CHAPTER THREE: WRONG PLACE, RIGHT TIME

CHAPTER THREE | WRONG PLACE, RIGHT TIME 

AVA HAYES

The plan is simply, Dante distracts the warriors guarding the border while I run out and later, he'll join me. It is a risky one, but it's all we've got. 

It would be harder for me to sneak out and that is why he would be doing the distracting. 

“Are you ready?" I ask Dante, watching him keenly. 

He looked more than terrified but I know he'll go through with the plan.

He bites his lower lips, silently watching the gaurds movements before speaking. “You do know that if we get caught, I'll end up being imprisoned and probably sentenced to death while your father would probably lock you up in the pack house for the rest of your life?" 

I sigh, taking his hands in mine and giving him a reassuring squeeze. “Trust me, babe, we wouldn't get caught. And if we do, I'll protect you with my life…you are my life and I'll be nothing without you. I love you Dante Rivers." 

A smile spreads on his face, lighting up his eyes. “I love you too Ava Bianca Hayes." 

“Okay, let's do this."

Giving him a peck, I move to another hiding position, slowly making my way to the border, making sure I don't blow my cover. 

From my position, I can see Dante hiding in our former location behind an bush, waiting for me to give him signal. I send him a thumbs up and he immediately gets into action. 

A loud scream echoes from him, catching everyone that surrounds the border. They all rush there to check the problem. 

Due to the frequent brutal attack we've been getting from rogues this past few weeks, most of the gaurds are either injured or dead given us a greater advantage. 

Every other thing was pretty easy after Dante successfully distracted them. I run out and keep running until they can't see me and collapse on a tree in the forest, waiting for Dante to join me. 

He joins me a few minutes later, placing his hands on his knees and panting. “That was really close. I almost got killed." 

I roll my eyes, standing at my full height for a hug. “Stop being dramatic, babe. Thank you…I love you." I whisper, hugging him tightly. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Where are we going now? By the way, when I ran out of the pack, the guards kept saying something about slavers. It sounded pretty serious. I think we should be careful out here." 

I wave him off, taking his hands and dragging him along with me. “They were only trying to make you come back. Now, we just have to find a pack willing to join us, get married and then, go back to our pack." I squeal in excitement. 

“Where would we find a pack? You do know we're officially rogues now and are now a threat to any pack we step foot into? How the hell are we going to get them to join us when they'll probably rip our heads off before giving us a chance to explain your brilliant plan." 

My movements seize, the realization that I didn't think everything through hitting me like a train. “Oh shit! Why didn't we think about this earlier? What the hell are we going to do now?

“Ava," Dante calls, eyes roaming the forest fearfully. “Did you hear that?" 

I'm too busy being caught up in my panic to calm down and check the sound that scared him so much until a spare is thrown at me, it would have torn my head off my body if not for Dante who pushes me out of the way. 

The spare hits a small tree behind us and we watch with horror filled faces as the tree is sliced off.

We are cornered by seven men and from their stance and scent, I immediately knew they ain't werewolves.

Slavers. They are slavers and I doubt we would make it out here alive. 

“Oh shit!" Dante says, punching one of the men that tries to grab him. 

Using the man's disorientation, we push him out of the way and take to our heels, running as far as our legs can carry us, the slavers hot on our heels. 

We keep running, not paying attention to our surroundings until an arrow from nowhere hits one of the men chasing us. 

Like a horror movie in slow motion, Dante and I pause, turning around just in time to watch the man's head fall off, blood splashing everywhere. 

An agonizing scream comes out of my mouth, echoing around the forest. My hands slowly touch my face, the blood from the now dead man on my hand when I bring it back to my face. 

A gunshot sounds, followed by multiple others and soon, all the men trying to capture us are lying on the floor, bleeding and dead. 

We were saved by unknown people but I am not sure if I should be happy or terrified. 

Dante shakes my shoulders gently, snapping me out of my thoughts. “We just got saved. Why the hell are you fucking crying?" 

I don't realize I'm crying until he points it out. “They killed them. They…" 

“Are you fucking crazy? We owe whoever saved us our lives. Do you have any idea what these men would have done to us when we got captured? You'd have been turned into a guinea pig for experiment, dead, half alive. I even heard that some of these men use their female captives as sex slaves. Would you have preferred that? They would have done much worse…" 

My words hang in my throat when a sword is placed on my neck and a gun is pointed to Dante's temple. 

I can tell the sword is laced with wolfsbane as the toxic shit burns my skin, creating pain like never before on my neck. 

Scared to move and inflict more pain on myself, I stay still, tracing the man that has captured us with my eyes. 

“They are rogues. Execute them."