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Amabelle's POV

I underestimated how dark it would be down the path at night. The rose garden had a ghostly eeriness I hadn't been expecting. Something about it felt surreal, made me want to turn back. Only for a second though, because I knew I wouldn't find any comfort from the place I was running away from.

The once beautiful and graceful trees were now dark and luminous. I shuddered walking in, feeling like I was being watched by someone... or something.

Every hair on my body stood on end as I continued through. This felt like a grave mistake, that I should stop. But of course it did, I had just been branded and accepted into this pack. Technically I was leaving my pack, in fact the mark that blade made on me was burning the more and more I walked. My heart hurt, feeling conflicted with pain of what I was leaving behind.

Even though I hadn't been at the castle for very long and I was a captive there, the friends I had made were hard to forget. I found myself not wanting to.

Painfully so however, I pushed onward knowing that if I kept going I could forget this whole thing. A breeze blew past me, my hair blowing off my shoulders. It was a chilly, unforgiving night.

The winding trail that had been so much easier to see in the daylight got darker and darker the further I went. Shadows morphed into beastly shapes among the threatening tree line. I caught myself slowing as the monstrous outlines became more frequent.

"It's just my imagination," I whispered.

Then from the far right of me I heard crunching, like the sound of feet walking. Big, heavy paws...

"No, there can't be anything out here, it's just your mind playing tricks on you, Amabelle," I tried to tell myself.

Much to my horror though, I heard growling now, very close. Along with that came extremely intense howling from all around me. Realization began to settle on me that I was now perhaps surrounded by either rogues, or something else with an agenda that involved terrorizing me.

I took a deep breath. "Come on! Show yourself."

In response, at least seven or eight savage werewolves crept from their hiding places. Each one looked starved, and their coats were mangy. These rogues clearly lacked any kind of humanity and their eyes were red, pure scarlet. The only readable expression of emotion I could pick up on was hunger, a ravaged depravity of them clearly.

This was something out of my childhood nightmares. Rogues were the unlucky cursed or just mentally broken werewolves who could no longer revert back to their human state and roamed hungrily. They did not have any sort of intelligence and only wanted death out of anyone or thing they saw in their path. I used to be afraid of the scary stories the elders would tell us as kids of rogues, and to this day the idea or becoming or seeing a rogue frightened me.

They bared their teeth at me, obviously wanting to sink their fangs into my flesh...

Fearfully I looked behind me, expecting to be circled. Luckily I wasn't, and I could still run if necessary. My other worry was that I would be caught even if I did...

Swallowing nervously, I began to creep back cautiously. The wolves got braver, the more afraid I became. A cold sweat started at the base of my spine, I was pretty sure I was going to die.

Then when I was least expecting it, one of the wolves, probably one of the largest out the group, lunged at me. I lept back just in time as it snapped it's huge jaws at me, snarling.

In a blind panic, I started running. I didn't know what else to do, I didn't want to risk just standing there any longer, the wolves were not threatened by me and wanted to claw me to pieces.

But luck did not favor me, and of course, a rogue jumped out of the trees in front of me, running for me head on. I screamed in terror, tripping to the left to try and get out of the way. I failed horribly, landing on my back and scraping my cheek on a rock. Ignoring the bleeding from the cut, I backed away from the wolves, feeling the hopeless tears filling my eyes.

I was going to be eaten alive out here, and it was my own dumb fault.

"Back away!" I screeched, waving a huge branch at the wolves.

I'll admit, the branch was not the best plan, but I needed to do something. A wolf lunged again, grabbing it and tugging. Tears fell down my face in my desperation to get it out away from the savage animal. I pulled and pulled until it slipped from my hands and the wolf won our game of tug of war.

I sobbed, falling over and scooting away helplessly. They were merciless however, and one lurched again. This time I couldn't get away quick enough and it snagged a bit of me, biting a chunk into my arm. Screaming again, this time it was of pain.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" A sudden voice bellowed from behind me.

I turned a little, and low and behold was Dante. His chest was heaving, and he held a sword tightly in his fists. If I thought he was angry before when he caught me in that room, then this was fury on a completely different level.

The rogues seemed intimidated but not enough so that they were going to let me, their meal, get away so easily. The leader of the rogues growled loudly, snapping his jaw at the others. Together they followed his lead and began slowly approaching Dante. My wolf cried of fear, she did not want any harm to come of him.

But neither did I.

I stood up and threw myself on top of one of the more unsuspecting wolves. Quickly, I arched my arms around its mangy throat. Growling back at it, I squeezed as tightly as I could. Jerking back and forth the wolf snarled, trying to get me off. However I had an iron grip, and it was not about to knock me off.

The wolf cried, its attempts getting weaker and weaker as its life faded. Eventually it fell over, after that there was no heartbeat. Standing up from my kill, I looked onward at the other wolves who were now in battle with Dante.

While I had been strangling one rogue, Dante was battling seven others. Five had already been slaughtered by his silver sword. Amazed, I admired his strength. He was strong and fought hard. In a way it was flattering that he alone had come to risk his life to save me.

And then I saw all the scratches and clearly his leg had been bit several times. This alarmed me and made me feel guilty. It was my fault if Dante was killed out here, my fault.

Dante growled, the leader of the rogues circling him while the others lept at him left and right, itching to tear him apart. My heart sped watching as he completely decapitated one, and stabbed the other directly in the chest cavity.

Enraged, the rogue leader jumped on top of Dante knocking him over.

"No!" I screamed, and I ran to him.

"Get back Amabelle!"

Listening to his order, I stayed a few feet away. I wanted to do something but I didn't know what. My wolf whined for me to help but what could I do?!

The rogue snarled and roared trying to bite into Dante's throat. Dante was struggling, holding the sword as the boundary from the wolf's fangs and his neck. My body itched to move, to not just stand like a bump on a log.

Then my eyes widened while a clanging filled the air. The sword had fallen from Dante's hands. Now vulnerable, the rogue bit down into Dante's right shoulder. Dante screamed out, growling as he clawed at the rogue's neck.

Fury fueled me, I couldn't just watch him die.

"Get off of him." I snarled.

I launched myself at the rogue knocking him clean off of Dante. While he was off guard, I retrieved the sword from the ground. Before the wolf could react I plunged the sword into him, twisting and turning until the wolf had died.

The wolf's eyes closed for good, finally at peace from his raging thirst for blood.

Dante was in bad shape when I finally got to him. He had a few wounds along his arms and legs but the worst was his shoulder. It was so dark I couldn't even tell how bad it was. All I could see was dark liquid I presumed was blood soaking his shirt and the ground beneath. Tears pricked at my eyes watching him like this.

He groaned, and he looked up at me as I kneeled beside him. Guilt swallowed me whole, he was clearly in a lot of pain. I checked his pulse, which was steady but slow. If he was to heal and get better I had to get him out of here.

"We have to go," I told him, cupping the side of his face.

It was torture seeing him like this, my heart and my wolf were both in pain.

A howl in the distance summoned my alarm once more. "Dante, please, we have to go."

I slipped my hands underneath his arm trying to pull him up. If I could hoist him halfway on my shoulder, I could help him back to the castle. It would be hard, and would take a lot of my strength to do this, but I had to try. I knew now, if positions were reversed he would do the same for me.

"Dante, I can help you walk, but I need you to stand up." I told him.

He opened his eyes again, and they were readable for the first time. They showed sadness and shame. It hit me then that Dante has felt awful for what he had done, and that showed me that he had compassion. He had a heart, and even if he didn't show it, he clearly cared about how I felt.

"Amabelle." He whispered, capturing my attention again.

I shook my head, "Shhh-"

"I'm sorry," he started, but I hushed him.

"Dante, right now we just need to leave before more show up," I explained.

He shut his eyes for a few moments and then nodded. "Okay."

Slowly and carefully Dante stood up. He was heavy, but I expected that. Shakily we started back down the path. Beside me, his breathing was labored, which worried me further but I knew it was just because he was hurt.

"You're injured," he said suddenly as we walked.

I remembered then the wound on my arm and the scratch on my cheek. They were nothing compared to his. "I'm fine."

He sighed. "No you're bleeding, I smell your blood."

"I'm okay Dante, don't worry about me." I said, probably a little too forcefully.

"But it's my fault Amabelle," he said quietly.

"No, it was my fault for running into the woods." I told him.

"Now hush, focus on getting back to the castle, we can argue about this later." I responded again before he could reply.

He sighed and for the rest of the walk back it was silent. It took us twice as long to get to the castle than it would have if Dante wasn't hurt. The whole pack was waiting for us and our return. As soon as we approached, Dante pulled me closer to him, like he needed me. Something about that made my cheeks warm and secretly I loved feeling like he depended on me.

"Dante!" I knew it was Gavina's voice the second we approached.

The hairs on my back stood up in that same territorial defense from earlier when they had been on the dance floor. She ran up to us, pushing past everyone. Along with her came a huge man with short dark blond hair, light blue eyes, and tan skin. He was concerned but in a refined, laid back way as if he knew Dante would have returned.

"I'm okay Gavina," Dante said dismissively, like she was the last thing on his mind.

Inside I was definitely smiling.

"Xavier, take us to the medical wing please." Dante instructed.

All of the pack still looked horrified, and I heard Dante sigh again. "Everyone go on to bed, everything is fine, I will be okay, and Amabelle is safe again."

Visibly some people relaxed, others were more timid, but all did as he said and went back inside. I, on the other hand, was worried now what kind of reputation I had. After all, I almost got their alpha killed. He didn't have to come save me, he knew what was out there, and he knew there was a chance I would already be dead or he would die rescuing me.

Gavina and who I now knew as Xavier were still standing beside us after the pack had gone inside.

"You should be banished," Gavina spit, looking at me disgusted.

She was right, but that didn't make the sting feel any less harsh. "I didn't mean-"

"Gavina, it was my fault this happened, we are all going to forget that tonight happened and move on. Now please. I don't have the patience to deal with your sharp tongue." Dante retorted before I got a sentence out.

Xavier looked utterly shocked, and I assumed my face had to be similar, because I was surprised too. Dante just took the blame for this whole thing, and basically told Gavina to shut up.

"Now, Xavier, please, escort us to the medical wing, Amabelle gets priority, her wounds will heal slower than mine." He commanded to Xavier.

Gavina's face was contorted in an ugly frown, and Xavier only looked relieved that we were okay. He began leading us into the castle. In a few minutes we were in a beautiful room I guess they call the medical room. It was a long corridor, with beds lined down it. The ceilings were of granite, and other different kinds of stone. There was a door that lead to another room connected to the wide corridor. In the medical wing you could clearly hear running water, like a pool or some sort of body of water off to the left of the corridor.

Just as I was about to ask about the water I was hearing, several people dressed in all white suddenly came and removed Dante from my side. At first I was reluctant to let go of him. But then Dante squeezed my hand, so I allowed them to take him down to a bed. A couple others took me to a bed beside him.

"Amabelle, my name is Rita, I am a doctor here, and I am going to examine you now okay?" A woman with kind shining green eyes and black curly hair told me softly.

I nodded numbly, not sure what to think or do. For some reason all I could think about was Dante, and his heroic act tonight. I still couldn't believe he had risked his life for me. We barely knew each other, and he hadn't been my Alpha for more than a night.

Yet he saved me.

"Looks like your only injuries are a few bruises and some scratches. We will put a bandage on this one here on your arm, and clean this one on your face like the others..." Rita carried on, telling me how she was going to fix me up, but my mind was not on myself or my own wounds.

I was more worried about Dante and his injuries. The doctors taking care of him seemed to be stitching up his wounds on his shoulder and maybe one on his arm, the others they were just cleaning and bandaging. They had cut through his shirt, revealing his full torso.

Even though it was the most inappropriate time, I couldn't help my eyes as they roamed his rippling muscles and toned upper half. I drank him in, imagining how smooth his skin would be underneath my fingers...

No.

No, no, no. I shook my head and blocked out all those thoughts in my head. I couldn't think like that about Dante. It wasn't right. Or at least that's what I told myself currently. Dante was my alpha and nothing more, that couldn't change now.

Before Rita and the other doctors left, she told me I was free to go back to my room. At first I was ready so I told her thank you and that I would head to bed. But then I looked at Dante who was now resting peacefully. The doctors had left, leaving him stitched, bandaged, and covered up in his sheets. His eyes were open, and staring directly at me. He was searching me for something, like he was trying to tell me something wordlessly.

Stay.

The realization hit me so hard I gasped. Fear filled in me in an instance. The fact that a sort of attachment could possibly have begun to form for Dante made me want to run out to sea and never look back. Fleeing, despite him calling my name at least once, I went to the comfort of my room. Sliding my back down the door, I let out a deep breath.

I couldn't want to be with him. It was a line I vowed to never cross the moment I met Dante. How could a captive fall for their captor? It wasn't right. Falling for him would justify the actions he had taken against me and my father.

Trying to move on from tonight's incidents, I dressed into my nightgown and lied down for bed. Tonight I was exhausted, from everything. It had been both emotionally and physically draining. I expected to be out quick and yet for hours it felt like I tossed and turned. I thought about Gavina and Dante. I thought about Dante. I thought about Kamil. And I thought about how jumbled up inside I was feeling.

Maybe this was how every night in this pack would end. Conflicted and burned out. Like the flame of a candle flickering in and out until it finally just goes out, only to be lit again in the morning.

Maybe one day the eternal candle would melt to its end...

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Author's Note

WOW I am on a roll. Another update. 😂😂

As always thank you for reading! I'll see you in the next update!

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