15. Spike

15

SPIKE

Amelia glanced out the window as well and gritted her teeth. "You two need to leave, right this instant," Amelia said.

"She's right. If the others see you two here, then the rest of my pack will side with Jack," Olaf said in a tired voice.

I didn't feel particularly smug about coming to the conclusion that there was division in Olaf's pack, although in other circumstances, I would've been.

In fact, what I unexpectedly felt for Olaf was... pity. Maybe he'd been slowly losing control over his pack this entire time, and the matter of Gray simply worsened the situation.

"Wait, what does all this have to do with Gray?" I demanded.

Nitro gripped my shoulder.

“Spike, now's not the time for this," Nitro said. "We need to leave now."

"I need to know why Jack's after my mate," I insisted.

"There's no particular reason. Jack claimed the moment he saw Gray, he had to have him. It’s as simple as that. There’s no profound explanation,” Amelia said.

Now she sounded as tired as Olaf.

"Jack's been doing whatever he likes for a while now, hasn't he? And you two let him?" I asked, a little furious about the whole situation.

I wondered how many strays Jack had taken back to the compound and had gotten rid of, after he was done with them.

"You have no right to judge us when you don't understand the entire picture, boy," Olaf snapped.

Did he just call me 'boy'? I glowered at the old wolf. Was he provoking me on purpose? Because if it did come to a fight between me and the old wolf, everyone knew I would come out on top.

Then again, if that happened, Jack would probably only use Olaf's death at my hands as an excuse to ignite a war between our two groups.

"Spike," Nitro said urgently. “Come on!”

"Venom would have never allowed for something like this to happen. If he knew the MC was on the verge of splintering apart, he'd have chosen a successor," I said, letting Nitro drag me out the door.

"Not everyone is as strong as Venom," Olaf said, sounding a little defeated and I felt sorry for him all over again.

For a split second, I debated asking Olaf and Amelia to come with us. He could take refuge in Moon Burrow until he came up with a solution...

Then I realized Olaf's pride wouldn't allow him to accept anyone's help. After all, pride kept him from seeking out Venom's aid while Jack slowly took control over his pack.

I followed Nitro out of the building, and as we broke into a run, heading for our truck, I felt a surge of adrenaline.

We were so close to getting out of there alive. But just as I dared to hope, a piercing howl shattered the air, echoing through the night.

My heart sank as I realized one of Jack's werewolves had spotted us.

The werewolf who saw us, shifted and lunged towards us. I braced myself for the imminent attack. But instead of going for me or Nitro, he swiftly darted towards our truck.

Before I could react, he sank his claws into the tires, puncturing them with a savage snarl.

"Damn,” I muttered, realizing our means of escape had been sabotaged.

I knew we had to fight our way out of this. I drew my revolver, while Nitro unsheathed his combat knife, ready for whatever came our way.

More werewolves began to emerge from the shadows, drawn by the howls of their pack mate.

They circled us, yellow eyes glinting with hunger and malice. Without hesitation, they launched themselves at us, teeth bared and claws extended.

I fired off rounds from my revolver, aiming for vital spots, while Nitro moved with deadly precision, dispatching our attackers with his knife.

The sounds of snarls and gunshots filled the night air as we fought tooth and nail to defend ourselves.

Soon enough, I ran out of bullets but there was still one other option.

With a fierce growl, I let my bear form take over, muscles bulging and fur bristling as I shifted into my grizzly form.

Beside me, Nitro underwent the same transformation, his own massive bear form standing tall and formidable.

The werewolves hesitated for a moment, taken aback by the sight of two grizzlies facing them down. But their hesitation was short-lived as they launched themselves at us once again, emboldened by their pack mentality.

In our bear forms, Nitro and I fought like a well-coordinated team, claws slashing through the air and jaws snapping shut on anything that came too close.

We pushed back against our attackers, and the werewolves faltered under the onslaught, their ranks thinning as we fought tooth and claw to defend ourselves.

But despite our best efforts, the pack seemed endless, and more werewolves continued to pour in the parking lot.

It was clear that we couldn't keep this up forever.

With a silent nod, Nitro and I made the decision to retreat. We broke away from the encroaching werewolves, using our size and strength to create a path through their ranks.

Then we bounded into the cover of the surrounding woods, leaving the chaos of the confrontation behind us.

As we disappeared into the darkness, the sounds of snarls and gunshots faded into the distance.

Then we bounded into the cover of the surrounding woods. Just when I thought we had left the chaos of the confrontation behind us, a brassy roar shook the trees.

For a moment, I froze, recognizing that sound, although I couldn't place it at first. Nitro met my gaze, and the fear in his golden eyes caught me off guard.

Few supernatural creatures scared us. The Grizzly Reapers MC were at the top of the food chain, after all...

Every muscle in my body tensed as I heard the heavy flapping of wings. I whipped around to see black scales, massive wings, and deadly spikes looming behind us.

Jack's secret weapon... a dragon.

My heart pounded in my chest as Nitro and I exchanged a look of shared dread. We both knew we couldn't face this thing alone.

Without a word, we bolted, our footsteps pounding against the forest floor.

The air crackled with electricity as the dragon's presence seemed to distort reality around us.

We ran faster, desperation lending wings to our feet.

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the woods, and I felt the heat of flames licking at our heels.

The trees to our left burst into flames, and I barely managed to dodge a falling tree in time.

The fire spread quickly. Our fur was a little singed, but miraculously, we were still alive.

We pushed ourselves harder, our breath coming in ragged gasps.

Fear clawed at my chest, threatening to paralyze me, but I forced myself to focus on the path ahead, on the desperate need to outrun this monster.

With each pounding step, I thought of Gray, waiting for me back in Moon Burrow. Could he sense my fear and terror through our mate bond?

Gray and I had a future to think of. Dying today was unacceptable. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving Gray alone, of never seeing his smile again.

But in the chaos of flames and pounding footsteps, I had no idea how Nitro and I could possibly come out of this alive.

Should Nitro and I attempt to face the dragon head-on?

The thought flickered through my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. That would be suicide.

The creature was practically invincible in the air, capable of unleashing wild fire that would consume us in seconds.

Just as despair threatened to overwhelm me, my ears pricked up at the sound of a shrill raven's call up ahead.

One of our allies? How and why? I nudged Nitro's furry shoulder, urging him to listen.

The raven's cry echoed again, confirming that we weren't imagining it.

Without a second thought, we changed course, sprinting towards the source of the sound.

My heart pounded in my chest as hope flickered to life within me. Could it be that Venom, suspecting trouble with Olaf's pack, had sent reinforcements at the last moment?

Still…bringing a furious dragon to our MC brothers and raven allies would only lead to devastation.

Yet, with the monstrous beast hot on our heels, toying with us like helpless prey, we had no other choice.

As I risked another glance over my shoulder, expecting the worst, relief flooded through me when I realized the dragon was nowhere to be seen.

Had it vanished into the clouds, biding its time for another strike? Before I could dwell on it further, my gaze darted ahead, where a sleeker, smaller white dragon burst out of the trees.

Colin.

Relief washed over me at the sight of Bash's mate, his white scales shimmering in the dappled light.

But even as hope flickered to life within me, a wave of concern crashed over my thoughts.

Could Colin take on such a gigantic beast on his own?

Jack's dragon shifter ally loomed above us, nearly twice Colin's size, his black scales glinting ominously in the dim forest light.

As the two creatures closed in on each other, I could only pray that Colin had a plan, and that it was enough to save us all.

Colin's furious roar echoed through the forest, a challenge to the looming threat of Jack's dragon.

But to my surprise, the black-scaled behemoth hesitated, as if caught off guard by Colin's defiance. What was happening?

Then, as if in response to some unseen force, a purplish rune began to glow on the black dragon's chest.

It shrieked in agony, its massive wings beating the air as it recoiled in pain. In an instant, it turned tail and fled, disappearing into the distant horizon.

I exchanged a bewildered glance with Nitro. Colin roared and led the way to a waiting truck parked nearby.

Bash, a fellow MC brother and Coin’s mate was behind the wheel.

As we climbed aboard the truck, the minor burns I'd sustained during our escape began to flare. Nitro groaned behind me. Maybe our injuries were more serious than I thought.

Questions swirled in my mind, each one more urgent than the last. Who was that black dragon, and had Jack hired it to hunt us down? And that strange rune... what did it signify?

Colin landed gracefully on the ground, shifting back to his human form before joining Bash in the front of the truck.

“What the hell happened? For a moment, I thought we were done for," Bash said, sounding worried.

Colin shook his head, brow furrowed in confusion.

"I'm not sure. The other dragon shifter just... backed off. There was something odd on his chest," Colin mused. "But let's not think about it for now. We need to get out of here before it decides to come back. Honestly, I don't think I could take on that creature, not by myself."

With that, Bash took the wheel, the engine roaring to life as we sped away from the Blue Vale Valley compound.

Gray, I somehow made it out of that madness, was my last thought before falling unconscious.