Smoke and Mirrors
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Never Again

Sapphire Ragna Nightborne

I used my foot to nudge Chloe’s sleeping form as my eyes kept looking at the area where the snap had been heard. The tips of my fingernails had sharpened into claws as I kept my crouched position, ready for anything to come bursting out of the forest, be it animal or human.

“Sapphire, what are you doing?”

Chloe’s voice was still heavy with sleep as she looked up at me from her spot on the ground, bringing a hand up to rub the sleep out of her eyes. I quickly gestured my hand to the forest before bringing a finger to my lips to signal her to be quiet, my ears were now picking up every sound they could, from the softest sound such as the dew sliding off leaves and falling to the ground to the flutter of a bird’s wings as they prepared to take flight, I could hear each and every one of those sounds but now I was only straining my ears to hear one sound, footsteps.

A rustle of leaves caused me to turn towards it, legs bent ready to pounce on whatever came my way, I advanced towards it when another snap of a twig sounded behind me. We were being surrounded. The rustle of leaves became louder as they sounded from all around us, I growled as I could see humanoid figures closing in on us. I used my foot to push Chloe behind me as the sounds grew even louder, they were barely five metres away from us and we could not possibly run now as they had surrounded, herding us like sheep.

The figures drew closer and I crouched even lower, with no way to escape fighting would be the only option left, the swishing of leaves could be heard as the wind swept past them to my direction, my lips pulled back into a snarl as the scent registered with me, they were wolves each and every one of them and worst, they were all men.

I had heard of the awful things that had happened to packless females who were found by males, packless or not, wandering by themselves be it night or day. I remembered what I saw on a visit to a neighbouring pack, I had been wandering myself towards the more seedy pack area and what I say would haunt me till the day I die.

Packless females both young and younger were being sold to men like to common animals, they had collars with tags around their necks as others determined their worth. I couldn’t stand the sight any longer so I made a move to step in when I was held back by Ryder who told me that interfering now would jeopardise his negotiation for an alliance with this pack’s Alpha, I screamed that having an alliance with a pack that condones such archaic practices should be the last thing on our minds, those girls being displayed like prized cattle would most probably be raped and beaten.

They deserved so much more than being someone else’s object, some of them were as young as fifteen, they had so much ahead of them. Ryder said that the practices of other packs were not our concern besides, this was their fault as they had deserted their own packs when they knew the consequences of leaving. I remember looking up at him in shock and screaming that these girls were probably living in hell in their packs that made them think that taking their chances in the wild would be a better option than staying and that we should help them from being thrown into the fire once again.

I watched mortified as Ryder just shrugged and what left his lips caused me to clench my jaw so hard that I cracked a tooth.

“They are just women, Sapphire, what could they possibly be worth saving.”

I watched as his eyes widened with realisation as he remembered who he was talking to.

“Just women. Ryder, remember well when this woman right here saves your ass and your precious little pack. Again.”

His face flushed red before abused his power as Alpha to send me back to our pack with an escort of my own Generals to make sure I could not intervene, I actually pleaded with my Generals to let me go back to help those girls but all they could do was hang their heads in shame, they did not have the power to defy Ryder even if they wanted to help. I even begged Cordelia to change her mate’s mind but she just looked at the ground and told me that I should not defy my Alpha’s words.

I remembered my anger boiling over right at that moment, it took all of my Generals to forcibly drag me off as I screamed at Cordelia that she was weak, submissive and that was why I got the position of Head Commander and Warrior while she did not. The screams and cries of those girls as they were dragged off and sold to the highest bidder covered my own. It was one of the most awful noises I have ever heard, they still make their appearance in my nightmares.

If these men right now though they just hut an easy score, they had another thing coming. I could not help those girls then but I will avenge them right here by killing these men, they would never hurt another again.

A brown wolf emerged from the foliage into my line of sight, he growled as I lowered my stance once more, the hostility just radiated off the both of us. A hand grabbed at my shorts as Chloe looked at me with fear before turning her gaze back to the wolf in front of us. More began to emerge from the forest, both human and wolves, I kept my centre as I turned to face every male who made even the slightest towards us. Chloe slowly pushed herself off the ground, pressing her back against mine as she lowered her stance as well, this caused a growl to leave the mouths of the wolves which were quickly silenced by my own much louder growl.

I felt Chloe’s body trembling as she looked at the situation we were in, the wolves continued to close in on us as I snarled at them, out of the corner of my eye I saw one lunge towards Chloe.

The various males’ eyes widened as they saw their comrade dangling in mid-air, his hind legs swinging aimlessly as he struggled to get out of my grip. With a movement of my hand, I threw him at his comrades, knocking some of them off their feet or paws. The rest growled before lunging, I cracked my neck as they come towards me, it had been a while since I had a proper fight, it seemed now I could finally scratch my itch.

It was a mess of fur, teeth, and claws as they all charged at once, I slashed and grabbed at whatever I could reach while Chloe busied herself with dodging every attack that came her way. I turned my head away as the wolf that I was currently holding made a move to snap at my face, I tightened my grip on its throat causing it to whine, a whine sounded from below me as I continued to put pressure on the wolf that I had pinned below me with a boot-clad foot. The wolf in my grasp began to gasp for air as my hand continuously tightened around its throat.

“You will never hurt another girl again.”