Filed To Story: Traded To The Lycan King Novel (Colette & Merikh) by MG Wattsons
“Hayes is standing by and ready to draw forces away when we need it.” Merikh reminds him. “If it comes down to it, we will fight and take out as many as we can before we get to her.”
“And what about the dragon king?” Caspian reminds us.
“I can only hope his son has kept him home and safe.” I admit, biting my lip. “We don’t have time to sit and wait anymore.”
“Colette,” Caspian frowns and I shake my head.
“Dad,” I say firmly, “This is it. We have to do this. Now is the only time.”
He reluctantly nods before he clears his throat and moves over next to my mom. I don’t miss the way his arm hangs at his side and her fingers seem to reach out to find his, even if it is for a mere moment.
“Please be safe, daughter.” He says softly as my mother throws her arms around me before she breaks away too soon.
“As safe as any war allows,” I nod, before turning, grabbing Merikh’s hand and sprinting into the trees.
He keeps up with ease, releasing my hand as we run side by side, ducking and weaving when and where needed. My wolf trembles in excitement and my siren side. It feels feral, needy, and hungry for the fight.
The only part of me not entirely excited about the fight ahead is my brain. I keep trying to over think, over plan. But I know more than anyone else that planning anything in life is worthless. Plan the basics, not the details. Because details are useless when it comes to the unpredictable.
Merikh slows his speed, adjusting his gait to move behind me as he continually scans the area, his nose in the air as he listens and sniffs. I don’t need my wolf’s senses to know we are getting closer as the plant life seems to look dehydrated and in major need of a heavy rain. The air is drier, the foliage on the ground crunching under feet, which makes us come to a halt.
Merikh points to the tree, before he flings his massive frame up onto a high branch and reaches down. I jump with all my might; him catching my wrist as he lifts me into the tree. I bite back a smile as I watch him look around, his alpha presence very much on display as his hunting instincts are kicking in.
I have never had the opportunity to fight alongside him like this, in a war or on a mission. And now that I witness it, I think it may be one of the most single sexiest things he has ever done with me.
Merikh has always been the big bad alpha, known for his intimidation and incredible fighting skills and lack of mercy. But watching him perch and be on high alert so he can protect me.
Well, damn. It makes me want to have his babies. Which is a good thing considering that is the future plan for us. I shy away, not wanting him to see the way I ogle him, until I feel him at my back, his hot breath on my neck fanning over my mark.
“I am going to need you to restrain those thoughts in the mind link,” he says in a husky tone. “It is especially hard to run when you are making me as hot and bothered as you seem to be.”
I chuckle lightly, covering my mouth as I turn my head, bringing out lips a mere breath away.
“I will try, but no promises.” I whisper before stealing a quick kiss and dropping out of the tree.
My hand presses to the ground as I roll my shoulders back and breathe deep, calling to the siren in me for water. It rises to the surface in a slow flow, wetting the parches ground, softening it so we can move without fear of alerting anyone to our presence.
-I planned to run along in the trees-Merikh says in the mind link. I snort a sarcastic laugh and shoot him a ‘in what world’ arched brow.
-You can, but I would fall out and break a leg-I tell him and he grins.
-I’ll race you-he says, hustling back up the tree as I break into a sprint.
pet There is no way I will beat him. He is not only a skilled warrior; he is a damn lycan. They are, by nature, faster than a regular werewolf like me. But try anyway, a small smile on my lips as we make this a game, enjoying ourselves in the brief moments we get to ourselves, even in the face of death and despair.
I slow down when I hear grunting and a howl. I slip to the nearest tree, hiding behind its wide trunk as two wolves race past me. How they miss my scent, I don’t understand, but I creep along behind them, bringing myself closer as I watch them snarl and snap at each other along the way.
-Where are you?– I ask Merikh through our mind link. It’s when he doesn’t respond that the lighthearted moments we just had burst into a dark feeling and I break into a sprint again, pushing my legs as hard as I can.
One of the wolves slows, heaving as it tries to catch its breath and I leap onto his back, my hand gripping his muzzle to keep him quiet as we tumble to the ground. I twist optoet my back, my legs wrapping around its neck as I pull back and yank hard to the side. His neck snaps as his body goes limp and I push him to the side, jumping back up and chasing down the others.
-Go wide and let me deal with them-Merikh says through the mindlink, panic lacing his words in my mind.
-No, there are two more coming-I shoot back.
-New plan, You keep going, I’ll catch up-He says, his thoughts turning from panic to determination and then a thrill of excitement.
I hate listening to him. Leaving him feels wrong, but as much as I need him to trust me, I have to return that trust. So with an aching heart, I cut to the right, giving him a wide berth and trusting in his abilities as much as he trusts in mine. Even if I hate it and it feels wrong.
*Merikh*
Warmth spreads over my face, a light misting of blood from the unfortunate wolf that is still being controlled by Lily’s shit spell. I know there are more coming, but I can’t help but pause and glance around, trying to determine where they will come from next. Like cockroaches, they scuttle around, lurking until they can no longer hide. It’s offputting how un-wolf like it feels.
Lily shouldn’t have a hold this strong on them now. And if she is close enough to have this type of hold, Elm should have ended her hours ago. My stomach churns at the thought of him being the betrayer. We put too much power in his hands, without Lily and her magical hold out of the way we are in for a long, tiring battle.
Tree branches above my head crack, a wolf falling from above as I step to the side, watching her crash to the ground with zero grace. The wolf wheezes as it stands and her eyes flicker for a moment to behind me.
It is as if none of these wolves were trained to fight. Even in their zombified state, this should be second nature to them. Yet, she gives away the location of the one I know is now behind me.
I lean to the side as a black wolf growls, passing me as it flies through the air. He tumbles into her and the two snap and fight for a moment while I watch, waiting for them to remember I am their enemy. A sigh breaks from my lips. At this rate, I will catch up to Colette much faster than I thought I would.
“If we could speed this up, I would appreciate it.” I tell them, making sure they can sense my boredom. “I have better things to do than fight you.”
A low growl emanates from behind me, the ground rumbling as the two race toward me, but instead of attacking, they move around and circle to my back. I whip around, my eyes flying wide as I look up at the monster before me. Well, maybe this will take longer than I expected after all.
Wolves sidle up to this monster’s legs, their furry bodies vibrating before a silver thread from them attaches to the beast’s chest and the air seems to shudder.
The wolves whine, then whimper before they fall to the side, their wolves turning to pale, thin, naked, lifeless bodies. The monster shakes its head, red eyes meeting my green as a malicious smile meets its rigid bumpy face. I slip off my pants and shirt as I throw my head back and let out my Lycan’s roar, calling him to the surface.
I rise to my full height, the monster still a solid two feet taller than me as a hand made of many wolf’s claws come swiping down at me. I avoid its contact with ease, dropping low and swinging my sharp nails up and into its soft stomach. The beast barely groans as it reaches out to grab me again.
There is no world in which that many sets of claws will not annihilate me with one hit. So I drop to my knees, scurrying between its legs and to its back. The more I look at its body, the more I understand that this isn’t just one beast, but a beast made of many. With a bouquet of various colored tails and a spine made of many, I understand what I am up against.
Not only is Lily’s magic seemingly stronger, but it is increasingly more creative. She has taken a single being and given them every wolf of those who it chooses. A sucker of souls, to create a beast worthy of fighting the Lycan king. My heart aches for the loss of my own kind. The ones who have no control over what they are doing, yet they will not survive.
Its head twists to look at me, the chin tilting to the side as if it is trying to anticipate my next move. I take the moment to sprint to the right, which makes it follow me, it’s lumbering movements make the ground shake as I run directly for a tree. The second I am close, I twist my shoulders and shift my direction just in time for the monster to collide with the enormous base of the red oak tree.
I move behind it as it groans in an eerily echoing cry and I plunge my teeth into the base of its skull, digging my claws in at the lumbar of the spine My jaw clenches as hard as possible and yank my hands up, slicing through bone and flesh as it goes limp. I don’t release my hold until we hit the ground with a rumble and I snap my head to the side, a thud vibrating through my jaw as its neck snaps.
As I tear away, moving back from the magical version of a werewolf mashup, I watch the one body crumble into seven, all of them dead and at my feet. There isn’t a second to spare as a howl breaks out and flames shoot up into the sky My heart thuds in my chest, my eyes focusing on the direction of the chaos breaking out. All I can do is hope that Elm isn’t the enemy and he will follow through soon.
The second those dragons take flight, my kind will succumb to the fire by the droves. I turn away from the noise, my stomach heavy at turning my back on the fighting, but I push on. Colette needs me more right now, and the only way to save what we have is to do it this way. It’s a crazy plan, but it’s the only viable one we’ve got.
-Merikh-I hear Colette in my head, the panic and question in her emotions that bleed through to me.
-I am fine and heading your way-I tell her through the link, swooping up my clothing and running in my lycan form.
With all the focus being to the south of us for now, I don’t need to be as cautious with my noise as I sprint to catch up. I contemplate telling her about Lily and Elm. How Elm has failed to do as he said he would with killing Lily.
-Move faster if you can, looks like I’ve got some company-She says,-I’m hidden for now, but-
The mind link cuts off and it fuels me to move faster than my lycan body has.
There is no stopping me as I bound over roots and bust through downed logs that try to hinder me. I try to reach out to her, feeling for her emotions or anything I can. There is a shiver that runs up my spine, a feeling that I am being watched or followed, but I push it aside.
I don’t give a fuck who sees me or who the hell tries to attack me. There is nothing that exists on this earth that can slow me down right now. The breaking of branches and the whooshing of air only proves my instincts right as whoever is behind me follows close. Or as close as they can, which only means they are either also a lycan or someone who moves fast like us.
I tear through bushes and trees, breaking into a small clearing with multiple trees that have recently been toppled, and flames flicker. My body instinctively halts, my nose tilting up as I sniff the air, catching a whiff of Colette beyond the smell of the smoke. My massive head whips from side to side, my chest heaving with the fear of where she is, what might have happened.
-I am here-I tell her through the mind link. There is a rustling above me and she drops down from the tree, leaves in her hair and soot on my cheek. She stands, her eyes filled with tears and fear as she reaches for me. My human form takes over as I tuck her into my chest, pulling her tight. “We aren’t alone,” I whisper, and she nods.
“I know.” She says back, pointing behind me. I spin and look up in the tree, catching a glimpse of a familiar lycan, and I frown.
“Percy.” I say in a growly voice.
He climbs down, transforming into his human form, as he saunters over with his eyes cast down as he quickly pulls on his shorts. The kid was supposed to be on bed rest, not chasing us into a fucking fight.
“Alpha,” He murmurs.