"Rogues are attacking― Ack!"
Screams of horror filled the air, followed by the swift sound of cracking bones and tearing clothes. Alpha Rowan reacted quickly to the warning, his body quickly shifting into a large, formidable black wolf.
As soon as he shifted, the rogues made themselves known. One of them burst through the clearing, charging straight for anyone they could get their hands on. They were brutal, tearing through the Shadowclaw pack members without mercy, targeting men, women, and children alike.
Fear quickly bled through my body, and I felt the churning in my stomach grow. Anxiety quickly clasped my heart, and I felt my breathing grow labored.
Rogues rarely dared to come near the bigger packs, and usually only attacked smaller and newer packs that had a lesser chance of defending themselves. The Shadowclaw Pack was a fairly large pack that had quite a reputation. By reason, rogues would've never dared to turn their eyes on Shadowclaw.
Especially not when the three Alphas were all present. They were known to be vicious fighters who spared no prisoners. That reputation had kept Shadowclaw safe for many years.
"Cedar!" Cassian yelled, quickly dropping the knife. "Protect Luna Violet!"
"Yes, Alpha!" Cedar replied, coming forward to stand by Violet's side.
I met Cassian's gaze for a split second, and a conflicted expression flitted through his eyes. However, that didn't last long enough for me to decipher what it meant. He quickly looked away, turning his attention to the battle at hand.
In a flash, he shifted as well. Skin turned into fur, and his nails turned into razor-sharp claws. He and Soren quickly joined their eldest brother at the front. From where I stood, I couldn't see what was happening. However, almost immediately after they entered battle, whimpers quickly came from the rogue wolves, and they started to fall one by one.
"Luna Violet, please, we must return to the packhouse at once," Cedar said, trying to usher Violet away.
I tried my hardest not to make a face at that term. Violet wasn't the Luna yet, not without an official ceremony. However, the term all too easily left Cedar's lips despite his support of Willow before she was assumed dead.
"But Willow's casket is still here!" Violet tried to argue. Her eyes were slightly red and watery, and she sniffled. "I'm not leaving her behind again!"
"Please understand, Luna," Cedar tried to reason. He was starting to grow impatient. After all, the fight was getting brutal. As the Beta, Cedar's wolf was much more powerful than any of the normal warriors. He would be so much more valuable on the battlefield, and he surely knew that as well. "We must get you to safety―"
"I can take care of myself," Violet insisted. "Go help the Alphas. I order you."
Cedar looked at Violet once, then in the direction where the Alphas disappeared. He finally exhaled and nodded.
"Yes, Luna!"
He shifted quickly, and before long, he was gone.
Many of the young children and women had been led away, while the men shifted and stayed for the fight. In the chaos, Violet and I stood where Willow's casket was. I was too weak to run. My legs had grown weak, and I even had to subtly lean on the casket for support to stand.
"Are you seriously planning to stay here?" I weakly asked.
I couldn't understand why Violet was so insistent on staying. Cedar would get into major trouble if she were accidentally hurt. After all, he was tasked to protect her. The triplet Alphas wouldn't care that Violet was the one who refused the protection, and would just take it as the fact that Cedar had failed at his command.
Even though my brother was an idiot, a part of me still cared for him. I was disappointed that Cedar and I could never go back to the way it once was, but I still wouldn't want him to get unjustly punished like that.
Violet's gaze continued to rest on Cedar's figure. Only after she was sure he had disappeared did she finally turn back to look at me. The tears in her eyes disappeared, and she no longer looked like the broken doll she was before. Her entire demeanor changed.
Watching the change in her expression caused my heart to skip a beat in dread. My throat went dry, and I stumbled back. She stepped forward, bending down to pick up the silver knife that Cassian had dropped.
"What… What are you doing?" I asked, warily eyeing the silver blade in her hand.
Violet said nothing, simply advancing as she held the weapon. She cared not for the chaos in the background, the blood bath, and the cries for help. Her eyes were fixated on me.
"Why won't you just die, Briar Argyris?" she sneered. My eyes widened, my heart in my throat. I knew that Violet hated me―almost everyone in the pack did. But I didn't realize she was willing to risk her own safety just to get back at me.
"I didn't kill Willow," I said.
I didn't know why I still tried to defend myself, even though I knew that they would never believe me. In fact, I didn't even know why that would be my first defense. Maybe I just wanted someone to believe me, even if it was someone like Violet.
To my surprise, Violet let out a laugh. She clutched her belly and threw her head back, her laughter mixing in with the cries of horror in the air. Finally, she brushed a tear from her eye, shaking her head.
"You're really just so naive, aren't you, Briar?" Violet asked, smiling in wicked amusement. "Did you really think that anyone would ever believe in anything you say?"
I gulped, pressing my lips into a thin line. Violet was right, and she knew that I knew. Her smile only grew, but they quickly morphed into a snarl.
"Just die already!" she yelled, raising the blade.
She brought her hand down, and adrenaline rushed through my body. I used the last bits of strength I could muster to throw myself out of the way, rolling on the grass a short distance away. Once Violet realized that I had dodged, she growled, coming straight for me once more.
The knife in her hand glinted, and she stabbed down, narrowly missing my face. In an attempt to defend myself, I kicked her off of me, causing her to stumble back. She fell onto the ground in surprise. Even I was shocked that I could so easily get her off of me.
She let out an annoyed, exasperated growl.
"The Alphas have pardoned me from death," I spluttered. My chest rose and fell as I panted for breath. "If you kill me here―"
"They will not care," Violet hissed. "Do you think they will even think twice about a nobody like you? Especially against their luna's word?"
My blood fully turned to ice in my veins. Horror rushed through me, knowing she was right.
"Rowan, Soren, and Cassian will just be glad that you're dead."