Page 214 of Awakened

I don’t bother with niceties. I shove through the two Alphas in front of me, doing my best not to touch Daxen. I simply can’t handle it right now if brushing up against him sets him off. Thankfully, he steps to the side as I push past Caelan and stumble into the cool morning air.

Caelan’s hand wraps around my upper arm, and he tugs, pulling me back into his chest. I glance up, worried I’ve made him mad, but he’s not even looking at me.

I follow his gaze and realize he’s looking at the forest—at the wolven appearing between the trees. One after another, the massive Beasts spring from the forest like the hounds of hell are after them.

“What’s going on?” Vae barks, which seems to shock the other two. They shift, making room for him to slide in next to us. As a group, we creep forward cautiously.

Turns out, we’re right to be cautious.

Initially, I wasn’t sure what caused the loud snapping sound, but now I can tell exactly what it was.

Right at the forest’s edge is an obviously empty spot in the foliage where a tree is missing—well, not missing. It’s still there, but it’s on the ground, sprawled on its side. Crushing the smaller, younger trees. The top of the tree is facing us, branches extending to either side like swaying, grasping arms.

The middle of the trunk is cracked clean in half, exposing thousands of jagged pieces of wood, sharp enough to skewer someone with little resistance.

The ground begins to move again, subtly pitching to and fro like a ship on a tumultuous sea. It lasts no more than a couple of seconds before—SNAP!—another tree fractures, falling to the forest floor in a spray of debris, just a few feet away from the first.

I barely have time to register what I’ve just seen when another one falls a couple yards to the west. Then another, and another, and another, until rows are fragmenting under the strain of gravity. Each tree lost is punctuated by the deafening CRACK of its trunk splintering apart into hundreds of pieces.

The sound becomes so loud I have to cover my ears, unable to take another second. Each death makes me flinch, not because of the sound, but because the loss of each tree physically hurts my heart.

Caelan tightens his hold around me, but I’m not going anywhere. The wolven—which are closer in size to horses than wolves—are nearly on top of us. Either no one’s paying attention, or they’re simply not worried because, rather than moving out of the way, all three Alphas stand their ground.

“Where’s Soren?” I have to shout over the noise.

Is this what it feels like to be in the very center of thunder? Every tree that falls adds to the rumble beneath my feet. Flocks of birds explode from the branches. Hundreds of squawking specks with wings flee into the sky in search of presumed safety.

“I don’t know. I don’t have any idea what he looks like in Beast form,” Caelan shouts back.

I bite down on my lower lip, searching the shadows of the trees for my Mate. Two more wolven appear, lunging from the forest, followed closely by Shade, who is not only chasing them; he’s quite literally nipping at their heels.

He shrieks, a raspy, yowling scream that I think is supposed to be his version of a growl, just to ensure he’s made his displeasure known.

I’m practically vibrating with fear at this point. When a tree nearly lands on Shade—who dodges at the last second—I rush forward with a terrified shriek.

I don’t get far. Caelan’s grip on me is unyielding. Thankfully, my cat has the reflexes of a predator made of shadow. He flies across the yard—a thousand times faster than any of the wolven—and less than thirty seconds later he’s skidding to a stop at my side.

With a choked sob, I fall to the ground and wrap my arms around his massive neck, thanking the Fates he’s safe.

Only a few moments later, the cacophony begins to slow before coming to an abrupt stop. Almost as if the forest had been self-imploding specifically in an attempt to injure the wolven residing in its domain.

One final tree groans before snapping in half and crashing into the ground, sending a showering plume of pine needles and branches billowing into the air.

What follows is a silence so thick and eerie it feels as unnatural as the chaos that took place moments before.

I stand, keeping one hand on Shade’s head for comfort as he sits calmly by my feet.

The first wave of wolven have started to shift. Each and every male is tall, gruff, and muscled—almost the way I imagine lumberjacks. They all sport some form of facial hair, and a few even have long, shaggy strands that clearly haven’t seen a pair of scissors in years.

Vae snorts in amusement. “They look like a regiment of highlanders who got told that kilts are out and denim is in and, in a twist absolutely everyone saw coming, they’re all ready to go to war over it,” he mutters, voice purposely low enough that only we can hear him.

Which is probably smart, considering the group of males look like the kind who punch first and ask questions later.

The two wolven Shade chased from the woods are easy to spot, standing with the rest of their shifted Pack and nudging them with their noses. They make a show of sniffing each person thoroughly—presumably searching for unseen injuries.

One of the wolven is a mottled grey and brown with amber eyes. I smile when one of the males reaches down and playfully bats him away.

Then the second wolven steps forward and my breath catches in my throat. White as snow and so massive he nearly reaches the other males’ chests.