Chapter 0357
'Alexander is coming.' Nyx groans. 'Just stay still.'
I ignore her and unclip the seatbelt, tearing it from my flesh and splattering my own blood across the car interior.
It takes me a moment to locate the door handle as Nyx keeps urging me to remain motionless. 'He's approaching. I can hear him. Alexander's coming.'
I couldn't hear anything except her voice and the blood roaring in my ears. My head throbbed painfully and my vision blurred, the acrid smell of gasoline filling my nostrils. I flung the door open just as another impact threw me forward. My wrist snapped against the dashboard followed by a sickening crack in my pelvis when I tried to move.
The contents of my stomach erupted along with copious amounts of blood.
A third collision threw me violently and my head struck something sharp before I collapsed back into the seat. Each breath became increasingly difficult. My entire body felt shredded internally.
"LUC!" I forced out, but it emerged as a breathless whisper without sound. He wasn't moving as I coughed up more blood.
"No time left. We need to extract them now!" A male voice shouted.
"Plenty of time remains." A woman muttered dismissively.
"She's mated to Alexander. He's likely already en route." Another man snapped urgently.
"Then we should accelerate. Remember, she's also an Alpha. If she survives, her healing will be rapid. Complete the operation now. Before he tracks her here."
I closed my eyes as footsteps approached, desperately willing myself to heal. I needed just enough recovery to fight back, just enough to shift and tear their fucking hearts out!
"Eliminate him first." The woman muttered coldly. "We don't need that bastard shooting people. Or discovering our identities."
More glass shattered loudly, followed by the sound of something heavy being dragged across pavement. Moments later, gunshots rang out and a single tear traced down my cheek. Luc hadn't stood a chance against these scentless attackers.
'Nyx, we must shift and I can't accomplish it alone right now.' I pleaded. This represented our only survival path.
'We remain too weakened.' She informed me as another wave of nausea overwhelmed me.
Someone grabbed my wrist and I prepared to swing my broken arm at the attacker. "Athena, it's me." Luc whispered urgently. "Open your eyes, look at me."
I stared at him in stunned disbelief. "You... you're alive?!!" I felt blood trickling from my mouth corner. He used his thumb to wipe it away.
"Needed to play dead. Only way to extract you. Can you walk?"
I shook my head weakly and sharp pain shot through my neck. I fought down rising bile. "I'm not... I don't think I'm healing." My lungs struggled for oxygen.
He glanced over his shoulder, rapidly assessing options.
"Did you eliminate them?" I coughed, bringing up more blood.
"Absolutely. fucking assholes. Now I need to extract you from here." He slid one arm behind my knees and forced the other behind my back. "This will cause pain."
Luc lifted me from the car as I cried out in agony. Somehow, bone fractures hurt significantly more when not shifting.
He placed me on the ground and adjusted my legs and hips as running footsteps approached us.
Alexander's scent intensified and I felt overwhelming relief that Nyx had been correct. He dropped beside me as my pelvis clicked back into position.
He cupped my face and used a cloth to wipe blood from my chin. "Don't speak. I have you. You will recover."
"What the hell occurred?" He demanded from Luc while picking glass fragments from my face.
"These bastards rear-ended us deliberately." Luc informed Alexander.
I turned my head, ignoring neck pain to see who Luc referenced. Three deceased individuals lay roadside. Sebastian stood over them frowning deeply. Each had a bullet embedded in their skull.
I recognized all three.
Wolves from Obsidian Howl.