and reluctance to let them near the den. They knew I was hiding something, someone. The second one of them got too close to the den for my liking, and I lunged. He was caught off guard by my attack, clearly more interested in whatever I might be hiding.

I clamped down on his neck and got lucky. The center of his throat was at my feet in seconds. He let a low whimper loose and his life blood coated the white forest floor. It was only a moment before his death came. A second howl sounded throughout the woods, closer now. Our back up was nearly here. The wolf that Alpha Christian was fighting let out snarl, furious at his companion's loss, and his odds lowering further. It was all happening so quickly. Every other battle that I had fought in the past was slower, more calculated, except for the bear. Those animals were fighting to live. These wolves were fighting to kill.

I paused for just a moment, to ensure my opponent's death when I realized I heard nothing from the lead wolf, the other one I was fighting. He made no sounds of grief at his pack mate's death and no move to attack in those moments that I stole the other's life. I shot up to my feet, my head looking around wildly, and caught the end of his tail as he entered my den. He used his pack mate's death as a distraction, a heartless and cowardly move. Luna Tyrra was now in grave danger.

I immediately bolted into the den, my feet moving so quickly that my back paws scraped against the backs of my front legs. My muscles clenched in pain from how quickly I moved. I entered just in time to see the lead wolf standing menacingly in front of the frightened Luna. I let loose a low growl that rumbled throughout the den. The sound sent the blood coating my jaws dripping to the floor with the vibrations it made. The wolf turned and faced me, his teeth showing his distaste at the death of his friend. His intent was clear. I murdered one of his, he intended to repay the favor. He flipped around and lunged for Luna Tyrra. He went straight for her throat, and she was too scared, too inexperienced to do anything about it. I jumped into the path of his jaws at the last moment. His teeth catching just near my neck, on my left shoulder. I yelped in pain, but quickly brushed it off.