Chapter 172
Fiona POV
“Stay here where it’s safe,” he instructed, and then before I could make a sound, let alone refuse, he was gone and racing out of the doorway, leaving all of us dumbfounded. Alpha Max was right behind them. Celeste cowered behind the desk, causing me to give her a disgusted look. For somebody who claimed they wanted to be Alpha, she certainly wasn’t doing her best to live up to the title. She was acting like a complete coward. Regan and the others abandoned us, also racing off to save the pack, leaving Celeste and me in the room together. Great. The last thing I wanted or needed. I expected Celeste to take off running as well in support of her parents and to help save the pack, but she just stood there, looking completely lost. What in the hell was wrong with her? Why was she acting like this? I knew she could fight because I had seen her training before. She wasn’t exactly weak, but that had been in human form. Now that she was an Alpha wolf, she should be even stronger, I thought dumbly.
“Aren’t you going to help?” I hissed, motioning to the doorway and raising my eyebrows as I looked at her expectantly.
She bites her lip and then shakes her head. “I can’t…” she stammered as I looked at her incredulously. “I’m pregnant, remember?” she pointed out.
As if that was an excuse when innocent people were dying. Sure, she was pregnant, but she could at least help the young ones to safety- do something. Even without shifting, there were jobs to do.
“You’re also an Alpha wolf, aren’t you? Is the loss of pack members truly nothing to you?” I vented. “You’re able to shift while you’re in the early stages of pregnancy. These are our people out there. You wanted the title of Alpha. Shouldn’t you prove you can perform the job?” I glared at her, unable to hold back my feelings. I had never been so disappointed in her my entire life. Even my own mate was out there fighting for the good of the pack and this wasn’t even anything to do with him. How could she just act as though this didn’t affect her?
“Shut up, Fiona,” she rose unexpectedly to her feet, dusting off her dress and eying me with pure hatred. “You have no idea what you are talking about,” she snapped.
I grew even angrier, staring at her as though she had two heads while she shifted uncomfortably on her feet.
“Then what is your excuse, Celeste? This is your pack, at least until Alpha Max takes you back with him. Are you truly about to turn your back on them?” I demanded icily.
Was this her revenge because she hadn’t gotten what she wanted or because she was being forced to return with Alpha Max? Surely she could not be that vindictive?
Didn’t she care? Innocent lives could be lost, and she was standing behind the desk, refusing to help her own people. I had never stared at her so disbelievingly. Celeste had her faults, but I never thought she could sink this low. I despised her now. Even more so than before. How she could have been considered for the role of Alpha I would never understand considering her cowardice.
“You act as though it’s so easy, Fiona,” she said scathingly, “but if I lose the baby, then what will Alpha Max do? I don’t see you going out there,” she added darkly. “So how about you don’t judge me when you’re doing the same?” she accused, her voice rising slightly higher.
I shook my head at her. “You are the most selfish, arrogant, condescending, pathetic excuse of a human being I’ve ever met. You’re right,” I told her as her eyes widened and she stared at me, “I’m not out there, but I’m about to be. You stay here,” I told her meaningfully, raking my gaze over her and shaking my head in disappointment. “We wouldn’t want you to break your nails. If this had happened when you were made Alpha, you wouldn’t hesitate,” I said knowingly as she flushed and bit her lip, “but because you lost the title, you’re about to make everybody in the pack suffer. I can’t believe you, Celeste. I always thought you were selfish, but this…” I gave a bitter laugh. “This takes the cake. Make sure you don’t leave the room,” I added sarcastically, approaching the doorway. “We wouldn’t want you to ruin your nails or get hurt now, would we?”
I ran before she could reply, heading directly for the front door. Outside I paused in my tracks, the scene of utter chaos. Those who were low ranking, such as omegas, were running wildly across the grounds, desperately trying to get to safety. Children were being held in their mothers‘ arms as they tried to get to the packhouse in the melee. There were rogues
1/2
everywhere. I stared and then took hold of myself. I couldn’t let these people die, regardless of the grudge I had against this pack. It wasn’t in my nature. I looked around desperately for my mate, but I could not see his wolf. I quickly shifted into my pure white wolf and took off.
I leaped atop the back of a rogue attempting to corner an innocent child who was backing into a tree trunk. The rogue let out a startled snarl and turned its head, allowing the child to straighten up and make a run for it. I dragged my claws down its back as it bucked me off, and then 1 rolled easily back onto my paws, staring challengingly at it. It lunged towards me, its jaws snapping, foam frothing at its mouth. I dodged it easily and ran my claws against its midsection, hurting it severely as it let out a small howl of pain. I didn’t have time for this. I was aware of how many innocents were still on the grounds. I jumped back on top of it and quickly severed its neck from its spinal cord, allowing its lifeless body to drop to the grass, and then raced off to the next rogue.
I dispatched two more and then made a circle of the grounds before heading towards the forest where I could pick up the scent of more of them. As I made my way inside, several rogues came out of the woodwork, eyeing me with hungry eyes, their red eyes narrowed as they raked their eager gazes over me. I stood my ground. There was fighting everywhere. I could smell the blood as the metallic scent filled the air. So far, it looked as though most of the injured or dead were on the rogue’s side. That was lucky as it could have been far worse, but there were still plenty left to deal with. One lunged and I dodged, only for another one to leap across my back, gouging me with its claws. I grabbed another by its tail, sending it flying through the air, its back hitting a nearby tree trunk and it’s body hitting the floor with a heavy thud. The third one to attack was quickly dispatched, leaving four more. I could feel myself beginning to panic slightly, even as my wolf was quick to
assure me.
We can do this. Keep your eyes on your opponents. We are faster, remember and more agile. They are nothing to us.
Anticipate their next move and adjust accordingly..
I kept her words echoing inside my mind. As they attacked, I was quick, so fast that I was almost a blur. I dodged, used my claws to scratch and maim, and even blinded two of them, dispatching them quickly after that. I was down to two. I stared them in the eyes as they began to circle me, wary expressions on their faces. Now that their comrades were gone, they were realizing it was not as easy to take down a white wolf as they thought. I waited, and as they both lunged simultaneously, I leaped into the air, landing on one and tearing through its spine, ripping it out and jumping onto the ground, promptly lashing out with my claws and tearing out the other rogue’s throat, blood pooling on the ground around it’s lifeless body. That was all of them. I gathered my composure and was about to trot back off when I heard a chilling howl. I would know that howl anywhere. I had grown up with it. It was none other than Regan’s, and I knew she was in trouble. Without hesitation, I began to sprint, hoping I could reach her in time and wondering where her mates were. Had they been hurt, too? I didn’t know, but I was about to find out.
