Into the Alpha’s Keep Chapter 32: 31

I noticed that some of the mothers looked at me, a bit hesitant, and began to whisper among themselves. Ruda stepped forward, ready to begin the task.

He was a skinny, tall boy, about twelve years old. His skin was light brown, with brown hair and large, expressive green eyes.

"I'm ready, Miss Mihaela," he announced, determined.

Mihaela smiled warmly at the little wolf and pointed in the direction he should go.

"You're free to go, Ruda. Find the lamb meat to complete the task."

Smiling, all excited, he started running in the indicated direction. Alexandra moved, and I followed her, ignoring the glaring looks.

I could smell the meat and knew exactly where it was hidden. Twenty trees away, on the left branch. I also smelled other fresh foods, like cheeses and poultry and beef.

We moved through the forest, going far beyond Fenrir's territory.

"I didn't know you could leave the territory," I said, jumping to the side and avoiding a branch.

I tried to make as little noise as possible so I wouldn't distract Ruda. Alexandra and I were in charge of the pup, so I was hoping he would win the challenge.

"Only this way we can complete the task. Too close to the village, they could get confused by the smells. It's done kind of in stages. This is their first time, so they're looking for something with a strong, specific scent, far from anything that could interfere. Next time, it will be closer to the village, but nothing so obvious."

Ruda stopped midway, raised his face, and flared his nostrils, taking a deep breath. He waited a few seconds before running in the direction the scent came from.

I looked around, feeling a bit... strange for being so far from the village. The shadow of Hunter's wolves still terrified me. Only then did I realize how used I had gotten to the sense of protection that Dăneşti provided.

The boy changed direction, disappearing behind the thick trunk of a tree. He was going in the opposite direction. My tongue tingled, but I didn't interfere, just like Mihaela told me not to.

"We always get confused the first time," Alexandra mocked.

We quickened our pace, trying to catch up with him. My heart pounded in my chest when the scent of another wolf hit me. It wasn't Ruda's scent, nor was it from the Dăneşti pack.

Alexandra felt it too. She looked at me, wide-eyed. We passed the trunk where Ruda had disappeared.

He was there, but he wasn't alone.

A tall, strong male held him, covering his mouth with his hand. He looked at me and smiled.

"Finally, Savannah. You have no idea how much Hunter is eager to see you."

I couldn't move, completely panicked.

Being caught by Hunter was my greatest fear, the thing that terrified me most in life. Of all the fates awaiting me, that was the worst.

Another wolf jumped, falling from the high branches behind me and grabbing Alexandra with force. She screamed and tried to break free from him.

"Fenrir will crush you!" she yelled, struggling with the male.

She kicked and punched, trying to hit him. He dodged every blow. He was unlike the others, trained for this. Hunter saw how difficult it was to take me back and was sending trained males, prepared for it.

Panic spread through my veins, raising the hairs on my skin and making my blood run cold.

"Come on, dear, willingly, or I'll kill your little friends," he threatened, pulling Ruda's head.

I extended my arm and took a step forward.

"No, please," I begged.

I would never beg for my life, not to Hunter. But... Ruda was just a pup, a little wolf on his first mission, just learning to detect scents.

The alpha holding him was a bloodthirsty, heartless monster, ready to kill him, ready to take the life of an innocent boy, if it meant he could get his hands on me. All to please a ruthless, immoral alpha.

"Then come on, we don't have time," he said. He looked around, and I noticed fear in his eyes.

He was afraid of Fenrir.

I could vomit at any moment. The food in my stomach seemed to be turning, ready to come back up from the same place it had entered.

He pulled Ruda's neck a bit more. The pup seemed terrified but tried to stay strong, not screaming or begging for his life, just like a true alpha would.

Ruda was a brave boy, and he still had much to live for.

"Let him go, and I'll go with you," I stated.

"No!" protested Alexandra, trying to break free from the wolf holding her. "Savannah, don't do this."

I took two steps forward, approaching slowly. The hands around Ruda loosened a little, freeing the boy's head. I took another step.

In a swift movement, he shoved Ruda aside, throwing him against the tree, and came toward me.

My heart slowed for a brief second, as if it stopped beating, the fear of the boy being hurt making me erratic. As soon as the wolf laid his hands on me, I punched his throat with a fist.

I didn't think, didn't plan, I just acted.

Ruda slammed into the trunk with force, but kept his eyes open, conscious. He sat on the ground and blinked. Alive, he was alive.

The wolf clutched his throat and staggered back, gasping for air, his eyes fixed on me, shining with rage.

I lunged toward the pup and pulled him toward me. I heard the growl of the other wolf when Alexandra hit him in the groin, brutally crushing whatever was there.

"We need to run to the pack!" she shouted.

I intertwined my fingers with Ruda's and started running, just behind Alexandra. The boy had long legs, but still didn't have all the powers of a wolf. He was slower than us. But I wouldn't abandon him, not for anything.

"Come on, Ruda," I pleaded, pulling him.

"He's coming," he whispered, panicked.

"Run! Run!" Alexandra ordered, panic in her tone.

I could smell the male, getting closer. Then, a hand tangled in my hair and pulled me with force. I let go of Ruda and pushed him forward, giving him one last chance to escape before the wolf took me.

"Now, you will learn the legacy of our pack, bitch," he roared and slapped my face with such force that it made me turn. The side of my face burned, and the taste of blood filled my mouth. "You've been with these animals so long, you forgot that a female should NEVER raise her hand to a male?"

I blinked, and tears welled up in my eyes.

"Fuck all of you," I hissed. "I hope Fenrir dismembers each one of you."

He smiled and inhaled, sniffing me.

"Are you fucking him?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at me. "I smell his weak scent on you. So this is what you like? Sleeping from alpha to alpha's bed?" He laughed. "For your luck, I'm also an alpha, and I'm going to fuck you in every way until you learn how to behave while we take you back home. Hunter doesn't care enough about you to stop me." I would kill myself at the first opportunity I got, they wouldn't break me. Not more than I already was. He grabbed my neck and pulled me. "You're actually quite tasty," he murmured, squeezing my breast with his free hand before sliding it between my legs and dragging his fingers over my pussy through the fabric of my pants. The touch made me shudder with pain. "You have fewer curves than I usually like, but it will do."

I squeezed my eyes shut and let a sob escape.

At least, Alexandra and Ruda were safe. They didn't have to pay for my mistakes, my sins. Hunter was a burden I carried alone.

"Let her go!" The pup's voice came from beside us.

Ruda threw himself at the male Eclipse and punched him in the groin. The alpha released me and bent over, howling in pain.

I smiled at the pup and got ready to run with him again. Alexandra was a few meters away, trying to hold back the second wolf.

"Ruda, run!" I ordered.

The wolf shoved me with such force that I flew far. I hit the ground with a hard thud, injuring my side. My head struck something hard and sharp, and then the scent of my blood filled the air.

I blinked, losing consciousness.

I tried to get up, but I was too weak.

I looked at Ruda, desperate. He was coming toward me, his wide green eyes locked on me. He was getting closer, close enough for his scent to reach me.

But then, the wolf was right behind him, grabbed his neck, and twisted his head to the side, snapping it with a hollow crack.

The blackness overtook the pup’s eyes before he collapsed lifeless to the ground.

Dead.

The scream that had been trapped in my throat exploded.