The Princess's Revenge Chapter 41

Logan’s POV

Dark clouds gathered overhead as we rode toward Eagle's Beak. The morning sky had turned gray, and I could smell rain in the air. My horse snorted nervously beneath me, sensing the change in weather.

"Alpha," Clarence called out from beside me, "looks like we're going to get soaked."

I nodded grimly, my eyes scanning the horizon. The approaching storm felt like an omen. Thunder rumbled in the distance, still far off but growing closer.

We had been riding for hours, and the landscape was changing. The rolling hills gave way to rockier terrain as we approached Thornridge Pass. The narrow mountain road stretched ahead of us, carved into the side of steep cliffs with dense forest on one side and a deep ravine on the other.

Knox, I called to my wolf silently. Something doesn't feel right.

I know, Knox replied, his mental voice tense with unease. The air smells wrong. Be careful.

My instincts were screaming danger. The pass was too quiet. During our previous trips to this area, we had always encountered other travelers, merchants, or patrols. Today, the road was completely deserted.

"Slow down," I commanded, raising my hand to signal the warriors behind us.

The group immediately reduced their pace, their horses falling into a careful walk. I could see confusion on their faces, but they obeyed without question.

"Alpha?" Garrick asked, his voice carrying concern. "Is everything alright?"

"Stay alert," I replied, my hand moving instinctively to my sword hilt. "Something's not right about this place."

Knox, I thought desperately. What are you sensing?

Wolves, Knox replied, his mental voice growing more agitated. Many wolves. Hidden in the forest. This is wrong, Logan. We need to get out of here.

My heart rate spiked as Knox's warning hit me. I was about to give that retreat order when the first bolt of lightning split the sky. Thunder crashed overhead, so loud it made our horses rear and whinny in fear.

That's when they attacked.

Dozens of massive wolves burst from the forest on both sides of the road, their eyes glowing red with bloodlust. Their snarls filled the air as they launched themselves at our group.

"AMBUSH!" I roared, but it was already too late.

Two of my warriors were dragged from their horses before they could even draw their weapons.

Marcus screamed as a massive gray wolf launched itself at him from the cliffside. The beast's jaws clamped around his throat, tearing it open in a spray of blood. He toppled from his horse, already dead.

"SHIFT!" I commanded my warriors. "SHIFT NOW!"

I felt my own body begin to change, bones cracking and reforming as Knox took control. But as I looked around, horror filled me.

My warriors weren't shifting. They sat on their horses, terror written across their faces, trying desperately to call their wolves.

"I can't!" Garrick screamed. "My wolf won't come!"

"Mine either!" another warrior cried out in panic.

Only Clarence was shifting beside me, his body contorting as his wolf emerged. The rest of my men remained human.

How is this possible? I thought desperately.

"Alpha, help us!" one of the warriors begged, his voice breaking with fear.

But there was no time. The wolves were already moving in for the kill.

I threw myself at the nearest attacker, my massive form colliding with a brown wolf. My jaws found his throat and I tore it out with savage fury.

Protect them! I commanded myself, spinning to face the next attacker.

But there were too many.

A pack of three wolves surrounded young Garrick. He swung his sword desperately, managing to wound one, but the others circled behind him. I watched in horror as they brought him down, their teeth tearing into his arms and legs.

"GARRICK!" I howled, trying to reach him.

But more wolves blocked my path. I fought through them, blood flying from my claws, but I was too late. Garrick's screams cut off abruptly as a black wolf crushed his skull between its jaws.

I watched helplessly as another warrior fell, his chest ripped open by powerful claws. Blood painted the stones red as his life poured out.

Lightning flashed again, illuminating the carnage around us. Bodies of my warriors lay scattered across the rocky ground, their blood mixing with the first drops of rain.

"Alpha!" Clarence's wolf voice reached me. "There are too many!"

I spun around to see him fighting desperately against four wolves at once. Blood matted his fur, and I could see he was weakening.

Another flash of lightning revealed the true situation. There weren't just dozens of wolves—there were at least sixty of them. They filled the pass, a sea of red eyes and bared fangs.

We're going to die here, the thought hit me like a physical blow.

The wolves closed in around us, forming a tight circle. I pressed my back against Clarence's wolf. We were the only ones left.

"Stay close," I growled, my wolf voice carrying over the thunder. "We fight together."

Clarence lunged at a black wolf that got too close, his jaws finding its throat. Blood sprayed across the wet stones as the enemy fell.

A massive gray wolf launched itself at me from the left. I met it mid-air, our bodies crashing together. My claws raked across its ribs, opening deep gashes. It yelped and fell back, but two more took its place immediately.

"Alpha!" Clarence screamed with terror.

I spun around and my heart stopped. Clarence was shifting back to human. Within seconds, he stood naked, rain streaming down his pale skin.

"What the hell?" I roared, trying to cover him with my body.

"I don't know!" Clarence screamed, his voice breaking with terror. "I can't stop it! My wolf just... disappeared!"

My heart pounded against my ribs as the reality of our situation sank in. All my warriors were dead or dying. Clarence was human and defenseless. And there were still dozens of wolves left.

For the first time in my life, I felt true fear.

"Alpha, help me!" Clarence sobbed, pressing against my side. "I can't shift back! He's gone!"

I felt my own strength beginning to fade. The power was draining away like water through my fingers. My legs trembled, and breathing became difficult.

Knox! I called desperately to my wolf. What's happening to us?

Knox's voice came back weak and distant. Wolfsbane, he whispered, his mental voice barely audible. We've been poisoned with wolfsbane.

The words hit me like a physical blow. Wolfsbane was a rare herb that could suppress wolf abilities, but it required close contact or ingestion. How had we been exposed?

"Stay behind me!" I snarled at Clarence, fighting to maintain my wolf form even as my strength ebbed away. "I'll protect you!"

But Clarence had already broken. He collapsed to his knees on the wet stones, his hands covering his face as he sobbed uncontrollably. "We're going to die here," he whimpered. "Oh Moon Goddess, we're going to die."

"Get up!" I roared, but he didn't move. The psychological shock of losing his wolf had shattered his mind completely.

They moved closer, their growls growing louder. A brown wolf lunged at Clarence from the right. I threw myself in its path, my claws slashing across its face. Blood sprayed, but the effort cost me. Another wolf hit me from behind, its teeth sinking deep into my shoulder. Pain exploded through my body.

"Clarence, move!" I screamed, but he just knelt there, paralyzed by terror.

Two more wolves attacked simultaneously. I fought them off, but barely. Blood poured from multiple wounds now. My vision started to blur from blood loss and the continuing effects of the wolfsbane.

Three wolves circled around behind Clarence. He didn't even see them coming.

"Behind you!" I roared, trying to reach him.

But I was too late. The wolves hit Clarence from three sides simultaneously. Their jaws clamped down on his arms and legs. His scream cut through the air, raw and agonizing.