Mates Conquer Everything, Right?

Two wolves flank the rogue in human form. The smell of death fills the bunker, and their eyes are on me. I stand my ground holding my weapon of choice as close as possible. The human rogue is completely naked. Something Oliver explained to me. Shifters and clothes are not friends.

The rogue is big, just as big as the one who came after me a couple of days ago. His face is terrifying. He is covered in blood and some kind of smear. One wolf looks to the door and keeps an eye on a possible attack from behind. The other wolf shifts too, and when he stops shaking, he becomes an older man.

“Step aside and let us find the children or shift and fight to your death!” The middle man booms through the shelter, and I hear the kids crying. Well, I assume they’ve found them now. Something inside me stirs, and I get that feeling I have felt since I came to this country. It feels like I need to be here, and something more that I can only describe as primal mother love and determination.

“I am human, now back up before I kill you!” I shout at the top of my lungs.

The rogues looked surprised by my statement. It would only take a couple of seconds for a werewolf to get behind me and snap my neck, and I don’t know why they are not just doing that.

“Well, we have a brave human on our hands. How fun,” the older guy says, smiling and giving me a look at his horrible teeth.

“Dad, let’s get the future and get out of here.” The rogue who is clearly in charge says, looking at the attic and stepping closer to me. The primal feeling is taking over my body. I don’t shake, but I am scared. A growl escapes my mouth, and I am really confused about it.

“Do you hear that? The human has spent some time with the Red Wood Forest Pack. She is even willing to protect the cubs with her life.”

“Don’t come closer or you’re getting burned.” I hiss through my teeth.

“It is okay, human, just put the water pipe down, step aside, and I will not let my men have their way with you.” He takes another step.

Water pipe? I look at the weed burner in my hands. Does he don’t know what I am holding? Rose told me about packs and rogues who always stayed clear of the modern world. I even told him he is going to burn. I trace my words back and see it can be interpreted as some kind of ‘saying’.

A devilish smile appears on the rogue’s face, and I mimic his face.

“You have spunk; I like that in the future whore.” He steps closer once again, and I see what the black smudges on his chest are, oil.

“Well, then change into your wolf, and maybe I will let you take me.” I try to keep my head cool. The fur is much easier to burn than skin. If he takes the bait, literally and figuratively, I can incinerate his body and kill him. Set light to his dark soul.

“Got it,” those words made me look to the dad figure, who found the ladder. It is now or never. I look back at the rogue and see he was already changed into his wolf and ready to lunge at me.

Shit!

I had already opened the gas tap to the maximum. I only had to press the button at the right time.

And I did.

The moment he bites my arm is also the moment I press the blue button and the fire spreads to his fur. He is big, bigger than the rest of the wolves I have seen so far. Which also means more fur to burn. My hunch was correct; it was oil on him. Before he has the chance to bite my arm too hard, he withdraws and whines in pain.

“No! You whore!” The father howls, but before he can do anything, things finally go my way.

The wolf who wasn’t part of the conversation barks, and finally, I see the first pack wolves appear with eyes only for the rogues.

“Violet!”

I look to the attic, to the voice who called my name.

Becky drops a knife, and I look at it and back to Becky.

“You have wounded him; now you can kill him!”

The burned body before me is a human once again. I look at the shiny knife with serrated edges. I can’t do this.

I stand over the man who was intimidating a couple of minutes ago. Now he is burned and unconscious.

I don’t know how long I was standing there, looking at the damage I had done. I almost killed someone. I did it without hesitation. Of course, I needed to protect the children. I couldn’t let them take the little kids.

The sound of footsteps snatches me out of my thoughts, and without thinking, I hold up the knife and growl again.

Then I see not only Oliver, Ela, Amanda, and Chris, but almost twenty people around me. Staring at me with wide eyes. Shocked that I killed a man.

They all stay away from me, standing there. I need to explain. I look at the burned body again and see he isn’t breathing. Oh God, I killed him!

Tears spring in my eyes, and I fall to my knees.

“I couldn’t stop him! I couldn’t, not without hurting him.” I sob and try to explain.

Maya comes to my side and drops to her knees as well.

“Little human. You saved us all,” she whispers in my ear, and then I feel her tears on my skin when she kisses my hands.

“What?” I ask, not knowing what she means.

Oliver steps next to the dead body and also takes a knee. “You, wounding the rogue, saved us. A pack is as strong as their Alpha. You burning him was the last thing it took for us to win.”

I am still sobbing and crying. “You, you are not mad at me for killing someone?”

I looked at the little circle that has formed around us. They weren’t shocked about my killing, but that it was me who saved them.

“The kids need to come down,” I say and stand up—walking away to exit the bunker, but the pack doesn’t let me through.

“Close your eyes; you don’t want to see our grounds yet.” Chris says, and I am confused.

Amanda and Ela step to my sides and hug me.

“I want to go home.”

“I know,” Amanda responds, “but let’s go to the hospital first, okay.”

I just nod. Before we can leave the barn, I was called again.

“Violet, without you my children would be gone.” A mother said and was followed by another.

“I don’t know how you did it, but we would love for you to tell us everything when you are ready.” Oliver says, and I just nod again.

Will I ever be ready? First, I need to get some answers.

What the hell just happened? What did I do, and most importantly: How?