Abbie's POV
Hunter ran his hands delicately over my sides, making my skin crawl with goosebumps. I couldn't help but gulp with my eyes closed as he began to turn me on. My breath became erratic. I interlaced my hands on his hair, tugging on his strands lightly as he continued to leave wet kisses on my neck and chest.
"Hunter... I want you, baby." I whispered making a throaty grunt escape him. He pulls me up, making me sit on the small dresser behind him. His eyes were dark, filled with lust.
He takes his coat off and pulls on his tie, making me bite my bottom lip as I become eager to have him inside me.
But, just as we were halfway through his unbuttoned shirt, the worst happened. I felt a chill down my spine as we heard a mind link go through the pack. At the same time, Spencer came running, telling him that something terrible was happening, and making Hunter stand abruptly. I jumped, off the dresser and turned with my breath still short, making me feel a bit panicked.
"Hunter, what's happening?" I ask, feeling mortified as I look between the two. "Boss... we have to go."
"Get the warriors ready. We leave immediately. Abbie, Spencer is going to take you to the pack's safe room where you will join my mother and Lily. You will stay in there no matter what. Listen," he says as he takes my shoulders and looks at me sternly.
"I need you to stay safe. Do not come out of that room or let anyone out until we return safely. Is that understood?"
I was becoming scared and puzzled at his request. why did he need me to go into the hideout? I need to be by his side and fight if there is an attack. why is he not telling me anything?
"Hunter. I don't understand you. What is happening?"
"Abbie, a pack nearby is under attack. Alarick has requested for backup. I need to take my warriors and help him. Please, baby, I need you to go into safety."
"NO, Hunter. I'm going with you."
"Abbie, do not be stubborn. This is dangerous."
"And all for the better reasons, I need to go and help. Hunter, I'm a good fighter. Let me help."
"Abbie, this is not the time."
"This is the right time. If not now, when? I'm your mate, I'm supposed to be by your side, no matter what."
"NO, Abbie... Don't you get it? If something happens to me out there, you are the one who will need to lead this pack. You're my mate. If I'm gone," he says, closing his eyes, and cupping my face as he sighs.
"If I die out there, you need to lead our pack. They will need someone to take care of them," he says, making me fill with sadness.
"They will have a good leader. Lily and your mother are good leaders. My place is next to you. Please, Hunter. Let me help." I plead, making him grunt.
I get I'm probably acting irrationally, but this is what I was born to do. What is a leader if not to lead by example?
Though he was reluctant, he finally obliged. "Fine. But you stay by my side at all times. Understood?" he warns me, making my eyes water as I nod.
We made our way quickly to the fitting room and geared up, made our way to grab weapons where I decided on a long katana and a bow and arrows. Then we left to the vehicles as fast as we could.
Hunter drove like a madman. I could see why he said it was important to practice driving, as he swiftly drove at a high speed so smooth it actually made me feel as if I was stuck in a movie.
But- by the time we arrived, we came to a gruesome discovery. Alarick's pack had destroyed so many rogue wolves, but there were still so many out there fighting, and his pack began to look tired.
Where the heck did they come from? Rogues don't tend to work together, not in such huge numbers at least.
It was as if this had been a planned attack. The pack we were defending was really small. What exactly did they want with this pack?
There were so many houses set on fire, so many lifeless bodies, children, women, men... It made my heart feel broken, and I couldn't help but cry as I saw so many dead bodies.
I shifted into Merida, letting my anger take over. Hunter ripped off his shirt without hesitation, shifting into Titus. He ripped one rogue and then another, and another. I fought like life depended on it, ripping the throats of wolves and not thinking twice about severing arms and legs as I saw them trying to hurt our warriors. I took turns fighting in wolf form and human form, making sure my arrows went straight to the rogue's heads to finish them for good.
Hunter, Alarick, Kaiden, Brandon, all the warriors, and the lunas were hard at work, as did I until there was not a single rogue left. If you count the ones who didn't coward away and took off running that is.
But by the time the fight was over, the night had come, and the pack we had come to save had unfortunately been erased.
No one was left, other than a small boy and three others: a boy, the same age as my little sister Jesse, and two young girls that looked no older than sixteen.
The smallest boy was no more than three, maybe four years old. He sat crying next to his dad's body, who covered his mate's lifeless body. I stood in front of that little boy with tears in my eyes as he cried, calling for his mom and dad.
"His name is Elijah. He was the beta's only child." Isabella says, making me close my eyes and letting my tears fall.
"Who could have caused this? Why? I can't believe we live in such a cruel and cold world." I say, falling to my knees and holding the little boy in my arms.
He cried inconsolably, burying his little head in my chest and looking toward his parents.
"What are we going to do? There is no one left. He's... all alone." Luna Madelyn says, bending her knees next to me with tears in her eyes and caressing the little boy's head.
"Let me take him, Abbie. I'll take care of him until the council knows what to do." Margot says. She was mated to Alarick's beta, Zane. I look at her as she kneels in front of me and holds her hands out for the little boy.
"Hi, Eli. I'm Margot. Remember me, buddy? Your mommy and I were friends in college. Come. Let's... let's go clean you up, ok, baby?"
"I want Mommy. I want Mommy." He cries, making my heart break at his little cries. He was so inconsolable. Margot took him from my arms, cradling him in her arms and soothing his back until he was too tired of crying and fell asleep.
"His mom was the nicest girl you could ever meet. She wouldn't hurt a fly. She had just come to this pack four years ago, to join them after she found she was mated to their beta. Her parents are going to be devastated when they find out what happened to her. She was an only child too." Margot adds, making my tears fall freely.
"I've never seen an entire pack get annihilated. Why did this happen?" I asked, making Merida whimper.
"This has happened a little too many times, I'm afraid. I just wish we could have come in time to save them." Hunter says as he hugs me tightly.
"I'm afraid that wouldn't have made much difference, Hunter. When we arrived, most of their pack members were already dead. If Eli was able to escape death today, it was honestly by pure luck. He was under his mom and dad, who protected him from being killed. By the looks of it, they weren't here just to kill... those rogues were out here looking for something. I have a feeling someone sent them here to look for something and were ordered to kill everyone to get rid of the evidence of their arrival." Alarick says, making me tilt my head in thought.
Hunter growled, closing his eyes and fisted his hands as he tried to calm himself down.
"Whatever it was they were looking for, they got it. I'm afraid my men found their vault open. The alpha's quarters are badly scattered, and so is the beta's. All their loot is there, but, I'm sure there was something they were after. There's a large box that was torn in their vault. Whatever was inside is now gone. We need to get to the council and ask for permission to look through their archives. Maybe we can find what is missing," Kaiden adds, making Hunter feel uneasy.
"The king's birthday is nearing. This doesn't look good. Queen Elena will be visiting our lands for the first time in three hundred years. This is not a good thing. What are we going to do?" Hunter adds.
"I don't know. But something doesn't sit with me right. I have a feeling we are in for a rough ride ahead. Whatever they took, I hope it's nothing that can harm the king or queen Elena." Brandon adds, making my heart ache as I sigh.
Brandon is right... this doesn't sit right with me either. Why do I have a feeling we are heading into a big war ahead?