Chapter Two - Face To Face With The Enemy

Lena's POV

I whirled around, waiting for the enemy to attack us from behind. My instincts have never let me down so far.

There were no signs of the enemy yet but the scent was quite strong now. The wind howling through the gap between the peaks of the Astral mountain ranges had picked up the enemy’s scent. They were approaching us. Even Hector nodded at me. He, too, had picked it up. 

We waited quietly for the enemy to make a move. Not a hoot of an owl could be heard tonight. 

A faint crunch of the snow gave them away, and I glanced straight at the enormous boulders in front of us. Yes, I could see them now. 

Hector, Viktor, and our warriors too followed suit just in time to see almost fifty fiery eyes glittering behind the boulders ahead. Was that all to the enemy? They were nothing compared to our two hundred warriors! We could do this! But where was Zephyrus? 

We couldn’t wait for them to attack. We had to take them by surprise! 

“Attack!” I instructed my warriors, rushing forward to lead them towards the enemy. They emerged from their hiding place to confront us, totally shocked by our sudden move. 

“There are more to them, Lena!” yelled Clarion, Hector’s wife, who was a better warrior than her husband. Yes, she was right! There were at least twenty more warriors who had joined their pack members. Still, they were less! 

“We can do this! Just rip them apart,” I yelled back. It was easier said than done! 

There was chaos everywhere. Xara took over, and we ripped apart whoever came before us. I was so engrossed in the task at hand, that I hardly noticed the absence of Alpha Atticus from the battlefield. 

“Luna, save our pack!” cried Hector before his head was severed from his body and fell over the blood-spattered snowy terrain. The next thing I heard was his mate Clarion’s howl of pain. It was then that I realized our situation. The enemy was powerful in every sphere. I could see each of them single-handedly killing four of ours! Most of them didn’t look like normal wolves. 

Yet I fought on. There wasn’t a moment to falter. The enemy was immensely strong, more than I had anticipated. It seemed they were on a killing spree! I could see Viktor's lifeless body on the ground near my feet as I slayed yet another opponent. 

There were injured wolves everywhere, writhing in pain. The darkest, quietest hour of the night was transformed into mayhem. Howls, and blood-curdling cries filled the air, reverberating around the valley. A real battle was so much different from a practice one. Until now, I had only trained for one in the academy. Now facing a real one, without guidance, was a tough job indeed. 

A vicious growl resonated near me, and a black wolf ripped a chunk off Clarion’s neck. Her eyes turned black, while her lifeless body fell to the ground. The ground had transformed into a sea of blood, with our pack members diminishing every minute. We were losing the battle despite my efforts to exterminate the enemy. 

I couldn’t witness it. Where was Alpha Atticus? I glanced everywhere all the while Xara was on a killing spree. I single-handedly had killed almost fifteen of them so far, but I couldn’t do it alone. My warriors were almost reduced to a mere handful. I desperately looked around for more of our warriors. 

My eyes fell on Alpha Atticus fighting a giant, brownish, copper-shaded wolf on my extreme right. He was indeed three times the size of an average wolf! The bloodthirsty beast slashed his stomach in a single stroke and I rushed forward to help my Alpha. It was of no use. I could already see him losing! In a split second, his blood-soaked, frail body fell to the ground in a heap while I watched with dread. He couldn’t die! He was the only one who knew about my family! Blood oozed from the gaping wound, creating a pool around him.

“No, Alpha!” I yelled, howling in pain for my rescuer. He was the only one I was attached to. 

He turned his face slowly towards me. It was blank as if he was happy to embrace death. Amidst the chaos all around me, my heart constricted with pain for him. I felt I let him down. I couldn’t save him and our pack! I couldn’t be there for him in his time of need. 

“Lena, your mother is,” he cried out in agony before his eyes closed for the last time. Despite the chaos all around I distinctly heard him.

I stood frozen, wondering what he wanted to tell me. Was it about my mother? 

An angry, blood-curdling roar shook the ground I was standing on. It was coming from the beast behind me. It was the giant beast who killed Alpha Atticus. He was none other than Zephyrus! 

I was so preoccupied with what Alpha wanted to tell me, I completely forgot about the enemy behind me. It was a stupid mistake since he could have killed me. Yet it was strange, he didn’t. I whirled around and came face to face with an enormous creature with ruby-red eyes that glowed with menace. 

“Who are you?” he growled angrily, the sound echoing in the still air. 

“Your enemy!” I growled back, ready to fight until my last breath. I knew it was a lost cause. We had been overpowered! History had repeated itself again after twenty long years! 

“Surrender! I’m the new Alpha of the Luceres Pack from this moment!” There was an unmistakable fire in his eyes as if he was proud of his achievement. 

“Not yet! You have to defeat me first.” I challenged him, refusing to give in to Xara. For the first time in my twenty years of life, my wolf, Xara, didn't cooperate with me. I could feel her restlessness in the presence of the enemy. It wasn’t the restlessness we had experienced before. 

“I have no wish to hurt you. Surrender!” Despite his fury, he didn’t make any move towards me. The raw power that exuded out of him was enough to crush me in a single stroke. I was, after all an inexperienced young wolf, fighting the first battle of my life. 

“Never!” I yelled, urging Xara to attack the foe. Xara whimpered, not taking a single step forward. 

‘No, Lena. Mate!’ she whimpered. 

I staggered backward with disbelief, flinching at the word. 

‘No! He’s the enemy! Fight Xara!’ I urged her while the strange beast stared at me, his copper eyes gleaming in the darkness. No way could this killer be our mate! I was sure Xara was mistaken. I never believed in mates, but Xara did, and it always led to never-ending arguments. However, now was not the time for arguments. I had to take matters into my own hands and act. 

I leaped at him, ready to strike, when he suddenly lunged forward and grabbed my neck to stop me. Despite being defensive, the move was so lethal it was enough to choke me. I could feel my body go limp. Was this the end of my life? 

Instantly, he released me, and I fell to the blood-spattered snowy ground with a thud. The pain in my neck was impossible to bear, plunging my vision into darkness with every passing second. I remembered Ajax’s words. 

His bite and touch were fatal. 

I didn’t believe him then, but I do now. I gazed at my homeland for the last time! 

‘Goodbye Lucania! I fought for you to the best of my ability!’

Before completely losing consciousness, I heard the enemy yell at his army of wolves. 

“The battle is over. We have overpowered the enemy!” 

His announcement was welcomed with loud cheers. 

“Long live, Alpha Zephyrus! We are back in our motherland! We are back in Lucania!”

“We will rebuild Lucania with the true descendants of the Luceres Pack!” 

“Let’s celebrate our victory!” 

“Our worst days are over! We’re back home!” 

It was a joyous occasion for them, but my heart constricted with pain. I failed to save my pack from the enemy! Maybe I would bleed to death on this battlefield! This was my fate! The icy wind hit my face and Xara howled for the last time. It was a heartbroken cry of a dying wolf, a wolf killed by her mate! The wish to attain freedom, to escape, remained a dream forever!