赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Penelope held her bow trained on Oren. He took deep breaths keeping his eye on her but making no move to attack or defend.

“Ashleigh!” Penelope shouted. “I found them!”

A flash of panic passed over Oren’s eyes.

“Take her to Roman now!” he shouted.

Behind the trees, only a few feet from where they had stopped, two men and two wolves came out. Penelope’s eyes widened. She moved her aim toward the closest to Bell and let loose the arrow. With a loud and painful cry, the wolf fell to the ground.

Oren took the opportunity to jump at Penelope, bringing her crashing down into the snow.

“Go! Go now!” he shouted, struggling to hold her down.

The remaining three surrounded Bell, grabbing her arms as she struggled and shouted. Then, they hurried to pull her further into the trees.

Oren looked back; it wasn’t far to the border. All they had to do was get her across, and Roman would be waiting on the other side. Then his mate would be released.

“I’m not someone you should ignore!” Penelope growled. Getting her arm loose from his grasp, she punched him as hard as she could, knocking him off her.

“Penelope!” Ashleigh shouted.

Penelope jumped on top of Oren.

“I’m fine here. Go, they’ve got Bell!” she shouted, without taking her eyes off Oren.

“No!” he shouted as Ashleigh ran past them. “You can’t! They’ll kill my mate!”

Penelope punched him again and then leaned forward close to his face.

“You’re a fool if you think she’s still alive!” she growled angrily. “She would have rather died than betray Winter!”

“No!” he shouted angrily. “She’s alive! She has to be!”

“You gave up your pack and whatever shred of dignity you had left for nothing,” Penelope scoffed.

Oren growled angrily and shoved her hard. Then, finally, he managed to push her off him and got to his feet. He turned to run, determined to make it to the border, to find his mate.

It was suddenly difficult to breathe, and his back and chest both burned. He tried to breathe but couldn’t even manage a gasp. He stepped forward and fell to his knees as he wheezed painfully. His eyes moved down to his chest, and a bloodied arrowhead poked through the torn hole in his shirt.

He heard the crunching steps in the snow behind him.

She bent down and reached forward to find the end of the arrow that stuck out of his back.

She placed her lips beside his ear and whispered through her rage, “Say hello to my brother.”

Penelope gripped the arrow tightly and ripped it back through his body as he let out a guttural gasp and grunt of pain before slumping forward into the snow.

***

Ashleigh didn’t need to be told twice. She ran past Penelope and Oren, following after Bell and the others.

‘Bell is being dragged to the mountainside western border! We found the traitor. Penelope has him,’ she called out to Caleb through their link. ‘I am following after Bell. Please come if you hear this!’

A wolf jumped out at her, trying to go for her ankles. Ashleigh threw herself to the side and pulled out her small blades. As she hit the ground, the wolf corrected and jumped at her.

Ashleigh stabbed the creature at its throat. It made a horrible cry as she turned the blade before pulling it out and jumping to her feet to give chase once more.

“Don’t do this!” Bell begged, trying to pull away from the two men that dragged her toward the border. “Please!”

They said nothing. They just continued to pull her toward the fence.

Bell’s heart was in her throat, her entire body was in a panic.

She felt the energy, the uncomfortable pull of their bond. It burned along her senses. It wasn’t like the night she ran away. It wasn’t just a soft hint of something strange.

No, this was thick, heavy. It weighed on her. It threatened to drown her. As she stared forward, dreading every single step, she realized why.

Her heart stopped as he stepped closer to the fence, his fiery eyes burning into her as he watched her with his wicked grin getting closer and closer.

Bell cried out. She desperately tried to pull away, she screamed, and she flailed. Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded to the Goddess to save her.

Then there was a sudden weight on one of her arms as one of the men stopped moving. He clung to her as he slumped down to his knees and then let go as he fell forward. A dagger stuck in the back of his throat.

Bell looked back toward the trees. There stood Ashleigh, arm still outstretched from throwing her knife. She took deep breaths.

“Ashleigh!” Bell screamed.

“Get her over here now!” Roman shouted with a fit of deep anger.

The man holding Bell’s arm pulled her even harder, attempting to run the last few feet to the fence.

Ashleigh growled and shifted into her wolf. Then, running at top speed, she jumped onto the man’s back, sending him flying forward, and Bell tumbled to the ground.

Bell rolled but stopped short of the fence. She lifted her eyes to see Roman less than a foot away. She gasped.

“This isn’t over….” he growled. “I know where you are. You have nowhere to run.”

Bell frantically crawled away from him, her heart beating so strongly she feared it would give out completely. Her breathing had become quick and shallow, and the world around her began to spin until it became dark.

***

Roman growled as Ashleigh put down the last of the Autumn wolves trying to pull Bell across the border. His plan was ruined. There was no point in remaining any longer. He would come for her another day.

He turned away from the fence, but a sound from behind drew his attention. He expected to find that Ashleigh was daring enough to attack him. He smiled, thinking how fun it would be to tear her apart in front of Bell’s eyes.

To his shock and confusion, it wasn’t the Summer Luna, but instead a golden and red wolf charged at him with teeth bared and a snarl.

“Galen!” Ashleigh cried out as she saw his wolf run past her and across the border.

He tackled Roman, and they both crashed down the mountain, out of sight. Her eyes widened in fear and panic.

‘Caleb!’ she screamed through their link. ‘Galen has gone after Roman! They went down the mountain. He’s going to get killed!’

She stared into the darkness, desperately searching for any sign of them. Her chest heaved from the deep breaths she took.

“Ashleigh?” Bell called out weakly.

Ashleigh quickly turned back to her friend.

“I’m here,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around Bell and hugging her close.

‘Galen barely survived the last time Roman was here,’ she thought with concern. ‘I need to help him….’

But she couldn’t leave Bell. Ashleigh didn’t expect to hear back from Caleb. She didn’t even think he could hear her.

When Ashleigh’s words came to him, Caleb and Axel were already on their way.

Hearing that Galen was going after Roman, he smiled.

‘You have never witnessed his strength.’

Caleb’s reply came as an ominous whisper in Ashleigh’s mind.

‘He is drawn to protecting those around him. But if there is no one to defend, only to defeat…. Goddess, help his enemy.’