Chapter 556 – I’ll bring them to you
Chapter 556 – I’ll bring them to you
Two nights ago, Noelle and Chuck tore out of the banquet the second Humphrey ordered them down to the pack house. The guards came after them hard, but the couple had already ripped into wolf form and the full force of the snowstorm worked in their favor.
Thick white flakes swallowed every track, the wind howled loud enough to drown their scent, and the pair vanished into the trees before anyone could close the gap.
Voren stepped up beside Humphrey just outside the banquet hall doors and gave him a steady, reassuring look that said everything was already under control. "Don’t worry. I’ll bring them to you."
He pulled his phone out without another second wasted and fired off a text that left no room for mistakes.
’There are two wolves on the run. One is a beta wolf and the second one is his wife. I want them at the gate of the Centenary Pack in ten minutes. Also I need some of the best fruits in the outlands. Make sure they are clean.’
’On it, Alpha Voren.’
The answer came back fast as Voren dropped into the driver’s seat and shut the door hard against the wind. Snow hammered the windshield in heavy wet sheets, the flakes so thick they turned the whole road into a blurry white tunnel that seemed to close in from every side.
His hands locked tight around the steering wheel until his knuckles went pale, the cold already seeping through the glass, but the tires still held the pavement so he pushed the car forward through the storm toward the gate where the delivery would meet him.
Noelle and Chuck had already made it past the pack borders and into the deep woods, their paws slamming against the frozen ground in a desperate rhythm while the storm clawed at their fur and tried to drag them down.
Still neither of them dared slow down even for a second. The fear of what waited behind them kept their paws moving.
Just before they broke free of the last stretch of woods the ambush hit them like a wall.
Bodies exploded out of the snow and the sudden attack forced them hard back into human skin, the change ripping through them with no mercy.
Noelle’s chest heaved as she scrambled upright and faced the circle of outlanders, wet strands of hair plastered to her face and neck, the cold already sinking its teeth into her bare skin. Her whole body trembled hard from the freezing air and the shock, yet pride still kept her chin locked high and her eyes sharp.
"Get the hell out of our way."
She was already coiling to change back into her wolf and tear through them so they could keep running before any Centenary warriors caught up, but the leader of the outlanders only scoffed, the sound ugly and full of satisfaction.
"What the hell are you doing out here when your daughter’s getting crowned Luna?"
Noelle froze solid. For one long heartbeat the entire storm seemed to disappear around her. The wind, the snow, the cold, everything went quiet inside her head.
Her eyes flew wide as she stared at the man in front of her.
How the hell had the news about Daisy’s coronation traveled this far past the pack grounds? Who had talked? Who had spread it all the way out here?
She had no time to dig for answers. "Then you know enough to back off. I can have Alpha Ravyn wipe every last one of you out."
"Good. We’ll just walk you right back to the Centenary Pack and see how Alpha Ravyn handles that."
Chuck’s jaw flexed so tight the muscle jumped under the skin. "Let’s shift and run straight through these assholes."
The sound of bones cracking filled the air as both of them started the change, but before either transformation could finish heavy iron chains snapped around their legs with a brutal metallic crack.
The metal cinched tight with merciless force, grinding against bone and muscle. Chuck’s scream tore out of him as the chains ripped his legs out from underneath him and slammed him hard into the snow.
Noelle crashed down beside him a second later, the freezing ground biting into her bare skin like a thousand needles. The impact knocked the air from her lungs and left her gasping.
They were locked in complete human form with nowhere left to go. For the first time the confidence drained clean off Noelle’s face. The pride that had carried her through every hard year cracked right down the middle.
She looked around with wide, desperate eyes, searching for any gap, any path, any chance, and found nothing but outlanders and endless white snow.
The outlanders did not waste a single second offering clothes or mercy. They dragged the couple through the deep freezing snow toward the entrance of the Centenary Pack, boots crunching, chains clanking, forcing them forward even when their bodies shook so violently from the cold that standing straight became almost impossible.
Noelle’s teeth chattered uncontrollably, the sound loud in her own ears. Chuck stumbled again and again, his bare feet sinking deep into the snow with every step, and every time he slowed even a fraction the chain around his leg jerked hard enough to nearly tear the joint from the socket.
Meanwhile the leader of the outlanders stormed deeper into the woods, searching until he found the best fruits he could lay hands on. He washed them carefully, then hurried to catch up with the rest of the group before the gate came into view.
Chuck’s exhausted eyes suddenly glinted with something close to hope when he spotted Voren waiting near the gate, tall and still against the white storm. Relief crashed through him so violently that his chest nearly gave out under the force of it. His knees went soft for a second.
"Alpha Voren..."
He shoved himself upright as fast as the chains allowed, convinced in that single moment that everything would finally be okay, that the nightmare was about to end.
But the chain around his leg got yanked hard from behind, he smashed face-first into the snow with a sickening impact. Pain shot through his nose and jaw like lightning while the freezing flakes packed into his mouth and nose, choking him. He coughed hard, blood mixing with the snow under his face.
"Alpha Voren, damn good thing you’re here. You believe these scambags? They didn’t even let us put clothes on."
Voren’s gaze moved slowly over the two of them, taking in the blood, the chains, the bare skin turning blue from the cold, before settling on the leader with calm, unreadable eyes. "Give them something to wear."
Noelle and Chuck exchanged quick, relieved looks that carried years of trust still left between them and the man in front of them. The fear that had been choking them eased just a little.
For a brief moment they believed they had been saved. They believed Voren was on their side.
A few moments later Noelle pulled on the thin T-shirt and pair of jeans the outlanders had thrown at them. Her fingers trembled so badly she could barely work the waistband, the fabric sticking to her damp, freezing skin. She forced a smile onto her face anyway, trying to look steady even while her whole body shook.
"Thanks, Alpha Voren. We’re gonna take off now."
The leader of the outlanders walked over to Voren’s car without a word and placed the carefully cleaned fruits inside on the passenger seat. Once he was done Voren turned his full attention back to Noelle and Chuck.
A smile rested on his face, but was no warmth behind it, not even a flicker.
"Just wondering where you think you’re going."
Noelle’s smile slowly disappeared like someone had wiped it clean off her face. Something in his voice made her stomach tighten into a hard, sick knot. The air around them suddenly felt colder than the storm itself.
’Voren, Marsha’s trying to reach us, but I blocked her,’ Bloodfang interrupted his mind, the wolf’s voice tight with worry that whatever Marsha had to say might make the human halt the revenge plan before it could finish. ’Let me handle this.’
Hearing that Seraphine was already trying to reach them through Marsha, Voren allowed Bloodfang to take control and hasten everything along.
’Okay, but don’t touch them. We don’t want any evidence of blood to be seen on us.’
’Got it,’ Bloodfang confirmed, the agreement dark and eager.
At the same time Chuck answered Voren’s question, trying to keep his voice light even while fear leaked through every word.
"Alpha Voren, you don’t actually think we’re guilty of any of that shit they said, right?"