Chapter 6

VIOLET’S POV My throat tightened on its own as the rogues emerged, moving like a force I knew I couldn’t reckon with. The disdain they carried for anything but themselves was thick in the air, and I tried to swallow the fear that rose up. “Careful Vi or they’ll kill us.” Aria warned, already pushing herself forward so that she could take control anytime she wanted. “But they are here to kill us.” I snapped at her without meaning to. The stench of decay filled my lungs, and bile rose up from my stomach as they got closer. It was as if I could even see the putrid smell hanging in the air from how bad it was, and if I were to inhale more of it, I feared I would rot myself. I stood frozen in my place, unmoving, desperately wanting more than anything to be invisible to them. I was even too afraid to breathe, but my lungs needed air-Pure, clean air. Just when it looked like I might make it out alive by staying still, a rogue sprung out from my left side. I let out an ear-piercing scream upon seeing him, barely ducking in time when he swiped his claws just inches away from my face. The mere thought that I would not only be disfigured made me shiver in fear, and while I crouched to the ground, I was grateful for the moments I took in secret to train at the training field. I was thankful for my interests in learning to defend myself and the risks I took into learning a thing or two. This rogue was massive, like twice the size of a normal werewolf, and his fur was the definition of thick, dirty, and dangerous. And those claws…….. they were disgustingly huge, like they had been dipped into a pool of blood and never washed, from the quick glance that I got. His eyes shot down to where I was and my heart leaped in fear. They were bloodshot, and he looked hungry for my blood as if it was his sole source of nutrition. Growling, he snapped his teeth at me and swiped his claws once again at me. Quite as easily as I knew how, I dodged his moves, seeing how slow he was, and I took the chance to move away to avoid having him towering over me. “Give me control.” Aria commanded. Before I could argue, she seized it without waiting for my response. She delved into my memories, utilizing my knowledge effortlessly to keep us both alive, making me stand at the back of my mind. The giant wolf in front of me lunged, hoping to use his weight to overpower and pin me down, and he snapped his teeth – long, unbrushed and disgusting. If I don’t die from his attacks, I’d definitely die from the smell of his breath. I thought and I heard Aria snicker as she used her footing, stepping onto his back and jumping high to grab onto a trunk that looked about to break. Using her weight and the gravitational pull, she used the piece of wood to smack him on the head with it making the animal growl in frustration and pain. Just a brief moment and she saw an opening, without warning, and as if on cue, she gave me back full control. I knew what was on her mind and I grabbed the rogues large neck, my fingers barely making it halfway through its fur, and I knew I was going to have a hard time wiping off the smell, and for the first time since my shift, I let my claws out so fast the rogue didn’t see it coming. His eyes widened as blood gushed out from how deeply I had sliced his throat. It was like he couldn’t believe I could take him down, yet here we were. Exhaustion, pain, anger-All of these emotions seemed nothing yet everything. He fell limply on the floor, and I moved to the side, wiping my hands on my dirty dress. But this wasn’t over. It couldn’t be that easy; I was certain of it. “Watch out Vi!” Aria warning snapped me back to alertness. Power surged from goddess knew where, and I stood ready to fight until my last breath if I needed to. I’m not going down without a fight. I said internally with a grunt determination filling me up. “And you won’t have to Vi, but three against one isn’t the smartest fights.” Aria noted and I agreed, but what could we do? I didn’t have the strength to run away and relying on her strength would exhaust her eventually. Snarls, snapping of teeth and growling from time to time were the only sounds in the air. And it competed with the thumping of my heart that rang in my ears. They were taller, bigger and deadlier. Every ounce of motivation I had felt a second ago evaporated. Even motivation had its own fear and I was left vulnerable knowing I could die. My hands were by my side, trembling as I backed away. The hatred in those red, scarred eyes were palpable. They began to circle me, a motion that was beginning to get me dizzy, making me hiss in annoyance at the act. Though they were in wolf form, I could see the smirk that they had as they watched me hungrily. My ears rang for a moment before straining themselves to catch the movements the beasts before me were about to make. Perhaps, if they attacked one after the other, I would be able to take them down, but if they so much as moved together, I would be done for. My trainings were at a one-on-one basis. Never had I ever had to train with others to have an idea for how I was supposed to handle a situation like this, but I had to try, right? I refuse to die without a fight. I told myself again, keeping my senses sharp for any movements. They moved in sync, and I mentally cursed, knowing that this could be the end. It made me wonder if anyone was going to know that I had at least taken down a rogue before I died, and if I was going to be buried or left to rot because I was a traitor’s daughter. The one in the middle growled at me, as a warning, and I could swear a part of me could understand what he was warning me over. It was almost as if he wanted me to move out of the way but if I were to, who were they going to attack? That was until I realized that I wasn’t by the tree which sheltered me from the rain anymore. I was now dangerously close to the border, less than ten steps away from it. The aching in my legs returned, but I continued to stand, pushing my attention away from the pain and keeping them on the rogues in front of me instead. My ears perked up, turning like that of a cat’s, at the rustling noise behind me. First, it was quiet, and then it got loud pretty quickly, causing my heart to jump with the rest of my body. The rogues charged at me, and to my luck, they didn’t all at once, and I knew the moment I had a slight opening to kill them, I was going to take it without thinking twice. Punching the first one’s jaw felt like I was punching a wall. Fuck that hurts. I cursed mentally. I grew tired of being on the defense and I decided to be the attacker this time. I couldn’t shift because I hadn’t fought in wolf form before, and I needed to keep us alive long enough until we got away. However, I realized that these monsters weren’t even trying hard enough to take me out. I didn’t know how I could tell but that same warning growl was sent my way and my movements slowed. Another rattling sound and they too were on alert, crouching to the ground, ready to lunge into an attack. I’m in their way. I realized. I turned around, knowing I wasn’t the one they wanted even though I could be killed for standing in their way and I saw another wolf whimpering, bloodied and badly injured. “They aren’t here for us or the pack. They want him.” I said to Aria who nodded in agreement. This wolf was massive. I mean, three of the sizes combined and he could easily take them down if he wanted to but his wounds…. He’s not going to make it. I realized and I felt the heavy weight of responsibility grip me. I didn’t know who he was, and if he was going to kill me after this, but I had to help him. His wounds evidently looked poisoned, and these malicious rogues would feast on him if he didn’t get help. Just as they lunged forward, my legs moved and I stood in front of them when a sharp pain shot through my body and darkness took over.