赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Penelope sighed.

“Because Saul has narrowed it down to three people,” she said. “He asked me to help check on two of them.”

“Who?” Ashleigh growled.

“When all the teams were pulled in, the scouts got rearranged. I was placed at the edge along with two other people. One of them, I found not long before I found you. Dead in the snow.”

“What about the other?”

“No sign of him,” she said. “He was already gone by the time the alarms went off.”

“Who?”

“Oren.”

Ashleigh furrowed her brows.

“I know that name…” she said quietly. “Why do I know that name?”

“Because he was one of my brother’s scouts.”

Ashleigh’s eyes widened. She remembered him now. He was one of the wolves that had helped Granger escape. The one that requested to be sent outside of Winter.

“Then he is the one that has Bell,” Ashleigh said. “We need to find him!”

***

Caleb drove his sword down on the wolf, pinning it to the ground. The maddened creature continued to throw its body side to side and clamp its jaws in Caleb’s direction. In doing so, it only hastened its demise, tearing at its flesh and organs with each movement against the sharp blade of his sword.

“These aren’t rogues….” Caleb said as he pulled the sword out of the thrashing body. Though practically cut in half, it still tried to reach him. Finally, with a squelching grunt, the monster took its last ragged breath.

“Whatever they are, their numbers seem endless!” Axel shouted. Another ten or so of these wolves made their way out from between the flames of the buildings.

All around them, cold warriors were fighting against the rabid dogs, they were not difficult to fight, but they were tenacious, unyielding. And there were so many of them.

“Alpha!” a man shouted behind them. “Look!”

At the call, both Axel and Caleb turned to see another group approaching. There were at least forty men and women wearing expressions of malice and contempt.

“Autumn wolves,” Caleb said.

“How do you know?” Axel asked.

“Alice thought Roman might be behind this,” he replied.

Axel turned to Caleb.

“You spoke with her?” he asked.

Caleb nodded, “She’s the reason we even learned there was a problem in Winter.”

Axel smiled and turned back to face the new additions to the battlefield.

Galen stepped up beside Caleb.

“We can take these guys, no problem,” he grinned.

“We can take them,” Caleb said, indicating himself and Axel. “You have somewhere else to be.”

“What?”

“Ashleigh was headed toward the western border, near the mountain. She was searching for Bell, who had been led away by an unnamed scout.”

“What!?” Galen shouted, panicked.

“Go, we’ve got this,” Axel said.

Galen nodded quickly, and without looking back, he ran to the west, shifting into his wolf to move faster.

“You ready?” Axel asked.

“I better be,” Caleb said. “Alice said that if I don’t get you on the phone with her tonight, she will tear down the walls of Summer.”

Axel chuckled.

“We better get to work,” he said. “Don’t want to leave you homeless.”

Caleb laughed.

Together, they charged at the party of Autumn wolves who were already making their way toward the two alphas.

***

“Why exactly did Axel say he needed to see me?” Bell asked, looking around the area. She immediately noticed where they were going.

The border wasn’t far now.

“He didn’t say, only that I needed to bring you to him.”

“And where is he, exactly?” she asked.

“Not far.”

“Oren,” Bell called, stopping where she stood. “I’m not going any further until you tell me where you are taking me.”

“Alpha Axel wants to keep you safe. So he has arranged a bunker to hide you.”

“From what?”

“There is an attack happening right now. He didn’t want you to be scared, so he told me not to tell you until you were safe.”

“Attack by who?” Bell asked, feeling her pulse quicken.

“Autumn wolves,” Oren replied, “now, please. We have to go.”

Bell didn’t move.

Her heart was racing, and her throat felt dry. She put her hands over her swollen belly, hugging it.

She shook her head.

“It doesn’t make sense,” she said softly.

Bell licked her lips nervously.

“What?” Oren asked.

“If Autumn wolves are here… Axel wouldn’t send me to the border.”

Oren clenched his jaw.

“It also doesn’t make sense that we haven’t seen anyone. We are close enough to the border that we should have seen the other scouts by now.”

Oren lowered his head and sighed.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I don’t have a choice.”

Bell swallowed.

“We all have a choice, Oren,” she replied.

“After Granger… I couldn’t face anyone in Winter without seeing the hate and disgust in their eyes. Even my own family,” he sighed. “So I joined one of the long-distance scouting parties. I met my mate there, and I thought things were finally getting back on track.”

He sighed.

“But then we got attacked. Captured by Autumn wolves… they tortured us. My mate and I were the only survivors. When they realized who she was to me, they dragged her away. They let me go, but they kept her. So as long as I give you to them, they will give her to me.”

“No…” Bell shook her head, speaking softly as tears rolled down her cheeks. “You can’t do this….”

“I have to,” he said, grabbing her shoulder and pushing her forward. “Keep moving.”

“They’re lying to you!” she shouted, dragging her feet. “They will never give her back to you!”

“They will!” he shouted, pulling her roughly toward him. “I already proved myself to them!”

Bell gasped, surprised by his aggression and the guilt she saw in his eyes.

“What… what did you do?” she asked.

“What I had to,” he sighed.

She looked carefully at him and considered what he had said.

“Wait…” she whispered. “We haven’t heard of any scouting parties going missing before Wyatt….”

Oren clenched his jaw.

“Let’s go!” he growled, trying to push her, but she planted her feet.

“You….” Bell said with a shaky voice and angry tears. “You were there.… You… shot the arrow….! You killed… Wyatt?”

He closed his eyes, turning his head away from her.

“It wasn’t enough to give them the routes… this was the only way to prove that I would do what they wanted.”

Bell let out a pained and shaky breath.

“You bastard!” an angry shout came from the trees behind them.

Before Oren or Bell could react, an arrow came speeding out of the branches above, finding purchase in his shoulder as he uttered a painful shout.

Bell was knocked away when he jerked his arm into his body.

Penelope dropped out of the tree. She aimed her bow at him with an angry fire in her eyes.

“You… are the reason I lost them! You killed my team! You traitor!”