Rogue Eight

Battles

Chapter Two:  Battles

Madeline

“Who said anything about forcing the Rogue 8 to join us?” Kristoff innocently questioned before peering around, his tone darkening once more, “And more importantly, Beta, why are you here alone?  I would have expected Beast at very least.”

“Beast?  Wow!  He must hate his real name too!  Wonder if he is as huge as the name implies?  Bet I could still take him,” Tink’s voice hummed out. 

“SHHH!” I quickly responded.  The longer this conversation went on between the two Betas, the more concerned I grew. 

“Alpha Nicholas was called out to an issue in the East,” Gavin coolly stated, “When we heard of the kidnapping with the Soaring Wind pack, I came to offer my services to help retrieve the girl.”

I didn’t like the way Kristoff’s expression mischievously turned as he interrogated further, “And your Alpha approved this?  For you to rescue the girl by yourself?”

“Of course not!” Gavin scoffed, but even I could see his expression was waning with his words, “They are on their way as we speak.  I came ahead to give us a head start on preparing for her retrieval.  I am very capable however of taking care of myself.  Otherwise, I would not be the Beta of the Crescent Moon pack!”

“Oh I am well aware of your capabilities, Gavin,” Kristoff icily replied, folding his arms in front of him with a tight smile forming across his lips, “But I am also aware that your Alpha is still very protective of you.  You are after all, an orphan taken in by his family.  Raised like brothers from a very early age, no?  I don’t believe I have ever been aware of you traveling alone, even if you do come from a long line of Betas…although all of them murdered from what my Alpha tells me…perhaps that is Alpha Nicholas’ reasoning.”

Gavin’s jaw ticked hard at Kristoff’s last statement before angrily demanding, “Leave, Kristoff!  Now!  I am sure whomever was coming to retrieve their p*****t from the Rogue 8 has long gone thanks to your presence!  You are merely wasting your time…and mine!”

“I don’t think so,” Kristoff chuckled as he leisurely strolled over to the base of the knotted tree and sat down, “We would have smelled them, would we not?  And the only scent I have smelled is yours.”

Her silence ended as Tink chuckled in my mind, “That’s because we have a Raven and you don’t!”

“I don’t feel good about this, M.” Vivian warned.

I agreed, “I don’t either.”

“You say the word, M,” Tink assured, “I’ve got yours and Vivvy’s backs.  Got tall, dark, and muscles’ back too.”

“Hold tight, Tink,” I advised. 

Gavin was silent for a moment, hopefully alerting his Alpha to the situation.  His eyes darted with fury to Kristoff as he seethed, “Last warning!  You are on forbidden land, Kristoff.  Alpha Nicholas will be here momentarily.  He is ordering you to leave…NOW!”

Kristoff didn’t say a word.  He simply looked past Gavin towards his men.  Within seconds, two of his pack looked at him with steel eyes before maneuvering behind two more and snapping their necks, sending their lifeless bodies to the ground with loud thuds.  The rest of his pack stood frozen as they looked from the dead bodies back to their leader with knowing gazes. 

Gavin sucked in a sharp breath at what unfolded before him as his jaw dropped momentarily.  “What the hell are you doing?” he shouted, bringing his gaze back to Kristoff.

“Well, you see, I’ve grown tired of our little game while waiting for these rogues to show up,” Kristoff smirked, “So, I suppose it is time for Plan B.”

Gavin’s dark brown hair bristled as he cautiously asked the same question currently running through my head, “Plan B?”

“Yes,” Kristoff imminently loomed, a look of satisfaction expanding over his face as he explained, “Seeing as there will apparently be no meeting with the Rogue 8 today, I am forced to proceed with our other plan to obtain their talent…by staging an ambush.  I’m afraid they are just too vital to our pack and our plans.”

“You can’t be serious!” Gavin spat back, “Alpha Roman is setting himself up for destruction!  The Council will tear him apart!”

“I think not,” Kristoff chided as he and his men began to close ranks, “Upon hearing that the Rogue 8 killed two of my new unexperienced men and the very capable and noble Beta of Crescent Moon who tried to save them?  Simply because they were found out and felt threatened that their secrecy had been exposed?  Your Alpha will not tolerate their presence here any longer.  There will be a bounty on their heads and they will be hunted down by everyone, including the Council.  They will either join us—or die..”

Gavin was dumbfounded—as was I—his voice hoarse as he forced out the words that we both knew were true, “This was your plan all along.”

“M?” Vivian jolted my brain with her intense fear-ridden link.

“Oh, HELL NO!” Tink’s angry sneer followed.

I had no reply for them.  I couldn’t even move.  So many scenarios were flooding through my mind, leaving me in a frozen stunned silence.  The one thing I knew for sure was that now, all of our lives were dangling in the balance whether we fought today…or were forced at some point in the very near future. 

As he stood up, Kristoff nodded to his men who instantly shifted to their wolves.  A wide grin spread across his face as Kristoff barked out, “Time to die, orphan!  Shame your Alpha won’t make it in time.  And just so you know?  We know exactly where your pack is!  I have waited for this day longer than you realize.”

In a fleeting moment, Kristoff lunged towards Gavin, shifting into his powerful wolf in mid-air as the rest of his pack started towards Gavin, who flipped backwards in an furious mid-air shift as well, bravely landing in a low crouch, readily facing them all for battle.

Frozen no longer, I ferociously jumped from my perch shifting as I fell towards the ground, “GO TINK!  NOW!”

Soaring through the air, I was battling myself while second guessing my decision to join this battle to protect my family and help the endangered Beta.  Kristoff’s threat to our very existence while real, was something I knew we could overcome.  We were a group of she-wolves after all.  Males tended to automatically assume women could never be a threat, especially the magnitude of danger the Rogue 8’s reputation alluded to.  They would automatically begin searching for a pack of male rogues.  Between that and the fact that Raven was a very talented witch who had developed a potion that cloaked our scents making us essentially invisible to other wolves and had shielded our home with a powerful protection spell, I felt quite positive that my family would be safe.   The only thing that would change is how we managed to make money to survive and the devastation that would be felt throughout my family having to give up doing something we loved. 

 So why couldn’t I retreat?

I knew the answers…starting with the word “orphan”.  When I heard Kristoff say that Gavin was an orphan, it opened old wounds.  I was unaware that the Crescent Moon Beta was an orphan who was taken in by the Alpha’s family.   I knew what it was like to be an orphan…all the girls did.  That’s how we came together to form our own family.  I felt for anyone who had to endure that kind of loss and void in their life.  Then, there was the knowledge that we were the reason for the trap that would result in Gavin’s death and none of his massive pack was anywhere near us.  I knew what we had to do—this was the right thing to do!

By the time my white paws hit the ground, Tink had already infiltrated the fight, tearing the head off one of the wolves as her auburn wolf barreled into the middle of them.  Her momentum and wide powerful girth sent two more of them flailing backwards towards the ground, landing hard on their backs.  Bewildered eyes flashed before me as loud angry growls filled the air upon entering the battleground.  I felt the earth shake beneath me slightly as Vivian’s light grey wolf landed right behind me.  We immediately went to work on Kristoff’s men.

I turned and charged at a wolf to my left with Vivian charging to the right to help Tink, who was now dealing with the angry duo of wolves she had sent flying just moments earlier.  One was quite larger than she was and undoubtedly more experienced than his counterpart, allowing the other wolf to dominate Tink’s attention with a barrage of careless strikes while he waited to strike from behind, landing a vicious blow to her head before Vivian could reach them.

 “Tink!  You okay?” Vivian cried out. 

“Fine!  Claws missed me!  I’ll just have a ‘pad’ of a headache in the morning.  Hurry up and get this scrawny one!  Big man is MINE!  JERK!” Tink gruffly responded.

While they shared the same stunned initial reaction to our entrance as the rest of the wolves, the pause in Kristoff’s quest to kill Gavin only lasted for a moment.  He left his men to deal with us as he advanced on his prey.  Snarling heavily, Kristoff quickly regained Gavin’s attention as he charged towards him.  His long muscular legs covered in a thick black coat of coarse fur swiftly carried him into Gavin’s awaiting wall of muscle, their snouts crashing against one other as their front paws began a fury of attacks.  Gavin pierced Kristoff and clawed completely down his neck while Kristoff managed to gash Gavin’s ribs heavily.  Neither of them flinched at their wounds as blood began dripping onto the dirt beneath them, nor did either slow in their attack.

My target was bracing himself for our confrontation as I raced towards him.  Much like his Beta, he gave off the appearance of arrogant confidence, something I knew would require a bit of cunning ingenuity to defeat.

I leapt into the air and he reacted exactly as expected, his mouth opening to reveal elongated teeth ready to clamp down into my skin as I descended.  I could tell he knew I was a she-wolf, already deeming me to be one of his casualties.  What he didn’t expect was for me to stop short of his position and roll underneath him, sinking my own elongated fangs into his chest and using the force of my arrival to send him barreling violently into a tree behind us.  My eyes zeroed in on his neck as I stormed towards him again.  I saw Gavin in my peripheral, his silky deep grey fur was now matted with the red I loathed all over.  I knew I had to finish my work quickly to help him fend off Kristoff, who evidently had gotten the upper hand.  

My eyes focused solely on my opposing wolf’s jugular and before he could stand up to defend himself, my teeth reached their destination and sank deep into his neck as I instantaneously jerked my head sideways to rip out his throat leaving him lifeless beneath me. 

I peered over towards Tink and Vivian to make sure they were okay as I made my way towards Gavin and Kristoff.  Vivian was goading her target, easily dodging his onslaught of repetitive swipes, tiring him out while she calculated her own deadly strike.   Tink was having a more intricate and problematic battle with the Big Man.  It wasn’t often someone could rival her fighting skills, but this jerk was proving to be a more difficult victory for her.  Just as I was beginning to worry, however, a familiar voice filtered through my brain.

“I know you prefer I don’t partake in person for the party as of late ladies, but I believe this is one of those times my presence is required and my methods of transport necessary.  Especially with injuries in our ranks.” Raven’s soft voice quickly chided, “Now let’s end this, shall we?  Get ready for these wolves to be in their human form once more!”

No sooner had the words left her mouth—before I could protest—Kristoff and the remaining two wolves began shifting back to their human forms.  I looked up to find Kristoff on top of Gavin about to deliver yet another blow to his ribcage but as his clawed paw powerfully came down, it transformed into a hand that was no longer able to break skin.  It didn’t seem to matter, however, as Gavin’s injuries were worse than I thought leaving him motionless on the ground. 

For all of our sakes, I prayed he was still breathing…