Torn Between Mates

#14 A wait so long

Riven howled in agony. He felt like someone had stabbed him in his heart with a sharp blade. His heart raced on hearing a loud and clear scream for help. He knew it was Ella.

He knew he wasn't far from her. Her essence was all over the place, intoxicating him. It was also making him restless. He had to find her as soon as possible.

Riven growled, speeding his way as he heard Ella's screams again. He wasn't sure if it was in his head or if he could hear her clearly. But she wasn't far away. He realized they had gotten too deep inside the forest. Were those wolves back? She must be in danger. It made him impatient and restless as he sprinted like a possessed wolf.

"Crack..." He heard a bullet sound. For a second, he stopped, realizing the gravity of the situation. He didn't want to even think that something had happened to Ella. He closed his eyes to stop imagining things. With even more need, he sprinted in the direction of the noise.

"Ella..." His wolf called out, trying to reach her. When he didn't hear anything, he got even more anxious. He knew it was impossible to contact her since she was a lowly omega from a different pack. But he had really hoped to hear back from her. It was disappointing and worrisome.

When Riven showed up in front of the wolves from behind the tree, he let out an angry growl to warn the unwanted wolves. They turned to face him, hissing, taking a position to fight. Riven marked the spy wolf from the bar that he, Mateo, and Tina were following the day he met Ella for the first time. He snarled at the malicious wolf, showing his teeth.

"f**k!" Riven groaned in horror when he heard another bullet, shifting to his human form in bewilderment.

Ella was growling at the wolves a moment ago. In a second, things turned upside down. A bullet pierced through her right in front of him. She didn't even notice he was there. Why didn't she dodge it? Why didn't he prevent it from hitting her? He had a chance to survive the attack since he was an alpha wolf with better healing abilities. She was a lowly omega. She won't be able to survive it. Riven felt a volcano erupt inside him. He wanted to run to her, but a random stupid wolf attacked him, blocking his path.

"Ella..." he screamed to her helplessly. She was lying in a pool of blood, struggling to stay awake. He could see she wanted to live desperately. He sought to reach her and help her. But one or the other wolf blocked his path.

A strong reddish wolf jumped on him. But he was good. He did not waste a second and jumped at it, shifting back to his wolf midair before biting the wolf's neck. And just like that, he was dead.

Three more wolves surrounded him from three sides, while a few positioned themselves in a defensive stance. Dan was the only one who ran away. The other wolves covered for him while he escaped. They were more heinous than rogues. They were betraying their pack. Riven promised to find their leader and burn that traitor alive in the middle of Cynthia as an example.

One wolf attacked Riven, hissing at him ferociously, showing off his bloodied teeth. Riven gnarled, warning him. He was not in the mood to fight. He wanted to reach Ella and take her to the pack hospital. His golden eyes sent deadly glares at the wolf. But the stupid wolf launched an attack, anyway. Riven pierced his heart in one snap. His dead body hit the ground with a thud. Blood dripped from Riven's mouth, making him look dangerous and invincible. His presence radiated a strong and powerful aura, frightening the rest of the wolves. The other wolves winced a bit, seeing the incredible beast in front of them, taking a step back out of reflex.

The other two wolves overcame the fear, attacking together. Riven was fast enough to dodge them swiftly. But that's when another sound of a gunshot followed. This time the bullet was aimed at Riven. But he dragged one of the wolves to cover him. He died on the spot because it hit him in the middle of the head. He groaned, glowering at the third one now. In one swift movement, his heart fell out of his body.

No one dared to stop Riven from going near Ella. They moved back slowly. But something was keeping them from running away as well. They were afraid. A few even shifted to their human form to hide behind the trees or bushes.

Riven crouched near Ella, screaming at the top of his lungs. Her pulse had gotten faint. It was a miracle she was still alive. Perhaps the bullet didn't touch her heart. He took a deep breath, deciding to fight against their fate. Either she was going to live, or he was going to go on a rampage. Either way, her death seemed like a dead end to him. He had never felt so enraged. He had seen more dead bodies than he could remember. Tears escaped his eyes as she lay in front of him like a lifeless body, fighting for every breath.

One of the wolves used this opportunity to pull out his gun at Riven. It only infuriated him at maddening levels. The black wolf was fast enough to rip it off his hand. And then he ripped off his head. It was expensive for the other terrified wolves. They made a run to escape out of the region. They knew no one would survive if they stayed behind to face the wrath of the most powerful alpha.

Riven did not want to pursue them. All he wanted was to protect Ella. He shifted to his human form, scooping Ella in his arms. He pulled her closer to his heart, shedding tears for her, even without realizing it. He needed to save her to be able to live. He ran as fast as he could towards the pack, carrying her.

The scream baffled Chloe when she was following Riven. She stopped her chase and left to save herself. She could sense danger from an unwarranted situation. She didn't want to die.

But on her way back, she saw Levi and many fighter wolves rushing toward the source. They were running towards the howl, confused and bewitched. Chloe kept staring at them from behind a bush, surprised at what could have intimidated them about the situation. She gasped when the unimaginable notion crossed her mind that they could hear the scream from so much distance.

Chloe's eyes goggled out, and her jaws hung low in shock when she realized she hadn't imagined the white wolf. A pure wolf has returned after a thousand years. It was a miracle. She wanted to see it.

She followed Levi and the group, keeping a safe distance. She didn't want to fight unnecessary battles. She didn't want to die, a hero or not. But it left her disappointed when she saw Ella. Why was the girl again lost in the forest again when she couldn't even shift? No wonder everyone was pissed off with her. She couldn't understand what Riven saw in her. Was her helplessness attracting him? She didn't know he prefers damsels in distress these days. The Riven she remembered always liked strong women. Because of Ella, she missed the opportunity to find the white wolf.

Everyone rushed towards Riven when they saw him coming in their direction with Ella in his arms. Levi groaned in anger, shooting towards him. He clenched his fist into a ball. Was that scream for help from Ella? No wonder he felt so restless. He literally snatched Ella from Riven's hand, glaring at him.

"Stay away from her. You only bring bad luck to her! Do you want her to die? I won't allow it." Levi boomed, warning Riven to stay away from Ella, since every time they were together, Ella was hurt, fighting for her life.

Riven could not reject Levi's words. It hit him like a truck, making him stumble. He swallowed hard, blaming himself. Levi was right. It was because of him that Ella ran inside the forest.

Levi immediately arranged for Ella to get admitted to the pack hospital. The antagonism the Bluemoon members held towards Ella, especially after finding she was almost killed, didn't go unnoticed by Riven. It only increased when they discovered Levi was attending to her needs. The ugly gossip about how she was playing unfairly to get the attention of the powerful alphas was making rounds. Both Levi and Riven wanted to clear the air. But they both had their limitations. The rumors began spreading like wildfire. Their attraction, too, began flowing like wildfire in their hearts for Ella.

After a day's arrangements to strengthen the security, the Claiming event was resumed. Fighters secured the border. The event was too critical for the werewolf society to cancel. No one wanted to wait for another year because of someone like Ella.

It was Levi who stayed with Ella in the hospital. Riven would visit her when Levi wasn't around, pleading with her to wake up. No one, including the doctor, loved Ella. They did their task out of loyalty to the crown.

The doctor informed them that Ella was a lucky girl. The bullet could not have a life-threatening impact since her necklace had prevented it significantly. Also, he added that just because it was the first time she was getting in contact with silver and wolfsbane, her wolf and body had put up a lot of strength to fight it back. One thing even he could not explain was the speed at which Ella was recovering after he had removed the scraps of silver and wolfsbane from her wound. It seemed like she would stand on her two feet the next day with hardly any scar on her body. No one had imagined that Ella could have such a healing ability. Was it her strength? She finally had something to show off proudly like a wolf.

After one whole day, Ella finally opened her eyes at midnight. She had expected no one would be there. The Bluemoon pack members were more hostile, and the hatred in their eyes was evident. Surprisingly, Levi had dozed off beside her bed. Riven was standing in the corridor, watching her.

Riven moved closely toward Ella, handing her some water. She gulped them in one chuck, needing more. Riven gave her more. She was still drinking it when he moved closer to her ears and whispered, "Ella, thanks for waking up". He walked away, leaving her confused and startled. She choked on the water, coughing, as she watched his retreating figure.

Levi woke up, rushing to her side. He checked her forehead. When he realized her temperature had been subdued, he sighed with relief. He patted her back affectionately, startling her even more.

What was happening? Why were these two so attentive toward her? She kept gawking at him with surprise and doubt.

He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Ella, thanks for waking up." Her eyes got even bigger in astonishment.

What was happening? Why? Her heartbeat rose, pounding in her chest so wildly that she felt she was about to have a heart attack.