Natasha let out a scream as she ran towards Cayden and helped him regain his balance. She said to him, "We need to get you out of here," as she looked around the room for any other potential dangers.
"I am fine! Get him!"
Cayden said those words despite the searing pain. He took a hit, but it would be some time before the poison in the bullet would render him helpless. He could still take out a few of his opponents. Cayden dove to the left as shots rang out, ripping the safe away from the wall as he did so. The window shattered just above his head. Cayden protected himself and Natasha from the falling shards of glass by raising the safe above their heads. Fred was barking and yelling instructions at the same time. During the intense battle that took place between two packs, the smell of blood and sweat filled the air like a thick blanket. When Fred shifted, he confronted one of Cayden's wolves and attacked him. Cayden made a jump for Fred while simultaneously shifting into his hybrid form.
Fred was an enormous werewolf, and his fur bristled with power and aggression. As he crouched down, his eyes were fixed on the person he was fighting against, and his muscles rippled beneath the thick coat. On the other hand, Cayden was slender and nimble, with sharp teeth that gleamed in the moonlight that was streaming in through the window. The two alphas began to snarl and growl at one another as they continued to circle each other and wait for the other to make the first move. Cayden lunged forwards suddenly, and his jaws snapped shut on nothing but air as Fred dove to the side to avoid contact. Cayden was knocked backwards and stumbling because of Fred's counterattack, which was a powerful swipe of his claws that caught Cayden across the shoulder.
Cayden could shake off the blow and charge back into the fray with his claws, and teeth bared. Fred was quick to respond, easily avoiding and evading Cayden's attacks by dodging and weaving around them. Cayden was unrelenting, and the advantages of his strength and agility gave him the upper hand. The sound of gunfire could be heard throughout the building as the conflict continued to escalate. Cayden realised they were outnumbered as Fred's warriors continued to grow in size and strength. As silver made its way through his system, he experienced a gradual loss of strength.
"Max, what is going on at the camp?" He questioned Max in his head in order to evaluate the situation.
Max was leading the attack on the camps. Because of this, most of Fred's warriors fled to that location. A white fire had scorched his ribcage. Cayden felt a numbness in his mouth.
The poison made its way through his system. As Fred prepared himself for the next assault, Cayden grunted, "Fuck."
Instead, there was an increase in the sound of gunfire. Fred had shifted back to his human form and was now firing shots at random. Cayden shifted as well and moved cautiously toward the safe. He used the broken safe to get the documents he needed. Even though he wasn't certain he had what he needed, he had no choice but to take a chance and use what he had.
"Are you going to steal my secrets, Cayden?" Cayden heard Fred's voice, and he turned around to face him. Fred was standing directly above him with the gun in his hand. Even though he was covered in blood and naked, his viciousness remained unabated. The sound of additional gunshots breaks the night's silence. As Fred fired the gun at Cayden, his sunglasses had fallen off, and his face was a mask of rage. Cayden had run out of ideas about what to do.
"NO!" Something jumped over Cayden. Natasha was shielding him from direct hits from the incoming fire, nearly causing Cayden to lose his grip on Natasha.
"Fuck, no!" Cayden let out a shout. Natasha looked up at him with eyes that were filled with agony.
"You scoundrel!" Cayden mustered up his very last shred of bravery before charging towards Fred, intending to grab him by the neck. Ignoring the sound of the gunshot, a blaze broke out inside of him, which was immediately followed by agonising pain. Once more, the two men looked at each other while they were both gasping for air and bleeding profusely. At that precise instant, they were on equal ground because they were both prepared to die. But as Fred raised his gun a second time, Cayden realised that he only had one chance. Cayden made one last, desperate attempt and charged Fred with his teeth bared to take him down. The blow was accurate, and one tooth embedded itself in Fred's jugular vein.
As Fred howled in agony, Cayden's teeth dug deeper and deeper into the tender flesh. The rush of adrenaline was so powerful that Cayden was only vaguely aware of the searing pain. Cayden glared at Fred with a smug expression on his face as he writhed helplessly on the ground and gasped for air. Fred pulled the trigger on his gun. Cayden jumped aside, but it was already too late. The bullet hit him in the stomach.
Fred fell to the ground, already dead, before his body even contacted the ground. Cayden passed out next to him as his life quickly ebbed away. As he drew his final breath, he knew he had been successful in vanquishing his adversary, albeit at the expense of his own life. Once more, there was complete silence in the room; the only sound was that of blood pooling on the concrete floor.
************************
The tall, slender woman stood by the French window and peered outside as the air was chilly and moistened by the approaching storm. The entire evening had a bad vibe. An ordinary day had turned into a night of anxiety, fear, and panic. She first noticed something was wrong when she overheard Cayden getting ready and leaving their room in the middle of the night. She was aware of his destination. She knew he was embarking on a risky mission. However, she had pretended to sleep. After that, Selena could not sleep. She had remained awake, but she had left the room out of fear of confronting her father. She went to the pack's common room, which was always bustling with juveniles, even though she didn't want to. Despite the hostile looks, at least she wasn't by herself. At the crack of dawn, she had just arrived back in her room after several sleepless hours.
From the distance, the sound of a car horn blaring echoed through the dark and quiet forest, bringing her back to reality from her contemplative state. Several SUVs surged onto the ground.
Max leapt from the car. With urgency in their footsteps, the men bolted for the car, shouting at each other.
"Take him upstairs to the doctor!" Max shouted to the men as they rushed past him, ripping open the door before pulling Cayden's unconscious body out with urgent care. He could only watch as the group of foot soldiers carefully carried Cayden between them, rushing up the stairs. The bodies of the dead and the injured were being taken out and taken to the infirmary. He was so busy running around that he didn't notice the woman who had rushed towards them.
"What happened? Where is Cayden?" Selena panted; her face was white with worry.
"You tell me." He growled out, his hand painfully gripping her arm. "What have you done?"
Fear filled Angelique's eyes as she looked up at the enraged man before her. There was no doubt in her mind that the man meant business—an anger that would cause who knows what injuries. Whether she wanted to admit it, Cayden was not there to save her. In their eyes, she was nothing, an expendable piece of the puzzle that was worthless to them.
"What are you talking about? What happened to Cayden? Where is he?"
He finally let go of her arm, standing up straight and stern as he straightened his jacket.
"I'll show you to your room. And you are staying there until I say so."