Chapter 43
Augustin’s POV
I strode through the corridors toward the east gate, Bryloch and Adryx falling in step beside me. The manor was in controlled chaos -residents being moved to safer ateas, warriors rushing to defend. I mentally counted our forces: about fifty Delta warriors in the manot, which should be enough to handle whatever attack was coming.
I didn’t need to know who sent them. This had Fang written all over it.
As we approached the east gate, I felt Fenris, my wolf, pushing to take over.
The attackers had already breached the gate. There were more of them than I’d expected–too many to have been gathered so quickly. I caught scents that didn’t belong to Fireland wolves. Some were definitely from Forestvale.
Fireland and Forestvale are in alliance, I linked Bryloch and Adryx.
The attackers charged like rabid dogs. I released my anger, letting it fuel, my counterattack. These fools had interrupted what should have been a peaceful night–a night I’d planned to spend fulfilling my promise to Seraphine.
Fenris shared my fury. Why can’t they just leave us in peace?
A wolf lunged at me, and I struck with devastating force, sending him flying sideways. We were winning–most of the attackers were either dead or injured–when something unexpected happened.
Green mist suddenly filled the air around us. It happened so fast that some of us couldn’t avoid breathing it in. Fenris inhaled the strange gas, and immediately I felt weakness spread through our body. It was like being hit with a tranquilizer, but worse–our muscles refused to cooperate, our reflexes slowed.
Poison gas! Fall back! I commanded through the mind–link.
The gas dissipated, but the damage was done. We were too weak to fight effectively, and the remaining sixteen or so wolves knew it. They advanced, sensing their advantage.
My body was already working to neutralize the toxin–one benefit of wolf physiology–but not fast enough. Fenris tried to intimidate them with a threatening growl, but it came out weaker than intended.
Some of my warriors had already fallen from the poison, though I could sense they were still alive. They would recover, but not in time to help us now.
A black wolf leaped toward me, fangs bared. I braced for impact, but suddenly a gray wolf appeared from nowhere, taking down my attacker with precision. Two more wolves–one brown, one white–joined the fray, working together with remarkable coordination.
I recognized the gray wolf immediately, and panic gripped me.
Despite their smaller size, these three were fighting with incredible skill. Seraphine was agile and quick, using her speed to evade attacks while striking at vulnerable points. The white and brown wolves fought like demons possessed, unleashing what seemed like years of pent–up rage.
I watched Seraphine take down opponent after opponent with practiced ease, and suddenly understood why Matthew couldn’t let her go. She was a true Luna, an Alpha’s mate in every sense.
Their intervention gave us the time we needed for the poison to dissipate from our systems. As my strength returned, we made short work of the remaining wolves. It was a close victory–who could have anticipated they’d use such underhanded tactics?
Foll
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Chapter 43
We captured several injured enemy wolves for questioning. This was over.
I shifted back to human form, häked and exhausted but victorious. Seraphine approached, nuzzling against me affectionately before shifting back into an equally need and clearly exhausted Juno.
I lifted her into my arms, cradling her against my chest. ‘You were supposed to stay where it was safe, I scolded, though there was no real anger in my voice.
A tired smile played on her lips. “We girls didn’t want you boys to have all the fun.”
“How did you even get here?”
“We watched from the balcony overlooking the east gate! When we saw the green gas, we knew you’d need about ten minutes to recover.”
My heart clenched. Of course she would know such things–she’d been a Luna before coming here. Please don’t ever do that again,” I said softly. “I can’t se you.”
Her eyes sparkled despite her fatigue. “You should see what I can do when I’m at full strength. This was nothing.”
My heart broke for her. Matthew’s treatment had weakened her wolf, had broken her heart. I vowed to do better, to give more than I
took.
“We couldn’t just watch you die,” she explained. “I jumped from the balcony so I’d have enough momentum to knock that wolf away from you.”
I held her tighter. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Back in my room–our room–I pulled on a pair of shorts while Juno wrapped herself in my robe. I headed for the door, and she frowned.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to check the manor, make sure everyone’s safe and nothing was stolen. I won’t be long,” I promised.
When I reached the west wing where we kept prisoners for questioning, Bryloch and Adryx were already interrogating one of the captives.
“What have you learned?” I asked.
ز
Bryloch looked up, his expression grim. “Fang sent them. They were supposed to bring Juno back to Kieran.”
I froze. Why would Kieran risk war just for Juno? I suspected Matthew might have helped him, but something didn’t add up. Either way, Forestvale needed a warning–this could never happen again.
I needed to find a way to question Matthew directly. I had to know why Kieran would risk war just to get Juno back.
“What was she to him?
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