Ski Chalet

ELA

King Dmitri’s blood dripped down the wooden stake that protruded from the jagged, red flesh that had once been his neck.

The three of us stopped in our tracks.

~The king is dead.~

The werewolf realm as we knew it had changed irrevocably.

I wanted to weep and honor the king…but there was no time.

“The plan holds,” Max affirmed.

“A moment,” Hades said softly, bowing his head. I pressed my eyes closed and tears began to freeze on my cheeks.

“Goddess, guide our beloved leader peacefully to the afterlife. His heroic life endures in our hearts.”

When the prayer was done, we shared one look in solidarity.

We shifted and took off running through the woods, following a stream and then bearing right, charging up an embankment.

As the mountain air, frosty even in the summer, skinned my throat, I was thankful for the training regimen we had maintained at the conference.

That asshole Barnaby Smit had been good for something after all…

But he had gotten something wrong. We were dangerous, but we weren’t weapons.

And we couldn’t be controlled.

We continued up until the forest floor was covered in snow.

Hades led the way.

He had discovered a map of Nelson’s property in the chalet’s library, and he knew the way to the hangar.

We didn’t know how heavily it would be guarded, but we would find out.

As we tore through the snow, I wondered how long it would be before the government came after us.

King Dmitri’s head, placed directly in our path, implied that it wouldn’t be long.

At that very moment, I heard the nearing whir of an engine.

I risked a glance behind me and saw a fleet of snowmobiles appear over the mountain ledge.

~Fuck.~

I couldn’t make out any faces, but I assumed Barnaby Smit was at the head of the chase.

I growled to my companions and looked to Hades for instruction.

He let out a short cry and picked up his already quick pace.

Kalindi fell into place before me, kicking up snow with her paws. Though Max could have led us all, he remained behind me, nipping at my heels to encourage me forward.

He took up the rear so I wouldn’t get hurt.

We continued to climb, my muscles burning and my claws scraping against rock beneath the snow.

I was so focused on keeping up that I hardly noticed where we were going…until we crested the top of the mountain.

The other side made a black diamond look like the bunny slope.

Sheaths of rock appeared amid the blanket of snow. There were huge crests and ledges on the mountain face.

The good news was that this would be even more difficult for the snowmobiles than for us wolves.

The bad news was this would be pretty damn hard for us too.

Before we started our inevitable descent, I stared out at the snowy valley beneath us. I could make out a large metal rectangle…

~The hangar.~

It was surrounded by a large black expanse of runway.

As the snowmobiles roared behind us, threatening to overtake us, Hades leapt.

He flew through the air like an Olympic ski jumper before landing, sending up a spray of powder.

I glanced at Kalindi, who gestured to the slope before us.

We would jump together.

I leaned back onto my haunches and then launched forward.

The alpine air cut through my thick fur…as I landed, the snow cushioned the blow.

I was blinded by the powder, but I knew I had to keep going. When the air finally cleared, Kalindi, Max, and Hades were running at my side…

And the soldiers’ snowmobiles were closing in behind us…

Hades glanced back and growled to us.

We jumped over a ledge, but when we landed, I saw Hades’ wolf scramble up the mountain and settle beneath the rocky outcropping.

I followed him. When we were all together, Hades tipped back his head and began to howl.

Max did the same, and their calls mixed together in a haunting harmony. Kalindi and I joined their song.

Though we didn’t communicate, I could tell that each of us was pulling from a deep well of sorrow and fear. That’s why our calls were so loud, so impassioned…

We were remembering the great King Dimitri, and swearing we would avenge his wrongful death…

Just then, I felt the earth rumble beneath me.

But it wasn’t just the snowmobiles.

It was a ~natural disaster.~

~Avalanche.~

We stopped howling, one by one, and gathered closer together in our small shelter.

As a mass of snow slid down the mountain, the view before us was obstructed in white.

While I knew the avalanche would deter our enemies, I worried it would trap us in our enclave…

Or cover the runway in snow.

We watched the snow crash down the mountain like an enormous wave.

And then the view was clear. We still needed to traverse half of the mountain…and then break into the hangar.

We continued to move quickly, racing through the snow, jumping off of rocky ledges.

Finally, the mountain leveled out. We continued to barrel through the powder as if we were huskies, not wolves.

I could make out the armed guards outside the hangar, calling for reinforcements on their walkie-talkies.

~Too late, suckers.~

They were firing at us, but with snow frozen on our fur, we were hard to locate against the white backdrop.

Finally, we were upon them.

There were four guards, and we each tackled one of them. I pounced, sending the man’s helmeted head smashing into the metal wall behind him.

Even with the extra protection, I easily knocked him unconscious.

One obstacle was avoided, but I could hear another group of snowmobilers rocketing down the hill toward us.

The huge metal doors towered before us. Kalindi wrenched them open with her paws.

When we could squeeze through, we pushed into the hangar.

It was an expansive, massive shelter. A pristine white jet was poised in the center, facing doors that were open to the runway.

At the last moment, we shifted to our human forms. We were naked, but we had to get out of there ~fast~.

“Kalindi flies, I ride shotgun,” Max screamed as he charged the vehicle.

The hangar’s door opened automatically, and President Nelson and his men charged inside.

“You guys go,” Hades shouted, squaring up to the oncoming militia and head of state. “I’ll hold Nelson back—this one is personal.”

With that, he shifted, and, releasing a nasty snarl, charged our opponents.

I didn’t want to leave Hades behind, but I knew there was no arguing with him when he’d made up his mind, and he could take care of himself.

He was practically ripping the President’s men to shreds, and it gave us just enough time to escape.

At the jet, Max ripped the pilot from his seat, and we all piled in.

“Everyone ready?” Kalindi asked.

But without waiting for an answer, we rose into the air.

We had made it through one perilous situation…but I had no idea what trouble awaited us at the compound.

EKON

“We all know we have to go back to the compound,” I announced as I looked out at our group.

Everyone was assembled in the living room.

Ryland and Hunter nodded eagerly. Victoria looked to Bambi, whose jaw was hardened with resolve.

Holly nodded, though she was exhausted from yesterday’s catastrophe.

And my mom looked up at me, a small, determined smile on her face.

For years, I had orated before my pack without seeing their expressions. Now that I saw the respect and love in their faces, I felt all the more confident in our mission.

“It’s finally time to put our plan into action,” I continued.

“And we all have a role to play. Hunter and I are on the offensive. Holly is Rose’s shield.”

The two shared a meaningful glance.

“Ryland and Victoria stay behind in case things at the compound go south. You can rally the Royal Council.”

My Beta nodded to me respectfully.

“What’s my role?” Bambi asked.

I turned to my mate.

“You will stay where it’s safe.”

I knew she wouldn’t like it, but I wouldn’t dare to put her in harm’s way.

“Everyone has their duty, but the important thing is that we get Rose to Devina. So she can defeat her…once and for all.”

ROSE

When the meeting ended, everyone quickly dispersed. We were leaving soon for Alaska.

But before Holly could walk away, I grabbed her wrist.

“Sit with me a minute?” I asked.

She returned to her place on the couch beside me, eyeing me with curiosity.

I had always been able to feel her respect, but after the incident with the sea witch, our relationship had changed.

The respect was even deeper than that of student and teacher, protégé and mentor.

Two like souls separated by time, fated to meet in the most peculiar of circumstances.

Now I was her protector.

Forged by fire, our relationship had grown from respect to love.

“I wanted to talk to you,” I began, closing my hand around hers, “because this will be our last battle together.”

She nodded solemnly.

“We only have a short time left,” I went on. “I’ll soon have to pass on from this realm. Tyler will be restored to her body, and I’ll take my place in the afterlife once more.”

Tears shone in Holly’s eyes.

“Are you scared?” she asked.

Slowly, I shook my head. On the other side of the living, it was hard to be scared.

“But will you be able to…make things right?” she pressed, her voice breaking.

“I hope so,” I whispered. I could hardly remember the place I had been, though I could feel it pulling for me.

I heard it in the chorus of Freya’s souls…

A longing and loneliness so deep it chilled one’s very core.

“That is what I will try with this battle,” I whispered, “to finish my business in this life.”

“I’m going to miss you.”

I smiled sadly as I reached up with my free hand to wipe away a tear from Holly’s cheek.

“Me, too,” I said honestly. “I feel that I’ve known you much longer than our brief time together, Holly. It has felt almost like I had a daughter again.”

My heart broke as I said the words, knowing how true they were.

And just like Devina, I would have to leave Holly too.

But though my real family had been destined for pain and destruction, I knew that I had helped Holly.

I had helped her heal…just as she had helped me.

“I’m ready for tomorrow’s fight,” Holly said with determination. “When I stand beside you, I’ll hold nothing back. I know how to control the darkness within me…because you taught me how.”

“I know you will,” I replied. “And even though it will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I am finally ready to do what I have to do.”

BAMBI

I traced the wall up the stairs and down the hallway five paces before entering Ekon’s room.

I could hear him moving around, rustling his belongings.

“I’m coming with you,” I announced.

Ekon sighed, and his footsteps approached me before he led me to the bed to sit down.

“I absolutely will not allow it,” he said sternly. “I can’t risk it, Bambi. You’re the most important thing in my life. I need to know that you’re safe.”

“But I can—”

“If something happened to you, Bambi, life would crumble to pieces. It is simply too dangerous for someone in your…”

He trailed off, and I could tell he had found what I wanted to say all on his own.

I reached for his hand.

“Beside you is where I belong,” I said softly. “Ekon, you’ve always taught me that this disability isn’t a weakness.”

“It’s a strength,” he replied.

I nodded, reaching up to kiss him under his chin.

Ekon had fought without his sight for years. I would do it too.

I would do whatever I needed to stay where I belonged…at Ekon’s side.

I breathed in the piney scent of him. His muscles were stiff. Ready for battle.

…and I hoped he would be ready for something else.

In these last moments alone, I wanted to show him how much I believed in him. How much I loved him.

I told myself that this wouldn’t be the last time…but I would make love to my mate as though it could be.