Chapter 775 - Not without my sister

Chapter 775: Chapter 775 - Not without my sister

Hours earlier, Jasmine had gone out with the pups.

There were thirty of them around the same age, their laughter filling the air like music, and there were four warriors with them plus a tutor.

As usual, Jasmine would allow them to explore the woods, teaching them how to survive as she did as a lone wolf, sharing skills that could only be learned in the wild, her heart full of quiet pride every time they succeeded.

It was a special skill they learned only from her, and they loved the fact that they could explore the woods so carelessly, their feet pounding against the earth, their voices echoing through the trees.

Naturally, the warriors would always be there to ensure their safety, silent shadows watching from a distance, ready to intervene at the first sign of danger.

Jasmine was always able to track each and every one of them with the sound of their voices by pretending there were enemies in the woods, turning survival into a game that left them breathless with excitement.

The timeline for them to make it out of the woods was what determined who was faster, who was stronger, who would survive if the game ever became real.

Mostly, Esperanza and Bryan would be the first to emerge because Esperanza had some tricks up her sleeves and had been teaching Bryan, the two of them moving through the trees like ghosts, their bond unbreakable.

What they didn’t know was that this time, there were real enemies.

So when the pups began emerging without her calling them out, alarm bells began sounding in her head, a sharp, piercing warning that made her blood run cold and her pulse race with sudden fear.

"I saw a man in the woods," one of them said, his voice small and uncertain.

Jasmine thought they were merely passersby. Sometimes a few lone wolves used the pack borders on their journey through the wolf lands, their scents unfamiliar but not threatening. Still, a quiet unease settled in her stomach.

However, she didn’t see it safe to have them there anymore, and yelled for the pups, her voice sharp with urgency that cut through the trees.

"Reach for safety!"

The remaining pups began assembling, looking disappointed, their faces falling with the sudden end to their adventure, the fun draining from their eyes.

"Aunt Jasmine, we didn’t go far," one of them said, his tone almost pleading.

She encouraged them, her voice gentle but firm, hiding the growing dread beneath. "Tomorrow is another day, Seth."

She shuffled his hair as the other tutor and warriors led him away to join the others. But now, three pups were missing, and Jasmine began yelling for them, her heart pounding against her ribs so hard it hurt.

"Josh, Espe, Bryan, where are you?"

"Here!" Josh yelled as he ran out of the woods, looking shaken, his face pale, his eyes wide with terror that made Jasmine’s blood freeze. "A man got Espe."

Before Jasmine could make head or tail of his words, a shrill cry tore through the air from a little farther away, raw and desperate.

"Leave her alone, you moron!"

It was Bryan. Jasmine quickly ran in the direction of the voice, her feet flying over the forest floor as pure protective fury flooded her veins, and saw that Espe was being carried by a tall, muscular man while Bryan had held on to the man’s legs, screaming, his small hands gripping the fabric of his pants with fierce determination.

He bit the man’s leg and was kicked, his body flying through the air, and Jasmine’s heart nearly stopped.

"Bryan!"

Jasmine’s heart twitched as she caught Bryan before he could hit a tree’s bark, his small body trembling in her arms, fear and courage warring in his eyes.

"Go," she instructed, but Bryan was reluctant, his jaw set, his eyes burning with determination that made her chest ache with pride and fear.

"Not without my sister."

"Let her go!" Jasmine yelled when she reached the man, her voice carrying through the trees like thunder, every word edged with protective rage.

He turned around with a dark gaze, his eyes cold and empty, a smirk curling his lips.

"And whose gonna make me? You little she wolf?"

"Leave the pup now," Jasmine growled, her voice low and dangerous, the threat of her wolf rising hard and fast.

The man scoffed, turned around, and continued walking, dismissing her like an annoying fly. Jasmine climbed a tree, moved through the branches with the agility of a creature born in the wild, released her hand, and landed on the man’s shoulders, grabbing him in a chokehold as she yelled, pure fury powering every movement.

"Espe, now!"

Esperanza bit on the arm of the man who held her by the midsection, her small teeth sinking into his flesh with desperate strength. He groaned from the pain and dropped her hard on the floor, her body hitting the ground with a sickening thud that made Jasmine’s stomach turn.

"Run! Go and get help!" Jasmine yelled, but Esperanza was reluctant, her eyes wide with fear and loyalty that refused to leave her behind.

They had been trained to be there for each other, to never leave a packmate behind, and the bond held them even in terror.

"No, Aunt Jasmine, you are coming with us."

They saw the man had overpowered and pinned her on the ground, landing a blow to her face, her head snapping back with the force of it, pain exploding behind her eyes.

"Run, Espe! Bryan!"

The two pups only realized the real danger when they saw more men approaching, their forms emerging from the shadows like nightmares made flesh, and pure panic took over.

Jasmine pierced her attacker in the eyes with a stick, blinding him, and got up, her body aching, her breath ragged, every muscle screaming. She began to run, but another one caught up to her, pulling her by the hair, her scalp burning with pain that forced a cry from her throat.

The one she had stabbed yelled, his voice thick with fury. "Get the girl, or the King will kill us."

Jasmine only realized by then that they were after Esperanza, and instantly mindlinked Voren, her voice desperate and breaking.

’Voren, please help.’

Jasmine had only one wish, and right after the mindlink, she engaged in a short prayer, her thoughts turning inward, her heart reaching for something greater than herself as fear and love warred inside her.

’Moon goddess, my life doesn’t matter. Keep the pups safe, especially Espe. No harm must come to her.’

She instantly shifted to wolf form but realized the mistake too late that this man was not their kind.

As soon as he transformed, she knew he was a Lycan, his beast form towering over her, his eyes burning with ancient malice that made her blood run cold.

Fear took over her as she tried to escape rather than engage in a fight, her legs pumping, her heart racing with pure survival instinct, but the Lycan was after her with fury for making Esperanza escape.

His claws drove into her back, tearing through fur and flesh, injuring her wolf, and forcing her to shift back to human form. She crumpled to the ground, her body broken, her blood staining the earth, pain and despair flooding every nerve.

At the same time, Esperanza had used the entrance to her father’s hideout into the pack through the external waterfalls, swimming from there into the pack with Bryan serving as a protective brother, ensuring that no harm came to her.

The water was cold, the current strong, but she didn’t stop, didn’t falter, didn’t look back, pure determination driving her forward.

She was relieved to see her father as soon as she made it safely into the pack, her small body collapsing against him as sobs tore from her throat.

"Daddy, they got Aunt Jasmine."

"Save Aunt Jasmine!" Bryan yelled, his voice cracking with desperation and residual terror.

Voren mindlinked Corvine as he rushed out of the pack with protective fury. He saw the pups rushing in, each one seeming afraid, their faces pale, their eyes wide, as the tutor explained, her voice shaking.

"There were some men in the woods."

Voren pieced it together. Some men in the woods? From what Ravyn had told him, it could only be the Lycans. He quickly mindlinked Corvine, his voice sharp with command and cold rage.

’Sound the war alarm. The Lycans are here.’

’Fuck!’ Corvine cursed, the word echoing through the link, filled with the same dread.

But Voren realized Seraphine was behind him, her presence steady and unwavering, a fierce strength that matched his own.

"Sera."

"Don’t try to stop me." Her voice was stern, leaving no room for negotiations, her eyes burning with a fierce determination that left no doubt. "This is our pack, and we protect it together."