'Go back there and rip her throat out!' Deva snarled.
'No, he made his decision. We will not fight over him,' Kasia responded as she continued walking away. How could he have done this to her? She should've known better. This was all just part of the plan. He just wanted her close because she is a blessed blood. That's all it was.
"Kasia, stop!" Lily said, grabbing her wrist. "Calm down. It's not what you think it is."
"I saw what I saw. He was with that b****! I know what I saw," Kasia growled.
"That's not what I saw," Lily responded, causing Kasia to squint at her.
"What do you mean that's not what you saw? He was humping Aimee," Kasia retorted.
"Yes, but when I first saw them, she looked a lot like you," Lily explained.
"That...that doesn't make any sense," Kasia said.
"How could Aimee have gotten to him so fast? We had just seen her. I don't know. I think something else is going on," Lily argued.
"It doesn't matter," Kasia replied, her voice strained. She tried to blink away the tears, unwilling to let them fall. "I'm not going to ruin our day with my issues."
"Hello, Lily. You look well." A male voice spoke from behind Kasia, causing Lily to freeze as she looked past Kasia. Lily's face contorted with anger, surprise, and fear. Instinctively, Kasia stepped in front of her friend, shielding her from the strange man as she turned around.
'I am getting sick of all these damn surprises today,' Deva groaned.
"Who are you?" Kasia demanded, staring at the man before her. From his scent and aura, he was clearly an Alpha wolf.
The man smirked, unfazed by her aggression. He stepped around Kasia to get closer to Lily. "My dear, Lily, you failed to introduce me to your new friend," the man said, clicking his tongue. "That's very rude of you."
"I'm talking to you, not her," Kasia stated firmly as she stepped back in front of the man, blocking him from Lily.
"I am Alpha Kenneth," he replied smoothly. "But there's no need for you to introduce yourself. I know exactly who you are. Kasia Thorne, the fabled red lycan."
Kasia's eyes narrowed as she maintained her composure. She finally understood why Lily froze the way she did. This was her stepfather. The very man who got so many killed at the Moonlight Sanctum.
"You have me mistaken for someone else. You are not welcome here. Please leave," Kasia stated firmly.
Kenneth's smile widened, revealing unnaturally sharp canines that caught the sunlight just right. He chuckled, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Not without you by my side, Kasia. I want you to come with me." He took a step forward, the smirk never leaving his face as he cupped her face. "As an unmated she-wolf, you would be perfect as my Luna."
Kasia frowned, and she slapped his hand away. "No, thank you," she spat. "I would rather eat dirt."
"Even after your mate has betrayed you?" Kenneth taunted.
Kasia raised an eyebrow. How could he know? Her mind raced, trying to process the implications of his knowledge. Was there a traitor among them? Was there something else going on?
"Kasia!" Lily's voice broke through her thoughts, and she felt her tugging on her arm. "We need to go. Now!"
Without another word, they turned and ran, their hearts pounding in unison as they sprinted through the bustling market.
"See you soon, Kasia," Kenneth called after her.
As they weaved through the crowd, Lily opened a telepathic link to Garrett. "Garrett, Kenneth is here. He is after Kasia. Where are you?"
"Stay calm, Lily." Garrett's voice echoed in her mind, steady and reassuring. "Remember, we have a plan. Find Tiffany, get out of the city, and go back to the pack house. I will meet you there."
"We shouldn't be running from them. We are showing weakness," Kasia said.
"You don't understand. Kenneth is the leader of the rogues. He is also working with the hunters. If he's here, the hunters are here, and you are in danger. We have to get you as far away as possible. I don't want what happened to me to happen to you," Lily said. "I won't allow it.
They continued their frantic escape, finally reaching the city's outskirts. The dense forest loomed ahead, offering a chance to evade their pursuers. As they entered the woods, a large tiger jumped down from a tree, startling Kasia.
"No, don't freak out. This is Tiffany, my best friend," Lily explained.
"What are you doing here, talking?" Janet exclaimed from behind them. "You should have been gone by now. Deanna is causing a distraction right now. We need to go now. Follow me."
They pushed themselves harder, their legs burning from exhaustion as they raced through the underbrush. Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs alerted them to the presence of rogues closing in on their position.
In a desperate attempt to protect her friends, Kasia wheeled around, launching herself at one of the attackers. A fierce battle ensued, with claws slashing and teeth gnashing as the girls fought for their lives. Despite their determination, the rogues' numbers soon overwhelmed them. Janet took a brutal hit, her body crumpling to the ground as she struggled to breathe, and Tiffany lay unconscious on the ground.
Just as all hope seemed lost, an eerie silence fell over the forest. The rogues froze, their ears twitching in response to an unseen threat. Suddenly, four large creatures emerged from the shadows. The vampires' bat-like wings unfurled with a loud snap, shielding its body as it swooped towards the rogues. The rogues attempted to fight but were quickly overpowered as the vampires broke limbs with insane speed and began feasting on their blood.
One vampire separated himself from the rest. He shifted into a handsome man, wearing a black suit. His glowing red eyes fixated on Kasia. Kasia stared at him in horror. She had never encountered a vampire and backed away as the man approached her. "You have no reason to fear me," he said. "Come with me."
"No," Kasia said almost immediately, earning a laugh from the man.
"Your options are limited," the man warned, crossing his arms. "In truth, you have no options. I could take you now, and there's nothing you could do about it."
"So, why aren't you doing that?" Kasia asked.
The man smirked. "You're braver than I expected. I like this."
"Answer the question," Kasia demanded, but her voice cracked, revealing her fear.
"And you dare to demand," the man chuckled. One of the vampires hissed angrily, moving towards Kasia, but he stopped it with a look.
"I will no longer humor you, she-wolf, as we are wasting time on useless questions. You have two options. You can go with the rogues, and Kenneth will offer you up to the Hunters once he's used you as a broodmare. Or you can come with me."
"Take me instead," Lily interjected, her voice trembling. "You want her blood, right? She and I are both blessed. "Take me instead."
The man appraised her briefly before shaking his head. "Noble, but a pregnant she-wolf is of no use to me."
Pregnant? Was Lily pregnant? How could she not have smelled that? 'We cannot allow any harm to come to her,' Deva said within her.
"What is your name?" Kasia asked.
"You may call me Amdis," the man replied with a slight bow.
"Amdis...Will you promise to get Lily and Janet to safety?" Kasia asked.
"I swear it," Amdis agreed, extending his hand to her.
"Kasia, wait, don't do this!" Lily reasoned. "We can just..."
But Kasia had already made her decision. With a final, heart-wrenching glance at her friends, she took Amdis' hand, knowing that their lives depended on her sacrifice. Amdis shifted back into his bat-like form, looping his arm around Kasia's waist as he shot up into the sky. As they disappeared into the darkness, Kasia prayed that she had made the right choice.