1: Rogue Attack

FEYRE

I push the damp strands of hair from my forehead, exhaling a warm breath as I try to keep up with the words coming out of my patrol partner’s mouth.

Cami, who is also my best friend and I are patrolling the pack’s borders. Today is one of the lucky days I have her on patrol with me. Although I’m not very thrilled about it, the weather is hot! Almost scorching.

“The dream I had last night, I think it is one of my favorites.” She sighs dreamily and I shake my head at the twenty two year old that acts like she is sixteen. I love her for it though.

“All your dreams are your favorites, Cam.” She tucks her bottom lip into her mouth at my response.

“True,” she agrees. “But this is my favorite, favorite. Like he was so hot I almost melted.”

“I’m about to melt from the sun,” I counter, which makes her laugh. “I hate afternoon patrols.” I grumble and she throws her head back in laughter.

“Well, dearest beta, you’re one of our best hunters and if there is anything fishy. You’ll smell it from a mile away.” a warm blush coats my cheeks at the compliment, and being the total awkward person I am when it comes to compliments, I don’t say anything.

“I’m really eager to meet my mate, very eager.” I sigh at that and nod, agreeing with her. Though quite a number of people think I don’t care about finding my mate. I’m busy with the pack as the beta, I have a lot of things on my plate. I’ve always hoped to meet my mate, and there was a time I almost thought I found him. It was late last year and we’d gone for a pack meeting with a neighboring pack.

The alpha’s friend, though a low ranking member had caught my eyes and I waited for the sparks, for my body to recognize him as mine. It never happened, and turns out it was just a crush I had on him. That was a little mortifying.

“He is this really good looking alpha, he tells his whole pack to get on their knees and bow to me,” I can’t help it, I burst into laughter at her fictitious imagination of what meeting her mate will be like.

“You’re obsessed,” I tell her. She stops which makes me halt too, she turns to me and my brows go up thinking she heard something. My ears try to pick up on any noise I might have missed while listening to her talk about finding her mate.

She gives me a deadpan look that spells out nothing is wrong and she is just being her usual dramatic self. “Of course I am. Have you seen how much Hannah has been glowing since she met her mate?” she sighs wistfully. “I’m pretty jealous of her, not that I’m not happy for her. I just want to meet mine too and feel complete, y’know.”

I pat her arm and nod in understanding. I want to explain to her and tell her that I did know what she is talking about. I just didn’t know the right words to use, so I just gave her a nonverbal response.

“You’re not too eager for yours, are you?” she asks, curiously.

I chuckle and continue walking, checking the parameter around the woods that surrounds the pack. The pack border is a bit farther from here and we’re not reaching there, we only have to check more along this side then wait for the next batch to show up. I have a meeting with the alpha after this.

“Not as eager as you, but everyone wants to meet their other half.” I tell her and she nods.

She is an amazing person, and one of our pack’s healers which gives her a sort of motherly nature. She always wants to take care of people and that is one of her best traits.

“That’s true, you’re probably tired of hearing me moan about my mate and all the things I want to do with him.” my cheeks heat at the insinuation and I fight it with an eye roll.

“I am tired of hearing the gory details.” I tease and she laughs loudly.

“Let me get some herbs before we get back to the pack house.” She heads off north while I keep walking the area, taking note of anything I can think of that the alpha and I will need to talk about when I go back.

I spent a little over five minutes just walking around, I’ve already picked up the few things I think will make the place more secure. I’m thinking of what the best step would be to take so we don’t have to be walking around in the sun during afternoon patrols when I feel someone trying to mindlink with me.

I don’t leave my mindlink open during the day sometimes. Since the episode of one of the young warriors that believes to be in love with me. I didn’t get a moment of peace during that time, he was always talking to me for one unnecessary reason or the other.

I lift the veil down and let the person speak. My heart stops when I hear Cami’s breathless voice.

‘Feyre, Feyre. Help.’ I pause, freezing in my step and eagerly turning around, wishing this is a joke but she sounded hurt, and breathless.

‘What’s wrong? Where are you?’ I ask, my heart beating at a fast pace.

‘I… I was attacked, it’s a rogue. Please help.’ She cries out, her voice breaking.

I turn to the left, then right, trying to think of the best thing to do. ‘Where are you?’

‘I don’t know, a little off to the north. I don’t know. There’s a lot of dense trees here.’ she chokes out.

‘Okay, just try and hang on. Don’t fall asleep okay? I’ll be right there.’ I assure her and she sighs heavily.

I take off running, using my heightened senses to trace her scent. I reach the place we were standing in earlier and then shoot off in the position she left. I keep heading north, running like my life depends on it. I keep going further and further into the woods, but I don’t care. I’m not even worried about the rogue getting to me.

I’ve trained more than Cami and almost as much as the pack warriors. I reach another opening, the trees growing more dense before opening to an almost empty field. Just a few wastelands and some things here and there. Her scent is a bit more around here and I pause, taking more gentle steps toward where it leads.

I turn around and look behind me to make sure there is no one there, though I doubt the rogue will stay and wait for someone to come and save her.

I go further and pause when I see the tag of the greymoon pack. I curse, gripping my hair and looking around frantically. Her scent leads there, but I can’t cross another pack’s borders without permission.

I look back around at the long distance I ran and I know it’s going to be hard to go back and get the alpha and a few pack members. I mindlink Cami again, the link between us is a little weak which tells me she is close to losing consciousness.

God, I really hope she isn’t very hurt.

“Cami, can you hear me?’ I hear a soft whimper in reply. ‘Can you describe the place you are in? I’m close to you.’ I tell her, my voice gentle.

She only whimpers in reply and I curse, making a decision in the split second before I run, passing through the border and leaving our territory.

The energy changes the moment I’m inside the pack, I don’t stay to check that, the only thing on my mind is Cami and how she must be.

I feel her when I’m a few meters in, her scent stronger now and a sense of relief washes over me. The metallic smell of blood gets stronger the closer I get to her and fear overtakes me. I don’t stop though and soon, I see her figure on the floor. Blood on almost every part of her.

“Oh my God, Cami.” I scream, in both happiness and trepidation. She moves a little but is unable to lift herself up enough to catch my gaze. I can feel her relief and it matches how I feel deep down.

I stop near her and get down on my knees, I cradle her head in my lap. “Cami, God what happened to you?” she has a small gash on her forehead, he must have hit her head on a hard surface.

She coughs, blood sputtering out of her mouth.

I look around, trying to see if I can do something, anything to help me stop the bleeding.

I hear footsteps and my heart drops, remembering we are in another pack’s territory. Not just another pack, a pack known for being ruthless and wicked when it comes to outsiders. I don’t get up from the ground though, refusing to leave my friend.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” a deep voice says from behind me. I don’t turn but from the individual heartbeats, I can tell there’s about five or six men behind me. A gamma and Beta in the mix.

I straighten my back but still don’t let go of Cami, I don’t even turn back to acknowledge them.

“My name is Beta Feyre and this is Cami, she was attacked by a rogue along your territory.” I try and fail to keep the bite out of my tone.

I hear more footsteps, someone walking around to face me seeing as I don’t plan on facing them. Black boots appear in my line of vision. I look up this time and see sparkling blue eyes, if I wasn’t so annoyed and angry at the situation, I would have noted how handsome the man is.

“You’re a beta?” he asks with a raise of his brows and I nod.

“From the midnight pack.” his mouth settles into a thin line and he nods in recognition.

“I’ve heard about you.” I don’t dignify that with a response. Before either of us can say anything else, a sweet cedarwood scent hits my nostrils and this time, my body turns on its own accord.

My breath catches in my throat, my heart stopping for a moment before it starts beating in an unsteady thrum. I look up, looking past the six or fine men standing in my line of vision, until my eyes meet cold gray ones.

I feel a zap of electricity shoot through me, it threatens to short circuit my brain. There’s a mad howling in my mind, one word being repeated over and over in my head.

‘Mate, Mine.’