Chapter 73

Everly POV

Finally, everything was back in order, and I decided that I couldn’t put it off any longer. Since Valarian
was with his father for a few more hours. I decided I would go out to the reserve and shift. After
everything with the forsaken and the missing rogues, I had been putting it off because I promised I would
take Valarian with me next time. Yet, as much as I wanted to keep that promise, it wasn‘t a promise I
could keep without putting him at risk. However, it had been ages since I shifted, and I was also nervous
about what I knew would be an excruciating transformation.

Going through the gate, I pulled my small backpack off my shoulder before glancing around nervously.
This place was too quiet today, far too quiet, and it set my sense on edge, yet I was already here, and I
needed to do this as much as I was dreading it. I removed my clothes and quickly tucked them into my
backpack and stuffed it inside a hollow log.

The shift took longer than usual but surprisingly; it wasn’t as painful. I flexed my claws in the moist soil
and stretched out before running deeper into the forest; one thing I noticed though, my wolf form didn’t
tire as fast, and after half an hour where I would usually be dead on my feet and dragging my ass out of
the forest, I was keen to keep going. I suppose I had marking Valen to thank for that.

In spite of that, my wolf was still a tiny wolf and not what you would expect from an Alpha female. After
another hour, I was about to turn around when I heard the sounds of a whimper. My ears pricked and
twitched on top of my head when I tried to find where the noise was coming from when I heard it again.
The breeze switched, and the soft scent of blood reached my nose. My eyes scanned the trees as I
followed my nose. There was a scent that I swear I had smelled before, but I couldn’t place it; I just knew
it was a rogue scent. However, the next whimper I heard couldn’t be mistaken that someone was in
trouble, and I picked up my pace, sniffing the ground and air while listening. Looking for any indication of
where they were.



I was becoming dangerously close to the boundary line that led into forsaken territory, a place I hoped I
wouldn’t have to venture out to. Yet the choking cough I heard next had me running toward the high
fences, and my eyes blew wide when I saw a pair of forsaken ripping into something on the ground. The
scent of blood reached my nose stronger, and I quickly

I where I had smelled that particular scent before. Bile rose in my throat as I tried to find a way through
the fence. Racing along it, trying to find a gap big enough for me to squeeze through, or I would have to
climb it and risk being torn to pieces by the razor wire that ran along the top.

My growl was surprisingly louder as I snarled at the two forsaken tearing into her. Trying to draw their
attention to me and away from her. If I left and came back, she would be dead long before I got help, and
I cursed myself not letting Valen mark me because we would have the mind link, and my phone was
tucked in my bag closer to the hotel. One of the forsaken.

looked in my direction before growling as my paws hit the fence when I felt the bottom of the fence pull
away slightly from the ground, the mesh flimsy in this section. I started digging, m y paws claws ripping
into the soft earth as I tried to dig under the fence and create a hole just big enough to squeeze through.

Yet my wolf form was still too big for the gap when I shifted back, my bones snapping painfully as
adrenaline shot through me, and I forced the shift too quickly, making it increasingly painful, and I was
about to shove my head and shoulder under before quickly turning, knowing my neck would be to
exposed. “Hang on, Emily,” I called, forcing my legs under the fence and grabbing the mesh with my
fingers while on my back; I forced myself under the fence. The wire scratched and cut into me when I
heard a snarl just as I laid flat on my back, attempting to shimmy under it. My teeth sank into my legs
before I was suddenly ripped through it by one of the forsaken grabbing m e. My face, torso, and arms
were all cut by the wire. I screamed as it tore into my leg. I kicked my other leg out, hitting its head before
trying to shift back as I pivoted, only for it to sink its





teeth into the side of my torso.



Grabbing the mesh fence with one hand, my other came in contact with a rock. I gripped it and swung,
smashing into the top of its head as hard as I could. It let go of my leg and shook its head, and I swung
again, not giving it a chance to get its bearings smashing the rock repeatedly into its head, blood coating
my skin on the back spray as I caved its skull in and nearly made myself sick at what I did. Its dying
whimper received the other one’s attention, and my eyes widened when it snarled and rushed at me. My
heart pounded as it hurled itself a t me, all teeth and claws going for the kill. My panic forced the shift
quickly as I ran at it. Our bodies collide in a mess of fur, claws, and teeth.

Memories of pack training, things I thought I would have surely forgotten after all these years, kicked in
as we fought. The forsaken was ripping into me but being smaller, I was able t o move a little bit more
efficiently, escaping some lethal blows just in the nick of time and aiming my teeth and claws at the softer
tissue of his torso, tearing into him piece by piece slowly weakening him, his teeth sink my hip and I sunk
my teeth into his armpit and fore chest, which made him let go.

I pivoted, sinking my teeth into his stomach above his thigh and shaking my head. He bounces back
before staggering, his intestines and organs protruding from the wound I gave him, and I knew I had no
time to waste. I immediately gripped onto his neck and shook my head. His body fell limply on the
ground, and I panted, trying to catch my breath when I heard a groan making me spin. Shifting as I raced
to Emily, who was lying naked in the dirt in her human form. I skidded along the ground mid-shift, grazing
my hands and knees as I stopped beside her, gripping her shoulders. Her hands were clutching the back
of her neck as she lay twisted on her side.

The forsaken had torn into her pretty severely and appeared to have been eating her thigh and hip. It
was almost as if she was too weak to go on and had collapsed, and they had stumbled upon her thinking
she was a leisurely meal in her weakened state. Rolling her onto her back, she whimpered, and her eyes



flew open. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair matted. She blinked rapidly, and her eyes rolled into her
head.

“Everly,” she murmured, and I looked over her body, trying to figure out how I would get her back through
the fence.

“Right here, I’m right here,” I try to tell her, looking around for something that would aid us.

“You need to get my son,” she murmurs, and I look at her.

“Where is Eric, Emily? Where is he?” I ask her, looking around for any sign of her son.

“The facility.” Emily gasped. “I have to get my son,” she whispered, and her eyes rolled into her head. I
shook her, gripping her shoulders, trying to rouse her awake. “What facility Emily, where is he?” I asked,
and her lips that were cracked and bleeding moved, but no sound came out. Her face burned and
blistered from the sun, told me she had been out here for a while.

“Emily!” I said, shaking her before cursing when she fell unconscious. Grabbing her under the arms, I
started dragging her toward the fence. If I could roll her under at least to that side, I could go for help, but
she would be left open for prey on this side if I ran for help. I dragged her toward the fence before
making the hole I was digging bigger and, using my feet, pushed her under while lifting the mesh as
much as I could by pulling it toward me. Using my hands, I started pushing her so I could squeeze under
next when I heard growls behind me, and I froze.

Emily was now safe on the other side of the fence while I was still in the forsaken territory. I turned my
head to see three forsaken stalking toward me, teeth bared. I frantically started pushing her, hoping to
get under before they reached me.

Forcing my head and shoulders under the fence, I was just pulling myself through when I felt teeth sink
into both my ankles. I screamed, gripping onto Emily’s naked, unconscious body a s they tried ripping me



back under the fence, my fingers slipping, and I tried to turn to grip the fence when another set of teeth
sank into my thigh, and I was ripped back under the fence at an alarming speed and tossed. My scream
of agony made my ears ring as I got to my hands and knees, only for one of them to pounce on my back
and start tearing into me.


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