Page 58 of Samuel
The largest of the remaining wolves darted toward me, its jaws wide as it went for my throat.
I braced myself, ready to strike—but before I could, another gunshot echoed through the clearing.
The wolf stumbled mid-leap, its head snapping back as Blake's bullet found its mark.
I didn’t even have time to acknowledge the shot before another wolf lunged at me from the side.
It slammed into my already wounded ribs, knocking the breath from my lungs.
I went down hard, my vision exploding with pain as I hit the dirt.
I could feel the wolf’s hot breath on my neck, its teeth gnashing inches from my throat.
But then, Blake was there.
Despite his injuries, he had dragged himself closer to me, pulling a silver knife from his belt.
With a grunt of effort, he plunged the blade into the wolf’s side, driving it in deep.
The wolf let out a pained yelp, its grip loosening enough for me to throw it off.
It staggered back, blood pouring from its wound, and collapsed in the dirt.
I scrambled to my feet, breathing hard, my side screaming in agony from the rogue’s earlier strike.
“Blake, stop,” I panted. “You’re hurt.”
He shot me a stubborn look, his hand clutching his side where the rogue had torn into him, but he wasn’t backing down.
“So are you,” he said, his voice strained but steady. "But we're still standing, right?"
Before I could respond, the remaining wolves made their move, rushing us in a desperate last-ditch attack.
There were only a handful of them left now, but they were fast, their movements blurs of fur and teeth.
I barely had time to react before one of them was on me, its claws raking down my back as it tried to drag me down again.
“Blake!” I shouted, hoping he was still standing.
I couldn’t see him anymore, the chaos of the battle obscuring him from view.
Panic surged through me as I struggled to throw the wolf off, my muscles screaming in protest.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of silver—Blake’s knife.
My mate was there, moving faster than I thought possible given his condition.
He plunged the blade into another wolf’s side, twisting it until the creature collapsed with a final yelp.
With renewed strength, I managed to throw my attacker off and spin, slashing at the last remaining wolf with everything I had left.
It went down hard, whimpering as it hit the ground. And just like that, the clearing was silent.
The entire pack was dead, and the rogue dragon lay still in a pool of its own blood.
I collapsed to my knees, my body trembling with exhaustion and pain.
Blake staggered toward me, his breathing ragged, but there was a triumphant light in his eyes.
