Nadia kept walking, feeling pumped up with anger. The adrenaline rush through her and her entire form shook from it. She still held the knife tightly in her hand; the zeal to thrust it into something whirled in her like a hurricane. She was furious at herself for what she allowed Angel's behaviour to turn her into. ‘If he didn't want her, she should leave!’ she thought and her anger grew. She stopped in a clearing and started to walk in a circle and then paced. Grunting like a wounded lion. The crunching of ice underfoot made her snap her attention in the direction. For a minute she hoped that that bitch Elena had followed her or some unfortunate bitch who thought they could disrespect her by flirting with her mate. The grip around the knife hilt tightened and it didn't relent when the hair on her neck bristled. She parted her legs and lowered her gaze, something primitive seemed to have awoken inside her and all her senses appeared alert. She took steady breaths as she grew attuned to the very air that hit her skin, the sounds in the woods, the indistinct voices in the distance. Something inside her warned her of something sinister underway and she was too angry to be scared.
Three pairs of feline-shaped dark eyes appeared from her right and then three black wolves prowled out from the shadowy woods. Another pair came out from her left and they span out, surrounding her.
"We heard you say you are Nadia Rufus," a voice emitted from one of the wolves, while the others snarled and bared their teeth, threateningly. Nadia couldn't tell whether the words were said aloud but she heard them.
"Let me guess, you have a problem with me being a Rufus?"
"You say that like it's a name that carries honour!" the second to the right snarled.
"It may not. But it is the only one I bear!" Nadia said with gritted teeth, feeling sick of people judging her for her association with her family.
"We want you to take a message to your uncle for us," another guttural voice said from behind her. Nadia did not bother to turn around. It was as if she had eyes now behind her head.
"He is dead. Angel killed him!" Nadia said. Her voice sounded strange; more like an animal growl than a human but she paid it no mind.
"Exactly. You will take the message to him in the underworld then!" the voice replied.
Nadia felt more than saw them move. Everything from there on happened in a blur. She felt an excruciating pain tear at her body and she howled. The pain was so profound she doubted she would survive it. And that was the last she remembered. Her body moved as if someone possessed her, tearing her nails and teeth into flesh. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. And her hands dripped with blood. The heady smell assailed her and the urge to howl again overwhelmed her.
When she paused to breathe, all the five wolves were lying on the snow-covered ground and blood was everywhere. She dropped to her knees and yelled to the moon only it wasn't a yell.
Angel felt his body grow tense right before he heard the howl. It wasn't the regular one but a cry of pain and then war and for some reason, his beast felt the strong urge to respond to it.
"Nadia!" he cried, feeling it to his guts that she was in danger.
"Angel?" Xavier called but he was already running back into the woods. He was aware that Xavier and Cole followed him and he could perceive Isabelle, Opaline and Tiana too in the woods. His heart thudded faster than normal and dread filled him up inside when he smelled her blood.
"No!" he growled, picking up speed.
When he got to the clearing, he came to an abrupt halt. Nadia was lying on the snow-covered ground, naked and covered in blood, five wolves surrounded her, lying there motionless. Angel could only hear one heart beating.
"Holy!" Xavier exclaimed under his breath.
Nadia's clothes were in shreds. A bloodied knife was by her side. Angel walked to her side and dropped to his knees almost afraid to touch her. He reached forward to sweep her soaked hair away from her face and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her tremble.
"Angel?" Isabelle called his attention and he turned anxious gazes at her. Someone had given Isabelle a jacket to drape over Nadia‘s lower body but there was a pain in his cousin's eyes that gave him pause.
"Don't tell me she is dying... I have lost too much, Isabelle," Angel heard himself plead. Tears fell from Isabelle's eyes.
"She… she turned and it looked like she was pregnant..." Opaline answered him in a whisper. Angel's eyes widened in disbelief and then he shut his eyes tightly. Pain tore through him. He felt a hand settle over his shoulder and he opened his eyes to look down at Nadia, she was trembling, and spasming in obvious pain.
"What's happening to her?" Angel asked in almost a whisper.
"She is still having the miscarriage. We need to get her to Amelie," Isabelle said. Cole cursed.
Angel nodded and scooped her up. Nadia let out a pain-filled groan. Angel lowered his face to the corner of her neck and whispered, "I'm here, darling, I got you," he said and started to run back to the house.
"Who the fucks are these Weres?!" he heard Cole ask.
"Some of the captured Weres left behind by Antonio Rufus," Hallec, Xavier's beta replied.
"They are so lucky they are dead!" Xavier said and then growled in anger.
"She killed all of them…" Hallec said in awe.
"Of course she did, she is a mate to a Wulfblood and felt cornered," Xavier replied.
Angel kept running, Isabelle, Tiana and Opaline flanked him. When they busted into the medical room. Amelie was startled into a pause. She was just finishing stitching up Wulfrun's wound. The alpha Were slowly rose to sit up. Assessed the situation and got off the examination bed, pressing a hand to his side.
"Heavens! Is that Nadia?!" Amelie asked in a panic.
"Yes," Isabelle replied as Angel gingerly placed her on the bed.
"Who did this?!" Wulfrun asked in anger.
"She killed them all," Tiana said with pride in her tone.
"They hurt her?!" Amelie asked as she started to examine her body.
"I think she turned in the process of defending herself but she um…" Isabelle explained then busted into tears.
"She is losing her child," Tiana growled.
Angel grunted in pain at the sound of those words. He found conversing was a little hard for him. The pain inside him was profound.
"Help," he growled the word at Amelie.
"Everybody out!" Amelie said. When Angel gave her a pleading look she blinked and said, "except for you, Angel, she is going to need you."
When it was just Angel and Amelie left, she added, "Help me carry her to the bathroom. I need to clean off all this blood."
Angel immediately lifted Nadia.
Between him and the doctor, they got her cleaned and Amelie examined her, and said, "I need to remove the remaining uterine tissues by performing a dilation and curettage, I'm sorry, Angel."
Angel nodded without saying a word. Amelie injected Nadia with a sedative and asked Angel to help hold her legs open as she evacuated the remains of the fetus. They wore a gown for her afterwards and Amelie placed a blanket over her body, Angel helped her to pull it to her chest.
"She is fine, there's no reason for her not to get pregnant again, I am so sorry, Angel," she said. Angel nodded. "Let me tell the others," she added and left.
Angel gazed at Nadia's pale face, beating himself up for not being attentive enough to see she was pregnant and protect her from her uncle's enemies. He figured if he had announced the part she played in helping them escape, she would not be on that bed and their child would still be alive. He had no idea if she knew she was pregnant. And he didn't even know their mating had gone far enough that she could turn. He would have told her, she could not shapeshift while carrying a child. The shifting was always too much on the body for a first-time shifter, and a fetus would not be strong enough to survive the change. He couldn't help thinking this was his fault. And he hoped this would not completely tear them apart.
He managed to lift her from the bed and climbed in with her, holding her to his body, he whispered into her hair, "I am so sorry, Nadie."
When the others came in to check on them later, he felt them in the room but didn't acknowledge them.
Isabelle came to drop a kiss on the side of his face and patted Nadia's arm. Xavier simply patted him on the back and then left.