Considering it was six against one, I doubted I’d last very long.
Expanding my arms to make myself look bigger, I leaned forward and snarled
back at the wolf, hoping my aggression would hinder theirs, but it just made them
jump and snarl more. Camaro barked and whined behind my legs, and it only made
the pack bark back. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, making my body shake
with terror as I strategized internally on how to survive this. I came up with shit.
On its last snarl, the alpha wolf finally took off in a run and leaped into the air,
teeth and claws headed straight for my face. Instinctively bringing my arm up, the
wolf’s teeth latched onto my arm, its jaws clamping down with enough pressure to
make my scream cause an avalanche. Pain electrocuted through my forearm as its
teeth sunk into my skin, even through the thick barriers of my coat, and no matter
how many times I bashed my fist into its head and neck, it never let go. It was going
to kill me. I was going to die by a pack of fucking wolves. Fuck.
But the piercing sound of a bullet ripping through the air suddenly silenced
everything. The weight of the wolf fell over my body, and the sounds of more shots
echoed through the trees quickly followed by the sounds of yelps and crunching
snow. Immediately shoving the now dead wolf off me, I watched as blood drained
from its side, a bullet wound the size of a golf ball burst from its thick black fur. Its
belly rose and deflated several times before it stopped, and a final breath of hot air
left its snout.
I clutched my bleeding arm to my chest, hearing the sound of footsteps quickly
crunching through the snow, but I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the dead wolf.
My name echoed in the background, but I couldn’t focus on where it was coming
from or whose voice it was. All I could do was stare at the dead wolf that had taken
my place.
“Jaden!” I heard someone call, and it was only a few seconds more before I was
hauled to my feet and shaken back to reality. “What the fuck are you doing out
here!?”
My breath caught in my lungs as I looked up at Darren’s extremely livid face. I
couldn’t find my words. His hands were gripping my upper arms, keeping me
steady, but it didn’t stop my body from shaking in absolute terror.
“Where are your bodyguards?!” he shouted, making me wince, and I tried to
focus on forming words.
“I … I don’t know,” I whispered.
“Look at me,” he ordered, but his gloved hands wrapped around my face, tilting
my head up and gave me little room to argue. “Are you hurt?” His eyes scanned
wildly up and down my body, searching for injuries until he finally saw the blood
seeping through my coat.
“My arm,” I murmured.
And then two more shots reverberated off the trees, making me jump. Darren
remained unfazed, his eyes only focused on my arm.
“Shit,” he muttered under his breath as he gently took my arm in his hands.
And then he went back to being angry. “Why are you alone? How the fuck did you
get out here?” he asked. He was furious. I could feel it coming off his skin and
seeping into mine like venom, and I had to fess up to that.
“I s-snuck out,” I mumbled quietly before turning my eyes away, unable to take
the heat anymore. Fuck, my arm hurt.
“Goddammit,” he murmured under his breath and pulled me to his chest. My
instinct was to hold him tighter, but I could barely move. My eyes looked up toward
his shoulder and came into contact with the rifle strung over his back. And that was
when I realized Darren was the one who fired the shot. He’d actually saved my life;
something I never thought in a million years would ever happen. What the fuck had
I done?
“I’m sorry,” I said, my tears now filling my voice as I released my fear through
my eyes.
He sighed heavily and then released me.
“I got two more,” I heard another voice say in the distance. It must have been
Scott. “Lost the rest when they crossed the river.” That was when I looked over a
noticed two more dead wolves laying in the snow.
“We’ll check the area later for more. Right now, I need to get her back. Here,
take the dog,” Darren commanded, reaching down for Camaro and handing her to
Scott after he’d lifted the dead wolf over his shoulder.
“No,” I replied quietly in protest. I didn’t want to give her up. I was afraid she’d
be gone for good.
“Quiet,” Darren ordered sternly, shutting me up without argument. “Put
Romero and Alex in my office and find their replacements. I’ll deal with them after
I’m done with this one,” he said nodding at me.
I sucked in a breath. I knew I was fucked.
“Come on, we need to take care of your arm. Keep
