Hollowed Pith

Alistair's POV

For the past two hours I felt random waves of emotions on top of my own.

Each time a pack member left this world, their spiritual ties were severed along with their lifeline that kept me constantly aching.

A part of my soul instinctively mourned and cried out for them, their families and their departures; even now as a handful of us become surrounded by skelmar in the clearing close to the Avonberg River.

The other emotions I felt hit more painfully and when I first felt them, I knew Noir disobeyed. It was mostly anxiety and fear but those two emotions became blended with anger, pain and confusion.

I wanted to immediately run to her but I also knew I would be unable to reach Noir without drawing more enemies back into the village and closer to her. I prayed to the Gods she was more skilled than I knew about and that Cuyler was still there to help her with whatever was happening on their end.

There is no way for me to do anything except feel as the one woman I'd come to admire, respect... even love, take on a challenge that was far beyond her years and experience.

The skelmar didn't so much as budge as Hael, Eskil, Olcan, along with a semi-decent group of others stood there as Rayshon, Herlief, Evenora and Khinn approached.

Hael looked at the small group before his gaze fell on Rayshon who immediately lowered his head.

"WHERE is your Luna? WHERE is Noir? Why are you not with MY MATE," I shouted through the mindlink.

"I'm sorry, Alpha... she commanded me to regroup, try to find others, then you."

I felt both myself and Hael shake at this news as the largest of the Skelmar took a few steps forward, causing Hael to growl.

"Alistair, we have to trust Noir to get to us. Right now, we have other problems," Gavrill tried assessing the current situation.

"He is right, Alpha. Trust your mate, no matter how rash she may be. Also, trust us to help you until more arrives," Nebo linked calmly, Olcan's eyes never leaving the enemies in front of us.

Flashing a look at Rayshon, I shifted, my attention now on the large frenzied wolf in front of me.

After a moment, the wolf in front of me also shifted.

"Why are you here," I questioned.

"I'm here for the one that commanded the death of a couple of skelmar," the man said with a slight humor in his voice.

When I didn't say anything, the man began to pace in annoyance.

"One of the skelmar that was killed was my mate," he growled.

Ah. So revenge. Vengeance.

"Sooner or later, everyone sits down at the banquet of their own consequences," he finished.

"Careful," Rune piped in, putting me on further guard.

"They killed and were gorging themselves on deceased warriors of my pack. My Luna did not approve of such taboo and cannibalistic behavior thus ordered their execution. What's done is done."

"What's done is done," he mocked. "It's done when I skin your bitch and wear her pelt. In for a copper, done for a pound."

"Alpha," Nebo and Cuyler both called out.

I ignored them.

"If you want my partner, you will have to defeat this pack and myself."

Before he can say anything further, his focus landed behind me before he shifted, hunkering his body low to the ground.

"Alpha," the two called out again.

"WHAT?"

Looking at them, their massive heads turned to the landscape behind us. I followed their line of sight until it landed on a wolf I had become all too familiar with.

Calder.

And he wasn't alone as a decent sized force emerged from the thicket.

For fuck sake.

Calder shifted and now stood with a devilish smile.

"Well, it seems you keep making enemies, Alistair."

My patience is gone.

"What in the Gods' damned reason do you have to be here right now," I shouted.

"Well, this was definitely not planned," Calder sighed in frustration as he stared at the skelmar.

"They were here before us but they were a perfect distraction, yes? So I used that to my advantage."

A distraction for Calder?

My blood runs cold.

"What do you mean, 'a perfect distraction'?

"Oh, THAT. Well you see, once we realized you were under attack by a rebellious group, we came up with a different strategy thus in the end, I sent Xanthe to find Noir while I decided that we," Calder waved his arms around at his force, "would take care of you."

I froze before glancing at Eskil and the others, who were exchanging looks before splitting their attention between both groups.

Quickly looking around, Noir still hadn't made it to us yet, here on the flat before the forest and river or on the bluff that overlooks the landscape.

Where is she?

I knew she wasn't gone because we completed the sacrament in full. I would have felt that hole, that detachment, that pain...

Why isn't she here?

Looking up, a carnal chill rippled down my spine as the clouds rumbled above us, blocking the dawn as they steadily built into a thunderous deluge.

Something about the sky, the air, the smell of rain, made that internal acknowledgment known that my partner wasn't far off despite her not being present and visible at this exact moment.

I discovered Noir's emotions seemed to be mercurial and expressed through the weather, something I learned after her second transformation— raining when she mourned, thundering when she raged, the temperature fluctuating with the heat or chill of her moods. It had become a fascinating thing and right now?

It was a blessing and a relief.

Calder and his group straightened, looking around as did the skelmar and mine until a howl broke out across the sky; one I usually found harmonious and beautiful, echoed around us.

It demanded attention but was also a threat.

When it echoed again, it was much louder. I was immediately jolted as I looked towards the once vacant bluff, despite the slight rainfall that began to drop and engulf everything.

There stood, what at first looked like silhouettes against the rapidly approaching sun in which challenged the coming storm, transfigured into two women and a male before the entire cliff was consumed by shadows.

All groups stared but it was Calder and I that watched in panic and awe as the figures blotched into focus— there was three men and a woman who stood protectively behind Noir as she forced another woman to her knees.

A wave of relief rushed over me before she tore her gaze away from mine and to Calder, who stood stationary, a pained expression on his face.

That's when I knew.

That's when the realization hit that my partner had this man's mate in her clutches.

I knew, in retrospect, what was going to unfold. The scene before us looked all too familiar and judging by the look on Calder's face, he knew it too.

Noir's heterochromic eyes locked with Calder's as she jerked the woman up. Making sure she was facing Calder, she plunged her fist through Xanthe's back and out of her chest.

Removing her hand from the hollowed cavity, she tossed Xanthe's heart aside and flashed a toothy smile at Calder.

"I will fight for what's MINE with fire and blood but if you try taking what is MINE, then I shall take what is yours," Noir shouted as she tossed the wide-eyed corpse off the side of the cliff.

Calder screamed as he hit his knees, holding his chest and the nap of his neck where he was marked. It was the kind of scream that made your blood run cold. It pierced the brain and ignited some primeval pathway.

Holy shit.

I couldn't help but think of what the skelmar said:

"In for a copper, done for a pound."

I growled to myself at everything Calder had done to make my mate like this.

This bastard deserves the pain.

Noir studied me for the briefest of moments before a steady growl rumbled loudly through her, a reflection of my own as the air grew heavy and the humidity pressed down.

Well, this is suffocating.

The scent of rain was obviously heady as a stillness falls over the opening.

In the silence came a low crackle of thunder, rolling across treetops followed by the pattering of further tiny raindrops.

For a moment, everything stopped. Even the wind held its breath.

A streak of hot silver split the sky followed by a whistle. It was an eerie kind of noise before Noir lept into the darkness below, followed by numerous other shades.

From the shadows, however, emerged not just a woman but three wolves and a beast.

She moved confidently in front of them.

To her left was Sköll, Kiba and Fern. To her right was a lycan in whom I didn't recognize but his cerulean eyes beamed against his fur, identical to Faelen's.

He nonchalantly moved on all fours, his gaze flickering from Calder, the skelmar and my pack, assessing each and every one of us.

Noir stopped, her eyes scanning over us all as well before they landed on Calder, her gaze undeviating. Tilting her head, she smiled.

That's a bit unnerving...

"Gera þeim viðvart núna."

Immediately the ebony lycan leaned back on his hind docks and barked.

There was nothing exuberant about his bark. It was deafening and resonant.

From the shadows in which Noir emerged from, a horde of warriors— all shapes and races, infiltrated the clearing, flanking the skelmar and Calder's warriors.

She grouped with the bulk of the warriors I ordered to stay in the village until it was cleared. Thank the Gods.

"Mo grá. Are you hurt?"

Noir's eyes flickered to mine and for a moment softened before she snorted and waved her hand dramatically.

"Only thing hurt with me is the fact you left me behind."

Calder yelled again as he pushed himself to stand upright, his glowing eyes never straying from Noir.

Warriors tensed.

You could hear the clanking of weapons and armor as they shifted anxiously awaiting orders or an unwarranted action from the enemy. Wolves and lycans alike growled and snapped their jaws at one another.

"What have you done," he seethed through clenched teeth.

Noir tilted her head to the side feigning ignorance as she tapped her bottom lip.

"I would be careful with how you treat others if I were you, Calder. What you do to others has a funny way of coming back to you. What you sow, so shall you reap," she said flatly.

That did it.

Calder shifted in an instant and all hell broke loose.

Olcan - Nebo's lycan

Fern - Shiloh's Wolf

Xanthe - Calder's mate, Luna to the Moon Rock Pack

Gera þeim viðvart núna - "Notify them now."