Chapter Five

The scent of smoke burns my nostrils as Kael and I sprint through the jagged hills, heading for the borders. Some of the warriors from the rogue pack join us, shifting mid-air. Kael and I retain our human forms, easily keeping up.

We meet the borders tainted, with bodies of our wolves on the floor, their eyes lifeless.

"Arghhhh!" Kael screams into the night air. I know he'll blame himself. Anytime something goes wrong, he finds a way to pin it on himself. He says if he were a better Rogue Alpha, he would be able to protect his pack better.

But I know he is doing the best that he can, and these people who attacked us need to be taught a lesson.

“Kael!” I call, going to stand in front of him. My hands clutch his arms as I force him to look into my eyes. “We can still pick up their scents. Let’s hit them back where it hurts.”

He nods and springs into action, the rest of the pack charging after him as we race past the borders we have guarded for the last ten years, trailing the scent of the pack that attacked us.

It isn’t hard to find them since they are a rogue pack as well, camping in the hills adjacent to ours. A war breaks out in full, with screams and howls reverberating everywhere.

I should shift into my wolf form to fight, but for some reason, I am still more confident in my weapon skills than the powers in my Luna wolf. I have read about Luna wolves destroying a whole pack due to losing control over their powers.

And I don’t want that to be me.

“Raya!” Kael’s voice cuts through the chaos. “To me!”

It is easy to find him amongst the twisted trees, his muscles on display as he fights off two rogues at the same time. I dart towards him, my blood roaring in my ears.

Someone throws a knife at me, but my senses are heightened as I duck immediately, staying on the ground long enough to see a second one fly right past my eyes, nicking me a little.

My years of training come into play as I block and strike, trying to cover the distance to Kael. A group of wolves charges at me, and my efforts to reach him get thwarted as I fight them off.

A rogue bares its teeth at me and attempts to dig them into my skin. But I move at once, sending him crashing into a tree. He turns around relentlessly, heading for me again. All around me, people drop dead, and some are wounded.

After fighting off the wolf, I look back at the tree where I saw Kael the last time, but he is nowhere to be found.

"Kael!" I call frantically, desperate to find him. I heave a sigh of relief when I catch a glimpse of him in the middle of the battlefield, but he soon disappears again.

None of the rogues seem to be coming for me anymore. They all leave me unattacked, even when I am standing right beside them.

I don’t think too much of it as I push forward, screaming Kael’s name.

And then, suddenly, the earth seems to have been tipped over its scale of balance. A strange light pierces the air vertically, and an opening presents itself. From where I stand, I can see buildings that reach the sky, and men in suits walking past.

I stretch my hand out into it, and like in a trance, it pulls the rest of my body through.

***

For a moment, everything is strange. I can still hear the loud screech from the portal I have just passed through, and it takes a while for my body to get used to where I am.

I look around when it no longer feels like I am about to fall, taking in the sound of engines that has replaced the howls. The sun has totally set here, and the skies are dark.

Neon lights shine at me from strategic corners, and street lamps cast shadows on the sidewalks. I am no longer on the hills where I have been for the last ten years.

I am now in the human world.

The smell of gasoline, associated with the city, hits me as I make my way through. I can hear the voices of people behind walls, their subjects of discussion sounding really hilarious to me.

Suddenly feeling too vulnerable, I wrap my arms around myself and head into the first place I see.

A bar.

It is dark and loud in here, the music booming through the walls and the sound of inebriated laughter ringing in the air.

I feel eyes on me as I step in, but I don’t pay them any attention as I move towards the farthest corner of the bar, asking for a glass of their strongest drink.

Kael will be worried about me by now, that is, if he is still alive. I hope he is. God, I hope so because I don't know what I'll do if anything happens to him.

I feel a sudden awareness to my right. A slight tingle as if someone is watching me. I look up slowly, finding his gaze on me. He is hidden by the dim light, but the intensity of his stare makes me feel like he can see into my soul.

My heart suddenly feels weird.

"Rough night?" the bartender asks, startling me as he appears with my order. He looks pointedly at my clothes, and I realize how I must look right now with all the blood stains and dirt.

“Yeah,” I sigh, grabbing the glass. “You can say that.”

He smiles. “Well, we don’t judge. And from the look of it, that man doesn’t either.”

I stare in the direction again, and the stranger's eyes haven't wavered. Taking a deep breath, I pull mine away from him and down the contents of the glass at once.

“I think I’ll be needing another.”