Rejected Mate and Following Fate - Awakening Book

Chapter 98: Inside the Mountain

I zoom past trees, skim over fallen logs and under overhanging debris, aware I’m slower once more and I tire faster, but I fight on anyway. I need to see this through and be there to lead my people home when victory is ours. I owe them so much and from what I can see as all remaining wolves head hard towards the mountain in one wave, our numbers vast. We didn’t seem to lose many to fighting our brothers. In fact, as I skim the faces around me, I can’t feel the sense of loss that I did earlier, and I wonder if it was merely their pain and not death.

Not one single wolf death. We did what we set out to do. Break the spell without any losses.

Carmen mind links me, seemingly understanding why I’m looking around as we run and I blanche, my heart rising in delirious happiness because I truly thought there would be an aftermath of grief and despair when the turned found out they killed some of our own. That our victory would also be the start of mourning the losses. Instead, we just need to make sure it’s the same outcome at the mountain now.

It looms up over my head like a foreboding shadow, making me aware I have never ventured this far, or come this close to this beast of a grey rock. The stench and vibrations of vampires overpowers me as I get right to the overhang where we always suspected the entrance was. I can feel them, in their droves. Moving, fighting, hissing in the depths of their caverns, and as my pack start to single file into the narrow tunnel entrance which has been ripped open wide by wolves in their fury to get inside, I push my way past and make a dash to get in ahead of the next wave.

Carmen’s stuck to my side, as my personal bodyguard, my mind and focus on following my mate’s scent. Like a bright shining path in the dark, I can feel him close, smell where he’s been and tremble with the force of his aggression exuding through the air as he fights for his pack within the mountain. I can sense Cesar, the sub pack and Meadow too, all within these walls and doing what they do best.

Seeing it’s their Luna among them, some move and get out of my way, still unsure why I’m in human form, but they don’t ask. They follow at speed, flanking me like an army, knowing this is where they’re needed for sure.

The inner coven den is almost pitch black once I get away from the open entrance and my night vision takes a moment to kick in. I can still smell Colton in the air, even though the stench of blood and sweat and those rabid creatures overpowers my senses and use it as my guide as I feel my way along damp cold walls. I stumble on badly scraped, and uneven, gritty floors, cursing under my breath that my footing is useless as a human. Carmen slides beside me to offer support and I cling onto her fur instead and use her as a walking aid.

It’s been dug out carelessly, and makeshift, like they never really intended this to be more than a temporary lair. There’s no home comforts or hints of human living, just a damp and cold cave. Like wild animals sheltering in the darkness and not creatures capable of civilization, like we are.

My eyes adjust, bringing the surrounding shapes into view and blood curling screams further up the incline, coming down cut off tunnels on either side of me fill me with dread. It’s one thing to fight them out there in the open, see them coming, and have the space around you to anticipate their attack, but another entirely to be in here, claustrophobic with poor vision and opportunity for every tunnel to be a pounce point. This is a labyrinth of cold stone and damp. Even with night vision and extreme senses, it’s still a terrifying place to try and navigate and the noises echoing around confuse the mind to where battles are ensuing.

I move fast and follow the screams that are loudest, ignoring my own pounding heartbeat and shaking limbs. Sensing Colton, sensing Meadow in the air, and surprisingly I feel Sierra behind me almost as soon as I step into a wider area of open rock that cuts off in front of me into an almost cliff like drop.

Alora, I’m with you. I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you.

She’s panting like she’s been running hard and I’m guessing after she got free of wherever she was she came bounding back to find me and then got lost in the chaos of the broken spell. She probably heard the help cry and knew I would come this way before picking up my scent again.

Stay close to me. I won’t leave you again.

I nod, needing no explanations as I know she wouldn’t have left me had she been able to control it. I saw what the battlefield was like, how chaotic it was and how badly we were struggling against them. How easy it was to separate us and lose one another. I’m hoping she sees it, feels that I’m okay and now she’s here, I’m fine.

Sierra presses to my other side, so her and Carmen flank me fully, my hands skimming the fur and feeling a sense of security, despite my vulnerable state as human. At least I have my gifts back, even if they are powering on less than fifty percent of my abilities because of my babies. It’s better than nothing. And now I also have my femmes, and my small entourage of pack wolves going to meet our most ruthless ahead of us. Nothing can happen to me this time. I know that I need to stay safe and that now Colton is here, I won’t be in the danger I was before. I can relinquish the reigns and let my mate be everything I know he can be.

We shuffle along left, the narrow walkway away from the sheer drop and find the winding way down where all hell seems to be breaking loose. This mountain is almost hollow right in the center and all tunnels and walkways seem to wind into this one walking space which twists down to the depths below. The echoes and cries I heard all over, they are concentrated inside this cavern and flowing out in all directions.

The battle below is vicious and loud, and the flying fury of fur and pale creatures makes for an almost stormy sea like movement across the depths. I can’t see who is who, but my attention is drawn up as something flies past me and crashes into the overhanging rocky ceiling above before plummeting back down in speed. It’s scares the shit out of me, my heart lurching to my throat and the three of us jump back against those behind us and inhale swiftly in perfect sync. Freezing as we stare at whatever that was and eyeing it warily.

“What the hell?” I recoil in horror as another makes a break for it and for the first time ever, I see, some of the vampires have wings. Like huge, oversized leathery bat wings and my jaw drops open.

“Why the hell have we never seen this before, and what in the actual…….” My mind turns blank and I blink, trying to adjust to this sight and believe what I’m seeing.

They’re trying to get out, escape, but the suns up….. They don’t seem to care that getting out will be death. They know they’re losing and they’re frantic to die any other way than by our claws.

It’s a wolf coming up towards me, meting us on our path. A familiar voice of one of our experienced sub pack sentinels, one of our warriors. One of the fog enchanted, as he follows up after another flying creature and happened to come upon us gawping upwards. He bows to me, makes it clear he’s not staying, and then proceeds past me at speed to take off towards the ceiling to catch any that go up. His smile and enjoyment at finally getting to rip these creatures apart gives me shivers, but I know most of our warriors have been waiting for this day. Ever since we moved into the shadow of these beings and had to watch our every move. Our fiercest have longed to invade this place and eliminate the threat. Even Colton, but his need to see our people safe always overrode the urge to scourge the mountain clean.

let

idea and I follow at speed, not caring if she just once again decided for me. Turning on our heel to trace out the steps moving skywards and Sierra and some

break some kind of vent to let the sun fry these freaks. From this angle, with all of them down below, we can kill so many with such a simple act and help our fighters below. They may be winning, but this mountain is full of these creatures and this may take hours

grabs two wolves on the passing, both strong sentinels from our pack, pushing them with me. Seeing as they are heading up anyway

and look for weak points with thinner rock formations around us. Look for ways to break to the outside…. Thinner patches, crevices. Tiny cracks or even tunnels formed by nature which are small. There has to be areas we can break through… I mean strength is our gift and our

found it. A weak point where the hollow is close to the outer edge

use any of my wolf gifts, Carmen takes the lead and starts digging, scraping and hauling rubble out of a nearby crack as she turns and gets to work. Other wolves piling in see what we are doing and immediately understanding

violence, eerie screams, and chaotic noises. Thuds, thumps, cries… ripping, screeching, smashing. The scent of blood filling the air of both Lychan and Vampire, but I know both species have healing abilities, and this isn’t going to be as quick as taking down a small patrol out there

a moment of disbelief and I spin to see her striding this way. A bright white light in her hand as her mode of seeing where she’s going once again, and she smiles at

it yourself. When will you wolves learn, the witch is always a better option.” She smiles, that arrogant demeanor on show but I can’t fault her for it. Afterall, she broke the spell and my respect for her abilities have grown by a thousand-fold. My wolves look to me

effort and for a moment, I wonder what a small glow of nothing can really do for a huge expanse of mountain wall. I expected something a bit more dramatic and with a lot more vavoom. For someone

with pitch darkness once more, without very much of an explosion at all. I stand looking rather deflated as my eyes adjust and wonder what that even was, expecting more.

for a moment. An after effect, like a storm in a teacup brewing and there’s a pause of inhale. Almost like a silent stillness for a second, and I realize as something grows in the air around us, I should never doubt this witch. A growing groan, an uneasy sense of atmosphere tingling around us as if I’m suddenly feeling gravity changing direction and it

down the outside with a crescendo of noise that can be heard for miles around and echoes back on us. Birds in the distance from our newly acquired view scatter from trees for miles of endless forest canopy and animals scurry in

us so that we blink to adjust, filling the cracks and the crevices and gleaming

asks drily, cocking an eyebrow at the witch as

a wolf to the death toll?” Leyanne snaps right back with a salacious

fall it would be. In light it’s a deep and crazy long hollow that stretches beyond the imagination, yet the dazzle still makes it all the way down from this impressive

to wall in a bid to escape. Their panic is their demise, writhing in burning agony with scolding light, they fly right up into the fullest part of it and combust like a puff

in shadow reeling into tunnels to escape. Only more wolves await

black fur as the throws his head back and howls a successful call. The shadows around him are eerie

got. Holding up high, a dead vampire corpse in his claws before he tosses it aside and I don’t hesitate in making my way down to where he is. Confused that this is a leader when I know the source should be Varro. I don’t doubt his call, I just don’t

behold as an enraged black Lycanthrope, his eyes glowing so bright they look like flames. A battle cry in his

at the king who will make our people great again and know when he’s in control, there will be no stopping our people from taking back what’s rightfully ours. Losing him made me realize how capable

but I can already tell that compared to what we have seen in the forests, this mountain has way less than I anticipated and wonder where the hell they all are. The stench in here reeks of thousands of crammed vile souls,

don’t fall as her light once again shines the way. Carmen pushes in front

wasn’t here. It was half empty when we got in and made finding the witches way easier. Your Meadow, is quite the soldier.” Leyanne seems impressed by that and not at all phased by her first statements.

blink, reeling thoughts splaying out, remembering that she had to take them on alone to break the spell and as of yet I’ve only seen vampires. If they are a threat in here, I want to know about it. Will

much before I disintegrated them. Such pointless wee beasts they were. Quite disappointing really.” She sounds almost guilty for a second, or maybe truly deflated, and I flash a look her way, catching an odd moment of somber I wasn’t expecting and then it’s gone. It also confirms that despite not

shrugs with one shoulder. That cool demeanor back in place and that care no less expression firmly on that attractive

they were something the world could do without

stupid head into where we are moving. So fast Carmen didn’t have time to react even though it was right at her side. It’s semi shadowy here, it obviously didn’t expect a blinding light

make the last speed dash down to the final floor below, skipping over and seeing even Carmen grimace with the

get to me then realize it’s pretty futile. I am covered in my own blood

eyeroll at the constant power

remains of fried vampire and I notice the throne, crude, and carved without skill, as it sits

and your mate already took care of him. I think he was newly promoted.” Leyanne points at the unbreathing evidence and I turn to the lifeless body slumped in the corner that Colton discarded. Still intact due to not being in direct light but it has no

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