Chapter 3

Dahlia

Everything happened so fast. One moment, I’m walking in the woods with my arms crossed against my chest, still plagued by my husband’s words from this morning. Wondering when he will return home so we can have a proper discussion on what he meant by ‘my days are numbered’. The other moment came, and my ears were drumming from howls of our warriors breaking the peaceful silence of the night. Howls that passed a signal loud and clear—we were at war. 

Sirens suddenly blared around the Pack, and I panicked. Silverline Pack is relatively peaceful, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have our fair share of days when rogues go mad by infiltrating the Pack to steal. But never before have we had to use the sirens, at least since I became an official member of the Pack. Alpha Christoper had once told me the only times they’d use that is to warn our members to use their safehouses in situations of a dangerous invasion.

And that invasion was now!

My next train of thought was to run, not to save myself, but our pups. They always like to gather with their teacher, Karen, under the moonlight for nighttime stories in the woods. My breath turned ragged with each quick pace I made past the thick trees and twigs I crushed beneath my shoes. It wasn’t long before I got to the cleared space filled with the fearful cries of children, and a panicking Karen who couldn’t get the children to order. 

“Dahlia!” tears lined across Karen’s lashes. 

“Aunt Dahlia, roguessss…we don’t want to die!” wept one of the kids. 

“Hey, hey, hey,” I lowered to my knee, wiping her tears off her cheeks with the warmest smile I could muster, “You’re not going to die, I pinky promise,” I gestured, easing the little girl as she interlocked her pinky with mine. “Your aunt is here to protect you. Do you trust me?” 

She nodded alongside the others who managed to keep mum. 

“Good girl,” I patted her head before holding her hand. “Now your aunt is going to take all of you to a safe place where the bad guys won’t reach you. Now we have to do that quickly so they don’t catch us. Can we run?” 

They nodded again before I motioned to Karen to follow my lead. Thankfully, there was a cave nearby where one of the safehouses was built. I led and locked them in there before making my way out of the cave. I needed to be certain there weren't any other pups wandering around. But as I stepped out into the moonlight, Derrick’s Cedarwood scent hit me. Faint, but enough to tell me he was around here somewhere. And so I chased after the wisps my nose collected till I found him just meters away, coming from the other side of the narrow path. 

“Oh my goodness, Derrick!” Fear flared in my voice at the sight of his ripped suit jacket and white shirt stained with the crimson shade of blood. 

“Are you hurt?” Even in his breathless state, his question came out faster than mine as he held my arms. 

“I should be asking you that, you’re bleeding!” My hands moved to check his chest, but he stopped my trembling hands, 

“It’s not mine. I killed some rogues on my way here. Did any attack you?” His brows pinched as he carefully inspected me for any injury. Blood wooshed to my ears, hearing how much care and concern bloomed in that deep baritone of his. 

“No…” I shook my head like a little child, still starstruck by this version of my husband. 

He breathed in relief, “Lucas called me about the attack, and I came here as fast as I could. The pups—” 

“I already took them to the safehouse–”

“Derrick!” the sharp, silky voice of a lady blared behind him, prompting him to turn back. I looked over, too, curious. There she was, blonde hair painted with blood that juggled as she hustled towards us. Her sweet lavender scent dominated the air and her eyes radiated with worry. I’ve never seen her before, but she is strong, I could tell by her aura.

“Cami!” Derrick peeled away from me like I never existed. 

Cami? There was a certain tenderness that dosed in his voice. One he has never used for me. 

“Are you hurt? Did you find the other rogues? What about the pups?” It wasn’t the speed at which the questions trooped out of her that marveled me, but how her hands recklessly hovered around my man. First, she held his shoulder, and then proceeded to cup her palms around his cheeks before brushing through his messy hair. 

And Derrick, he simply allowed it. Everything!

“Who are you?!” My wolf nearly pushed my fangs out as I cut in. Only then did both of them pay attention to me. 

“Camilla,” she curtly replied. 

Did she just smirk at me?!

“She’s a member of our Pack,” Derrick butted in before I could barrage her with a hundred questions. His eyes had reverted to their default settings for me—iciness.

“A member?” I raised an eyebrow. “How come I’ve never seen her before?” My eyes darted back to her.

“She lives in the city. She was with me when Lucas called.” 

“With. You?” his brow twitched, sensing the jealousy that shamelessly blared in my tone. 

“I see he hasn’t told you about me, Dahlia,” Camilla interjected with a sweet smile, but only a blind person won’t see through the hollowness of it. Whoever she is, I don’t like her. My wolf doesn’t either.

“They’re here!” Derrick growled, eyes glowing dangerously golden yellow and claws out in an instant. My breath hitched as a wave of pungent odors slapped me—rogues. This one was thicker than any I’ve ever come across. Six huge men burst out of the forest, surrounding us. Their golden yellow glow glimmered one message—prey. How did they sneak up on us so fast?

No! Now isn’t the time for questions. I’m the future Luna. I’ve trained for this, conquered several rogues. There’s nothing to fear; I have Derrick by my side. Or so I thought, 

“Stay behind me,” he held Camilla’s wrist, pulling her behind him. Not me. My stomach churned as acid crawled up to my chest. 

Still, I let my wolf take control, giving her the go-ahead to partially shift. My claws extended with the speed of light. The tip of my ears drew into the sharp, steep shape of a wolf’s. I bared my fangs at them, but their attention shifted to Derrick the moment he barked at them. Eyes sheening with a whole new level of ferociousness itself. There was no need for a long talk. Rogues' missions are always the same—to kill, steal, and destroy.

Derrick charged at them, fighting off four all on his own while he constantly shielded Camilla. How could he be protecting another woman over me? And that was my mistake, I shouldn’t have hesitated. It gave one of the rogues the liberty to barrel into me. 

The winds swooshed past me, nearly cutting through my skin like a blade. Pain fired on all pistons as my back slammed against the bark of a tree, knocking air out of my lungs. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only thing that coughed out of me. Blood burst out of my mouth too as I thudded to the ground.

“Derr—” my chords snapped. The rogue didn’t give me time to react or even catch my breath. He picked me up by my neck like I was a paperweight and pinned me to the tree. Claws deep into my skin, my pulse raging against his touch, and my bones on the verge of wrenching at his steel grip. 

“Derrick!” Camilla’s scream almost burst my eardrums. One of the rogues had pounced on her on the floor, about to snap her neck. 

Derrick decapitated the rogue he was battling with one swing of his arm. 

“Near any of us, and we’ll kill them!” the third rogue standing yelled. 

“Dahlia!” Derrick gasped, hesitant to take a step.

“Derrick!” Camilla cried again, and my husband froze. Unable to move a muscle as his eyes wavered between Camilla and me. He was thinking about who he was going to save. Me or Camilla.

“Let them go, you bastards!!” He barked. If only that threat had a little bit more confidence in it.

“Like hell we would!” the one trapping my heated air fired back. His claws sank deeper into me. My head threatened to burst. My eyes were going to pop out of my socket any minute now. 

“D-der-rick…” A whimper was all I could release.

“How dare you touch my daughter?!” Alpha Christoper thundered from a distance with a couple of our warriors behind him, startling our enemies. And in that moment, Derrick made his choice. He blazed past the third rogue and hit the other one holding Camilla hostage.

My heart imploded from the daunting realization that hurt more than the blood draining out of me. My mate chose Camilla over me. That was all I remembered before I sunk in the abyss of darkness.