Crying Wolf - 10. Chapter 10

Finn

The scent of battle is heavy in the air, pulling him inexorably forward through the thick stand of trees. Instinct sings like fire in his veins, burning away any remnants of humanity. Snowy ears pinned flat against his skull as a red aura of bloodlust clouds the field of vision on his left side.

His footfalls are heavy upon the beds of leaves, sending them up in sprays of color behind him. Remaining stealthy is gone from his thoughts, overcome by the need to lay waste to those who would threaten his mate.

They are close.

Finn can tell by the smell of blood and battle filling his flaring nostrils. Ahead of him, blurs of motion are now visible through the tree trunks. Flashes of fur leap and tumble amid the forest floor’s vegetation.

Fighting the violence that threatens to overtake him, he forces himself to try and concentrate. Somewhere amid the fray is his mate, and to hurt him would be a fate worse than death. He must not act carelessly…

Luckily, he recognizes the steel-gray fur of the Leeds Alpha. The aggressors are attacking from the right, and so he turns into his blind spot sharply to dart his way through the trees. One wolf captures his attention, his smell signaling him as the leader of the opposing York unit.

Fear me.

Bend to my will.

This was the message broadcast by the York leader’s scent. Doing everything in his power to strike those around him down with fear and aggression. Head lowered, Finn spears the leader in the side, sending him flying to skid across the forest floor. The smaller wolf smacks against a trunk with a sickening thud.

Tunneled in on him, Finn was on top of him in a matter of seconds. His fanged lupine maw grips the York wolf’s throat, sinking into the flesh and clamping shut. Shaking his head back and forth, the poor sod is flailed about like a child’s plaything. The others freeze in shock; unsure of what to make of his sudden entrance.

“Fall back. Now.”

It is the Alpha. Wise decision to call back her own.

In the peripheral of his senses, Finn can smell the members of the Leeds pack falling back to a safer distance. The York fools are still confused and afraid of his sudden intrusion into the battle.

After a minute, they finally pull themselves together. It is too late by then… The body of their leader hangs bloody and limp between Finn’s fangs. Dropping the dead wolf to fall upon the leaves at his paws, they attack him as a unit.

The first takes advantage of his blind right side, leaping to sink their teeth into the thick snowy white ruff of fur that encircles his neck. It is only moments before the others join in the fray, latching onto his hind paws in an attempt to drag him to the ground.

Finn begins to shake violently back, and forth, trying with all his might to dislodge the hanger-on from his neck. The teeth sink in deeper as the wolf tries all the harder to hold tight. Pain burns, blood flows… but these are small prices to pay in achieving his task.

Tucking into a roll, he attempts to crush the attacker beneath his greater weight while hoping to throw off the others. A satisfied yelp of pain meets his ears, accompanying a sickening crunch of bones breaking. Unfortunately, the others are annoyingly stubborn in their tenacity.

“Help the white wolf. Attack those curs.”

The voice of the Alpha drifts to Finn from somewhere in his blindspot. As he regains his position on his feet, it is to see the black-furred female attacking in tandem with the red male. With perfect synchronicity, they throw themselves into the fight.

Double-teaming the wolf closest to them, they forcibly detach the York aggressor from Finn’s hind leg. Erring on the side of survival, the other lets go of his other leg and retreats to stand beside where the one he rolled over is limping further away.

‘So they have chosen to retreat.’

Wise decision.

With their leader dead, another down for the count, and a third suffering a broken bone… it was likely they would only suffer defeat if they remained. Left hind leg limping and bloodied, Finn makes ready to give chase.

“Wait.”

His snowy ears perk upright at the Alpha’s words. Breathing heavy, he stills in his tracks and turns to face the pack leader.

‘Why do you stop me? I could easily end those interlopers.’

“To me.”

As soon as the words are uttered, the black and red pair desert the now limp form at his feet and fall back to stand behind their Alpha. He had to admit she was probably right to halt him.

Favoring his rear left leg, and blood streaming out over his white fur was a tell-tale sign that he was worse off than first thought. By outward appearances he is calm and collected, raising his head to take in the rest of the group standing behind the Alpha.

Keep it together. Don’t you dare let it slip that the one you seek is with her.

Forcing his gaze to remain trained on the Turned Elf, he purposely ignores the male with honeyed fur standing off to the side crouching behind the others.

“What business do you have intruding on our battle, lone wolf?”

‘Are you really protesting my aid? Proud elf.’

She doesn’t like that. Finn can tell by the way her ears flatten and her lip curls to reveal vicious tearing fangs. The rest of her group growl at him, hackles raised that he has the audacity to speak in such a manner to their Alpha.

“Hold back. Do not underestimate him.”

Alone, she advances towards the gigantic snowy wolf.

“I will not ask you again. Do you mean any harm towards me and mine?”

‘No, pack leader. Perhaps I only meant to butter you up and see how useful I am to you. Quite a valuable asset.’

Coal-black head tilting to the side, a barking laugh escapes her involuntarily.

“I do not trust you… and yet I don’t distrust you, either. Very well. I will grant you a boon. After all, it is obvious that you could have easily taken out one of mine as one of theirs, but you did not. Under our supervision, we will see you back to Leeds and have your wounds tended. Do not, for a single moment, think that I trust you.”

‘I am honored by your favor.’

Again, one of her brows raises… dubious of his intentions.

“Arisa… are you sure…”

She cuts off the coal-black female with a sharp glance.

“Do it. Keep your wits about you. Don’t let him try anything, but there are questions I want answered by him, so he comes.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

The others fan out to circle around him, and it doesn’t go unnoticed that Arisa’s second in the group takes the key position at his blind spot. Favoring his rear leg, they began their sojourn back towards Leeds.