4

Natalia

The journey seemed unending. I was still chained and walking along with the front line guards of the Devil Claw Wolfpack.

We've been walking for about four hours now without any rest. The only pause we had had had been about an hour ago when Beta Heimdall wanted to relieve himself and that had been for less than ten minutes.

The trip was more difficult for me because I wasn't walking at my own pace. It was like I was being dragged along by the guard holding my chain in his hands.

The guards were walking briskly in military formation and I, not having any previous military experience, found it difficult to keep up.

I furrowed my brows while thinking of what I could do to make the procession stop. My left eye twitched rapidly and I smiled to myself as I thought of what to do.

Once I had made up my mind on what to do, I eagerly took in a deep breath in order to steady myself.

I stopped walking all of a sudden and the guard with my chain felt the pull. As he attempted to drag me forward in his usual manner, I swayed sideways and knocked onto another guard.

In a minute, there was chaos at the center of where I was now lying on the floor. The Beta, obviously knowing what I had done, pinched his brows impatiently and stopped the procession.

His horse had stepped over three guards and they were currently lying on the floor in pain. The doctor came forward and began to attend to them when his hands were still in shock.

Every other person on the procession also stood still and at alert. The doctor was ordered to continue what he was doing while the guards made a circle round the procession.

The procession was under threat of attack by rogues. The smell we were perceiving told us what we had to know. There were over a hundred rogues currently surrounding us, ready to battle us.

The men who weren't guards but could fight were also told to form another circle behind the guards. This was to help the others in the center of the circle. A sort of war formation.

The attack gave me the freedom I needed. Although I didn't fight, I was well prepared to defend myself should the rogues break through the circle and head for the center.

I could see that the provisions which the procession had was what they had come for. The word must have spread that Devil Claw Wolfpack was passing through the forest with their tribute.

"Everyone, shift!"

I heard Beta Heimdall announce loudly before he leapt from his horse and halfway to the ground, he had shifted into a large gray wolf with white spots on its legs.

"If he wasn't such an evil man, his wolf's fur looked beautiful."

I muttered to myself as I shifted into my black wolf. I had no spots as Alpha wolves always had black fur. I was a little bigger than other wolves around thanks to my Alpha genes.

I heard a howl and soon, our circle had tens of rogues trying to break through and get to the center. I was more immersed in the skilled manner the Devil Claw Wolfpack warriors were fighting.

Within minutes, Heimdall had gotten between the ranks of the rogue wolves and was wreaking havoc on them like they were lambs. The guards were instructed not to leave their positions but make sure the cargo was safe.

The other two warriors who had been on horseback with Heimdall earlier when we left our pack were also among the rogues' ranks. Several of the rogues looked undernourished and their fur looked matted with blood and diet.

The battle was over in an hour. Around our circle were the dead rogues, their necks broken by the warriors of Devil Claw Wolfpack.

The guards who had been wounded earlier didn't partake in the fight but I could see them assisting their colleagues in clearing the mess away.

Beta Heimdall had also issued a decree that since the battle had taken a toll on them as about ten warriors were dangerously wounded, they would set camp there and start moving by the next morning.

The leader of the rogues had been captured and as I looked at him where he was chained, I could feel the despair he must have felt.

I could see the mad rage he had in his crimson eyes and the way he kept thrashing about not wanting to accept defeat.

"Oh! Is that true? I should have known better. After all,no one was born a rogue." I heard one of the Omegas whisper from behind me.

I furrowed my wolf face as annoying as I could make it. They were probably whispering to each other but to me who was still in my wolf form, I could hear them clearly.

"Yes, that's the truth. I heard it from my sister who had accompanied the Alpha's team to his pack. He was once a Beta to the Alpha of his pack.The Alpha of his pack didn't have a child and suddenly, Luna died and his mate who was supposed to be with him became pregnant. "

" Yeah. " Another cut in. "Upon inquiry, it was discovered that his Alpha had gotten her pregnant and he had promised to make her Luna. That was what made her abandon her mate and become pregnant with the Alpha's child.He was banished from the pack when he confronted his Alpha and previous mate and there was no pack willing to take him."

The other Omega close to her whispered the story to her.

I could hear their surprised gasps and exclamations as my eyes drifted once again to the miserable man in his wolf form who was now tied with chains to a tree.

Suddenly, everything became quiet around me. I snapped my head back and saw a pair of black boots before me.

Raising my head, I saw Beta Heimdall towering before me and having an expression that was similar to the rage of a furnace.

"Who do you think you are or what do you think you're doing standing here in your wolf form while everyone else has shifted back?"