Flames of Fate

Aidan

“Kiarra!”

I screamed as I watched the SUV swerve straight into the truck, clipping the front end.

~“Aidan, I’m so sorry, goodbye.”~

In the blink of an eye, I saw what I thought was the end for my mate as the truck death-rolled into a neighboring field.

“No! Kiarra!” I screamed out again.

My heart pounded so hard it threatened to escape my chest.

The three of us watched in horror as two more black SUVs sped in our direction.

It was an ambush.

“James, they’re rogues!” I yelled at him.

His face had lost all color. He’d lost touch with reality.

“Pull up on them, Aidan!” Melody screamed.

I didn’t have more than a second to respond. She had already shifted and was bounding toward the SUV that had hit Kiarra.

“You take one, and I’ll take the other, yeah?” I said to James, who looked like he’d come back to the planet.

“Right,” he nodded and followed in the same direction as Melody.

My eyes fell on the truck; Kiarra was still in there. It was smoking.

That was a bad sign.

~“Kiarra, Kitten, you with me?”~

The moment I decided to run for her, three rogues caught my scent.

They were coming.

To my left, I saw James ripping apart a blonde wolf that reminded me of Angela.

I regretted not bringing her and Jack.

I tore through two more brown wolves. The second one sunk its teeth into my hind leg.

I howled before I ripped its throat out.

~“James! We need to get Kiarra!”~

I mind-linked the alpha, but he was in between four brindle-looking savages.

Melody was nowhere to be seen until a smaller red-ash wolf flew out of the sky and hit the ground before me.

The smoke was getting more intense from the truck.

“Kitten! Please! Tell me you’re with me!”

Still, there was nothing. Maybe she was unconscious.

I bounded toward the truck before being cut off by two heavy-set tan wolves. Teeth bared, they growled and circled me.

I couldn’t get to her.

I couldn’t get to the truck.

All around us, there was blood and bodies.

It was a scene of carnage straight out of a horror film.

The damsel in distress was my mate. The only thing was, this wasn’t a movie. If I didn’t get to her, it was game over.

I really was about to lose her forever.

Out of the corner of my eye, Melody reappeared. She bounded toward the upside-down truck. She must have noticed the same thing I did.

Flames.

~“Aidan?”~

“Kiarra! Hold on, Kitten! I’m gonna—”

I was plowed from the side before I could finish my words.

“I’m coming!”

It was all I could manage as two more snarling wolves jumped in on the fight. I ripped out the throat of a tan, but his partner managed to get on my back.

I growled as I felt the bite sink into the flesh of my neck.

I couldn’t see James or Melody. I had been swallowed up by a mass of snapping teeth and scraps of fur. I didn’t know who these wolves were or where they came from. Perhaps this was the problem we were left with now that Ares was dead.

The crackling of the flames became louder. The truck was smoking badly. I needed to get to her, but I couldn’t.

It was like I was being prevented on purpose.

~“James!”~

I tried to mind-link her father.

I hated him, but an extra hand would’ve been welcomed.

There was nothing.

I was on my own.

Fueled by undiscovered betrayal, I slaughtered the three wolves without thinking. I let go, I let all the anger that I had held over the Kendricks go.

Suddenly, I was alone. It was quiet. There were five dead wolves at my feet.

My eyes shifted to the truck that still held Kiarra captive.

There was still no sign of James, but through the smoke, I saw Melody was busy with a massive assault of her own.

As much as I hated her, I couldn’t leave her alone. Kiarra would never have forgiven me for that. I bounded toward her. She was pinned under a black wolf. The wolf looked sick, like it had gone mad years ago. Its only purpose: bring death to any wolf it can.

I sank my teeth into its neck, but just as fast, I felt teeth bear down on my hind leg. The same one that was already bleeding.

I howled, giving the wolf under me and on top of Melody time to wiggle free.

I backed off. I was hurt.

“I’m good, thanks, Gold!” Melody said before sinking her teeth into the throat of the wolf that had her pinned.

He’d met his match that day.

My eyes scanned for Alpha James, but he was nowhere to be found. I was alone in this fight. The rogue wolves kept coming. From where, I couldn’t tell.

The only way there would be so many here, at the right place at the right time, was if they were sent.

This was a coordinated effort.

I wanted to blame James Kendrick for this, but part of me knew that even he wasn’t that stupid.

I sank my teeth into the last gray, mangy-looking wolf as I watched Melody take down three females. One by one, she picked them off. She was fast, and they couldn’t catch her.

She was smart. She was an Alpha if ever I saw one.

Alpha James suddenly came into my field of view, but he wasn’t headed toward us.

He was headed toward Kiarra.

He was headed to save his daughter.