Grace crouched beneath a table, her heart pounding as chaos erupted around her. The confined space did little to shield her from the horror unfolding. Screams, growls, and the sounds of battle echoed through the Grand Dining Hall. She had seen Chris run off, God knows where, leaving her behind. She hugged her knees to her chest, her breaths coming in shallow gasps.
A low growl pulled her from her frantic thoughts. A massive rogue wolf stood mere feet away, its eyes locking onto hers. Grace screamed, scrambling backwards as the rogue lunged. Her legs kicked out desperately, but her efforts were futile. The rogue grabbed her leg, dragging her from her hiding spot.
“Help! Someone, please!” she cried, her voice barely audible above the noise of the battle.
Her father's pack never trained their girls to fight. They were groomed to be trophy Lunas, not warriors. She felt utterly helpless as she struggled against the rogue's grip.
Suddenly, her leg was free. She turned to see Martin’s wolf snarling and ripping into the rogue. The rogue thrashed, trying to shake him off, but Martin held firm, his jaws clamped around his neck. With a final, vicious twist, Martin broke the rogue’s neck, and it fell limp to the floor.
“Martin!” Grace gasped, her eyes wide with amazement, as he shifted back into his human form, bloody and naked.
“We don’t have time for this,” Martin growled. “Come on!”
Grace didn’t hesitate. She crawled out from under the table and tore the expensive gown from her body, her skin rippling as she transformed into her brown wolf form. They bolted through the midst of the bloody fight, Martin dodging and fending off any rogues that dared approach. They didn’t stop running until they reached the periphery of the forest, where Grace found her parents waiting for her.
'Dad!' she communicated through the psychic link, relief flooding her senses.
The large black wolf, Sebastian, nudged her head with his own. 'I am so glad you are safe, Grace,' he said. Another brown wolf, like Grace, joined them, licking her daughter’s face affectionately.
'Mother!' Grace turned towards Florentine, feeling a wave of comfort in her mother’s presence.
'Go with Beta Malcolm. He’ll keep you safe,' Sebastian instructed, nodding towards Martin.
'Wait, where are you going?' Grace asked, confusion and fear gripping her.
'To stop the rogues, of course! We can’t leave our hosts in a lurch. Now run with your mother,' Sebastian commanded firmly.
Grace looked back at Martin, who had just saved her life. Words of gratitude seemed inadequate. She wished she could say something more, something that conveyed the depth of her gratitude.
‘Take care, my Luna,’ Martin's voice echoed in Grace's mind, full of sincerity and determination. She watched as he turned and ran off with the rest of the warrior wolves, their forms blending into the chaos of battle. Her heart ached with the weight of the night’s events, but she knew she couldn’t afford to dwell on her emotions. Not now.
Grace followed her mother, Florentine, and Beta Malcolm, their paws thudding against the ground as they sprinted through the forest. The sounds of the battle at Greystone Estate grew fainter.
As they reached a small clearing, Florentine slowed down, signalling for them to take a moment to catch their breaths. Grace shifted back into her human form, her chest heaving as she tried to calm her racing heart. Florentine and Malcolm did the same, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger.
“Are you okay?” Florentine asked, her voice gentle but filled with concern.
Grace nodded, though she felt far from okay. “I’ll be fine, Mum." We need to keep moving. Where are we headed?”
“There’s a safe house not far from here,” Malcolm replied. “We’ll regroup there and plan our next move.”
Grace nodded again, her thoughts swirling. Ever since the surprise attack broke out at Greystone Estate, she knew she had lost Chris forever. The bond they shared felt strained, almost on the verge of snapping. She hadn't heard anything from him, but she could still feel his connection with her. He wasn't happy; that much was clear. But why? What had driven him to this madness?
As they continued their journey through the forest, Grace’s mind kept returning to Chris. She couldn’t understand his motives. Rosalie had always been a source of jealousy and resentment for her, but she never wished her harm.
“Grace, stay focused,” Malcolm said, breaking through her thoughts. “We need to stay alert.”
“Sorry,” she muttered.
The safe house was a small, secluded cabin, hidden away from prying eyes. Inside, it was sparsely furnished but provided enough for them to regroup and plan. Grace sank onto a worn sofa, her body aching from the night’s events.
“We’ll be safe here for a while,” Malcolm said, locking the door behind them. “We need to figure out our next steps.”
Florentine sat beside Grace, her hand gently resting on her daughter’s.
“I just don’t understand why Chris would do this. It’s like he’s a different person.” Garce mumbled.
“Power can corrupt even the best of us,” Florantine said. “Chris made his choices, and now we have to make ours. We can’t let his actions dictate our future.”
“I know,” Grace replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “But it’s hard. He was my mate. I thought I knew him.”
"It's not your fault, Grace," Florentine reassured her. "We will get through this together." Grace nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope in her heart.
**************************
When Alex killed the final rogue wolf, a searing pain shot straight through his chest and into his heart, causing him to collapse over in excruciating pain. The fight ended when the remaining rogue wolf succumbed to its wounds. The massive black wolves had not been an easy opponent to defeat because they were larger and stronger than him. Despite that, he and his pack had been filled with pure, raging instincts to fight. Alex was left bloodied, but that wasn't the cause of this searing pain.
As he howled and transformed back into his human form, he collapsed to the floor unsteadily. The Grand Dining Hall was a big mess. Tables were overturned, and priceless plates and dishes were destroyed. The room was thick with the pungent odour of blood and fighting.
James squinted his eyes as he regarded his leader and pondered what could be the matter with him. Alex, however, leapt to his feet and dashed out of the dining hall before he had even a chance to utter a single word.
"Rosalie!!!" he shouted desperately as the searing pain dimmed to a slight throb in his heart. He wrenched open their bedchamber and saw the unconscious Sarah and Janet on the floor. His eyes darted all over the area, but he couldn't find any sign of Rosalie. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he fell lifeless on the ground. The searing pain meant only one thing: The mate bond was broken. His lover, his darling mate, was dead, and so were the pups.
He howled and then transformed into his wolf form before leaping through the large window and landing neatly on all fours of his paws. He howled his anguish towards the woods.