Gray's POV
Joey's menacing words were hardly out of his mouth when a group of over a dozen fully-armed werewolves burst into the room. These folks were burly, their weapons gleamed, and it was clear they knew their way around a fight.
Joey grinned like he had just pulled off the best trick in the world and said, "I know you are very tough, but as soon as I got that message that you came to my pack, I called back every warrior we had in the pack. There is more muscle waiting outside. No matter how good you are, you can't fight off all of us. Today, both of you are destined to die here alongside that wretch Alisha."
My face scrunched up tight. I could smell Alisha's blood, and worry buzzed inside me. But the current situation was one that we couldn't quickly resolve or escape from safely. Even if we could call for backup through the mindlink, it would take some time for them to arrive at the Black Furies, which we didn't have.
Moreover, Joey wasn't giving us any opportunities. He immediately gave the command, "Capture them immediately, don't let them escape!" And then, he shifted into a wolf himself. However, his fur had a mottled appearance with black, gray, and yellow patches, making his wolf look quite unsightly.
I signaled Louie with my eyes, indicating that we needed to split up and act. I need his help to let me go out to find Alisha.
Louie seemed to understand my intent and promptly shifted into a silver wolf, leaping directly at Joey.
Joey screamed in terror, frantically calling for others to assist him. Louie drew the attention of most of the attackers, while I, taking advantage of their distraction, found a gap in the encirclement and sprinted out.
Joey seemed to realize my intentions. He howled and commanded a few werewolves to charge at me with swords, attempting to stop me from leaving. However, Louie immediately unleashed his Gift, freezing several werewolves who were about to charge at me in their tracks with a wolf's howl.
I made a leap, clearing the icy sculptures and dodging an arrow shot from behind. I successfully broke free from the encirclement, following the scent of Alisha's blood as I sprinted away.
Occasional wolf howls echoed from behind. I knew that the pursuers were still on my trail, but I didn't want to waste time dealing with them now. I had to find Alisha as quickly as possible.
After crossing the training grounds, I saw a small white building, and I was sure Alisha was inside. One side of the building had broken glass with crimson stains. I was sure that it was Alisha's blood. Without hesitation, I climbed the exterior of the building, flipped inside through the shattered window, and landed on the floor.
As soon as I landed, I was immediately shocked by the scene before me.
There was a frail, white wolf, biting down on a fierce black wolf, struggling to keep the black wolf pinned beneath its fragile body. However, the black wolf's claws had pierced into the white wolf's body, and its claws seemed to be venomous. The white wolf's body was covered in massive, purple wounds, and dark blood had soaked its pristine fur.
Alisha was kneeling by the side of the white wolf, biting her lip with a determined expression. Her hands gripped a long shard of broken glass, which she used to stab the black wolf's mouth, preventing it from harming the white wolf. Alisha herself was drenched in blood and appeared battered.
The black wolf, seemingly provoked beyond measure by the frail, almost skeletal white wolf and Alisha in front of it, gathered all its strength and made one more desperate effort to break free from the white wolf's restraint. The white wolf's strength seemed to be at its limit. It stumbled, allowing the black wolf to succeed. The black wolf quickly turned, opening its mouth to bite Alisha.
At the very last moment, I rushed straight towards the black wolf and grabbed its tail, throwing it out forcefully. The black wolf collided with the wall, emitting a whimper.
I hurried to Alisha and asked, "Where are you injured? I'll get you out of here and to safety."
Alisha was initially tense, her eyes filled with the fierceness of battle. She stood in front of the white wolf, holding a glass shard like a knife, ready to defend. But when she saw my face, she quickly said in a hoarse voice, "Don't mind me, hurry! Save my grandmother!" She then dropped the glass shard and turned, embracing the heavily wounded white wolf.
The white wolf lay on the floor, barely breathing. If it weren't for the occasional slight movement of its body with each breath, I would have thought it was dead. Despite its numerous injuries, the white wolf's eyes were filled with tenderness as it looked at Alisha.
Alisha held the white wolf and wept, "Please, grandmother, hold on a little longer. Gray is here; he will save us. Please, you must hold on, just for me. I can't lose you! Please!"
I now understood the identity of this white wolf; she was indeed Alisha's grandmother. It appeared that everything had been a ruse, and the Black Furies had deliberately deceived Alisha into returning. Given the attack by Joey and the danger Alisha had encountered, it was clear that this place was a trap. Staying here any longer would be too risky; we needed to leave immediately.
So, I said to Alisha's grandmother, "Please, revert to your human form. I will ensure your and Alisha's safety. You can trust me and needn't use wolf form. I'll take you both out of here."
The white wolf seemed to understand my words, and after casting a glance at Alisha, she nodded fervently. Alisha also encouraged her, saying, "Yes, Grandma, trust Gray. He's the Alpha of Blood Dawn, and he'll protect us. Please, change back to human form. Don't exert yourself for my sake."
Upon hearing Alisha's words, the white wolf's eyes seemed to light up differently. She shifted her gaze toward me, as if looking through me at someone else. Then tears welled up in her eyes all of a sudden.
I didn't know what had just happened, but I reassured her, "Alisha is right. I swear on the honor of Blood Dawn; I will safely get you out of here."
Upon hearing my words, the white wolf closed her eyes. A burst of light followed, and she transformed back into a human. Alisha quickly grabbed a sheet from the bed and wrapped it around her grandmother's body. Then, she tried to help her up, and I rushed to assist, intending to carry her out together.
However, at that moment, I heard footsteps outside the door, and I suspected that the pursuers had probably arrived. It was clear that we couldn't leave directly.
So, I said to Alisha, "Hide in the closet or under the bed and take care of your grandmother. After dealing with these people outside, I'll come and take you away."
Alisha was worried, "But it sounds like there are a lot of them."
"That's true. Your uncle, Joey, has gathered all the werewolves in the Black Furies. It seems like he has not planning to let us go. In that case, I won't be polite. It's time to show him the consequences of provoking Blood Dawn. Hide, and I will find you later."
As I spoke, I shifted and walked toward the door. Then, I howled to the sky, feeling the desire for battle burning in my veins. I was determined to deal with these adversaries and make them pay for their foolishness.