Jeremy was taken aback, his mind struggling to comprehend what he was witnessing.
He had just been gone for such a short time, and his pack was already descended into such a frenzied state of chaos. From a distance, he could hear the blood-curdling cries and saw the familiar faces fleeing. He called their names, but his voice was drowned out in the chaos. His folks were consumed by their own fear and showed no sign of hearing him or stopping.
Jeremy knitted his brown. What the fuck was going on? He hastily approached the place where the gathering was supposed to be held.
All of a sudden, his heart picked up speed and he felt an acute twinge in his chest.
A sense of dread crept through his body, warning him that something terrible was about to happen. He tried to shake off the sensation, but it steadily built until his muscles seized up, causing him to double over in agony.
Another scream filled the air, and Jeremy felt like he had been struck on the head by some unknown force. He gasped for air as his vision blurred a little, his heart pounding at an alarming pace.
The force was so strong that he had to stoped for a moment. His hand reached for his chest where his heart stuttered and fluttered like a trapped bird. He took a few breaths before his heart started to calm down.
What the hell was happening?
"What the fuck did I tell you son of a bitch?! No hurting children and women!" echoed an outraged male voice.
Jeremy followed the voice and found a naked man with his chest heaving as he panted. Obviously, he was a werewolf freshly shifted back from his lupine state.
But the scene before him sent chills down his spine as he noticed the battered and blood-stained wolf lying on the ground beside the man. It was Byron's wolf – the fearless leader of their pack.
The sight was enough to make Jeremy's blood run cold. His mind raced with the possibility that the naked man had killed their Alpha. He felt an all-consuming sense of disbelief and anger began to bubble inside of him.
It looked like Byron's wolf was dead, but Jeremy's gaze lingered on the slight rise and fall of its chest. Though barely noticeable, it was a sign of life. A wave of relief washed over Jeremy. Somehow, the Alpha had managed to survive the brutal attack.
But if Byron was almost beaten to death, how about the others? How about…?
Jeremy snapped his attention back to the violence that had erupted between the werewolves, searching frantically through the crowd for Celeste.
When his eyes finally fell upon her, time had frozen. His pupils shrank to mere pinpricks, and his heart stopped in his chest. The moment stretched into infinity, a horrific scene he wished he could unsee.
There lay Celeste, drenched in crimson, her body motionless on the ground. Standing over her was a menacing wolf, its claws and fangs stained bright red with fresh blood. The very same blood that now trickled from Celeste's wounds, staining her clothes and skin.
Before Jeremy had time to process what had happened, his vision was consumed by the deep hue of the blood that spilled around him. A roar reverberated from his throat. A terrifying, guttural sound that spoke of anguish and fury.
All he could see in his eyes was red. All he could hear in his mind was a single word, pounding like an insistent drumbeat: RED!
Red! Red! Red!
As if under a spell, his wolf leaped out, breaking apart the façade of his rationality.
He had no idea what was happening, no idea how his wolf had managed to bypass the enemy charging toward him.
All he knew was that the next second, when he opened his eyes, his teeth sank into the neck of the wolf that had hurt Celeste.
Then, in an instant, he hurled the wolf far into the wall, where the beast crumpled to the ground, shuddering and whimpering like a wounded dog. The rage within him burned like wildfire, his hands trembling with a pulsating fury.
He wanted to follow the wolf and inflict the pain ten times what he had done to Celeste. The thought of someone hurting her brought a rage within him that he could hardly contain. He would make them pay.
But standing here, he was surrounded by Celeste's scent. He was unable to move away from her. He lowered his head and gazed at her trembling body.
How much pain was she going through?
He let out a sorrowful cry, filled with despair at the sight of her in agony. His wolf brushed his snout against Celeste's face. Her frown relaxed slightly.
She must stay strong.
He wished he could ease her pain, take her in his arms and protect her from any danger, but all he could do was watch helplessly as she suffered. As he stood there, helpless and regretful, he vowed to make sure no harm ever came to Celeste again. She deserved nothing but love and protection, and he would make sure of it, with every fiber of his being.
Jeremy hated to take his gaze off Celeste, but the growling of the wolves ringing in his ears forced him to look up.
He was surrounded by five ferocious beasts.
With a snarl, Jeremy flashed his teeth and made himself look bigger and more intimidating. He had barely begun to let out his rage, and these assholes deserved nothing but death for daring to challenge him.
If anything happened to Celeste, he would make sure that they paid dearly.
Despite their advantage in number, the enemies seemed apprehensive, perhaps frightened by the way his eyes glinted with malice. They circled him, but they were too alert to make a move just yet.
Jeremy took a protective step forward, hiding Celeste behind his back. No matter what, he would never let her get harmed again.
The tension was palpable. Just as Jeremy was about to launch an attack on the enemies, the members of his pack formed a bigger circle from the outside. Now the enemies were trapped.
Jeremy watched as panic and fear washed over the faces of his foes. This was an excellent opportunity to attack. They would pay the price for their actions.
"Wait!" an unexpected voice came, making them all freeze. "Your alpha is in my hands. Let my wolves go!"