Xander did not know if it was adrenaline that had pushed him but he did not care. All his attention was on reaching the child and saving him from the ferocious fangs of the rogue. He opened his arms as he jumped and hugged the pup tightly as they rolled away from the rogue that missed its target.
But it did not end there because the rogue was now eager to get them. Xander could feel the pup shaking in his arms and even he himself were shaken as the memory of when they were attacked flashed in his mind but he forced himself to cast away his fear and held the pup tightly. He angled himself and covered the pup which only made him vulnerable from the wolf's attack since his back was not exposed to the enemy.
This time Edrei was able to detangle himself from the rogues that were preventing him from coming to their rescue. The wolf opened its mouth and took a bite at the rogue. It accurately bitten the rogue's neck.
Crack. It was loud, Xander heard the enemy's neck breaking but that did not register fast as another rogue was already running towards them. With his heart beating fast, he stood up as he carried the pup and tried to run away from the wolf. He did not dare to look back, the only thing on his mind was to save the pup and himself. But what can a human do in the face of a beast's speed and savage nature?
Without looking back, he could feel that a rogue was after them. Both of his feet were already burning in pain but he could not stop, not when a life was on the line. He resolved himself that he won't stop and won't look back.
Edrei saw this situation and did his best to run after the rogue. He had already asked for reinforcement from the Alpha and all they needed to do was hold on for a little bit more before they arrive but with them being outnumbered it was looking more and more difficult to do so. Looking at the running back of Xander, he willed himself and his wolf to fight for as long as it takes until their comrades arrive.
He sped up and reached the rogue with his fangs ready to tear the enemy apart. Using his current momentum, he lunged at the wolf and got him by the neck both wolves landed with a 'thud' on the ground. Another rogue appeared and tried to bit Edrei on his neck but he managed to evade the attack. After he rolled away from the now dead rogue, another rogue managed to latch onto his hind leg. The pain made him howl but as a warrior his instincts enabled him to kick the rogue away. He lunged towards the rogue and fought him off until it was defeated.
The moment he turned around he saw that a rogue was staring down at Xander who was cornered. Behind him was another rogue and he could see him breathing hard while looking at the beasts surrounding them. The rogues were only there staring at him without doing nothing, they were not attacking which was favorable to Edrei.
He growled and rushed towards them, that's when he did not expect the rogue to move and swiped his claws to where Xander was. The force of the claws, threw the both of them towards the direction of the raging river. A small amount of blood was left on the ground where Xander and the child were standing before they fell into the chilly water. Red bloomed on the water for a short while before it was swept away by the river's rapid currents.
A loud howl echoed through the area after they fell into the river followed by the appearance of several wolves from the Ceurian pack together with the Alpha on the front. There was no hesitation on their movements as they attacked the enemies without mercy.
Alpha Amber did not put all of this to mind as her mind was focused on the spot where his mate had fallen. The metallic smell of her mate's blood and his flung body on the river were engraved in her memory. The thought of her being too late to save her mate started to get to her.
She heard that Xander had gone with the pups to a day out on the crystal river and did not think much about it because there were other warriors who had gone with them and Edrei was already following him. She thought that she could put her mind at ease and work comfortably but a few hours only and she could already feel uncomfortable. Her gaze kept on returning to the clock on her table for some reason.
Then Edrei's report came and her hands stopped moving even her heart skipped a beat because of what he had reported, rogues, there were rogues who were able to enter Ceurian without them knowing. And now, the warriors were fighting against them with a child that they needed to protect.
She did not waste time as she called for Zayier and the other pack warriors to go with her. On their way, they met the pups and the aunties who were coming back but she did not see her mate.
"Where is he?" she asked as she kept herself from growling. She could not see him nor could she smell him anywhere nearby.
"He stayed behind since he wanted to help in finding the lost pup. Did something happen Alpha?" one of them answered. They could see her face turning pale after they told her of Xander's actions.
Amber took a deep breath and shook her head, "Nothing, please make sure that the pups are safely home. We will notify you when we find the missing pup. Please comfort his family for now."
The aunties nodded and watched as the Alpha and the warriors left for the crystal river. Amber did not hesitate and shifted into her werewolf form to run towards their location. She had a bad feeling about this and the fact that her mate was involved made it even more urgent for her to reach that place.
She gained speed only to see her mate falling into the water and the smell of his blood waking her senses. The roaring rage in her being erased all rational thinking from her mind as she let her wolf take over. Their rage turned into chaos as they started to attack the rogues and kill them brutally. They did not stop until their blood has stained the ground. It was not enough though, they needed more, who was to blame? Why did her mate need to be in the middle of a fight where he stood no chance?
She was about to go crazy as the sight of her mate's bloody body being thrown into the water kept on replaying in her mind. Seeing the crazed look in their Alpha's eyes, the warriors tactfully stepped aside so as not to earn their Alpha's rage. Zayier had also contacted Zael and Elder Zita to come.
They left the Alpha alone until the other two came. "How is the Alpha?" Elder Zita asked after seeing the carnage around.
Zayier motioned for them to look at the direction he was pointing, there was the Alpha staring blankly at nothing in particular. "After killing all the remaining rogues, she stopped moving and won't allow anyone to come near her."
"Where is Xander?" Zael asked. Zayier had briefed them of what had happened. "Did you find him and the pup?"
"I already sent some of the uninjured warriors to go look for them and I already received the report that they found them. Both of them were alive but Xander had sustained some injuries," he answered. "We have also tried to reason out with the Alpha but she was unresponsive so I hope that the both of you can make her snap out of it."
Zael and Elder Zita looked at the large silver-furred wolf before they nodded at each other. Both of them walked to the unstable wolf and carefully approached her.
"Alpha Amber Claire de Lune!" Zael tried to call out but there was no reaction. "What are you looking for? Is it your mate?" he added which incited a reaction from the Alpha.
"He is still alive. Can't you feel it?" Elder Zita was the one who spoke this time. Alpha Amber could hear them but the voice in her mind was louder telling her that she was useless for not being able to protect her mate. Her wolf had also become strangely quiet which was not making things better.
"Alpha, please focus on his heartbeat. I know that you can feel his heartbeat so please find that and focus on it." Elder Zita softly instructed so as not to startle the woman.
Amber heard it so she took it upon herself to feel for his heartbeat. After a while, she heard it, though it was a bit weak it was there. She then felt her wolf coming back after they both heard his heartbeat. This only means that he was still alive and that he was waiting for them.
'Let's go,' Amber talked to her wolf. 'He is waiting for us.'
Zael and Elder Zita had been talking nonstop in order to soothe the Alpha which made Amber's heart warm. Her silver wolf disappeared and a woman opened her eyes. Clothes were immediately handed to her and she accepted them gladly before she looked around.
"They already found them, though he is injured once again, he is still alive."