Chapter Eight

BLOOD SHED ON THE MOUNTAIN ROAD 

The arrow flew out so fast that I didn’t even have any time to scream, and a strong arm wrapped around my waist instantly.

Before I could realize what was happening, Magnus pulled me from on top of the horse and held me firmly into his chest.

Clang!

The arrow that was thrown directly at me, struck on the metal shoulder guard that he wore. 

He yelled seriously and his voice echoed across the forest “ambush!”

Magnus' expression became more darkened and his gray eyes scanned through the whole forest trees. 

“They're twelve in number” he said with a very dangerous tone.

One of his warriors frowned deeply and responded “It’s just five that I’ve seen, Alpha”.

Magnus gently removed the massive sword that was hanging at his back, and he gave a simple response “don’t worry you’ll find the other seven when they try to kill you”.

The next second I saw arrows coming from different directions, and one of the Blackthorne warriors yelled quickly, “shield yourselves!”

Steels collided with each other as the warriors lifted their shields, and several horses tossed their heads, while letting out anxious neigh.

Another sharp arrow came towards my direction and I lowered my head, while covering my ears too, so the arrow just flew a few inches above my head then it landed on a warriors shield.

Magnus turned to look at me, then he instructed “don’t be scared just stay behind my back”.

The tone he used didn’t give room for any explanation or argument so I simply obeyed him without saying a word.

Suddenly, warmth spread through my body and the fear that overwhelmed me a few seconds ago vanished instantly.

Several thoughts ran through my mind and only one lingered “just a few hours ago, my mate rejected me, but now I’m claimed and protected by the Alpha”.

Instantly, the forest exploded into chaos, and men dressed in black cloaks came out from behind the trees with curved sharp blades in their hands.

“Kill the black Alpha, and take Lyra too”, one of the men dressed in black cloaks yelled”.

Magnus disappeared instantly, he moved so fast that I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him anywhere and before I knew it, one of Blackthorne warriors reached for my wrist and pulled me effortlessly behind his back.

My heartbeat raced violently, and it slammed against my chest. Just when I thought I had escaped the cruelty in the royal palace, I didn’t know there was a fierce war waiting on my way back to Blackthorne.

My eyes still scanned around to see if I’ll catch a glimpse of Magnus anywhere or in between the armed men that came after us but I couldn’t find him. 

My heart pounded heavily against my ribs. I thought Magnus was ready to protect me at every time no matter the cost, instead he disappeared and left me with his warriors.

All of a sudden, I heard a scream echoing through the trees in the thick forest, before I could realize who screamed that loud, I saw Magnus stepping out of the forest with blood stained in his sword.

Immediately, warmth spread through me and my countenance lit up again. Before I knew it, Magnus had probably killed one of the attackers unaware while they were looking for him.

From a distance, I saw how one of the attackers threw an arrow directly at him and it landed on the metallic shield he wore.

Another attacker threw a sharp sword at him and he caught it effortlessly, he threw it directly at one of the attackers, then let out a dangerous chuckle.

Crack!

The attacker angrily ran towards Magnus, and he gripped his wrist just in time. He twisted it fiercely and the man’s wrist snapped, but before he could scream out, Magnus slit his throat with the bloody sword in his right hand.

The man fell to the ground and died instantly, blood gushed out heavily from his throat, and it stained the snow-covered ground.

After watching their fellow warriors die cruelly, the attackers refuse to stop, instead they press on killing the Magnus.

One of them yelled angrily, “I’ll kill you monster and take Lyra”, with a shaky voice.

My breath hitched, and I curled my fingers instinctively around the hem of my dress.

Magnus let out a dangerous and wild laughter, then he slit his throat with his sword before saying “you’ll kill me in your grave”.

Just then, I understood why everyone in the kingdom was scared of him, because he doesn’t fight like an ordinary Alpha, instead he hunted and it made all his movements clean despite the fact that he still sheds blood.

Within a few minutes, half of the attackers were already lying dead on the snowy ground. Suddenly, I heard a loud cry that drew my attention to the back, and it was from one of the Blackthorne warriors.

A sharp arrow flew from a distance and pierced him unaware, so he fell heavily to the frozen ground.

“No, I’m coming to save you”, another Blackthorne warrior yelled while running to reach him, but he was drawn backwards by two attackers.

The wounded warrior’s fingers hovered on the surface of the wound, and blood gushed out heavily.

The moment I saw him, I felt a strange and unusual tightness in my chest. Without even thinking of what’s burning in me, I ran speedily towards him.

“My lady come back, you’re not safe without a warrior around you”, one of the Blackthorne warriors shouted from a distance, but I ignored him.

By the time I ran to where the wounded warrior laid, he was already looking pale. His eyelids were shaking seriously, as though it was contemplating if it should close or not.

He looked at me and muttered in a weak and barely audible voice, “please save me, I don’t… want to die”.

Immediately, I fell on my knees not even knowing what to do to save him.

“I have to do something to save him, I can’t just watch him die like this”, I whispered in a shaky voice.

I looked at the wound very well, then I pressed my trembling fingers at the sides of the wound, and blood gushed out the more soaking my fingers.

The pains he went through when the blood gushed out reminded me of all the pains I went through when I was in the palace.

I looked at my fingers that’s soaked with blood, and it also made me remember all the times that I witnessed how servants got wounded, but no one cared to offer help.

Unconsciously, I bursted into tears and whispered “please don’t die in this line, I have to do something to save you”.

All of a sudden, warmth spread throughout palms, and I froze while I was still on my knees. A soft silver light flowed between my bloody fingers, like moonlight moving across water.

I placed my palm on his wound, and he gasped because the profuse bleeding seized instantly.

“What did you just do, my lady?” He questioned with excitement in his tone, while he stared at me and the part of his body that was wounded.

I stared at my silver glowing palm, as I tried to wrap my mind on what just happened.

“I can’t… believe this, this has to be a dream”, he whispered in shock beneath his breath.

Magnus turned towards my direction immediately after slitting the throat of one of the attackers, and the silver glowing light on my palm disappeared suddenly the same way it appeared.

I turned to look at him and our eyes met, but it shifted to the wounded warrior within a second.

For the first time since we met, I noticed his dark expression cracked a little because he saw the silver light before it disappeared.

The surviving attackers saw it too, and one of them stood up and shouted while pointing at me“she’s the silver wolf”.

His word fit through the battlefield like a sharp blade, and all the blackthorne warriors froze where they stood including Magnus. They all exchanged glances at each other, but Magnus' gaze was fixed on me.

“The silver wolf? What do you even mean by that?” One of the Blackthorne warriors asked him, while he watched me carefully.

Before one of the attackers could respond to him, he bit down on something that was hidden in his mouth and blood gushed out from his mouth, then he fell to the ground before Magnus could get to him.

“Shit! He killed himself anyways”, Magnus kicked him aggressively and hissed.

The battlefield became unnaturally silent, all the warriors stood still even the neighing of horses died off.

The remaining attackers fell to the ground too, and only the Blackthorne warriors were still standing. Magnus looked at everyone, and he walked up to me slowly. 

I bowed immediately and he stopped in front of me, and apologized “I’m sorry, Alpha”.

His icy eyes widened and he questioned, “what are you apologizing for?”

I gulped deeply, then I cleared my throat and said “you instructed me to stay behind you, but I disobeyed”.

His gaze lingered on my face for a few minutes, moving slowly from my eyes to my palm then to the wounded warrior I saved before it landed on my palm again, as though he was still processing what just happened.

The warrior fell to his knees, and bowed before Magnus “my Alpha, she saved me from dying”.

Immediately, everyone turned to look at me not with disgust or pity, but they all looked at me with respect.

Magnus nodded gently and stretched his hands to pick me up “stand up, Lyra”.

I bowed and stretched out my hand to him in return, but a sharp pain stung me on my leg and I staggered. 

Magnus held me to himself almost immediately and muttered slowly, “you’ve lost too much strength already”.

“I haven’t and I’m fine”, I responded with a faint voice.

Magnus responded immediately “no, you’re not okay”.

Without uttering a word again, he lifted me gently into his arms and my face began burning seriously.

“Please drop me, I can walk on my own” I whispered into his eyes.

“I know, but I won’t allow you because you’re weak already”, he said.

Several warriors exchanged surprised glances at each other, because they have served Magnus for years, but none of them has ever seen him carry anyone gently the way he did to me.

The moment Magnus dropped me on his horse, his trusted commander approached him.

“My Alpha”, he started but Magnus didn’t respond, he only looked up and nodded.

The commander continued, “we’ve searched all the corpses, but no one carried a family crest”.

Magnus' brows furrowed, and his eyes widened instantly “what do you mean by that?”