F I F T Y

                                    

                                          

Phoenix 

I ignored my both my Mate's words and the way her little fists pounded on my back as I ran through the Lupine forest. 

"Phoenix what the hell are we going to do?" Atlas yelled at me through our apparent shared Mate link as he weaved in and out of the trees in his wolf form "I can practically feel that fucking thing lurking behind us as we speak!" 

"The twins can't hold them off forever Phoenix" Kassian chimed in "Xòlo called in our Packs and the Heir guards but they're at least twenty-minutes out." 

Shit! 

By the time they got here, it would be too late and we'd all be dead. 

For the first time in my life, I didn't know what to fucking do. 

Because if I chose wrong, it could mean the difference between life and death for all of us.

It was her voice that had me swallowing the boulder sized lump in my throat. 

"Let me go Nix" she said softly "Let me go now or we're all going to die." 

"Never," I held onto her tighter "I'll never let you go." 

"It won't be forever Phoenix" she said "It'll just be until the others arrives. We can't kill this thing alone so our best bet is to distract it." 

A blur from the edge of the forest caught my eye, keeping its pace with us to the point that Kassian and Atlas had to move their formation tighter until they were running right next to us, protecting Nova from both sides. 

"I can't let you go Nova" I said, my tone turning frantic as the blur got closer "Not when I just found you." 

"PHOENIX!" Atlas yelled as swiveled out of the way of the creatures claws "GET HER OUT OF HERE!" 

"YOUR LEFT ATLAS!" Kassian snarled, darting across my path to help our friend "SHIT! HE'S FASTER THAN THE LAST ONE!" 

"AND FUCKING SMARTER TOO!" Atlas breathed "HE'S FALLING BACK! HE'S ALTERING HIS ATTACK STRATEGY!" 

Before I had a chance to respond, an agonizing spasm rocked through my body so hard that I seized and fell mid-run, causing Nova to soar through the air and hit a tree, her head banging against the tree so hard that it knocked her unconscious. 

Three roars sounded out as our wolves watched their Mate passed out on the dirt floor. 

"Stubborn Mutts" A amused robotic voice sounded from above us "You should have listened to the Princess when you had the chance." 

I looked up to see a masked figure, with his head cocked to the side, gazing down at us from his perch on a tree branch. 

Another spasm rocked my body and as hard as I tried, I could help that darkness that overtook me.

But not before one thought occurred to me at the strangers words. 

'You should have listened to The Princess when you had the chance..." 

~~~~~~

Nova 

The excruciating pain radiating from my shoulder was what awoke me from my unconscious state. 

I tapered down the scream that wanted to rip free from my throat as the monsters jaw locked down even tighter on my shoulder, dragging me along the forest floor, it's hot stale breath washing over me as a low warning growl ripped through its throat. 

I blinked through the tears gazed up at the stars, noting for the first time that the night has fallen. 

My second thought was where were the guys? 

Because, as much we fought and as much as we annoyed or talked shit to each other, I knew without a doubt that if all three men were still alive, they'd be doing everything in their power to kill the monster currently dragging me through the forest. 

Which leads me to believe one of two things. 

The monster incapacitated the guys to the brink of death or killed them before it took me. 

My heart stopped at the thought of all three of them just...gone. 

I was ripped out of my thoughts when I winced, my leg scraping against a particularly sharp stone, the warm trickle of blood flowing down my leg. 

The creature halted to a sudden stop, its mouth loosening from my shoulder momentarily. 

It unhinged its jaws from my arm but kept a corroding paw on the center of my chest, making it impossible for me to move let alone try to escape. 

I watched in fascination and horror as the creature tilted its preserved head upwards to sniff the air. 

A second later, I stiffened as the creature released me and tilted its head downwards, nearly pressing its whole face into my neck. 

Shit...this was how I'd die...with a monster ripping open my throat and tearing my head from my body. 

Its large head traveled down the sides of my body until it reached the open wound on my leg. 

It inhaled deeply, once, then twice before letting out a heartbreaking howl.