10
Flames licked the walls as smoke filled the air, and the scent of burning wood and fabric stung my nose. Screams followed, high–pitched and panicked, as rogue wolves poured into the room, their snarls echoing over the cries of the diners
For a moment, I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. Then the reality of the situation hit me like a bucket of ice water. My first thought was Anna,
I shot up from my seat, ignoring Selene, who sat frozen in shock across from me. Her wide eyes darted around the room as if searching for a way to make sense of the chaos, I didn’t have time to care about her. My best friend needed me.
“Anna” I shouted, pushing through the panicking crowd
Smoke clouded my vision as I made my way toward the kitchen. The air grew hotter with every step, and I covered my mouth and nose with my sleeve, coughing as I stumbled forward. My heart clenched when I spotted Anna near the back, doubled over in a coughing fit, her eyes watering from the smoke.
“Anna!” I yelled again, grabbing her arm. She looked up at me, her expression a mixture of fear and relief.
“Nia,” she rasped, her voice barely audible over the chaos.
I didn’t waste time. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, I guided her out of the smoky kitchen, My lungs burned, but adrenaline pushed me forward. The screams and snarls around us were deafening, a cacophony of fear and violence.
12:48 PM c c
AFTER REJECTION THE OMEGARISES
We barely made it out of the kitchen when we saw them–the rogues. Their eyes glowed with feral rage, and blood stained their claws and teeth. People shifted into their wolf forms, trying to fight back, but the rogues were
relentless.
“Anna, stay close,” I said, my voice firm despite the fear curling in my stomach.
Anna nodded, her face pale but determined. “We can’t just leave, Nia People need help
I hesitated. Every instinct screamed at me to get Anna out of there, to get her somewhere safe. But she was right.
People were dying, and we couldn’t just run away
“Fine,” I said, my jaw tightening. “But you stick to me, got it?”
Together, we jumped into the fray, helping where we could. Anna helped lead frightened diners out of the building while I fought off the rogues that got too close. My wolf itched beneath my skin, ready to shift, but I held back. For now, I could fight like this.
Just as the tide seemed to turn in our favor, a movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned
and saw her–Selene
She was being jostled by the panicked crowd, her hands protectively cradling her stomach. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with terror as she stumbled, trying to avoid the chaos. She looked fragile, weak, and entirely out of place in the violence around her.
For a moment, I hesitated, I didn’t want to help her. She had taken everything from me, and yet here she was, helpless and terrified. Why had Darius chosen someone like her? She couldn’t even protect herself, let alone anyone
else.
But then I saw it. The way her arms tightened around her belly as if shielding the life growing inside her. Whatever anger I felt toward her didn’t matter at that moment. She wasn’t just Selene, she was a mother protecting
her unborn child.
I clenched my fists and turned to Anna. “Cover me!” I called out, already moving toward Selene.
Anna nodded, shifting into her wolf form to fight off the rogues nearby, I rushed toward Selene, my heart pounding as I fought through the chaos. A rogue leaped in front of me, its teeth bared, but I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed a knife from a fallen diner’s table and drove it into the rogue’s side, sending it howling to the ground.
*Selene!” I shouted, reaching her just as another rogue closed in on her. I stepped in front of her, slashing at the rogue with the knife. It yelped and fell back, and I turned to Selene, grabbing her arm
“Come on,” I said, my voice hard. “We need to get you out of here.”
She nodded, tears streaming down her face as she clung to me. I half–dragged, half–carried her out of the restaurant, the cool night air hitting us like a blessing.
12:48 PM c c
AFTER REJECTION THE OMEGA RISES
Once we were outside, the cold air hit us like a slap. I glanced around, searching for a safe spot to leave her. But before I could move, I caught sight of a familiar figure racing toward us.
Darius
He was frantic, his eyes wild as they locked onto Selene. Relief flooded his features, and he closed the distance
between us in seconds.
“Your husband’s here to protect you,” I said, my voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions churning inside me. I handed her off to him without another word and turned back toward the fight
I didn’t need to see his gratitude–or hers. I had done what needed to be done, nothing more
The remaining rogues were dwindling, their attacks growing more desperate as we fought them off.
Amid the chaos, I noticed someone fighting nearby–a man with a sharp focus and fluid movements that mirrored my own. We fell into an unspoken rhythm, covering each other as we tore through the remaining roques.
There was something almost intoxicating about the way we fought together, each of us anticipating the other’s moves as if we’d trained side by side for years. For a fleeting moment, it reminded me of fighting alongside Darius, back when things were simpler–before everything fell apart.
I shook the thought away, gritting my teeth. Darius didn’t deserve space in my mind.
