Twenty minutes away from Silver Thorn, a black SUV was rolled over with steam rising out of the bonnet. The rain had eased and came to a complete stop on the dusty road. The driver of the car who crashed into them climbed out and grabbed his assault rifle, immediately pointing it towards the car. All in black military attire, his armed men jumped out of the vehicle and approached the car with caution.

A man with dark bronze skin and light brown curly hair hung out of the black tinted window, unconscious or dead. But he was not their target. Their eyes whipped to the driver's seat and instantly rushed forwards.

Their target, the Alpha King, was unconscious; his body was slumped upside down, only being kept in his seat by the seat belt over his huge body. The driver of the hunters made a motion with his hand, and his men split up, checking the others in the car for any unwanted attacks if they were alive. While they dispersed around the vehicle, the leader tried to undo the car door, but it was jammed shut.

Narrowing his eyes, he smashed the end of his gun into the window, causing the glass to break into pieces and collapsing onto the roof of the car. He brought two fingers forward and checked the Alpha for a pulse on his neck, only to immediately pull back after feeling a slow, steady beat.

The order was to kidnap him, and if he was too much of a handle, then kill him. Silas didn't care; his plan if this one fell through was to use him as a hostage to the pack and to that white-haired werewolf they lost a month ago. If they had her, then they would kill him anyway; he was useless by that point.

Dropping his rifle to the ground, he leaned in and reached around the giant and clicked the button of the seatbelt. He looked at the almighty Alpha King and scoffed as his body fell forwards.

"Not so mighty now," He spat.

But the twisted lips of his smile fell instantly when he saw the Alpha turn his head and look straight into his eyes. Fear gripped the hunter as he watched the man's skin on his face pull back, ripping from the mouth and nose as a black snout protruded forwards.

Within seconds the Alpha leapt forwards before he shifted completely, smacking the man into the ground. His sharp jagged teeth ripped into his throat, whipping his head from side to side as he growled. The black wolf's ears stood alert after hearing the approaching footsteps and the three cars skidding to a stop on the left side of the toppled car.

Damon growled. He was pissed. Oh, so fucking pissed. There would be no survivors. If Nairi was dead, or Aila was taken.. His thoughts ran short as he immediately pounded forwards and took out the next three hunters.

No skill was needed when his hot rage pumped through his veins, urging him into his wild, animalistic side. His heart thrashed against his chest like it wanted to attack them as much as he did, and a guttural growl ripped through him. His silver orbs shone like two full moons.

Darius was in his element, seeking blood.

The first man he tackled, his jaws went over his head, and he ripped it off, tossing the decapitated head away. It rolled on the ground and stopped in front of the next hunter; the man raised his eyes from the head by his feet, immediately taking a step back as the next thing in his vision is the terrifying black wolf leap towards him.

In his panicked state, he pulled the trigger, but it was too late. His arm holding the gun had been ripped from his body. The man screamed as blood spurted out from his shoulder socket. His scream worsened when he looked back in shock at the wolf holding his arm like a dog would with a stick. With widened eyes, the hunter watched as the Alpha dropped his arm and jumped on him. The last thing he saw is the inside of his mouth before rolling on the dusty ground and facing his body a meter away that sprayed blood from his neck.

On the other side of the car, Kane scrambled up to his feet and faced the three vehicles that now surrounded him. Men jumped out of the vehicles and pointed their guns at him. He growled and raised his hands, knowing too well that the hunters would kill him soon anyway. His eyes began to glow a brilliant amber, and his body began to tremble; the men shouted at him, warning him not to. But it was too late. They intervened with him, making it back to his mate.

They had to pay.

As he took his first step, the men turned their heads and weapons to the side. The dark and dangerous Alpha leapt towards them and began ripping into their flesh, leaving many dead or severely wounded in his path. The Alpha King was relentless and vicious in his attacks as shots were fired in all directions. But Zeke's dusty grey wolf attacked them from behind while Beta Kane shifted and joined in.

Within minutes the hunter's bodies were left disfigured and dismembered with blood seeping into the dusty earth. Damon turned his back on them, ready to go but stopped remembering Jake was still in the car. He rounded the vehicle to see Zeke whimpering by Jake's body on the side of the car, sniffing his head.

"Is he.." Beta Kane began, but Zeke shook his head.

"No, but he's losing a lot of blood," Zeke replied gravely.

"Zeke, get him to the hospital, use one of the hunter's cars. Kane, let's go!" Damon took charge of the situation quickly and turned away from the bloodied sight. Kane was quick to follow, and Damon sent another mind-link to Zeke as their paws pounded against the ground, "Keep me updated on Jake!"

Neither of them spoke as the gigantic black and golden wolf raced towards their destination, both filled with fear and anxiety over their mates. Their legs and lungs burned at the pace they fled at, but neither complained.

The edges of town came into view. They made it in record timing, breaking it by five minutes, only to come across mayhem of hunters, wolves and those beasts fighting one another. Damon growled at the sight, immediately joining the battle.

There was a restlessness stirring in Damon, and he knew his twisted gut would unravel the moment he set his eyes on his mate.