The Salvation Trials ✔️

Chapter Thirty-One

Winnie Melbourne

I stalked my prey, the eight wolves carrying the scent of Black Mountain. Bronze looked over at me with narrowed eyes but said nothing, his eyes betraying his calm and collected facade. His rage was a burning inferno of promised pain to his pack members.

"How many of your wolves entered the Trials, Bronze?", I ask him through the new packlink.

"Eight."

All eight of them are here and ready to kill Alpha Kayson and I. I crouch behind the thick brush and mentally curse. Black Mountain wolves are no joke, extremely unpredictable. I motioned for Bronze to take the lead on this one from the right and he nodded at me before moving forward and then shifting into his wolf. I motioned James to the left and Ezra stayed with me as we all shifted, waiting momentarily for Bronze to go.

It didn't take long before we heard a snarl and then a yelp before we were all rushing forward, tackling down different wolves and letting the fight begin. I spared a glance around, noting how my mates were doing and how Ezra was doing against the wolf he targeted. Bronze fought off two of his pack members, snarling and growling as he took them head on. James fought against two and so did I.

I growled as the wolf lunged forward, slamming into me and knocking me off balance. Reprimanding myself and my wolf to focus, I scrambled back to my paws and lunged forward to meet his next assault before he could get an even further advantage. We clash in a ball of teeth and claws, snarling in each other's faces. Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement a second too late. The second wolf slams into me and sends me skidding across the snow, growling and paws clawing for purchase. I find it and propel myself forward, catching both the wolves off guard.

Claws tear into my shoulder and I roar in pain before snapping my jaws, teeth catching a paw. I crush the paw with surprising force and I hear bones shatter. The female wolf who slammed into me howls in pain as she rips herself away from me and collapses as she puts weight onto her broken paw. I'm quick to react and swoop in despite the male chasing after me, my teeth sinking into the scruff on the back of her neck. I yank her to a standing position and then release suddenly. She yelps in pain as she starts to buckle again and I grab the left side of her throat. Blood spills into my mouth and I tighten my jaws as the male barrels into me. I internally grin as the female falls, slowly bleeding out due to the actions of her counterpart.

He howls in anguish and I take advantage of his exposed throat, wrapping my jaws around and twisting him to the ground. He snarls and claws at my chest in a pathetic attempt to get me to release but it doesn't work. I shake my head vigorously until I hear an audible snap and he stills, his neck broken. Snarling, I quickly turn and help Ezra take down his last wolf before we split up. I go over to James who is limping slightly and looks utterly exhausted while Ezra helps Bronze who is locked in a deadly battle of claws and teeth.

Catching the wolf off guard, I grab her tail and yank her back. She yelps and turns towards me, exposing her throat to my Beta mate. He rushes in and rips her throat out with speed just as Bronze and Ezra finish off the finale male. We stand strong, breathing heavily from exertion before I bark and make a gesture towards our regroup point. With nods, my mates and Ezra follow me as our wounds slowly heal.

When we get back to the house, I nudge the door open with my nose before trudging in. Bronze comes in last and kicks the door closed before collapsing on the floor in front of it. I join in, huddling against his side as James wraps his body around my back. Ezra stares at us for a second before turning away and I open the link.

"Join us, Ezra. This is not mates cuddling, I promise. This is a pack huddling together to stay warm and get a little bit of sleep.", I say as exhaustion seeps into my bones.

Ezra approaches us hesitantly and when my mates don't snap or growl at him, he curls up with us. I lay my head on his back and watch the moonlight peeking through the curtains as darkness descends. As I'm lulled to sleep by the extra warmth provided by the three wolves, my last thought is off the Clans and Mother Mene's plans for me.