Chapter 6: Rogues

[Ocean]

Aria let out a resonating howl. Like the howl I used to hear every night. If she can turn into a wolf, that only means those howls did not come from animals, but from them. The people who live in this village.

“Take that lady! If Quillian’s runt niece is protecting her, she must be his mate!” The scruffy man ordered the wolves.

Aria takes a step back, nestling me between her hind legs. Her small frame makes it impossible for her to defend the both of us. And I’m getting dangerously too close to the cliff’s edge.

Dread filled inside me as the three wolves loomed over the growling petite golden brown wolf.

Razor sharp teeth baring each other, sticky saliva dripping down from their bloodied jaws. Aria could never handle all three of them.

Another howl echoed through the dense foliage, but it was too far away from where we were.

“Damn! They’re coming!” The scruffy man cursed and transformed himself into a gray wolf. One morphs into a tall, skinny naked man with multiple wound patches on his skin, hollowed cheeks, a crooked nose, and bloodshot eyes.

In one swift motion of his arm, he swept Aria aside. The small wolf shot across the massive boulder on the cliff’s edge. She let out a loud whimper as her body collided with the large boulder, reverting to human form.

Stricken by the sight, I scrambled to my feet and ran towards Aria’s naked body. She attempted to stand but fell back to the ground. Screeching in agony.

I quickly took off my apron and covered her body. I was only able to wrap her around it when a rough hand grabbed my hair. Forcing me upwards.

“No! Don’t hurt her!” Aria screamed in protest as my assailant lifted me into the air. Tears welled up from the corners of my eyes, and I felt as if his grasp would tear my scalp off my head. My hands clawed helplessly at his arms, and my feet flailed above the ground, aimlessly kicking him.

I can hear the wild crashing waves below as he swings me with his arm closer to the edge.

How can a skinny man be so strong? No, they aren’t men.

“Let go of me! Monster!”

He only laughed at my futile attempt to break free from him. He brought my face level with him.

“You’re a sweet little thing, aren’t you?” His putrid breath fanned across my face, I tried hard not to vomit my lunch and sneered at him in response.

Then he stiffened, with his head subtly tilted, listening. The three wolves in front of us bent into their front paws, the fur on their necks standing up, growling across the woods’ periphery.

Something is nearing, a synchronized thumping on the ground followed by a reverberating howl. Their growl grew louder...

… and I am still hanging on the skinny man’s arm. I writhed and tried to unclasp his metal grip, but to no avail. Aria curled into a ball on the side, trembling. I caught a glimpse of her bare back, deep purple skin spreading across it and a bump poking up on her side.

A broken rib.

Then there was silence. None of them move. There isn’t a single bird chirp to be heard. Not a moment had passed, out of nowhere, a huge silver wolf leapt over the boulder from where Aria curled. Taking them off guard. While on the air, it’s jaw clamps on the skinny man’s nape.

He let go of me in an instant, but I lost my footing when I landed on the ground. My feet slip through the cliff edge, and my body follows. My head smacked against the sharp rocks, and my hand clambered across the rocky surface, looking for anything I could grab onto.

“No, Ocean!” Aria’s horrified voice pierced the air as my body left the solid ground.

My heart sank into my stomach as I realized I was about to fall. Fortunately, my left hand found a jutting rock, and my nails dug into the hard surface.

An agonizing pain erupted in my arm, protesting the sudden stretch as it held my body weight, swaying helplessly in the air. My vision was distorted and my head was pounding from the impact.

I mustered all of my strength to lift my other arm and hitch the rock I was holding, hissing in pain and shaking my head to clear my foggy vision.

“Ocean, don’t let go!” Aria’s trembling voice caused me to raise my head. “Take my hand!” She was leaning against the edge, arms stretched out towards me. Her face contorted in pain, her broken bone must be killing her.

“Aria I can’t.” I grunted and reached for her extended hand, but her arms were too short for me to reach.

The rocks near the one I am clutching started to fall, loosening from my heaviness. The rock began to slide, my body jolted down a bit.

I keep myself from moving too much, forcing my flailing legs to stop from shaking. My arms ached from supporting my body, my nails scraping the rock, and tears started streaming down from my eyes.

I caught a glimpse of the jagged, sharp rocks below me, as well as the raging wave crashing against the shore.

If I fall, there’s no way I’ll be able to survive.

“Ocean, keep your head up! Look at me!” I was startled back by Aria’s voice.

Ballistic snarls, growls, and snapping jaws can be heard on the top. As the enormous wolves fought above, dust and small bits of rock sprayed on the edge, specking my eyes.

Tears falling nonstop from my eyes, I look at Aria and she’s crying too. Cursing as she tries to reach me again, grunting.

“No Ocean! Please… Help!” She sobbed and desperately shouted.

This is it, I’m going to die. My heart thudded against my rib cage, and everything fell silent.

I closed my eyes, accepting the fate installed for me when I felt the rock that I held slip through. As the gust of air engulfed my body, Aria’s scream faded into the background.

I’ll die without any memory of who I am or where I came from.

I’m about to meet my death, then suddenly, a strong grip locked on my wrist, barely missing a hold, and yanked me upwards. My eyes pop open and my head snaps up faster than a broken neck. I saw Arzhel’s fear stricken face as he pulled me up. Aria besides him with relief written on her face, wiping her tears away.

He hoisted me up from the edge and carried me to the safe side of the cliff.

“You’re okay, you’re safe.” Arzhel whispered as he cupped my tear-streaked face and examined the bump on my head.

He’s naked… my head turned around to the person behind him.

… and so Quillian is, standing proudly, with a fuming face and an intense gaze that burns a hole in my soul.

His body was built to fight, with rough hard edges and defined lines carving into his physique. Eight rock hard bumps layering on his abdomen, and masculine curves in his arms. I restrained myself not to wander my eyes nether.

I flinched in his gaze that I didn’t even notice Aria throwing herself towards me and hugging me tightly.

“I was afraid we’d lose you, Ocean.” She wept in the crook of my neck.

I didn’t move, my body still trembling and my mind still processing the things that happened.

That I almost died.

My sight swept over to the three mangled bodies lying on the ground.

All in human forms.

No. There’s something missing.

Why are there only three? There were supposed to be four of them.

Where is the scruffy looking man?

“Four.” An inaudible gasp teared through my throat. I look at Arzhel’s confused face.

“Arzhel, there were four of them.” I blurted out, Aria let go of me, my apron clumsily hanging on her body, barely covering her modesty.

Arzhel opened his mouth to answer me but someone grabbed my arm and yanked me hard. For a brief moment, I was afraid that the sudden action would cause my arms to separate from me. The spark that runs beneath my skin muted. My body twisted awkwardly when I came face to face with the man who might swallow me whole in an instant.

“You! I told you not to mess around! You deliberately put my niece’s life in danger!” He roared in my face.

For a brief moment, I was speechless, unsure of what to do. Then, the next thing I knew, a sharp pain blasted across my cheek, whipping my head to the side. A metallic tang tasted inside my mouth.

“Quillian!”

“Uncle!”

Arzhel and Aria’s voices rang in unison, but my senses were muffled. Only the pounding of my heart and a deafening ring echoed in my ears.

My entire body went numb with sheer terror.

That cliff might not be the death of me.

Quillian will.