Free Web NovelChapter 14: The Alpha’s Hands Trembled
FWOOOSH—CRAAASH!!
Out of the absolute darkness of the treeline, a silver-white blur streaked across the clearing like a living missile. It was Kael’s mother.
She slammed into the Tiger Leader mid-air with enough force to crack bone, the sheer momentum sending both apex predators tumbling into the freezing river with a massive splash.
Nuan was thrown backward by the sheer shockwave of the hit, hitting the ground hard as her adrenaline-spiked heart hammered against her ribs.
Through the trees, fifteen, sixteen more wolves—a literal tide of silver and grey—rushed past her, diving into the river to swarm the tiger leader. The water turned into a churning whirlpool of snarling teeth and splashing limbs.
Nuan’s makeshift torch sputtered, the flame dying down to a pathetic flicker.
Gasping for air, she forced herself up onto her good leg, ignoring the white-hot agony screaming from her ankle. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
She gripped her knife in one hand and the spray bottle in the other like a madwoman.
"FUCKERS!!!!" she screamed at the remaining tigers, her voice raw and terrifyingly aggressive.
Seeing their leader swamped and a "witch" screaming at them, the remaining tigers lost their nerve.
In the river, the Tiger Leader realized the fight now carried deadly consequences.
The leader scrambled out of the water, his orange fur matted and dripping, and vanished into the thickest part of the woods with his subordinates trailing behind him like whipped curs.
But Kael wasn’t finished.
He was still locked onto the throat of the tiger Nuan had blinded.
The tiger, desperate and dying, shifted into its true form. With a final, panicked surge of strength, the beast lashed out, its scythe-like claws raking across Kael’s face.
Kael stumbled back, a guttural yelp escaping him as blood sprayed across the grass. The tiger didn’t wait—it scrambled into the undergrowth, trailing a heavy scent of copper.
Kael’s eyes were glowing with a terrifying, mindless predatory light. He bunched his muscles, ready to launch himself into the dark woods to finish the slaughter.
"Kael, NOOO!!!" Nuan cried out. She lunged forward, her fingers sinking into the thick, blood-slicked fur of his neck.
He didn’t stop. The momentum of his bloodlust was too great. He surged forward, dragging Nuan across the ground as if she weighed nothing at all.
Stones and wet leaves scraped against her arms as she desperately held on.
"Kael... please..."
The world began to tilt and grey at the edges. Between the exhaustion, the pain in her ankle, and the sheer terror of the last ten minutes, Nuan’s grip finally failed.
Her eyes rolled back as the darkness swallowed her consciousness, and she slumped into the dirt, passing out cold.
The wolves formed a solid wall of silver fur, cutting off Kael’s path to the forest line. In the water, the splashing subsided as the rest of the pack emerged, shaking the river from their furs.
Among them, Kael’s mother stepped forward, her transition to human form fluid and authoritative.
She didn’t hesitate, rushing to Kael and grabbing his thick neck, forcing him down.
The contact seemed to snap the predatory fever in his brain. His eyes cleared, landing instantly on Nuan’s limp, unconscious form in the dirt.
In a heartbeat, the murderous aura vanished. He shifted back to his human form, his face pale beneath the blood from his scratched cheek. "Meek savior! Meek savior!!!"
He lunged for her, grabbing her waist and pulling her against him, frantically sniffing at her face to check for a heartbeat.
"Back off! You’ll crush her ribs, you oaf!" his mother snapped, shoving his heavy shoulders aside.
She knelt down, expertly lifting Nuan’s head onto her lap. Seeing Nuan’s disheveled state, she quickly draped a loincloth over her chest to cover her.
She glanced over her shoulder at the lingering pack members. "Get me that piece of leg!"
One of the wolves darted to the fire pit, retrieving the roasted lamb leg. His mother took a small, gentle bite to soften it, then pulled a tiny piece away with her fingers. She carefully pried Nuan’s mouth open, letting the small morsel slide down.
"Water! Now!"
Kael scrambled to his feet, rushing to the riverbank. He cupped his large hands, scooping up the cool water, and sprinted back, kneeling beside them.
"Make her drink slowly!" his mother commanded. Kael nodded frantically, tilting his cupped hands over Nuan’s lips, letting the water trickle in drop by drop.
His mother looked up at him, her eyes flashing with maternal fury. "She has exhausted herself and is starving to death! What kind of idiot are you, keeping your savior hungry?" she snapped.
Kael looked down at his blood-stained hands, silent and shamed.
"Make formation!" his mother barked to the pack. "Gather the belongings of the Alpha’s mate. We are retreating to the den immediately!"
The pack moved with military precision, forming a tight, protective ring around Kael as he cradled Nuan in a bridal carry.
Every piece of her strange "witchcraft" was accounted for one wolf carefully gripped the roasted lamb leg, while others gathered her knife, the elbow crutches, her shirt and cargo pants, the pepper spray, and the Ferrocerium Rod.
Kael’s mother took the lead, her eyes scanning the shadows as she guided them deep into the safety of the forest.
The immediate danger of the tigers had passed, but a new fear hung heavy in the air. Nuan felt terrifyingly light in Kael’s arms, her skin pale and her breathing shallow.
The Alpha’s hands—capable of snapping a tiger’s spine—trembled as he navigated the uneven terrain. He looked down at her still face, his voice barely a breath against the rustling leaves.
"Nuan..." he murmured, the word a plea to the savior who had burned the world to keep him safe.
His blood on cheek kept dripping onto her torso as he carried her deeper into the forest.
