There was whisper of movement.
Autumn’s hand, pale and shaking, lifted like a dying leaf on the breeze. Her fingers curled weakly around Velor’s forearm, barely able to grasp, but firm in intent.
Velor’s brows shot up.
Her lips trembled, and she struggled to raise her head even a fraction. Her voice was no more than a hint of a breath.
Autumn’s fingers...so weak, still trembling...found Velor’s sleeve. She tugged it with her dying strength.He jerked forward, taken by surprise.
For the first time since he had scooped her up, his demeanor faltered. His gaze flicked down to her pale face, her lips parted in shallow breaths trying to word something.
She pulled him closer because she couldn’t get any louder no matter how much she tried. .
His breath hitched. " Alpha Velor..." Her eyes fluttered. "There is...one..."
Velor leaned closer, frowning. "What?"
Her grip tightened, or tried to. "There is one amongst those rogues." Her grip faltered. "Don’t kill him... Dreck... One of them... his name... Dreck... Don’t...kill..."
Her voice drifted into a wisp. Her body slackened. The light in her eyes dimmed as unconsciousness dragged her down.
Her arm fell on her sides as her body went limp.
Velor’s arms tightened around her instinctively, his pulse roaring in his ears. For a heartbeat, he just stared at her...at the blood smeared across her lips, the way her lashes fluttered against her cheeks.
Then he quickly looked away, shaking his head before adjusting her back on the seat.
He stared at her for a beat more, processing, then let out a long sigh.
"Damn woman," he muttered, adjusting the blanket again over her shoulders like he was tucking in a child. "You really are something."
Right at that moment...a gun cocked outside.
The rogues whimpered.
"On your knees," a guard barked.
Velor’s jaw clenched.
His voice cut through the mindlink like a blade..."Spare the one named Dreck."
The guards paused, taking in the command.
The air was sharp with bloodlust.
The rogues still trembled, crouched low, eyes wide, as the guards stopped closing in.
Halberds were ready. Pistols were cocked. The sharp ring of steel still sang through the air like a war hymn.
"Please, spare us!We had no idea...please don’t kill us..."
The guard’s finger hovered over the trigger, pressed against Dreck’s forehead.
Dreck didn’t beg like the rest.
Just closed his eyes...
...but the shot never came at him.
The guards had shot a tree behind him, splintering the bark.
The rogues jerked back, blinking at the sudden diversion.
The guard lowered the gun, scanning the rogues with narrowed eyes.
"Who amongst you is called Dreck?" he snarled. "He dies first."
A shove. A pointed finger.Desperation made them animals.
Dreck didn’t resist. Didn’t even open his eyes as he was yanked by the collar and shoved out of the circle, stumbling into the clearing.
"Take him! Just spare us!"
Dreck didn’t move as the guard seized him by the forelock, dragging him forward. The other rogues scrambled away like rats abandoning a sinking ship.
The guard shoved Dreck to his knees...then fired three rounds into the dirt at his feet.
Dreck’s body jerked with each shot, but he didn’t scream.
"Run," the guard growled. "Run for your life. You have been forgiven." A cruel smile. "Don’t dare turn back on our lands. Ever."
Dreck didn’t hesitate.
"PLEASE SPARE US TOO!"
Howls turned to gurgles.
Dreck didn’t look back.
The wet thuds of bodies hitting the earth.
The squelch of blades finding homes in flesh.
The last, choked scream of the rogue leader...And then the screams.
The dying howls of his brothers.
His chest heaved as he stood at the edge of the tree line.
The smell of blood soaked the air.
He looked back...just once.
Saw nothing but black armor and red mist.
Just the distant caw of crows and the scent of iron heavy in the air filled his senses.
And Dreck’s lungs burned.
Not yet. Not yet. Not until the scent of blood faded.
Not until the echoes of gunfire dissolved into the wind.
Trees blurred past him. Branches lashed his arms, leaving thin red welts. His boots pounded against the earth, kicking up dirt and dead leaves in his wake. He ran like the hounds of hell were at his heels...because in his mind, they still were.
The crows had followed him for a while. Then even they grew bored.
Finally... he spotted their campsite.
Half hidden in the shadow of the mountains, nestled between jagged rocks and some old pines. A single wooden cabin, its windows dark, its door hanging slightly ajar.
He crashed through the door like a wounded animal, slamming it shut behind him. His back hit the wood, his chest heaving. His hands shook so badly he couldn’t even grip the handle.
The door swung open behind him.
A woman stood there, silhouetted against the moon light.Lean. Sexy! Eyes like flint.
"Dreck?" Vera’s voice was sharp. "What happened? You came back alone? "
Dreck didn’t answer. Couldn’t. His throat was raw.
She stepped inside, kicking the door shut. "Where are the rest?Where’s Martin? " She referred to the Rogue leader,who she had taken as a partner for the time being.
A pause. Then, came her voice even colder."Where’s the kill you went for?"
Dreck swallowed. His tongue felt like sandpaper.
"Gone," he rasped. "All dead."
Moments passed before she spoke once more.
"What do you mean all dead?"
Her voice wasn’t grief stricken. Wasn’t horrified.
Dreck flinched. "We...we stepped into Bloodfang territory. We didn’t know..."
"You did what?" Vera’s hand shot out, grabbing his collar and yanking him forward. "You idiots crossed into pack lands?"
Dreck didn’t fight her grip. "We sniffed a woman. We thought...we thought she was just a rogue. But she wasn’t. She was theirs."
Vera’s grip tightened. "Whose?"
"The Alpha’s." Dreck’s voice cracked. "Vera, we...we hurt her. Bad. And then he came."
A flicker in Vera’s eyes. Something dark. Something calculating.
"Alpha Velor?You fuckers attacked Alpha Velor’s mate?"
Vera released him with a shove. " I should have known you were nothing more than a bunch of headless brutes! Fuck! And here I was waiting for my next hot meal! "
She turned away, running a hand through her hair. "And he killed them all?" She asked not looking at Dreck!
"Every last one." Dreck’s knees gave out. He slumped against the wall. "Except me."
Vera whirled back, one brow arched. " And why would be that? "