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“Hero is just a euphemism for sacrifice.”
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Jolene
I stayed behind helping Wilder walk and making sure that everyone left safely. However, the most dreadful sound reached my ears and both Wilder and I stiffened. More sets of paws were approaching us from rogue territory.
I had healed a bit but not enough to fight off so many werewolves simultaneously. From the sound, I could guess that they were about twenty or thirty. But not only that, they were faster and heavier than the ones we have fought up until now.
‘Can you fight?’ I asked the warriors.
‘Yes!’ they said but I could feel that all of them were on the verge of passing out.
I used my full speed to get here, and these rogues are almost as fast as I am. They would kill us all and get to the pack house if we did not fight now, but my warriors are exhausted.
Wilder calls for reinforcements again. ‘I will go stop them. Everyone that can fight stay behind with Wilder and catches any Rogue that slips through my defense,’ I said.
‘That is suicide, Jolene!’ Wilder said.
‘No. That is an order. Get in formation; No rogues are getting in our territory tonight,’ I said using my Alpha authority.
I sprinted in the direction the sound was coming. The whistling of the wind and crunching of the paws on the ground, still covered with some patches of snow, could be heard. Soon, I found myself face-to-face with the group of rogues.
They stopped running and I counted thirty-four of them, but my eyes fell on one werewolf in specific.He was in the middle a little behind the rest. He was as big as an Alpha; his fur was between brown and grey and looked almost golden. He howled, and ten rogues dashed toward the pack limits.
I intercepted one of them and clawed his neck, making him drop to the ground bleeding profusely. Before I could stop any other rogue, the remaining twenty-four rogues circled me. At the same time, the golden werewolf stayed behind watching me.
One of the rogues jumped forward growling and barking and I easily took him out. Then, two of them stepped into the circle and leaped against me. I lunged forward, fly-tackling both of them and biting off the sides of their necks.
The rogues kept jumping in small groups while the rest just stayed there. It was as if they were waiting for their turns. They were studying me or testing me. Had they attacked me all simultaneously, I would not have been able to defend myself. By the time, the last three rogues were down, I was tired.
The golden wolf slowly approached me; He dripped power. But, there was something else: his smell. He smelt like me, as if he we were blood related. We squared up and circled each other. I was growling at him but he just stared at me. He is stronger than me, and much stronger than any of my warriors. I need to kill him fast or at least distract him long enough.
‘I found their leader,’ I mind linked Wilder.
‘We are still fighting off the rogues. He is at his limit. Your brother and your son are almost here,’ he said weakly.
I charged at the werewolf, aiming for his throat, but he dodged my attack easily and tackled me. Soon we were rolling around biting, snapping, clawing and snarling at each other, until he pinned me down. I wriggled with frustration but couldn’t free myself because of his weight and bigger size. To my surprise, he mind linked me. ‘I made an error in judgment twenty-one years ago. I should have kept you by my side. But, it is too late now. Goodbye, little niece.’
I focused on him. ‘Niece?’ I asked but he did not answer my question.
‘You will die a slow painful death for your betrayal.’ His teeth grazed my throat just deep enough to draw a spurt of blood. Because of the adrenaline, blood began pumping out my neck. He pulled away from and looked me at the eye. ‘Oops. I guess it will not be as slow.’
The mental image of everything that had happened with Alexander came to me. Hadn’t I suffered enough? Why me again? Am I the Moon Goddess’ little toy? As before, the person who swore to protect me is nowhere near. I will not even call his name again. Just this one more time. I will fight one more time. Then, I will let go.
I struggled to get him off me, but that only increased the speed and volume of the blood loss. I was feeling dizzy, weak and nauseous. My eyelids were heavy; I could only see the golden wolf’s amber eyes staring right back at me. I closed my eyes and thought about my mate. I am sorry, Lancelot. I guess this is goodbye… I love you, I said in my mind, hoping it would reach him somehow. My consciousness was slowly fading away.
The weight was suddenly pushed off me and someone rushed to my side.
‘Mom! Don’t fall sleep. Stay with me,’ Aiden said.
Then, my brother’s voice reached me. ‘Jolene don’t you dare die on me. Everything will be alright.’
I shifted back to my human form with a smile on my face. At least, I could protect my family. I fulfilled my purpose. I am the sexiest heroine.
‘I love you…’ I said before everything went black.