The attacks were an onslaught of claws and teeth's trying to burrow their way in to our hearts. I had a feeling they would come, I had a feeling that Winter was possibly a beacon for other creatures and my suspicions were correct.

I couldn't see her anywhere, I swung my sword in defense of my men and the women who ran scarred. Some are killed in the action, I can see my brother trying to take a demon off of my mate but then she runs with the young pup.

I attempt to run after her because I know they will still keep coming until they go for her neck. Yet they stop me, as if they know she is the reason I'm defending my men from all of this. It's not the only reason but she is one of them.

"Don't let them go for your throats!" I roar out so my men understand what they must do. So far, they are successful but a few warriors have fallen. My brother and I are no back to back facing the demons that encircle us. My men and their mates are now encircled as well.

"Is this where we die, brother?" Roland asks me, I feel out of breath and I don't know where Winter has gone.

"If we die, we will die fighting these bastards!" One demon is close to step up against until they stay still. It's as if they're listening to a calling. All of us are still as well, unsure of what to do, we wait until they attack. Except, nothing of the sort happens, they leave.

"What do you think was that about?" Roland asks.

I didn't have an answer to it, I look around to see my men grab onto their mates and bring them to the horses and settle them down. The women look to be as traumatized as expected.

War is no place for a woman.

"Where's Winter?" Roland asks as he looks around to see where she has gone. I remember then that she is the only one who hasn't returned.

"Shit!" I run with my sword at hand, they stopped because it wasn't us that they wanted. They want Winter, I don't know as of why but I will beat them 'til they tell me. I can hear my men calling me to stop but I won't. She needs me, her pup needs me. They will rip them apart if I don't go after them.

"Noooo!!!! Stop it!!!" I hear her, her screams are the sounds of agony and something within me just could not comprehend what this feels like. My wolf, he's angry, he wants to come out and bring hell onto these fuckers. I hear it, the cries of the small pup in pain and then, no more sound from Ejnar.

"You evil bastards!" My blood pumps in furry at the sight of one of the demons so close to mates face. I'm even more pissed that my little mate would give up so easily to these demons. I can see she truly no longer wants to live not after witnessing the death of a pup.

I don't know what comes over me, over my wolf but it is as if we were given this new burst of energy, this... hope. My anger isn't towards anyone but these bastards that dare take what is mine.

"Get your fucking hands off of my mate." I roar in rage as I swing my sword to cut of their heads. Giving no mercy to these vermin's. The sight of the young's pups heart overflowing of blood sets me on a warpath with them. They don't stop their onslaught of incoming attacks. No matter how much I kill, it's as if they keep coming.

With a second to waste I grab Winter from the bloody heap as the demons continue to come after us. I couldn't grab the small dead pup for they took it and fed off of Ejnar's little corpse. I'm bloodied in all of the blackness, there's no way I can wash the stain in front of Winter's eyes.

"You're too late..." She whispers, she's so cold there's no end to her temperature. It's as if she is stuck like this forever and I don't know how to fix this.

"Quiet little mate, it's over."

"It's not over until I'm dead." Is the last thing she says before she passes out in my arms.

*

*

I call to Roland through our minds that he needs to get everyone across the Forrest of fire because they are coming. He argues with me that he won't leave without me but I can't let it happen. I won't be able to make it in time not with Winter's injuries and the mob of demons coming after us.

"Do not worry, I will see you in three days time brother." I end it there, it's an order and he needs to follow it and take care of everything while I am gone. There is a cabin up in the mountains in the upper east from here. There will be snow thick that will slow my movements as a human. I shift into my Lycan form and the snow no longer hinders me from movement.

The weather changes as well, no longer is the flurry of snow but rain has begun to fall and lightening strikes in the air. It feels as if a god has awaken to come and strike us down. This angers my wolf and I. The demons are still trailing us and the lightening just seem to keep coming down on earth to kill us. I drop Winter gently down on the ground and turn to face the creatures.

I roar into the air ready to kill them, to kill them all with my bare hands and salivating teeth's. I will fight them all tooth and nail, they come to a standing and they are small compared to me. It's as if they did not realize how much of a difference a Lycan is compared to a demon.

"LEAVE!" I howl into the night where the moon has now begun to shine down upon us. I can feel the stench of fear sleeping through their black pores. They fear me, and rightfully so. I want to go for their necks and rip out their hearts they they did Winter. They took her heart and it wasn't their's to take!

"IF YOU COME BACK, I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" They disperse one by one into this dark mist of clouds that made them all disappear. It's over, for now but I realize I must prepare for another attack. I don't know when that will be but I know it can be soon.

I pick up winter into my arms once again but this time my wolf wants to be in control. I let him, he has a right to be near and get to know our little mate. He's a beast but the way he hold our mate is as if he's holding a flower. It's nothing I've ever done so this is truly a surprise for me when seeing how my wolf interacts with our mate.

When we arrive to the cabin I try to change back into my skin but my wolf won't budge. He wants more time, he wants to be near her and in some odd sense I feel envy for this bastard. The way he holds Winter is something I don't know if I'm capable of. After a few more nudges, he finally relents and let's me back into my skin.

I carry inside the cabin and immediately get started on burning wood for warmth in this cabin. She is deathly cold but her heart still pumps. When I undress her to check for wounds, there is none visible to the eye. I'm uncertain if this is true but with the amount of demons that came to attack her and attempt to bite into her flesh, there's no way she came out of this physically unscathed.

Time passes one filled with silence and the slow breaths from my little mate. The night is no longer filled with demons but now other creatures have come out in hunting for food. I can hear all the sounds from every animals that comes within a radius. If I concentrate closely, even further of 40 miles I can hear any noises that comes with an intent to kill or not.

The boredom has catches on but all I can do is watch Winter sleep knowing there is a blackness that will begin to grow within her heart for the death of the young pup. I know she sees me as a monster but I would never have killed him if he truly brought joy into her life. Now, I will never see her smile, I will never see that twinkle that seems to spark in her eyes I know she will see me nothing more than a monster and I don't know if I'm okay with the thought.

*

*

The nights and days were long but it flies us by and the third day has arrived. I'm stocking up warm clothing from the skins of the animals that I skin off from. Suddenly, soft groans alert me that Winter is finally waking up, during her sleep she would make noises, some were of tears crying out for the dead pup and some... were screams in fear of a monster.

"Ejnar..." she cries out for the young pup getting up from the bed of furs I made for her to lay on. I walk in and she looks at me with those eyes, red and in pain, I know she hates me.

"He's gone isn't he?" She asks me, I don't have to say anything because she is the witness of the pups death.

"I don't have to tell you Winter." Her shoulders sag in exhaustion, the sound of her stomach grumbles indicating she's hungry. I turn to the

"You need to feed, I have caribou for you—"

"I don't want any."

"You need to eat, we have to leave soon."

"To where?"

"Home." She sighs and sits there staring into nothing. There is nothing that I could but let her sulk for the time being.

"Why didn't you leave me there?" She asks which stops me from my tracks. I can't understand why it is so hard for her to think that I would save her?

"If I wanted you to die, I would have done it the moment I got a whiff of your scent." She mumbles something underneath her breath and looks downwards or anything else but me. My Lycan mentally bites me trying to make me smooth things over with our mate. Again, he has this gnawing need to have her forgive us. He wants to bend to her, only her and give her our necks.

This urgency is strong but I force myself to stay still so I don't do exactly what my body or my Lycan wants. It's hard... all I want to do is make her feel bliss and pain. She challenges me in ways I have never been challenged. It's an annoyance and an amusement.

*

*

"Let's go." We leave in the middle of the night, the storm is calm but the woods can hide anything that dares to stalk us and make a meal of us. I'm strong but even I know I'm not the only beast that can kill without hesitation.

Since I don't have my horse, we have to travel on foot. I know the terrain, I know the difficulties it comes in walking within the night with a storm that is away but can come at any moment. I try to bundle Winter as much as I could to keep her warm but again she takes half of the coverings off of her body and walks as if the cold does not bother her.

I know at this point it would be useless to fight her on the skins to wear. She will simply ignore my request and continue to defy me. As we walk in the night, the furry trail of red trees come into view. The fire has calm but the leaves still fall to leave burning trails.

"Keep your head Winter, don't let the leaves touch your skin." I say as she walks alongside yet close to my side. At least she's not an idiot to walk behind me where I can't see her in the case of danger.

"You mean these leaves?" I look to see what she's pointing at but instead she lifts her head up and raise her hand to let the burning leaves touch her delicate skin.

"What the hell Winter!" I growl at the lack of consideration that I'm taking in precautions.

"It doesn't burn." She was right, it left a black burn on her skin but she didn't cry in pain. The moment the black burn appeared, it disappeared instantaneously. Not even Lycan can heal as fast as my little mate.

"You're not a wolf." I state which startles her.

"What's makes you say that?" She asks me, I can hear the curious little tone she makes. I can tell she ha sheen questioning of her own origins but she doesn't know where to start.

"I have a feeling," is all I say, I don't have the truth that she's looking for, yet.

"Am I still going to be raped in front of your pack?" She asks me and I don't answer. I don't know anymore, there's a duty I must perform for my pack. We don't have Luna's because we do not receive soul mates. We take what we can get and we present the mates we have and show the males of the pack that the Luna can also lead them as well. But in reality, very few Luna's have survived the ceremony. It's why a Lycan Alpha chooses to remain mateless unless needing an heir then they would force a female either way, but it wouldn't be a Luna.

She is my soulmate, however, the first a Lycan has ever been given one. A gift as my Lycan likes to say but I can't let my men think that just because the moon has decide to give me a gift that I wouldn't accept it without damaging it. The goddess is many things but she is not my god and damn her for daring to give me Winter. I blame her because now she has forsaken Winter to me.

Fuck her.