Chapter 28: The Ambush
The forest swallowed the last hint of daylight as their car wound deeper into the northern road. The trees thickened, shrouding them in shadows. The headlights pierced through the mist, but Zach's senses were sharper than any beam of light. Something was following them.
He didn't say a word. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, jaw clenched.
Behind them, a black SUV loomed—steady, patient, predatory.
Amber sat in silence beside him, her heart heavy from the earlier events at Luna Café. She clutched the leather-bound case of documents, unaware that danger was already breathing down their necks.
Zach inhaled deeply, reaching out with his mind. The scent hit him like a knife—wolves. Rogue wolves.
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath.
He pushed down on the accelerator, speeding through the narrow mountain pass. Amber turned to him, her brow furrowed.
"Is something wrong?"
"Hold on," Zach said, gaze locked on the rearview mirror.
Suddenly, the SUV vanished behind a bend. Then—silence. The eerie kind that only arrives before chaos.
Then came the screeching of tires.
Figures burst from the woods.
Eyes—dozens of them—glowed in the shadows.
Rogue wolves.
Zach slammed on the brakes. The car jerked to a halt. Amber lunged forward, catching herself on the dashboard. Her eyes widened as she saw them—beasts with bloodthirsty growls, encircling the vehicle like a pack of vultures waiting to devour.
One name escaped her lips: "Zach..."
He turned to her, his voice low and calm. "Stay inside. No matter what happens."
Amber's heart pounded, but she nodded.
Outside, the night pulsed with tension. Growls echoed through the forest.
Zach stepped out.
The moment his boots touched the earth, a hush swept over the clearing.
From the darkness emerged the largest wolf—taller, leaner, more savage than the rest. Jaguar. The infamous bandit alpha. His coat was ink-black, his eyes cold and calculating.
He stood in full wolf form, muscles coiled beneath his skin.
Zach didn't flinch. He let the change take him—not fully, but enough. His claws extended. His eyes gleamed with amber light. His fangs elongated. A halfway transformation. A warning.
The two alphas locked eyes.
Then, like thunder cracking through the forest, Jaguar charged.
Zach met him head-on.
Claws clashed. Teeth snapped. The two collided with a force that shook the earth beneath them. Amber watched in horror as their bodies tangled in a brutal display of dominance.
They moved like shadows, lightning-fast. Neither giving in. Every blow Zach landed was matched by Jaguar's savage strikes. Their strength was equal—or so it seemed.
But deep within, Zach was still holding back.
One rogue leaped at him—Zach twisted mid-air and drove his claws into its neck. Another lunged, teeth bared. Zach ducked, slashing its belly. One after another came—wolves with foaming jaws and ruthless hunger.
Zach took them down—each one collapsing to the earth, lifeless, bleeding.
Yet Jaguar remained untouched.
Again, the bandit alpha snarled and lunged. Zach turned to meet him—but something caught his eye.
Amber is in Danger.
At the edge of the clearing, a rogue in human form had cracked open the back of the vehicle and was dragging her out.
She struggled, screaming. "Let go of me—!"
She tried to shift—but nothing happened. Her body refused. Her limbs trembled.
"I—can't—" she gasped.
Her power... it only awakened when her emotions surged. When she's in the verge of emotions, Anger.
That's when her fury tore through her veins.
"Transform," she whispered desperately. "Why won't you—?!"
Zach's attention faltered.
That second was all Jaguar needed.
A savage growl. A flash of teeth.
Jaguar's fangs sank deep into Zach's belly.
A guttural cry tore from Zach's throat. He staggered back, blood soaking his fur. Pain flared—but he stayed upright.
"Amber!" he roared.
She turned—and saw him.
Bleeding.
On his knees.
"No.! Zach..! she screamed.
Rage, grief, fear, anger—everything exploded inside her.
Something ancient unfurled from her core.
Her body convulsed.
then shifted.
Bones cracked, reshaped.
Fur sprouted.
Eyes burned gold.
She let out a cry that was not human—but wolf.
Amber had finally awakened.
Her form was lean and beautiful, but her aura blazed with untamed fury.
In one fluid motion, she lunged and sank her teeth into the rogue that held her. He howled in pain, stumbling back. Amber pounced again—striking fast, precise, merciless.
More came. She met them head-on.
One, two, three—each wolf that lunged at her was met with fierce resistance. She was no longer helpless. Her instincts guided her. Her strength amplified by grief, by love, by the need to protect.
But they kept coming. Dozens. Her legs grew heavy. Her breathing ragged.
She turned and saw Zach—still standing, but barely.
Jaguar snarled, circling for another attack.
And then—
A howl split the air.
From the shadows came another figure—half-shifted, eyes blazing.
It was Bri.
He struck like a meteor—his claws dug into Jaguar's throat.
The bandit alpha let out a choked growl and fell hard against the forest floor.
Bri's chest heaved. Blood dripped from his arms, but he stood tall.
"Take Amber and go!" he ordered, voice laced with command. "We'll handle the rest!"
Then, from the darkness, they emerged.
Dozens of wolves.
Northern werewolves help.
More than fifty of them in number.
A symphony of growls filled the air. The clearing erupted into chaos.
Wolves collided. Snarled. Howled. The bandits, once dominant, were now prey.
Zach staggered toward Amber. "I'm not leaving," he growled to Bri
"No," Bri said, eyes locking with his. "You need to get her out of here."
Zach clenched his Jaw.
He didn't want to abandon them—but Amber...
Another rogue lunged at her.
Zach fight fully in a heartbeat and ripped it away.
Another came. Another fell.
Amber fought beside him. Each of her movements was more controlled now—refined. She had learned in moments what others took years to master.
They move like one—
The Alpha and Luna.
Strike. Dodge. Bite. Kill.
The ground was littered with corpses. The scent of blood choked the air.
Then Jaguar, weakened and cornered, tried to flee.
But Bri and the northern wolves surrounded him. They tore into him—biting, slashing, until the bandit alpha collapsed in a bloody heap. His reign had ended.
The rogue army was no more.
The forest went still.
Amber stood in her wolf form, chest rising and falling. Blood painted the earth, but not a scratch marred her body. Zach protected her, and its overwhelmed her feelings.
Zach, however, clutched his side—blood seeping through his fur.
Bri limped forward, a gash on his shoulder, but otherwise unharmed.
"We did it," Amber whispered, still in wolf form.
Zach.. are you okay?"
"Just a scratch," he muttered, though the wound throbbed. Get in the car. There's a jacket inside—change before you catch a cold," he said softly.
Amber smirked, "You giving me orders now?"
She smiled as she handed him the other jacket and pants.
The others shifted back—wolves transforming into men and women, cloaked in long coats.
The dead rogues were gathered. A fire was lit. Their bodies were burned to ash—no trace left behind.
Zach turned to Bri and to all Northern wolves "Thank you."
Bri nodded solemnly.
"It's an honor to fight by your side, Alpha." Said the other Northern wolves.
Another wolf, younger, stepped forward. "It was our duty. You protected our legacy. We'll always stand with you."
And one by one, they vanished into the night.
Bri remained.
"I'm heading west," he said quietly.
Zach raised a brow.
"The Western Region needs me. There are... things I must reclaim."
Amber listened silently.
Bri's voice turned distant. "After I discovered I was a hybrid, I went back to the West. My bloodline was nearly erased when Lucian took over—my parents... they died fighting."
He paused.
Looking at the fire.
Mother Zeena told me Everything.
"My father, Shawn Valeborne, was a wolf. My mother, Trini, a gifted human. She could read the whispers of nature... sense danger and manipulate it. Before she died, she asked the forest to protect me. That's how I survived. Thirteen years, hidden, alone. But now, I've rebuilt what was lost."
Zach placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then go. And if the West ever calls—we'll answer."
With a quiet nod, Bri run towards the wood and vanished into the shadows.
Back at the Artesian Mansion, Zach and Amber arrived in silence.
But the war was far from over.
This was only the beginning.
—
To be continued...
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