They both got up from the ground and circled each other again, both hurt greatly by the first few blows. Both of them were bleeding, but Kaiser seemed to be in worse shape because her father had also gotten to him first. Annie managed to look around quickly to make sure that Lukas had listened to her and gotten her father into a safe area. She looked around to see Ross running towards the bar, probably from the call of her father.
Those few seconds that she looked around were a mistake, and she knew that immediately when Kaiser tumbled into her, digging his teeth deep into her neck.
She could only manage to howl in pain before everything went black.
Chapter 32
Ross had just come into the bar’s office when Lukas heard Annie’s painful howl, making him tense with worry. He ran off, knowing that Ross was going to take care of the injured Hann, and protect him from any rogue drifter. Lukas ran out of the bar, leaping into air to gain speed to get back to where he left Annie.
He hadn’t wanted to leave her, but he knew that he needed to keep her father safe. Lukas ran and charged with all his energy when he saw Annie lying beneath Kaiser, blood all over her still form. His heart felt like it was breaking when he slammed into Kaiser, forcing his filthy paws off of Annie.
Kaiser rolled away from him, standing up slowly. He was also bleeding profusely, and Lukas was glad that Annie had been able to take him down.
“My friend,” Kaiser said, his slithery voice echoing in Lukas’s head. “The betrayal that you have shown me is incomparable to the love that I have shown you. I welcomed you into my family!”
“Sorry, but I’m not one to hang out with mass murderers,” Lukas spat back, furious.
“Yes, but you aren’t good, are you, Lukas? You’re a rogue, just like me. You have done horrible things, just like me. I’ve heard of you–the notorious alpha’s son that tried to avenge his father but failed. If you stand with me today, I promise you that we will rain hell over that pack of yours. We will avenge your father–just as long as we avenge mine, too.”
“Go to hell,” Lukas said before he tackled Kaiser to the ground again, this time managing to sink his teeth deep into his side and pull. Blood splattered everywhere, but Kaiser somehow managed to get free from Lukas’s tight grasp.
Suddenly, as if someone sounded an alarm, the mood shifted completely everywhere the shifters and rogues were fighting. A slight breeze enveloped Kaiser and Lukas’s bloody skin, and the air felt more…deadly. When Lukas saw the pure-white wolves emerge, almost as if from thin air, he understood why.
The Elders had finally shown up.
And Kaiser didn’t look very happy. Lukas took this moment to pounce again, sinking his teeth deep into his neck this time. Kaiser howled in agony, but Lukas managed to hold on tight and not let go until Kaiser stopped moving beneath him. He now twitched, barely breathing, slowly, and painfully, dying.
“You lost,” Lukas whispered to him in his mind, staring down at the once-evil leader of rogues. He now looked like a small wolf, not at all unique in any way.
As if they realized that their leader was slowly, but surely, dying, the rogues began to fall away. Or, at least, they tried to. Some may have made it out of town, but the Elders began to chase them, killing them with no mercy. Watching the Elders in wolf form was like watching magic. They gracefully ran around, not seeming to even touch the ground. While in human form, the Elders looked dreadful, in their wolf form, they looked like gods. And they were strong like gods, too.
Lukas swiveled around to run back to Annie, praying that she was okay. When he finally got to her and realized that she was breathing, unsteadily and painfully, he breathed a sigh of relief. She was in bad shape, but he knew that it could’ve been worse.
Before he could shift to human form, so he could pick her up and carry her to be healed, an Elder, in human form, came out of nowhere. He raised his hand, as if to say wait, and then picked up Annie and held her in his arms. He began walking towards the bar, and Lukas followed closely behind. He didn’t trust the Elders, but he’d never seen this Elder before–it wasn’t one of the ones from Annie’s house who they tried to take Thea away.
Lukas followed him into the bar where he gently placed Annie’s wolf-form body down on one of the bar’s tables. Lukas shifted to his human form, going to the closet to grab some clothes that he knew the shifters kept for everyone, who needed a quick change after shifting. He grabbed some scrubs that were probably Kato’s, slipping them on quickly before walking briskly back to where the Elder was with Annie.
“We need to heal her or take her to the doctor here,” Lukas told him, referencing the local doctor that all shifters had in their packs.
“She will be fine,” the Elder murmured, and Lukas watched as he gently moved his hand all over Annie’s body. Lukas looked closer to see that the shifter was healing Annie with his very touch. Lukas had heard that some Elders have more magical abilities that came because of their old age, but Lukas had never seen anything like it with his own eyes.
Annie’s erratic and uneven breathing slowly became more steady and deeper as she fell into a deep sleep through his healing. Lukas looked up after he discovered that all the blood on Annie’s fur was now just dried blood. All of her wounds were now closed and she was healed, in the blink of an eye.
“Thank you,” Lukas mumbled, staring at the Elder with confusion in his eyes. The Elder glanced up, his hood still masking much of his face.
“Not all of us horrible monsters, Lukas,” he seemed to whisper, his eerie voice sounding even older than the Elder that was at Annie’s house earlier. “I hope you remember that.”
Lukas didn’t get a chance to respond when Hann came bursting through the door in his human form, looking almost completely healed, though worn out.
“Annie,” he murmured when he saw her on the table. He ran his hand over her head, relaxing slightly when he realized that she was now healed and just sleeping. “Thank you, Michael.”
Lukas looked between the two men, confused. Did Hann just call the Elder by a regular name? He didn’t even know that Elders could have regular names, let alone let regular shifters call them by this name.
“I assured you I would be here to help you, my brother,” the Elder responded, placing a comforting hand on Hann’s back. Lukas was confused about the whole situation unfolding before him. His whole day, from start to finish, had been full of surprises and confusion.
“Where is that bastard?” Hann said, angry for the first time that Lukas had seen. The rage and anger he held behind his eyes even frightened Lukas. Ross held him back as he went towards the door, whispering that he was still hurt and shouldn’t go back out there.
“My brother, the young Kaiser has perished in the battle,” the Elder told Hann, walking over to him and taking him by the arm to push him back towards the room. “We have the young Lukas to thank for that.”
Hann looked up at Lukas, who immediately felt almost nervous under his intense gaze. The joyful, relaxed Hann was nowhere to be found. Lukas also hadn’t had a chance to realize that he actually, truly killed Kaiser. He’d never killed anyone before, and he didn’t know how he was supposed to feel. He didn’t regret it–that much he knew. He would do it over and over again if it meant protecting Annie.
“Thank you,” was all Hann said, thumping Lukas on the back. It was all he needed to say. Lukas could feel his gratitude and respect just by looking at him and being near him. It almost blew him over, it was so strong.
“Will she be okay?” Lukas asked the Elder, Michael, attempting to change the conversation back to Annie. He felt uncomfortable with the Elder and an alpha staring at him.
“Yes, I was able to heal all damage that was done,” the Elder whispered, though everyone could hear him loud and clear. “She will wake up and be fine in no time.”
Lukas nodded at him as Hann pulled up a chair to sit beside Annie.
“Is everything okay
outside?” Hann asked, glancing up at the Elder.
“The battle is over,” the Elder told him, clasping his hands together and going still as they listened to the silence outside. “And you, my brother, have won.”
Chapter 33
Annie woke up with her family around her. She was in her bed at home, shifted in her human form, with Thea, her father, Kato, and Lukas all around her. She smiled when she saw them, feeling better than she thought she would after the battle.
“How long have I been out?” She asked, her throat dry.
“Just a few hours,” her father told her, squeezing her hand and smiling down at her. “I had an Elder friend of mine look out for you and make sure you would be okay. He healed you.”
Annie looked to Thea when her father started talking about Elders, but she looked fine. She was even smiling down at Annie, though her eyes looked worried.
Hann, noticing how Annie glanced at Thea, began to speak. “I’ve been informed about what happened here with the Elders and Thea before Kaiser came in.”
“Kaiser is the one that told the Elders about her,” Annie whispered. “He’s been watching us.”
“We don’t have to worry about him anymore, darling,” her father told her. “As for the Elders, I sent a very strongly worded message to them to inform them that they have no place back here. I also have a friend on the inside–and he swore that he was going to make things right.”
Annie was confused, though she didn’t say anything. She never knew her father had a friend that was an Elder–he’d never talked about it before in her life.
“So, Kaiser…?” Annie didn’t know how to word her question accurately.
“He’s gone. Dead,” her father informed her. “Lukas attacked and killed him right after he almost killed you.”
Annie’s eyes shot to Lukas’, and she hoped he could see the gratitude and love she was trying to show him–without being too obvious in front of her friends. He smiled slightly and nodded, making her believe that they understood each other perfectly.
“As for you, Lukas,” her father said, turning slightly so that he could look Lukas in the eyes. “I’ve talked to the pack as well as my Elder friend, who you’ve met. We’ve come to the conclusion that, if you would like, we can reinstate your status as a shifter. You no longer have to be a rogue. The Elders have, perhaps grudgingly, accepted it, and my pack has overwhelmingly agreed. You not only saved the alpha’s daughter–you also saved their alpha by dragging me out of battle. And that’s not going unnoticed.”
“I don’t…I don’t know what to say,” Lukas told him. He was surprised, that much Annie could tell. She desperately wanted him to agree, to say that he would stay and be a part of the pack. Then, he wouldn’t have to leave. He could stay with her–and maybe, just maybe, they could actually be together.
“You don’t have to decide now,” Hann told him. “Think on it, but if you want to settle down and have a place to stay–have a pack to stay with–our doors are open to you. We owe you quite a lot, but this is one way to try and make up for everything you’ve done for us, when you really didn’t have to. I don’t think I have to tell you how utterly grateful I am.”
Annie smiled, trying to catch Lukas’ eye and show him that she desperately wanted him to stay.
“I really am so honored, Hann,” Lukas said, shaking her father’s hand.
“Now, I’ll be honest with you,” Hann warned him. “People may be a bit shaky with you at first. But it’ll pass–it’s already changing within my pack. We all want you here.”
Hann then looked at Annie, a bit of a glimmer in his eye, then looked back at Lukas with a knowing look. As if Annie dreamed it, Hann immediately started talking about things that they were going to do for the few lives that they lost in the battle.
Annie listened to the plans and mourned for the people that weren’t lucky, but she couldn’t help the butterflies that were flying around endlessly in her stomach from the idea that Lukas could be able to stay in town and join her pack.
It was like a dream come true. If only Lukas would say yes.
Chapter 34
Annie stood outside her house, a light breeze playing with her hair as she waited for Lukas. It had been a few days since the battle, and Annie was now fully recovered. Lukas hadn’t yet decided if he was going to stay and join the pack, but Annie was going to convince him that it was for the best if he did stay. She desperately wanted him to.
So much had happened in the last few days, but she knew one thing for sure: her feelings for Lukas hadn’t gone away. No–they’d grown. She and Lukas hadn’t had a lot of time to be together, alone, since everything happened, but she needed him to know how she felt. She wanted him to stay, and if that meant begging, then that’s what it would have to take.
She saw Lukas walking towards her from the woods, making her heart beat faster. She was amazed that he still had that effect on her–in fact, he seemed to affect her even more now than he originally did.
“I have a lot to say,” she told him when he walked up to her, not even letting him say hello. She took in a deep breath and decided to just spill everything all at once before she lost the nerve to. “I want you to stay.”
“Anastasia,” he began, but she cut him off.
“Wait, let me just get this all off my chest,” she told him, holding up a hand for him to let her talk. “I’ve thought about this, a lot, okay? And I want you to stay. The pack wants you to stay. My father wants you to stay. You basically saved us all back there, and we want to give you a real home in return. The Elders won’t come knocking, and everyone will leave you alone.
“I want you to stay for selfish reasons, obviously. I…I think I love you. I can’t stop thinking about you. From the moment I met you, I’ve had this deep desire to just be with you always, and I’ve never had that before. I think that my wolf is begging me to mate with you. Listen, I know this is all a lot, but it’s what I feel. Us shifters? We find our mates in random people all the time–and I think I’ve found my mate in you.
“I know this is crazy, and I’m sorry for springing this on you, but I wanted to let you know because if you feel this way at all, then you need to stay. I want you to stay. I want you to stay, and I want you to love me. I want you to love me, like I love you.”
Her last few words hung in the air for a few seconds as Lukas stared at her intently. She desperately wanted to look down at the ground out of embarrassment from confessing all of her feelings, but she made herself hold his gaze, steady.
“Do I get any say in this?” Lukas asked, a huge smile filling his face as he gazed at her. She released a huge breath, thankful that he didn’t deny her. She didn’t know what she would do if he rejected her.
“No, you don’t,” she whispered, smiling, as he pulled her to him, enveloping her in his arms, his lips meeting hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her, breathing in his scent and memorizing it.
“I guess I’m staying then,” he told her as he pulled back, playing with her hair. She shivered slightly from his touch, wanting to take him up to her bedroom.
“If you want, you can move in here with me and Thea since you don’t have a place,” she told him, batting her eyelashes. “I mean, if you want to.”
“Oh, I want to,” he murmured in her ear, making her blush. “As long as I’m near you, I’ll be fine. But how are we going to tell your dad? Or Kato? Or the rest of the pack?”
“I think my dad already knows,” she confessed, remembering the knowing look he gave her and Lukas when she woke up after being healed. “Don’t ask me how, but the guy is all knowing sometimes. Plus, I doubt he’ll make much fuss. He’ll be busy anyway–he’s going to find my mother.”
“Really? How is he going to do that?”
“I don’t know. Evidently that Elder that healed me, Michael, is upset with how the Elders have been running everything for the past few decad
es. He’s been wanting to change it, but he hasn’t had much support, even though he’s one of the oldest and strongest Elders around. But with my dad’s help and the fear that more shifters like Kaiser will rise up, they’ve decided to team up together and try to be more lenient in some areas. My father recently confessed to Michael that my mother was still alive, and now they are both on the hunt to find her–if she wants to be found.”
“How do you feel about this?”
Annie shrugged, honestly not knowing what she was supposed to feel. “I don’t know. I want to have a mom, I guess, but I mainly just want her to be found so that my father can have some type of peace, whether that’s finding her and bringing her home, or whatever the universe holds. I just don’t want him to continue to have this burden. I think he’s been reliving the past ever since Kaiser showed up, and I hate that he’s hurting.”
“Do you think the rest of the pack will be okay with us, though?” Lukas asked. “I know your father will, but Kato? All the others?”
“So what if they don’t?” Annie told him, smiling. “It won’t be the first time we’ve been judged, and it definitely won’t be the last time. I say bring it on.”
“Well, as long as you’re my mate, I’m the happiest shifter around.”
Annie pulled him to her again, kissing him with all of the pent-up desire and love she’d been holding for him since the first time she’d laid eyes on him.
They stood there, in her yard with the slightly chilly breeze, holding each other as if nothing in the world was more important. They both knew that there would be trouble, but they were willing to face it head on.
Falling for the Rogue (Moonlight Wolves Book 1) Page 12
